Very cool ambiance and delicious food! I came here on a date with my boyfriend and everyone was very nice and accommodating. It was UCLA grad night, so a little busier than normal(I hear it’s a popular spot for UCLA students). The restaurant had The Graduate playing on a big projector on one of the walls, which was fun! As far as the food… The braised lamb crepes are absolutely AMAZING! I highly recommend getting those for an appetizer. I ordered Ethan’s Mac and Cheese and loved it, although that with two beers from their wide selection left me with a huge stomach ache(but just don’t over do it like I did!). My boyfriend ordered the coffee crusted kurobuta pork tenderloin and his meal was actually better than mine. The goat cheese mashed potatoes are reason enough to come to Upper West. Overall, it was a really good experience and I am excited to come back and try more dishes!
Andrew M.
Classificação do local: 5 Los Angeles, CA
This place is amazing… small, humble, super friendly and great staff. The food is amazing and every item on the menu is super delicious. I was here for a bday party of the 20+ ppl… I had the blackened salmon. OMGBOMB food yes! I would definitely recommend this place… totally affordable $$-$$$
Anne M.
Classificação do local: 5 Cerritos, CA
What can I say? Wine selection was awesome! The food was amazing and service was attentive and prompt. Price of food was at par with the rest of restaurants in the area. I like that there is valet service and ample of street parking if you choose to self park. The place get packed so I highly recommend you make a reservation(lunch or dinner). I had mussels and they were spectacular. My friend ordered her usual taco plate(it is rather small but perfect for her appetite) and it was yummy. This place is a gem and I definitely recommend it!
Min S.
Classificação do local: 5 Los Angeles, CA
I’ve only heard about this place so many times… Now I’ve experienced it… Staff is amazing from the waiter to ther busboy and food is AMAZING including desserts(pudding) as a resident of Santa Monica I only wish you were onMain Street… closer to me
Jill D.
Classificação do local: 4 Los Angeles, CA
This restaurant is super great for what it is. It’s young. It’s loud. It’s large. And the flavors pack a punch. I am up SAST with lamb and grateful that this restaurant serves it in a variety of ways. I had lab Craig, lamb burger, lamb mini tacos The martinis are strong enough and succulents. And by the way the crowd is really friendly! I came with a friend one time and alone another time. Everyone seems to be up for a delicious meal and flavorful. I will be back.
Tamara M.
Classificação do local: 2 Marina del Rey, CA
2.5 stars overall. The food was hit or miss, some good dishes some not so good. Our server was nice and on top of things, it seems the staff is held to a high expectation here which is greatly appreciated. I asked if they had bread and butter, which they don’t, but our server had the kitchen make me some buttery toasted bread. I was looking forward to the calamari, but it seems it was taken off the menu — bummer. But here’s what we did get: Ahi Tuna Tacos — very good and I’m assuming very popular — it seems they have this app ready to be served as ours came out 2 seconds after placing the order Fried Sweet Potatoes — ok, although forgettable Chana Masala — very good, however they didn’t serve a pita or naan with it which seemed odd as it comes pretty soupy-like(thank goodness for my buttery toasted bread) For entrees I had the scallops, which were overcooked — if my fork can’t cut through them easily that’s not a good sign. Also they were served on top of grey mashed potatoes — which tasted ok, but the color was terrible and made me eat with caution. Hubby got the pork which is very very good, one of their stand out dishes. So basically not enough bad to say not to go, not even good to say definitely go.
Anne G.
Classificação do local: 4 Long Beach, CA
Great ambiance and delicious food! The noise volume gets pretty loud though so if you want to have an easy time conversing, that may be a bit difficult. I’ve been here twice and the most recent time I ordered the steak, medium rare and it was delicious. It was on top of a delicious bed of some kind of onion, slaw, and bacon mixture. The other people in my party who ordered the salmon were extremely impressed with what they got as well. We were a large party of about 30 guests set up in the private room and the service was top notch. The salad and dessert on our pre set menu were super tasty and I’d definitely come back here again.
Nubia M.
Classificação do local: 5 Pasadena, CA
Amazing quality food. The pork Loin and the short ribs literally melt in your mouth. No need for chewing. The goat cheese chips are dangerously addictive. The octopus carpaccio is fresh and tangy. Make sure to make a reservation, fills up by the time they open on the weekends. Service has always been excellent as well. Such a gem in the area. We will be willing to drive from OC for this place!
Hutu N.
