Callender’s Grill

Pleasant and relaxing atmosphere, fabulous salad bar and very nice bakery. Not much on the menu for vegetarians. Across the street from La Brea tar pits and the LA County art museum. Street parking can be surprisingly available.

My wife and I came to the Sunday brunch. What a good deal!
Skipped the omelette bar and went straight for the buffet. My highlights:
–2 champagne maximum. Additional glasses are $ 1, pretty good deal!
–Includes OJ and/​or coffee. Get straight up champagne and OJ separate. More bang for your buck if mimosas are your thing! Coffee doesn’t suck and is pretty good. Free refills on OJ and coffee.
–Good sausage!
–Tasty breakfast potato cubes
–Skip the eggs benny!
–Yummy waffles — check freshness. I dipped mine in the chocolate fondue, YUM!
–Tons of waffle toppings and nuts! Deelish apple pie filling
–Decent/​OK quiche — check freshness
–Yummy fruits an nice spread for salad bar
–Decent/​OK roast beef
–Good biscuits and gravy! Sausage in the gravy = nom
–Chicken Enchiladas — MEH — A bit dry due to bake
–Can request chocolate covered banana with nuts at chocolate fondue station
–I was far too full to eat desert, but I watched them constantly bringing new items to the desert area from the bakery
Verdict:
A pretty good deal considering other brunch spots! We thought it was bottomless mimosas, but were surprised when it was 2 drink max. $ 1 for extra glasses is a good value though. We really enjoyed it and will venture back soon.

Excellent service, this is my second time being here and I couldn’t be any happier, our waiter Link I believe was his name couldn’t be any nicer and helpful he was absolutely awesome, made my moms birthday definitely a memorable one. I will be coming back for a 3^rd time most definitely.

I had champagne brunch one Sunday recently. I sat at the bar with my date. Melissa served us, and she made us feel like celebrities! She was helpful, hospitable, comedic and knowledgable. The champagne was decent. The food was grrrreat. Omelette bar, waffles, quiche, pizza, fries, all delicious!

The food were okay and a really nice dining atmosphere. The décor is better than your average Marie Callender’s. I went a few days ago. The hostess was kind of cranky and they had a big banner outside advertising a small pot pie/​slice of pie combo for like $ 10 bucks. But when we went in, they are out but they have the regular pot pie for like $ 15 bucks. Sounds like bait and switch to me. It’s across the street from the Tar Pit and 3 hours parking for $ 3.00. The service were friendly but they never refill my berverage after I asked like three times so I gave up.

Well we decided to come here for lunch one day since my coworker wanted to try something different. It was a cold day and he was super excited about having a warm pot pie so I decided to take him up on his offer of coming here. I’ve been here before but it was only for drinks and I ordered a pomegranate martini which wasn’t bad. This time around we got this weird waiter who made it difficult and almost made me feel bad for wanting to order sliders. First he said they didn’t have sliders, then he said sliders are only for kids and then he finished it off by saying if you want sliders you might as well just order a burger then.
After that weird exchange I passed on the sliders and decided to go with the chicken quesadillas while my friend ordered his pot pie. While my friend was slurping down his pie and talking about a bunch of nonsense, I was sitting there trying to figure out why my quesadilla had no flavor, it was boring and why the cheddar cheese was so rubbery. I had 1 ½ pieces and ended up having the waiter thrash it, who by the way, looked at me strange when I told him I didn’t want a box.
So, to make a long story short, find somewhere else to eat for lunch. There are so many other good places around this area that I would definitely skip this one unless you’re looking for a pot pie or a pomegranate martini.
OO
2 out of 5 Afros

seriously, happy hour every day and all day on sunday? yes! great food. great ambiance! great drinks!

I met friends here yesterday for the yearly Thanksgiving meal.
There was a bit of an «issue» at the beginning, as they couldn’t find our name on the reservation list. I called at the beginning of the month to do the reservation. The reservation «issue» was quickly resolved & we were seated.
We ordered the turkey meal for the holiday. The food was pretty good, even thought it could have been a bit warmer. We enjoyed the food & catching up. The piano music sounded good from what we could tell. We were pretty hungry & finished all of the meal. The waitress was okay, but she didn’t really check back to see if we needed anything else. I know it’s not easy working on a holiday, but I thought she could have made more of an effort to check in with us.
We were quite surprised to find out that there wasn’t free parking. They did validate for the parking & it was only $ 3.00. We’re use to free parking each year.
All in all, a good holiday experience, other then the charge for parking.

