Bistro Oh La La

Even though my boyfriend and I were the only people there upon arriving the customer service was great and the owner made us feel very comfortable. The chicken parmesan was delicious. We initially came in because we had a groupon that included a cheese appetizer and two glasses of wine but we ended up ordering meals and thought everything was great. This place is good for a date night. We will definitely go back again.

This placed is closed… If you got a living social deal and haven’t redeemed it you can get a refund.

I too had a Groupon so figured I would try the place out.
We had good service however there was only us and one other couple in the place.
The wine list looked to be pretty good, however they list a number of Indian Wells Brewery beers, I tried to order one and was told they don’t have it. The waiter tells me they have 3 other beers (none of them are on the the menu) after ordering he comes back and tells me they only have Stella. Hmmm not a fan of Stella. So its water for me tonight.
We ordered the calamari for a starter, it was pretty good however just seemed to be something you would get from a restaurant chain (TGI Fridays or Chilis etc…)
For an entrée we ordered the 4 cheese ravioli, while was delicious we only got 5. Not a lot considering they cost $ 17.
All in all the food was pretty good but the portions are too small for the price and I cant forgive the beer selection. We probably won’t return.

Tried this place out since I had bought a groupon. There was no one in the restaurant even though it was 8pm on a Saturday, but the décor and ambiance was very nice. I love that they bring you cucumber water. Needless to say, since it wasn’t busy we had great service.
Now for the food: we enjoyed the Brie plate as an appetizer which was priced well at 7.50. I had the mushroom gnocchi (16.00) which, as an Italian, I thought was very tasty! I doubt it was made fresh by the restaurant but still good. Tons of mushrooms. My boyfriend got the mushroom ravioli (17.00) which was also good, but I was a bit miffed to see it only came with 4 ravioli. He also couldn’t order any beer since they discontinued it. But it’s still on the menu.
All in all the place had a great atmosphere and decent food. I think it’s really over priced though so I probably won’t be coming back unless it’s a special occasion – it will be a great place to take the folks.
Hope business picks up a bit. It’s nice to see these kinds of places around town!

I went with my boyfriend last night and used a Groupon. Overall, it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great. The ambiance and décor is terrific and so is the wine list. Very cute, upscale casual place. Parking is tough. The lot is just to the north of the building on PCH and is very small and hard to get in and out of. If you go, I suggest just parking on one of the side streets east or west of PCH.
I was a little miffed to see a sign when I walked in that said anyone with a living social coupon or groupon would be charged 18% gratuity. The sign was also posted on the tables themselves. It’s not a huge deal because I typically tip 20% anyway and the service was good so I did last night, but I think it’s tacky to force a tip on people simply because they bought a coupon/​groupon/​discount that you obviously offered in an effort to get them to come in and try your restaurant. Perhaps they’ve had trouble with people only tipping on the post-​groupon amount, but still. That’s the chance you take when you offer those and if you’re going to pull something like that, it should say it on the groupon itself. It was a bit off-​putting to say the least. Oh, and the sign also said that people with groupons or living social coupons could not use them for the daily special (that one is a little more understandable than the forced gratuity).
The server/​owner was very nice. I asked him which he thought was better– the table red or the sangria and he brought me a taste of the sangria (which I didn’t even ask him to do). The sangria is pretty great. At $ 7.50 a glass, it’s well-​priced too.
They don’t bring you bread even though there are bread plates on the table which I think is a bit expected at mid-​range restaurants. They do, however, bring a carafe of cucumber infused water to the table which is a very nice touch and also convenient.
I ordered the spaghetti bolognaise ($ 16.00) and my b.f. ordered the chicken parmesan ($ 18.95). Portion sizes were reasonable but the food was only so-​so and highly overpriced. Boyfriend’s chicken wasn’t seasoned, nor was it pounded out to make it tender. It was literally a chicken breast covered in mozzarella on some pasta tossed in red sauce. I could have done better at home. My pasta was okay, but nothing special. There are several other southbay Italian places I’d go to for pasta before coming back.
Overall, I don’t anticipate the place will be in business long unless the food improves to meet the prices, or the prices come down to lower expectation of the food. The restaurant doesn’t feel all that French (mostly Italian dishes on the menu) and I think it will be tough to compete with Aimee’s Bistro which is only a few blocks away which has terrific French food and ridiculously affordable prix fixe menus as an early bird special.
If you do have a groupon, I suggest you use it soon. And when you go, check out the sangria. It was the best thing we ordered.

