UCLA’s Plateia restaurant wins 3 regional awards, competes for overall winner

UCLA’s Plateia restaurant has won three regional awards and is competing to win three overall “Best of the Southland” recognitions.

Plateia, a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant, has been open since 2016 and is situated in the UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center. It won first place in the brunch, burger and pizza categories for the Westside/Central L.A./East L.A. award region in August, becoming the only establishment in any region to win three of the awards in the same year.

“Best of the Southland” awards celebrate favorite businesses in Southern California and are selected by votes from Los Angeles Times readers, recognizing 65 categories in each of five designated zones: Orange County, San Fernando Valley/Ventura County, San Gabriel Valley/Inland Empire, South Bay/Long Beach/South L.A. and Westside/Central L.A./East L.A.

Marc Cordova, Plateia’s general manager, attributed the awards to effective collaboration and communication between the front- and back-of-house teams and expressed gratitude to those who voted and nominated the restaurant, according to UCLA Newsroom.

Jason Tingley, Plateia’s executive chef, said the accomplishment was achieved through many different components of the restaurant’s success, from supplier partnerships and teamwork within the restaurant to weekly tastings with some of the dining and hospitality management team.

“Winning these three regional awards is a testament to our skill set and has filled our team members with pride and excitement,” Tingley told UCLA Newsroom. “In addition, our clients and friends of Plateia offer great advice on the food we serve. We listen, make changes and follow-up with our guests, and good things happen.”

The five regional winners of each category are now running against one another to win an overall “Best of Southland” recognition by public vote, taking place from Sept. 6 to Oct. 11. The overall winners in each category will be declared Nov. 28.