Classificação do local: 3 Beverly Hills, CA
So we went here for Mother’s Day dinner. They called to confirm that we were going to be there, and if possible be on time. I was thinking they’re pretty packed tonight, hopefully 405 traffic won’t be bad. When we got there, the place was literally empty. Not a good sign. I hope it hasn’t gone downhill, since it’s been a long long time since we’ve been here. Why? Because I usually don’t know what to order when I’m here, not that I don’t know, but nothing wows me. How did the night go? Food was ok. It took a long time to come out. How long? Long enough that the server helper felt bad, and had to pour us water many a times, while having that«why is it taking so long look?» Did I mentioned that the restaurant was ¾ empty? And our server didn’t drop by to explain. Enough said… nothing special. Mediocre food, mediocre service. 3 stars. Would I recommend to my friends? No, tons of better restaurants in LA.
Bob S.
Classificação do local: 4 Memphis, TN
I had a business lunch here on a Monday, and it was first rate. Service was prompt and knowledgeable, the menu eclectic and mixed cuisine. There is such a vast range of selections as to merit more time in menu review. I’d do it before I even came. My guest was knowledgeable about the food industry in the area and told me that most Santa Monica restaurants folk in a year. This one has been around for decades. You can see photos of Kiefer Sutherland and Ray Liotta in the men’s room from their attendance at a wedding there fifteen years ago or so. The excellent food, great wine selection and individualized service must play into that. The matire’d, who is multilingual, gave detailed descriptions of the Spanish and Italian ingredients in the food, although English is sufficient for menu foraging. My «charred broccoli» choice for an entrée was delicious. I ate entirely healthy by picking a tomato bisque soup as well. My colleague chose from the meat entrees. This will be my choice again for dinner or lunch. Parking on street. Reservations a good idea.
William H.
Classificação do local: 3 Los Angeles, CA
Came here for dine LA. Ambiance was pretty nice. Fairly mixed crowd. Food was decent, nothing spectacular — I had a thin salmon steak with some type of purée and some decent Malbec. What really bothered me was the maitre’D was somewhat intrusive. He is definitely a micromanager, which i can somewhat understand since he wanted everything to go right and maximize his profit in this fairly busy restaurant. There was like a 8 inch gap between our table and the adjacent tables, I felt like they were part of our party. Usually I wouldn’t notice the staff but his frenetic energy was all over the place. He interrupted my conversation to ask me to move my leg so patrons could get into the table next to us(though they could have clearly entered the booth from the other side). When I was leaving the bathroom, I saw him barge into the women’s bathroom and explained to the women inside the bathroom he was just punching down the paper towels in the trash. I mean, was that necessary?
Vanessa G.
Classificação do local: 5 Miami, FL
Went to Upper West tonight with my best friend who is on a strict diet. And boy, did I enjoy eating and drinking for her! Haha(sorry girl) This place has dim lighting and cool music. The vibe was pretty trendy and reminded me of New York City. Cucumber Martini: with Hendricks gin was DELCIOUS Pork Belly: was over a spicy hash, which was really good. Roasted Corn Soup: See, I’m usually not one to order soup at a restaurant, but I really did not regret this choice. The soup was rich and filling and delicious Raviolo: I was looking forward to this dish, because I love anything truffle, but it was just okay. I find that the goat cheese on top had so much flavor that it sort of killed the other flavors, such as the truffle. Also, this is one large Ravioli, not several. LASTBUTNOTLEAST, we had the carrot cake and cream cheese ice cream sandwich! This was suggested to us by our server. She told us that the bread pudding(what I initially wanted) was their most popular desert, but that her personal favorite was the carrot cake, because of the special cream cheese ice cream. She also informed us that the cream cheese ice cream was specially ordered by the chef from this particular ice cream company! Super cool
Tanmay D.
Classificação do local: 4 Culver City, CA
It was for a friend’s birthday and we all decided to give upper west a try and I think it had definitely lived up to all the expectations the fellow Unilocalers set for us when we first read the reviews. We tried a variety of small plates and I think the food here is incredible and they offer a great variety of wines, beer and cocktails. Perfect place for a happy hour or a formal dine in, this place can accommodate all kinds of crowd. Overall, a great experience except a few delays in service which makes my rating a four.
Elaine N.
Classificação do local: 5 Okinawa, Japan
I went to DineLA in January with Sophia L. and we both had a great time. We ordered from the DineLA Menu which was $ 40 per person and a really good deal imo. Here’s what I went with for the night: Beef Carpaccio — served with grilled romaine, kalamata olives with olive oil and a caper-honey vinaigrette. Beef carpaccio was good but I felt like there was way too much fluff on top taking away from the main part of the dish. Prime Flatiron Steak — served with smoked bacon and gorgonzola slaw with a bourbon balsamic demi. Cooked to medium rare perfection. The demi had great flavors and pulled the whole dish together. Carrot Cake Ice Cream Sandwich — butterscotch carrot cake with cream cheese ice cream. This dessert was amazing, I’ve always liked carrot cake but the butterscotch addition AND the cream cheese ice cream? Best idea ever. The restaurant was very lively for a Thursday night, a mix of young and older faces in the crowd. We came in a little early for our reservation and they were able to accommodate us, and there’s a full bar that helps pass the time while you wait. I would love to come back to check out the rest of their daily menu.