Absolutely loved everything from the décor, to the complimentary cucumber water, the fresh and delicious cheese plate and the Salmon entrée. The service was impeccable. The server (also the owner) was delightful. I really hope this place lasts. Tough location. Great food!

I came here one Friday evening with my daughter to use a Groupon that I purchased. I was a bit excited to try it since most of the reviews were pretty good.
We ordered the farmer’s market salad, seafood risotto for myself and my daughter ordered the mushroom ravioli. Not sure how people are dishing out such rave reviews for the food… The salad was completely whatever, Costco mmixed greens with some tomatoes and sliced carrots on it. Nothing special AT ALL. The risotto appeared to be made from bits and pieces of seafood and the calamari was extremely tough. The mushroom risotto was covered in a brown sauce. My daughter enjoyed it but when I tasted it, I was surprised that for the price of $ 18, I thought it would have been homemade but this one seemed to be like a bag you would find at Costco.
The service was great but would never return until they use fresh ingredients.

This is such a cute place. Love that there is a cute bistro in the South Bay. So over the pubs and burger joints.
ATMOSPHERE
The décor is clean lines and has a cozy feel.
FOOD
We enjoyed everything we ordered and would order again.
— clam chowder
— escargot
— mussels
— mushroom risotto
SERVICE
I loved our server/​owner. He was warm and was helpful with our menu choices. Very Euro. Love the flavor it adds to the South Bay. This restaurant reminds me of something you would find in the West LA area.
PARKING
Its a small tight lot, so I just park on the street. Cool thing Redondo, tons of free parking.

I have figured out the problem with Oh La La: it’s too French.
Having lived back and forth between LA and Europe for the last 6+ years, mostly in Spain and France, I can tell you that there are very typical little places like this all throughout France and, in a different but similar way, in Spain.
Quaint, perfectly good food and wine. Crappy parking situations. Not enough staff to make the diners feel much attention. The odd mix of nice with, to put it pleasantly, cheap-​ass. This is exactly the problem with Bistro Oh La La (or Oh la la Pasta or whatever other name they put on it, yet retain the Chef/​Owner).
Minuses: The parking lot is small and crappy, the wine pours by the glass are tiny, the wine is overpriced — in fact everything is about 10−20% overpriced, the bread and the butter felt (how do I put this…) re-​used, the server was trying to man the bar/​tables/​bussing all by herself (female server was nice enough, tried to do everything herself with no busser/​expediter/​bartender), the ladies room needed attention (slight smell and general disarray) plus while walking there one gets to see the chaos of a pile of pots and plates in the kitchen sink, though the cucumber water is nice and tasty I was left wondering how the cuke slices make it out of the bottle at the end of the night (if at all?), a spoon with the mussels so that I can enjoy the sauce more thoroughly (I did use a shell to scoop it up, but my granny would have had a heart attack if she saw me!).
Pluses: Delightful mussels in champagne sauce (24 in my appetizer order, more than enough for a main dish after the goat cheese salad), bread — that served with the goat cheese salad (goat cheese spread on 4 bread rounds) as well as the side of bread with mussels was a delightful mini baguette/​french style white, they did get an A rating for cleanliness.
The room itself is rather an odd configuration. The bar has room for 4 – 5 chairs, but there are 6. And at the bar are two tv’s, one on each end — but they are small and look like gen-​1 flat screens, so watching them was not conducive to much enjoyment (though they were kind enough to let me put a sports game on). The main room has two high tables of 4 seats each, and if the seats are as comfortable as those at the bar, that’s a nice thought. But the room itself lacks charm, and if you push me to ask me why, it’s hard to put a finger on. It’s just not romantic or sexy (see Hostaria Piave for sexy-​rom!) but it was ½ full when I was there — with, what I understand, was folks using their Groupons/Restaurant.com/Cloops vouchers.
The reasons why this place is struggling is location, prices, and the overall vibe. It’s just not special enough nor cheap enough nor anything enough to get folks to go out of their way to dine here. I don’t mind spending for food, but here I had a salad for $ 13, a mussels app for $ 15 and a glass of wine for $ 12. So that’s $ 40, before tax and tip, and it just was not that special. Contrast that with many excellent meals that one can have in the South Bay for $ 30/​head, and it’s easy to see, sadly, why this place is sagging.
I have now dined here twice; once when they first opened and now again about 10 months later. And as much as I want to like this place, it just doesn’t work for me.

