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After hanging out on Venice beach in the afternoon, my cousin and I were looking for a spot to grab early dinner before I was off on my redeye flight back to the East Coast. Surprisingly there weren't a ton near the main shopping street, but we immediately saw this place and there was availability on the rooftop. We grabbed it and off we went! We were surrounded by heated lamps which we actually needed since it got a tad bit breezy with intermittent mist. But fortunately, we got a great hostess who recommended some great options for us. The Japanese sweet potato was fire. The broccolini was the better complement to the Gruyère pizza. That pie had so much flavor and pizzazz to it. What a great way to end my LA trip! For anyone in the area, they should definitely come here for dinner.
Every time I visit LA and come to the Santa Monica area I mean to try Gjelina but it's always so busy.... But finally, it happened.! We came in for an early evening meal and we sat in the courtyard, which was perfectly set up with umbrellas to keep you shaded and cool. There are probably 10 tables back there, they all have comfortable seating The staff are really good, super attentive and working as a team, always anticipating your needs. Of course we wanted to try everything but it can get pricey quickly. We skipped any cocktails this time and jumped straight to food. - we started with the burrata, with prosciutto and grilled peaches. It was delicious. It was just the right amount of a balsamic vinaigrette that is not too overpowering. I wish it had some toast or something with it for a crunch component, but it was so nice and refreshing. Next, we tried the grilled corn appetizer, which came in a skillet and was pretty creamy, different than I was expecting, but still really yummy. The bolognese with the ricotta on top was my favorite dish of the day. It was so flavorful and the perfect ratio of each ingredient to feel just right and filling. I wanted to try the pizzas so bad, definitely coming back next time for those!
Another lovely meal! Seated right away at our res time and given a choice of any table on the patio. So much quieter out there. The service was kind and awesome. Lots of staff on top of the service, but not overbearing. I found everyone very helpful. Everything we ordered was fantastic. We shared the baby artichokes, butterball potatoes and mushrooms. Loved all the veg. They really do so well with every veg dish. Also had the chorizo pizza which was incredibly flavorful. The crust is perfect for me. Thin and not heavy, very tasty. One of my favorite dining experiences in the area.
Ive being a fan of Gjelina's for a long time now. The restaurant has a rustic, lively atmosphere with brick floors, greenery and a buzzing crowd that reflects the trendy Venice Beach dinning scene. Reservations are a good idea although they also accept walk-ins, just keep in mind that there could be a wait. The reason I love this restaurant so much is how vegetable-forward they are using seasonal produce and simple wood-fired cooking techniques that gives the perfect smokiness and char taste to the food. They showcases locally sourced seasonal ingredients to create the most delicious dishes. They also have great variety of small dishes like fresh oysters, salads, meats, poultry and wood-fired pizzas. Some of my favorites are: - Mushroom Toast: Bread perfectly butter and toasted and the mushrooms are tender and tasty. - Wood Roasted Cauliflower: Great smokey and char flavor with a hint of garlic. - Crispy Fingerling Potatoes: We order twice! Perfectly crispy outside and tender inside with rosemary and Parmesan. - Japanese Eggplant: One of the most famous dishes for a reason. Perfectly caramelized sweet potato with jalapeño yogurt and scallion. So creamy and balanced - Charred Brussels Sprouts: tossed with citrus, herbs, chili and walnuts, so yummy! - Pomodoro Pizza: the one we ordered this time, I always ask well-done, love the char toasted corners. But also the mushroom with fontina & truffle goat cheese is really good. The only criticism is that change or modifications are politely decline. I still enjoy it a LOT so for me, if I'm in the area is always a GO TO!
Great restaurant in Venice that has a little something for everyone, California cuisine. Great service and ambiance, but definitely on the pricey side. We came here for brunch and made a reservation in advance - party of 8. They can't seat you until everyone is there and we still had to wait about 10 mins or so. They seated us upstairs in what felt like a private room which was really nice. Gorgeous florals on the table too. They say they recommend sharing so you can go that route or just order a dish per person. The portions aren't really tapas style and the prices aren't either. Despite that, we went pretty hard and ordered a ton of dishes... -Yuk Choy: this veggie dish was really good, one of my faves. It's a leafier bok choy apparently. It comes with a creamy tahini sauce over it. -Smoked trout salad: fresh and tasty, very light. The pieces of trout were tasty -Hangar steak banh mi: Looks and tastes more like a steak sandwich than a banh mi but this was quite good. Good for sharing with another person. Crunchy crispy bread but not difficult to eat. The pieces of steak were tasty and flavorful. Probably my favorite dish of the meal. -Duck hash: Crispy egg sits atop chunks of duck along with cubed potatoes and other veggies. It was good, mustardy. -Steak tartare: Pretty good but also nothing standout -Japanese sweet potatoes: Also pretty good, jalapeño sauce. In my opinion, erewhon makes them better lol -Romanesco: veggie dish that was really unique and tasty. Capers and sardines give it a nice tang and saltiness. My other family members got a few pizzas and they weren't crazy about them. The kids (and adults!) were obsessed with the lemon ricotta pancakes, which were also beautiful with a blueberry compote. Service was great, we had a really friendly waiter, DJ, who was on top of it and thoughtfully coursed out the meal for us and provided us with recs. The one thing, and it's kind of a big thing, that we disliked about this restaurant is that you can't make any modifications, substitutions, or even omissions from any dishes. Even if someone has an allergy! My boyfriend & I are lactose intolerant so we were hoping to try certain dishes without the dairy but they were unable to accommodate that. And it's not like we were wanting a dish that relies on dairy, such as Mac n cheese without the cheese; I get how that request would be challenging. We wanted to try a couple dishes that don't even rely on dairy and would simply be topped with cheese or a simple yogurt sauce. We found this disappointing and it honestly made us feel like the chef thinks he's better than thou. They should allow simple omissions for allergies, come on. All in all, good meal but be prepared to spend $$.