GREAT spot. Very large menu selection, and a great selection of drinks. The waitstaff and bartenders are knowledgable and polite. They have great music that adds nice atmosphere (live piano, small trios). The brick construction and classic interior add great visual appeal. Very nice bathrooms, nice booth seating, great patio space, and a piano bar to add to the wrap-​around bar seating.
There’s a bakery in the back, and they sell pies on sale every so often. Highly recommended.
They have a fantastic «happy hour» food and drink menu, and happy hour lasts until close on most weeknights.
Good spot for a date. Mostly middle-​aged crowd. Great murals depicting classic scenes of LA and Hollywood.

Always have loved coming here, same great quality food and even better service here then the other Calendars.
I love the interior décor of the place, great to have wine and desert :)
And live pink man !

My wife and I stopped here for lunch. Fantastic food and service. They have indoor and outdoor seating,

Okay, this is a Callender’s Grill (not your usual Marie Callender’s). Why is this important? Not sure other but the décor is indeed very nice here, like an upscale version of Marie Callender’s including live piano tonight (Saturday night). So it is a bit of a confusing restaurant since there is a front/​street entrance which sorta looks like a main entrance yet the hostess sits in the rear or entrance where the pie shop is. They do have a nice happy hour (previous visit) with decent prices but be sure you are in the bar area since just because you are sitting close or can see the bar, doesn’t mean you get the happy hour prices. Just sayin’
The food was okay. They were out of what I wanted, the chicken pot pie so I had trout instead with the artichoke mushroom sauce which although tasted okay was a bit heavy for trout and should have gone for something lighter. The corn bread is AMAZING, freshly baked, tasted great and perfect. I tasted a friends potatoes and veggies (coming with a rib-​eye) and they were good. We got a complimentary pie a la mode for his birthday as well.
Service was a bit slow, no or little water refills which seemed strange since it was not crowded this Saturday night.
Anyway, it was a pleasant experience with decent food and prices and I’d go back.

2 words: HAPPY HOUR
And that is it.
Their HH times are excellent, the prices are great and its never that packed. If you’re looking for a fun and hip place, this is NOT it. Mostly older people and during weekdays, everyone and their mom go for happy hour there (lots of media companies around it) 6 dollars for a pizza, or nachos or wings, etc? uh… YES PLEASE
The service at the bar area is good as long as you get a table. If you seat at the bar, you’ll be forgotten. If you have or are the middle sibling, this is exactly how it feels.
Remember this is not a spot for the young and fun, but more of a calm place where you can just chillax.
Also on the weekends and at night, they have live music (sinatra era) that makes it feel even more OG.

This is a flagship MC. Been coming here for years. Had a formal party years ago when it recently opened, all my friends were like Marie Callender’s ?! They were shocked when they arrived.
Gorgeous place. Great American comfort food. THE BAKERY in back to get fresh pies! Don’t forget to ask about the pie of the month!

Marie Callenders is a decent restaurant. The outside decoration was very ornate and I was excited to go in. Once inside, the atmosphere was dim but still had a sleek design.
When the cornbread came out, it was probably the best part of the meal. It was warm and crumbly and the butter was mixed with a sweet honey. Together they created a unique, delicious combination of bread and butter, different and better than many other restaurants.
The service was friendly and served the food pretty fast. I ordered the chicken and shrimp jambalaya for $ 17 which in my opinion was slightly overpriced for what I received. The shrimp was tasty and the chicken was juicy and tender. The jasmine rice was sticky and was the glue between the meat and the red sauce. Overall it was a decent dish but it was a little too simple and the sauce was spicy but nothing special. Also, it did not have the best price to portion ratio.
Overall it was a pleasant experience but it is a little overpriced for the quality of food.