The server was great, the wine was great, but the actual service was a bit off.
Ordered a cheese plate, app and dinner with a friend to split. All plates came out at the same time. The cheese plate should have had more with it besides 3 apple slices and a couple of walnuts, like bread or crackers or SOMETHING. The stuffed mushrooms were great and so was the linguini carbonara… however, at the VERY end of the meal they brought out bread, as they were taking our plates…
The atmosphere is ok.
I think they are overpriced for what they are, which is more of an Italian restaurant than a French one.
I don’t think I would go back unless it was on another coupon deal.
The parking lot is VERY small. I would suggest street parking on PCH, which should be ample, depending on what time you go.
There was a nice patio too. This place wasn’t BAD, just a over priced for what it is.

The food was okay, not a great experience. The beef was good, but the mussels were sort of old and not great quality.

The atmosphere and service were fine, it’s just that the food was mediocore at best and waaayyyyy overpriced.
We started with the Farmers Market Salad, and it was almost inedible due to the over vinegar-​ing of the dressing. In addition, the salad just wasn’t very good, as the ingredients weren’t blended together into something that made sense.
We then had a French Onion Soup, which was decent, and the Tuna Entrée. the fish was not fresh. We were planning to stay for dessert, but decided not to.
Overall, I thought the menu was very uninspired. The wine menu was very good, however.
Really, there is no reason to go here. Go to Crème De La Crêpe instead, the food is better and less expensive. Sorry Bistro Oh La La, we won’t be coming back!

The ambiance is really nice. We were the only customers in the restaurant. We thought it was funny because the owner/​manager (?) recommended that we order less. He was right and even though we had not ordered a couple items, we were still stuffed. The food was very good. We really enjoyed the french onion soup, the baguette, seafood gratin. They have a nice selection of beer and wine as well. We also ordered the mussels, but they didn’t taste as fresh as some we had at a different place earlier in the week.
We’ll happily return and give the mussels another try. We enjoyed the drinks, food, and service. we were made to feel very welcome and appreciated as customers.

Been meaning to try this place especially after hearing about the Happy hour specials.
Well… I had a nice date night there… The atmosphere was very nice and well maintained. The waiter /​owner was very friendly and helpful but I just can’t get over the food…
* Never told about the happy hour specials and when I asked about it I was told they didn’t have them… Not sure if that meant they didn’t have them anymore or just that night.
* While looking over the menu I was a little surprised by the prices of the apps and entrees… they were a bit overpriced for the area and later I discovered they were overpriced for the taste as well.
* Ordered the warm goat cheese salad — Good idea/​bad execution. Goat cheese was delicious… the mixed greens had way too much dressing. They need to scale back on the dressing and it would a decent salad.
* the beef bourguignon (Spelling?) was very average. I have made my own at home (Using a recipe from the food network) that was better… I am not joking. The meat was tough… not cooked long enough most likely and had a few too many pieces of fat. It also felt under seasoned.
* The Appetizer — stuffed portabello was small in size surrounded by a massive amount of caramelized onion in wine sauce. It was also SURPRISINGLY under seasoned. (And the presentation was a bit unappetizing)
* Finally came Dessert — the crème brûlée… I was sad to see that they completely burned (Blackened) the sugar on top. It ruined the overall taste for me… the custard underneath was very tasty but the point of the dish is to have the crunchy texture with the soft creamy taste of the custard and that was not achieved. I couldn’t believe they messed that one up.
Overall…I wont be back. I was truly hoping for great things from this place… the wine bar idea was good but the food and its execution was very poor.