Food is 3.5 stars, 5 starts for our second waitress but -5 stars for our first waiter. Good thing first: - we arrived 40 min earlier than our reservation and they were able to accommodate us. - Food is good. - Our waitress Whitney is great. She noticed the discomfort we had with our prior waiter and tried to make up for us. - pomodoro pizza with Burrata is good. Must add burrata! Now it comes to the disappointment: - First of all, we were not asked for our preferences of indoor or outdoor sitting when we first checked in. We were taken to the patio without shade and had to request to be seated indoor. This is a minor issue. The biggest issue is follow: - Our first server (a gentleman) has been rude to us. He walked away in the middle of the conversation without saying anything (perhaps he wanna go serve the big party next to us). I had to go up to find him after a long wait and then he pulled a colleague to help us out. This is very unprofessional!!!
This place is such a vibe. I loved the aesthetic. We were able to sit out on the back patio by the fire pit, which kept us warm and made the experience even better. Our waiter was knowledgeable and incredibly patient with our group. The pizzas were amazing! I highly recommend the squash blossom pizza, which was my personal favorite. The wagyu beef bolognese was also fantastic, and all I can say about the asparagus sauce gnocchi is that it was exactly as advertised. Very asparagusy. Overall, we had an amazing experience.
Top picks: house made pickles, saffron pasta, and their roasted cauliflower with hanger steak. These ones had a beautiful contrast of umami flavor and the portion sizes complemented each other for sharing. The oyster mushrooms were juicy but overly salted. Staff was very sweet but nothing extraordinary. Attentive but not the best conversationalist, at least the ones we had. But it didn't bother us. The decor was very minimalist and personally love the outdoor patio to dine in.
Gjelina we gotta talk... everything was great UNTIL WE FOUND A LARGE PIECE OF PLASTIC IN THE PIZZA CRUST?!? This is not only gross to have something indigestible in the food you're serving but also a choking hazard that could have resulted in someone's death Before the discovery- We had a great time at the actual restaurant and really enjoyed the pork belly with grits. The mushrooms were also very complimentary. The Grilled squid was bright but not as much of a flavor explosion as I was hoping for. The guanciale pizza was tasty at the restaurant- but we were SHOCKED when we got home and found a giant piece of plastic in the crust!!! We believe it must've been stuck when the dough was rolled up or something? But quality control here! We didn't spend $200+ to eat literal plastic I understand the need to preserve items in the preparation process but baking indigestible materials & choking hazards into the food is NOT OKAY!
Good food! The pizzas are really tasty but the standout was the orichiettie beef cheek pasta. It had a thick sauce packed with meaty delicious flavor and topped with this rich ricotta cheese on top! The chorizo pizza was like a yummy pepperoni pizza. We all thought the squash dish they are known for was not as good as we had hoped. The squash was a bit hard and it needed more sauce. The inside felt really dark but the patio outside seemed more vibrant and cuter! I thought the menu was jam packed with too many items and as a designer the way it was laid out felt overwhelming and hard to read / choose things. For a pretty pricey place I wish the service matched that. Our server didn't really explain the menu to us and only gave me recs when I had asked and then she seemed a bit annoyed with us figuring out what to order.
Good food, but a little strange that we couldn't make any modifications even when we had some people who had a dairy sensitivity. Not sure what that's about. We ordered a bunch of dishes and they were all really good. I wasn't a fan of the pizza. We ordered the caramelized onion one and the truffle one and the basic margherita with burrata, but I really wasn't too impressed with the flavors sadly. I did love the broccoli romanesco with the caper dressing, and the bok choy with tahini was incredible. Sweet potato dish was awesome. My kids shared the lemon ricotta, blueberry pancakes, and that was a hit! I had several bites and I was really impressed. The still water and sparkling water that we ordered didn't come in the San Pellegrino, so I kind of wish they would've told us that part. DJ was our waiter and he was really great with giving us enough space but also giving us some recommendations too. We sat all the way upstairs, with the other families and older folk lol. Love the ambience of the place and it feels like an older home. Definitely charming quality to it. I think they should add labels to each other their dishes to let people know if it's vegan or gluten-free, especially if they can't do any modifications. Otherwise would give them 4 or 5 stars
Ambiance has always been lovely here. Food is good- I did prefer the pasta and veggies to the pizza. Come with a group and share different plates for variety. The seasonal honeynut squash pasta was my favorite dish. Note, they aren't a restaurant that accommodates a lot of preferences (e.g., crispiness of the pizza, extra sauce on the side) so keep that in mind when making a reservation!
