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    Gabi James

    4.0 (435 reviews)
    ModerateFrench, Spanish

    Order Gabi James Takeout or Delivery

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    GABI JAMES ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Intimate
    Romantic
    Classy

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    Recommended Reviews - Gabi James

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    Reviews With Photos

    Croque and Chorizo Burger
    Jenn G.

    I had previously visited Gabi James for brunch but I came back recently for a dinner date here. We had Saturday night reservations and the place was moderately busy. We started off our meal here with our server Austin's recommendation for the Pan Peche. This was the surprise star of the night. It consisted of a grilled sourdough ciabatta smothered with herbed goat cheese and topped with large peach slices and shreds of arugula. On top of the arugula, they drizzled some honey. The flavors came together wonderfully, giving this starter just the right amount of sweetness. It is a dish that just screams out summer sweet. We were fans of the Pan Peche for sure. Our second dish of the night was the Albondigas Chimayo. These were turkey meatballs in ancho chili cream sauce. Per our server's recommendation, we added in some pan a la parilla. Being a fan of albondigas, I had high expectations for this dish. Unfortunately it didn't quite live up to what I was expecting. Though the meatballs were cooked quite well, the flavor was lacking. The ancho chili cream sauce didn't really add much to the dish and sad to say the pan a la parilla was the best thing about this dish. When the side bread is better than the main component of a plate, there is something to be said. I would pass on this next time. For our main course, we chose to split their Pomegranate Lamb Chops. This came with four lamb chops and some grilled radicchio and baby carrots with pomegranate glaze. This was an excellent entree. The lamb chops were tender and cooked well. The radicchio and baby carrots paired nicely with the lamb. The pomegranate glaze gave a nice sweet flavor that tied everything together. You know a restaurant is good if they can cook lamb chops well. For my drink of the night, I chose to get The Butterfly Effect. I've always been a fan of butterfly pea and was intrigued when I saw this on the menu. This drink has butterfly infused vodka with vanilla syrup, lemon and egg white. It was sweet, refreshing and quite enjoyable. It was a wonderful dinner at Gabi James. All of the dishes with the exception of the Albondigas Chimayo were great. This spot makes for a great date night.

    Harissa honey eggplant fries
    Peter H.

    TL;DR - highly recommend the seafood paella, Harissa honey eggplant fries, and anchovy crisps. I look forward to coming back soon! This is my new favorite when it comes to tapas. This place is known for Spanish and coastal French cuisine. It's a place with a lot of shareable plates. It's located in the Riviera and there's plenty of parking, most of it being paid parking. The ambiance is nice. It's easy to hold a conversation but it can get a little loud. Service is fast and professional too. Everyone was so helpful with the menu. Overall I really enjoyed the food here. The seafood paella was perfect. Not too salty and lots of protein. It reminded me of my time in Barcelona. The pomegranate lamb chops were also really good! We also tried their Harissa honey eggplant fries which were unique and very tasty. My kid couldn't get enough. I decided to be a little adventurous with the anchovy crisps and didn't regret it. I actually really liked it. The anchovies sit on a crunchy bread and I look forward to ordering this again when I visit. Lastly, they had an oxtail tortilla which is a weekly special. It looks really REALLY good and the presentation is straight up eye candy. For some reason it tasted off to me and my friend. Maybe it was a bad batch but we won't be getting it again. But besides that, I loved everything else!

    Tuna Tartare
    Kathy S.

    Had a fabulous experience at Gabi James taste testing so many yummy eats! Came here for family dinner with friends and we shared family style. The service was excellent. Easy to make a reservation and our waiter gave us great recommendations on what to try. We had the following and I was not able to take photos of everything as the food was going fast! - Harissa Honey eggplant fries (sooo good - we ordered seconds) - Anchovy crisp - Tuna tartare - Citrus Quince Salad - Grilled Pulpo (octopus) - Seafood paella without chorizo - The meat eaters has Mojo Cerdo (pork chops) and skirt steak

    Mother's Day special Giant Pancake
    Joe M.