Went here as part of a large group dinner. Didn’t even know this place existed in Redondo, I guess it just opened in July.
It’s a pretty small restaurant with an even smaller parking lot, so plan on street parking if you can find some.
The inside is decorated nicely, and the menu has a pretty good selection of French inspired items. I had a peppercorn chicken breast and it was pretty tasty. The potatoes that accompanied the meal were cold however.
The worst part here was the service, and just the general way they run this restaurant. Someone at the table asked for a side of rice with their meal, and sadly it never came. When we asked the waiter (after about 20 minutes) he mumbled something to us about «it still being in the microwave». I know a lot of restaurants use microwaves, but geez, do you actually admit that to your customers? lol. The rice never came, either.
They ran out of bread (which was really good so we kept asking for more) and we had to signal the waiters over to us to always get more water. We were there on a Saturday night with reservations for a large group. Other than two other small tables we were like the only ones in the restaurant all night, so it’s not like they were swamped or anything.
Since the food was better than average, I might give this place one more try sometime while in the area, but I’m in no hurry to return based on the service.

So first of all, this bistro has an awesome atmosphere. You know that cozy, at-​home kind of feeling you get on those rainy days? Yep, that’s how you feel when you step foot into this place. I’m not too sure how new it is, but the energy tends to be more on the mellow side as there were only 2 or 3 other tables seated when we arrived at around 7:30 pm. An intimate spot to go to for those date nights, or a close family/​friend get-​together.
We had quite a few dishes ordered as we were here to do a sampling for a future event, so I’ll do a little summary of the pros and cons of it all.
What everyone enjoyed:
— French Baguette: Perfect warm, soft texture; not tough like some places
— Vole Au Vent Au Escargot: This was snail? It was delicious! Loved the pairing with the puff pastry.
— Mussels: Ordered Gorgonzola and New Orleans. Both were great, but Gorgonzola took the prize if I had to choose.
— Beef Bourguignon: Probably the best main dish we ordered. Beef was soft and melted in your mouth. Great flavor, too.
— Tiramisu: Heavenly! Great portion size. Even had someone who isn’t too big of a fan of Tiramisu that loved it.
— Crème Brulee: Another hit! We don’t know what it is, but there was something different about this crème brûlée — in a good way. We’re guessing it’s in the sugar.
What was just okay:
— Salmon with Dill Sauce: Average. Good for salmon-​lovers, but the dill sauce may not work for everyone.
— Rib Eye: I can’t remember if it was made to order, but we ordered it with the red wine sauce. I think it would have been better with the creamy peppercorn sauce instead.
— Seafood Risotto: Not too big on the taste factor, but I only got a small bite so can’t give a honest review.
— Gnocchi Gorgonzola: Didn’t enjoy the taste too much. Extremely heavy and filling as it was cheese paired with cream sauce.
Overall, I think this bistro has great potential. They have a wine bar with a decent selection of both red and white wines. I also absolutely loved the fact that they serve cucumber-​infused water. Prices may be on the high-​end, but that’s the average price you pay for French cuisine. There were definitely dishes I would come back for. From what I’ve tried, you can’t go wrong with their mussels and desserts! We did end up settling with this spot for the event towards the end, so I’m looking forward to returning for the next wine and dine event very soon.

Simply put, Oh La La turned me into a mussels fan!
On my first visit, weeks ago, I left wanting to return the next night to explore their expansive mussels menu — new orleans, curry, gorganzola, traditional white wine sauce and more. Indeed, I found myself there three consecutive weekends after that first visit, too!
I can’t wait to see Oh La La become a staple to Redondo Beach and be here for years to come.
The owner and Colleen are friendly, fun, pleasant and provide great service!