Went there for Mother’s Day… probably the busiest day of the year at any restaurant.
Party of four, we were told the wait would be 45 minutes, and they were spot on with it.
Waiting area was overflowing, but they did a good job trying to keep things moving, and cheerfully greeted and seated patrons when their table became available.
I didn’t know that brunch was the only option. I probably wouldn’t have chosen Marie Calendar’s had I known that. We were there for the pot pie, which was not an option.
We’d already waited so long, so we decided to take the only option available, which was brunch. It was $ 25 for adults and $ 12 for children.
There was plenty of food, but it often ran out. They seemed to be short staffed, especially with food service. The same guy who carved the meat… which continually ran out, also manned the dessert station. He was trying his best, but he really needed someone else to handle one of the stations.
The staff was all working their tails off, and they did the best they could. Too bad they couldn’t have been staffed a little better. I went back several times to find the roast beef and turkey, but it was gone every time. By the time it was back, I was already full.
For the price, I guess it was OK, but the people in my party are not big eaters, so we didn’t get our money’s worth at all. Overall, it was nothing spectacular. Average food and desserts.
I was impressed with how hard the staff was working though. I just wish they had more help, and I wish it was clear that ordering brunch was the only option avaailable before we decided to wait in line 45 minutes for a table.
They also had a great singer named Phillip Williams serenading everyone. He was terrific and really added to the atmosphere.

I came in for brunch on Sunday with a friend of mine. In my head, it was your typical convalescent style Marie Calendars with the lace and walkers abound. However it was the complete opposite. The décor elegant. The customer service wonderful and the food was jazzy.
It’s served buffet style for brunch however nothing was tagged. I literally had to lift every lid. There was a variety of delicious foods from build your own Belgian waffles to enchiladas. The gentleman at the omelet station was snappy to say the least. However he can beat an egg!
Parking is in a structure however they do validate which brings you to about 3 bucks. There was absolutely no wait so pop in and check this place out. I’ll definitely be back.

Muito bom o restaurante. Recomendo a todos. E o preço é de acordo com o que o estabelecimento oferece.

OK, I’ll be honest… this review is just for the pie. My girlfriend and I were craving pie — which neither of us really like. But that was happening.
I was amazed to finding parking on Wilshire right next to the Marie Callenders. Entering on the Wilshire side is a bit confusing because it looks like a chic fast casual restaurant — hence the «Grill» in the name I suppose. But I went to the back of the restaurant and THERE was the pie case. Ah… pie.
We got a coconut cream and bonus — it was on sale. I have zero complaints. Sometimes you just need pie. And when that happens… there is Marie’s.
But I was intrigued by the interior look of the restaurant and also by the presence of a salad bar (which I know is so retro but I *love*). So I do think I’ll be back and actually try some food next time.

Imagine Marie Callendar’s on her wedding day … it’s Marie Callendar’s Grill. This flagship, fancy-​pants, Los Angeles County Museum of Art-​adjacent is the fanciest Marie Callendar’s you will ever see, but behind the wood grained and lacquered cabinets and cases are the exact same pies we love.
After an afternoon LACMA visit, I hit up MCG for happy hour and it did not disappoint. As usual with happy hour dishes, I expect very little, over-​order, and then have lots of food regret. The happy hour stuff (wings, nachos, sliders, pizza, fries) are all generously proportioned and at discounted prices. Yawning full bar with happy hour beer and wine, and some giant TVs. I snuck up to the third floor party room and it’s pretty sweet. Unilocal event, anyone?
Of course you must finish with some $ 7 pie and, again, it’s a huge piece so don’t worry about not getting your money’s worth.
Best of all — huge parking lot directly behind the restaurant and they validate. A hit!

Food: decent
Service: pretty good
The best perk is that if you sit outside, the people watching part is pretty great. This is right next to the SAG building and right across from the E/​Universal/​G4 (etc) offices so you get to see so many random people.
My friend and I shared the lettuce wrap appetizer and the tri tip salad. It was the perfect balance. We got there right before the lunch rush so we got pretty lucky because the outside seating area was empty.
Sidenote: this might be silly to some, but their coffee was exceptionally good.
Our server Shesrri was also great. She was attentive and had a pleasant attitude.