    Took my family here today for Mother's Day with our two kids, really looking forward to it based on all the positive reviews. Unfortunately, the experience didn't quite live up to the hype. Despite seeing plenty of staff walking around, it was surprisingly difficult to get our waiter's attention to place our order. We started with the bread service and chorizo croquettes. The bread and house-made jam were just okay--nothing particularly memorable. The croquettes had to be remade because they forgot the chorizo the first time, but once corrected, those were actually quite tasty. For entrées, my kids ordered the French toast and breakfast sandwich, my wife went with the special $30 giant pancake with berries, and I ordered a basic breakfast plate with eggs, bacon, and potatoes. My kids received their food and completely finished eating before I had to ask about the rest of our meals. My plate finally arrived, and by the time I was finishing, my wife--who we were there to celebrate--was still waiting for her pancake. When it finally came, it was just okay and didn't really justify the $30 price tag. The restaurant itself is cute and nicely decorated, but unfortunately, the food and service didn't deliver enough for us to want to return.

    Sammie C.

    Dined in date 9/19/25. We were excited about this place because it is hard to get good paella in LA, and the reviews all seem stellar. Reservation was easy to make. What a disappointing experience it was. Service was slow and inattentive. Took about 20 minutes from the time we sat down until someone came by with the menu and water, and this is after my husband waved someone down. We felt like we were being skipped many times over. Food was just ok. The paella was soft and on the wet side. There was no socarrat as I longed for. The other dishes were just average. Drinks were strong. There are so many good restaurants in the South Bay that it is less likely we'll come back here.

    Glazed Pork Belly
    Mike A.

    Went for dinner on a Wednesday night. It was surprisingly easy to get a table. The staff was very friendly and service was great. I am gluten free and the waitress marked the menu with everything that is gluten free or could be modified. I had surprisingly a lot of options. The food is meant to be shared family style. We ordered a few dishes and limited ourselves to 3 small (pork belly, tortilla española, broccolini) and 2 large dishes (paella and lamb chops) which was way more than enough. What I really liked was the tortilla española, paella, and lamb chops. The paella comes with a squid ink sauce on it, which was great. The pork belly was just ok - the blue cheese was overpowering, we ate around it. Overall, great spot. I'd love to go back with a larger group to try more of their options.

    menu 05/2025
    Michelle L.

    visited gabi james sunday for brunch. my friend and i both had this placed saved on our list of places to visit, so it just made sense! we dined out on the patio bc i had my puppy with me so i did not get a chance to tour the interior gabi james offers spanish and coastal french cuisine, everything we ordered was so tasty! PAPAS VERDES: paella spiced crispy potatoes, chorizo, fried egg, mojo verde. GABI BREAKFAST SANDWICH choose your adventure (served w/fries): FRENCH: fried egg, gruyere, dijon, french ham, jam, pan de mie FRENCH TOAST: lemon pastry cream, market berries, maple syrup we spilt the three plates, tbh, i did not have a favorite, everything was so delicious! i love gruyere so it really paired well with the ham!! YUM service was great! someone different kept coming back to check on us. we had everything we needed to enjoy our sunday brunch! oh, rez were also very easy to make via opentable love that they are dog friendly as well. parking: street (metered) a couple parking lots which are also metered or you can park in the residential area and walk a few blocks

    Jason C.

    this was a fun little place to try out, but I don't know if it was worth it or if I'd come back! for people who live in the South Bay, its just something different. I just don't think it's anything special and the portions were so small, we had to hit up our favorite fast food place after, and get dessert. obviously for a place like this in this area, the ambiance was nice and service was good but it just wasn't super memorable either?

    Capt Kev
    Kevin M.

    Mom just said it best... "THIS is my new favorite special occasion restaurant!" Was there Friday for Mom's 87th birthday party. Great vibe, awesome service but the food is definitely worthy of that Michelin Star. Probably the best fine dining in the Village

    Citrus Quince Salad
    Andreas K.