Very very nice restaurant, I love the atmosphere, very nice service, the food is great! ;)
We started with a patee plate with 3 different patee, and warm French baguette, then my girlfriend had a ahi ahi scallops and shrimp, just amazing !!! I had a very nice entrecôte pretty big, very felling and amazingly cooked.
Very nice start for this French restaurant, wine bar!
We will be back very soon ;)

I’ve been here three other times just for wine, but this time was for food. We came at 6pm, and there was only one other table seated. We were greeted and were allowed to pick any seat in the house, literally.
You can take advantage of their happy hour anywhere in their restaurant: bar, restaurant, or patio. They have two pages of wines to choose from all at 30% off. They also have a great selection of food at 30% off the listed price: appetisers, cheese, salads, quiches, & les croques monsieurs (
)
We ordered just the escargots and the warm goat cheese salad as we weren’t too hungry. The escargots came in a puff pastry, doused in bechamel sauce. The first few bites of this were good, but after a while, it was too heavy to eat. There was probably at least a stick of butter on this dish because the escargots were probably cooked in butter, puff pastry always has a lot of butter as does bechamel sauce. There were quite a few pieces of escargot though! The warm goat cheese salad had spring mix salad with carrots and walnuts in a balsamic vinegarette. It was WAY, WAY over-​dressed. The salad was pretty much swimming in dressing! There were three slices of baguettes topped with goat cheese and a small dish of onions around the salad. The goat cheese wasn’t warm, probably due to poor timing of the dishes. A plus is that the water is infused with cucumbers!
Overall, the meal was decent. This restaurant is relatively new and has a lot of potential. The prices are not too bad for a French bistro. The location is not the best, which will make it hard for them to receive a lot of business.
HH is 3−7pm everday and includes 30% off all their wines plus select appetizers, cheeses, salads, and croque monseuirs.

Despite a complete and total lack of advertising, I spotted Bistro Oh La La because of their flags advertising happy hour. In my quest to check out all of the worthwhilte happy hours in the South Bay, I made a date with my girlfriends.
Despite an unassuming exterior, Bistro Oh La La is charming inside. Dark wood floors throughout under wooden tables with banquette style chairs and oil lamps. The restaurant is small, but the patio extends the restaurant by about 50%. Sadly, the little restaurant was far from full — there were only three tables of patrons.
Happy hour is from 3PM to 7PM and offers 30% off of all wines and 30% of the following items:
Vole au Vent au Escargot
Chicken and Mushroom Vole au Vent
Sea Food Vole au Vent
Pâté Plate
Sesame Ahi Tuna
Sea Food Gratin
Veggie Quiche
Salmon Quiche
Chicken and Mushroom Quiche
Warm Goat Cheese Salad
Chicken Salad
Tomato and Mozzerella Salad
Croque Monsieur — with either ham (classic), salmon or veggie
There may be a couple of things that I am missing, but I am working form memory. We ordered four dishes to share, and each was delish:
Vole au Vent au Escargot — a puff pastry shell with the top sliced off filled with tender and fresh escargot (no grit here) surround with a herbaceous garlic cream sauce that was out of this world. There were also lots of escargot — about 12 – 15. YUMMY!!! I think that this was my favorite dish.
Seafood Gratin — a oval gratin dish filled with a wide variety of seafood — clams, mussels, scallops, shrimp — in a creamy sauce with a distinct butter flavor under a broiled crust of cheese. The dish could have used a hint of freshness (a squirt of lemon juice would have been most welcome), but the seafood was tender and cooked perfectly.
Warm Goat Cheese Salad — mixed greens with cherry tomatoes and sliced mushrooms in a balsamic vinaigrette with pieces of baguette holding slices of goat cheese that were briefly broiled to simultaneously warm the cheese and toast the bread. This was tasty. Rudimentary but tasty.
Crocque Monsieur (Classic) — served with a mini version of the mixed greens salad, this sandwich looks disappointing but packs a flavor punch! Delicious, lightly sourdough bread around ham and peppery bechamel that has been topped with cheese and broiled for browning. The salty creamy goodness was just what you would expect in a french bistro. Delish! My one gripe — the bread should have been lightly toasted before the sandwich was assembled. The bottom piece of bread was a bit soggy. But, I am just trying to help them solidfy the 4 stars.
The wines are a bit overpriced, were it not for the 30% off. The rose available by the glass is okay. I have certainly had better in the same price range, but there were lots of other wines to try. Next time, I will have the Sauv Blanc from Marlborough.
The service is attentive without being intrusive. I did not get any recommendations, etc. But, I know what I like, and I was happy with my exploration of the menu.
With 5 glasses of wine and four dishes, we had a $ 72 tab. A little high for happy hour in the South Bay, but I would definitely come back. It’s nice to have a decent french restaurant in the beach cities.