Hi everyone!
I’m having trouble picking a place for my birthday party. I want something with really good food (like Bib Gourmand level), a nice vibe, and a cool interior. It’ll be a weeknight.
We need a spot in West LA or Central LA, or even Koreatown, because people are coming from Santa Monica, the Valley, and DTLA. We’ll have 10 adults and 5 teens, so family-style is best.
I’ve been looking around, but nothing’s quite right.
I love Ricardo Zarate’s cooking (I had my birthday at his last Pikoh place before and it was great) and thought about Hummingbird, but it looks too plain for what I want, and ladies want to dress up.
Fogo de Chão was another idea (good for families, chill vibe), but it’s too basic, and I’ve already done my birthday there years ago.
Hatchet Hall seemed cool, especially with the Old Man bar next door, but it feels like it’s not as good as it used to be.
Bavel looks good, but maybe too loud for the teens.
Pasjoli is amazing, but slightly more expensive than I want to spend.
I tried Daedo Sikdang and Chef Akira’s Korean BBQ, but the food wasn’t what I wanted, even though the places look awesome.
Welcome F.T. Clurker! Have you considered Ladyhawk? I thought it was quite good, and definitely a fun, celebratory vibe in there. More central, maybe something like N/Soto or Alta Adams would be interesting? I’m sure Santa Monica posters have good ideas over there but Rustic Canyon or affiliates might be a reasonable choice too. Or down to Venice for Si! Mon.
A few thoughts that might work with 15 people: Cobi in Santa Monica, Guelaguetza in Koreatown, Jar in Beverly Grove, Republique in Mid-Wilshire, Stella in West Hollywood, Zaytinya in Culver City. Wherever you go, have a happy Birthday!
I like Cobi, and it’s a good one. They have only one option for larger parties - and it’s a patio. Which could be unpredictable with rains and early reservation right now.
Guelaguetza - it’s a place to go for low-key lunch with mole.
Jar - it’s a good one.
Republic - also a good option, I consider it as well rn.
Zaytinya: I LOVE Jose Andreas’ style of cooking and miss the Bazaar, but Zaytinya is too far from that level. Food is meh, interior is nice though.
How about chi spacca or back room at pizzeria mozza?
Republique would not be a bad a choice also.
I love bavel and I don’t think that would be a bad choice. Or Saffys even though the space is smaller since you’re a larger party they might be able to accommodate on a weekday.
Mother wolf hwood might be an option since it’s a larger space great funke food. Also funke in bev hills has a ton of space.
If you’re considering fogo, why not parks, chosun, or genes for kbbq?
yes yes, i think a big part of the calculus here is the party of ~15. some restaurants get better the more people you have, when you can really go nuts with the menu in a way you can’t with small groups — large format, shareables, etc. chi spacca, anajak, majordomo, and dunsmoor come to mind. gjelina too.
i also like guelaguetza and luv2eat for this, but i get the sense those are too casual for OP’s purposes
In Santa Monica, Socalo might work well. They have a private dining room where we recently did a business dinner. Make sure some of the lights aren’t flickering, like they were during our dinner. But food was pretty good (but not amazing), and they have catering/group dining options.
Haven’t eaten there recently, but La Puglia might be an option (semi private; no private option available).
As mentioned above, AOC could work. They have group menus which I thought were decently priced, and the Brentwood location has at least one private room, if that’s needed.
I loved Rustic Canyon, but I thought it was very, VERY loud.
If you’re willing to drive eatside, looks like you considered Saffy’s & Bavel, I highly recommend Rasarumah. Not sure if they can handle a 15 top, but the food is better than Cobi’s and they play great music. I was just at Cobi’s and wish I had gone to Rasarumah instead.
There’s Niku X - the ultimate bougie buffet in DT, perhaps they’d accommodate a large group.
My other thoughts are Levant Mediterranean (Hollywood) which is actually Turkish. You can get delicious meat platters and pides, among lots of other yummy stuff. There’s also Carousel in Glendale, which is far, but it’s perfect for large groups and is hella delicious!
The back area of Carlitos Gardel Argentine Steakhouse could hold a big group.
There’s also Manpuku Japanese BBQ on 3rd/La Cienega.
And of course Capital Seafood Beverly Hills for a Chinese extravaganza!
But food was pretty good (but not amazing), and they have catering/group dining options.