    Oh my god, what a gem! The benchmark dish of grilled octopus was sooo tender that it simply melted on the tongue. But all the other dishes were equally wonderful: pan con tomate, citrus quince salad, roasted mushrooms, charred asparagus, and at the end a cream Catalan. Cool and elegant ambiance with an attentive waiter (who was very charming but seemed not to want to look in the eyes when talking to her patrons).

    Seafood paella,.mojo cerdo pork hop and grilled asparagus!!

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    Customer Service was amazing. Wasn't crazy about the meatballs, the fries were delicious

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    Page 1 of 11

    Ask the Community - Gabi James

    Is the Paella large enough to share?

    Yes, our paella is made for 2 to 4 people, depending on your appetites! Cheers!

    What kind of cooking oil is used? Are there soy-free options on the menu?

    Hi Sam. We use a variety of oils in the kitchen, which are all soy free. The only soy in house is in the anchovies, which come packed in soy oil. So, as long as you do not order the Anchovy Matrimonio or other anchovy items, you are all set. Thanks!

    Do you allow dogs on the outdoor patio?

    Yes, we love furry friends but they must stay on the ground. Thanks!

    What is corkage fee?

    $25 for the 1st 2bottles and $50 after that.

    What time/days is happy hour? brunch?

    Happy hour is at the bar only Sunday-Thursday. Brunch is Saturday and Sunday at 10.

    What's the parking like?

    Metered street parking and a huge bettered lot behind the restaurant.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    La Esperanza Restaurant and Bakery

    4.2(976 reviews)
    4.5 miHarbor Gateway
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    Still delicious after all these year! We stopped by the bakery on Easter Morning. Got a selection…read moreof baked goods and tamales. Employees are helpful. When I was lost and confused since a lot of tags were missing and I didnt recognize all the pastries they helped us identify a bunch of them. Lol, I realized later their website also lists a lot of them. The slice of cheese cake was delicious, great texture and flavor. I also love the mexican biscuits, Bought one to make breakfast sandwiches. It's savory and delicious (also huge). We got mexican tamales but next time I must get the guatemalan ones! Definitely Will be going back for more. Highly recommend La Esperanza.

    Sunday morning I picked up a few assorted conchas for breakfast, and this place definitely…read moredelivered. The bakery is tucked into a small strip mall, and while it was buzzing with people inside, I'll admit I felt a bit intimidated approaching--there were two men outside staring, and I wasn't sure if they were customers or just loitering. Once inside though, it was a completely different vibe. The place was busy, with lots of people grabbing pastries, and the energy felt lively and welcoming. The conchas were fresh, soft, and had just the right amount of sweetness--you can tell they're made with care. Prices were very affordable, which made it even better. Even with the crowd, the service moved pretty efficiently. Overall, great pastries and worth the stop--just wish the outside experience felt a bit more comfortable. Next time I'll come earlier to hopefully grab conchas fresh out of the oven, and maybe give the tamales or chilaquiles a try.

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    La Esperanza Restaurant and Bakery
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    Pupusas

    La Casita - Bukelazo #1.

    La Casita

    4.1(40 reviews)
    5.2 mi

    Right across the street from UCLA Harbor Medical Center. First time eating there, staff is super…read morefriendly, prices are affordable. Ordered the desayunos (breakfast plates), they were super delicious! Tortillas are excellent! The horchata was okay, a little too sweet for my taste. I personally like the taste of all the spices in the Salvadorian Horchata, the sugar was over powering. We also ordered some pupusas revueltas to go. Those were okay, not bad, but not the best. The curtido was more like a coleslaw. It needed more time to pickle and much more spices. I didn't taste the oregano at all or pepper. The red sauce that typically comes with the pupusas tastes like canned tomato sauce. Very vinegar-y.