Samantha L.
Classificação do local: 4 San Francisco, CA
I was visiting LA and found Upper West to catch up with family in town. We only had reservations to sit up closer to the bar on higher raised tables but upon arrival we were able to get a great table in the back. They were projecting a movie on the wall, reminding me of Foreign Cinema in SF. Relaxed, white tablecloth ambiance. dim lighting and all. Braised Pork Belly — Can’t go wrong Mussels — I asked for more bread to get all the good wine sauce Blackened Salmon — delicious! would order again Roasted Sweet Corn — like mexican street corn Shared appetizers and sides were smaller than we hoped but nothing too surprising from a restaurant in Santa Monica. Service was good and food was great.
Mimi D.
Classificação do local: 2 Los Angeles, CA
Wellllllll, we came to check out the happy hour and the prices are great! Food and drink was just ok to me. Drinks were mostly too sweet and they won’t leave out the sugar for HH drinks — no customizations, even if it’s just to exclude something :/I mean, doesn’t that like save em like 2cents a drink or somethin??! The décor and ambiance here are nice. Large paintings surround the room w a glass wall on one side that separates the room for private parties. Dimly lit so break out those glasses! We also happened to get lucky n get one of the metered street parking slots(didn’t have to valet yay!) pay till 6, fortunately they’re not those coin-only ones. we showed up reservationless, which may or may not have been a mistake cause we found out from one of their other patrons that there’s some kind of time limit even if you have reservations. They ended up being able to accommodate us but, despite the fact that we had just paid our bill and were getting ready to leave, they thought they should ask us to leave a little more quickly cause our time was up… I would get it if they were full to the brim but there were two empty tables next to us and we had stuff in hand ready to leave — got up n left w a slightly ick taste
Victoria O.
Classificação do local: 4 New York, NY
I love Upper West. I have never eaten anything I didn’t think was fabulous. You’re getting West LA foodie stuff in a lower rent area with a younger, more diverse crowd than you’d get just a bit further north. The corn is heavenly. The soup too. There is nothing I have eaten here I didn’t find imaginative and impressive in every way. The prices are lower than you will find in other parts of Santa Monica or Brentwood or WLA for the comparable quality. You do have to valet park because there’s only so much meter parking. But I love this place. Happy hour and brunch both great.
Vickie C.
Classificação do local: 4 South Pasadena, CA
I came here for a friend’s birthday dinner. The vibe was great but a bit too loud to enjoy a conversation. The food was pretty good. I ordered the Pork Tenderloin and it was juice, flavorful and moist. My friend ordered the short rib and that was really good too! And since it was a birthday, they gave us a complimentary bread pudding which was delicious! Service was great! Our server made some great recommendations on food and drinks. And our water glasses were constantly refilled! Parking: Valet for $ 8. Street parking if you’re super lucky.
Linette F.
Classificação do local: 5 Diamond Bar, CA
–This review is for happy hour only– I love the delicious food options you can get at happy hour. I am not talking about cheap quality for happy hour. I am talking about amazing quality of food for happy hour. crispy chicken– WOW, the flavors here are phenomenal. You get pieces of chicken breast that are slightly fried in batter than rolled in a honey sambal sauce topped with a light vinegary fennel salad and a mustard dressing on the side. I am not talking about one chicken or two. I am talking about a lot of chicken pieces. I think at least 8. You know that even if it is happy hour they still put in the attention in this dish. lamb sausage quesadilla– i know lam sausage right? Not a huge fan of lamb, but boy this dish was off the hook. Btw, not your typical tortilla. They used something special here. The fiery ass hot sauce is indeed spicy. Absolutely loved it as it balance perfectly with the lamb sausage quesadilla. Delicious. I can’t wait to come here for dinner. Parking is a little funky and this spot is hard to find if you don’t pay attention. I definitely will be back.
Christine C.
Classificação do local: 4 Los Angeles, CA
Went specifically for happy hour with a group of 10. We asked for more happy hour menus but for some reason our waitress would only give us one or two. I guess they encourage us to order from the regular menu. Happy hour deals aren’t bad — especially for the drinks. I ordered the lamb sausage and spinach quesadillas that come with a spice corn salsa. Definitely worth it for the price. I wouldn’t really recommend the tacos(2 very small ones for same price and are average) and the burgers are really tiny. maybe 3″ diameter? The lamb nachos have a unique presentation.8 chips topped with shredded lamb/cheese/salsa/jalapeño that actually make the nachos easier to eat! Also, the calamari is really delicious but i felt that there were more fried onions that calamari. This place offers a nicer happy hour and I will definitely come back. for the drinks!