    La peor experiencia hoy en este lugar. No puedo opinar sobre la comida, pero el servicio me dejó…read moremuy insatisfecha, por decir lo menos. He ido a este lugar muchas veces y en varias ocasiones he tenido malas experiencias, pero hoy se superaron a sí mismos. ¡Incluso mi iglesia celebró allí la fiesta de Navidad de los líderes durante dos años seguidos! ¡Nunca más! Llamé a las 11 de la mañana para pedir yuca sancochada con salsa y curtido para recoger a las 11:30. Pregunté el precio y aclaré que solo quería salsa y curtido, sin chicharrón. Llegué al restaurante a las 11:45 y todavía me hicieron esperar 30 minutos. ¡Ni una disculpa por las molestias! La mesera dijo que el pedido no estaba listo y mintió diciendo que ella no había tomado mi pedido, que la chica que lo tomó ya se había ido. ¡Qué descarada! Si vas a mentir, hazlo bien y deja de llamar a la gente "linda", "mi amor", "corazón". Era la misma chica mintiéndome descaradamente. Finalmente me entregó la comida y era solo yuca sancochada. Quería cobrarme un dólar extra por el curtido y la salsa diciendo que la yuca se sirve asi. ¿Cuántos salvadoreños conoces que coman yuca sola? Le dije que habían perdido una clienta, a lo que respondió: "Haz lo que quieras, no voy a discutir contigo". ¡Qué asco! ¡Me da mucha rabia la falta de profesionalismo de esa mujer! ¡Nunca más mientras ella esté allí! The worst experience today at this place. I cant talk about their food, but their service leaves me dissatisfied to say the least. I have been to this place many times and many times I have had a bad experience but they outdid themselves today. My church even celebrated our leadership christmas party there two years in a row $$$!. No more! I called to place my order for yuca sancochada con salsa y curtido at 11am for pick up at 11:30am . I asked for the price and clarified i only wanted salsa y curtido, no chicharron. I got to the restaurant to pick up my order at 11:45am and they still had me wait 30 min. No apology or anything for the inconvenience! The server said the order wasn't in and lied saying she didnt take my order, the girl who took the order left already. Girl! You want to play that game, play it right and stop calling people linda, mi amor, corazón no! It was the same girl lying straight to my face. She finally gives me my food and it is plain yuca sancochada. She wanted to charge me an extra dollar for curtido y salsa. How many salvadoreans do you know eat plain yuca?? I let her know they had lost a customer to which she answer do as you wish, Im not going to argue with you. Ugh! Im discussed by that women's lack of professionalism! Never again while she's there!

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    La Casita
    La Casita - Very very delicious

    Very very delicious

    La Casita

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    Mama D's - Red carpet rolled out for you!

    Mama D's

    4.8(246 reviews)
    3.7 mi
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    I write this review knowing that this location of Mama D's closed a couple of weeks ago. I was…read moregoing to post a review after sampling most all of their menu, which is no longer possible. I'll just post photos of some of the items that I've had in previous months. I enjoyed every visit and always found whatever I ordered to be excellent in taste and a good value.

    I had dinner at Mama D's Italian Kitchen after hearing so many locals rave about it, and I can see…read morewhy it has such a loyal following. I ordered the lasagna along with Jamie's mozzarella balls, and both dishes felt like they came straight out of someone's family kitchen. The lasagna was layered generously, with rich meat sauce, creamy ricotta, and perfectly melted cheese on top. Each bite had depth and warmth, without tasting overly heavy. It's the kind of dish that makes you slow down and really enjoy it. Jamie's mozzarella balls were a fun way to start the meal. Lightly crisp on the outside and gooey inside, they paired really well with the marinara sauce, which had a bright, fresh tomato flavor. They disappeared from the plate quickly. The dining room has a welcoming, neighborhood feel. It's lively but still comfortable, and you can tell many guests are regulars. The team working there brought a cheerful energy and checked in just enough to make sure everything was going smoothly. Mama D's delivers hearty, satisfying Italian comfort food in a setting that feels genuinely inviting. I'd happily return when I'm craving a classic pasta night done right.

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    Mama D's
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    Ricotta ravioli with pink sauce plus a meatball

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