I came here at 9:30am and there was a small breakfast menu. We tried the duck hash. It was decent, a bit greasy and I wish they gave more duck pieces. Service was okay, wasn't friendly but was fast. We came here to spend our Chase Sapphire Reserve dining credit. I would say come at 10am because you can then order from the other parts of the menu with more selection of food and not just breakfast food. I think the food is kinda expensive for what you get but it's Venice.
26 days ago
3 days ago
After hanging out on Venice beach in the afternoon, my cousin and I were looking for a spot to grab early dinner before I was off on my redeye flight back to the East Coast. Surprisingly there weren't a ton near the main shopping street, but we immediately saw this place and there was availability on the rooftop. We grabbed it and off we went! We were surrounded by heated lamps which we actually needed since it got a tad bit breezy with intermittent mist. But fortunately, we got a great hostess who recommended some great options for us. The Japanese sweet potato was fire. The broccolini was the better complement to the Gruyère pizza. That pie had so much flavor and pizzazz to it. What a great way to end my LA trip! For anyone in the area, they should definitely come here for dinner. read more
Every time I visit LA and come to the Santa Monica area I mean to try Gjelina but it's always so busy.... But finally, it happened.! We came in for an early evening meal and we sat in the courtyard, which was perfectly set up with umbrellas to keep you shaded and cool. There are probably 10 tables back there, they all have comfortable seating The staff are really good, super attentive and working as a team, always anticipating your needs. Of course we wanted to try everything but it can get pricey quickly. We skipped any cocktails this time and jumped straight to food. - we started with the burrata, with prosciutto and grilled peaches. It was delicious. It was just the right amount of a balsamic vinaigrette that is not too overpowering. I wish it had some toast or something with it for a crunch component, but it was so nice and refreshing. Next, we tried the grilled corn appetizer, which came in a skillet and was pretty creamy, different than I was expecting, but still really yummy. The bolognese with the ricotta on top was my favorite dish of the day. It was so flavorful and the perfect ratio of each ingredient to feel just right and filling. I wanted to try the pizzas so bad, definitely coming back next time for those! read more
Another lovely meal! Seated right away at our res time and given a choice of any table on the patio. So much quieter out there. The service was kind and awesome. Lots of staff on top of the service, but not overbearing. I found everyone very helpful. Everything we ordered was fantastic. We shared the baby artichokes, butterball potatoes and mushrooms. Loved all the veg. They really do so well with every veg dish. Also had the chorizo pizza which was incredibly flavorful. The crust is perfect for me. Thin and not heavy, very tasty. One of my favorite dining experiences in the area. read more
4 months ago
Ive being a fan of Gjelina's for a long time now. The restaurant has a rustic, lively atmosphere with brick floors, greenery and a buzzing crowd that reflects the trendy Venice Beach dinning scene. Reservations are a good idea although they also accept walk-ins, just keep in mind that there could be a wait. The reason I love this restaurant so much is how vegetable-forward they are using seasonal produce and simple wood-fired cooking techniques that gives the perfect smokiness and char taste to the food. They showcases locally sourced seasonal ingredients to create the most delicious dishes. They also have great variety of small dishes like fresh oysters, salads, meats, poultry and wood-fired pizzas. Some of my favorites are: - Mushroom Toast: Bread perfectly butter and toasted and the mushrooms are tender and tasty. - Wood Roasted Cauliflower: Great smokey and char flavor with a hint of garlic. - Crispy Fingerling Potatoes: We order twice! Perfectly crispy outside and tender inside with rosemary and Parmesan. - Japanese Eggplant: One of the most famous dishes for a reason. Perfectly caramelized sweet potato with jalapeño yogurt and scallion. So creamy and balanced - Charred Brussels Sprouts: tossed with citrus, herbs, chili and walnuts, so yummy! - Pomodoro Pizza: the one we ordered this time, I always ask well-done, love the char toasted corners. But also the mushroom with fontina & truffle goat cheese is really good. The only criticism is that change or modifications are politely decline. I still enjoy it a LOT so for me, if I'm in the area is always a GO TO! read more
4 months ago
Great restaurant in Venice that has a little something for everyone, California cuisine. Great service and ambiance, but definitely on the pricey side. We came here for brunch and made a reservation in advance - party of 8. They can't seat you until everyone is there and we still had to wait about 10 mins or so. They seated us upstairs in what felt like a private room which was really nice. Gorgeous florals on the table too. They say they recommend sharing so you can go that route or just order a dish per person. The portions aren't really tapas style and the prices aren't either. Despite that, we went pretty hard and ordered a ton of dishes... -Yuk Choy: this veggie dish was really good, one of my faves. It's a leafier bok choy apparently. It comes with a creamy tahini sauce over it. -Smoked trout salad: fresh and tasty, very light. The pieces of trout were tasty -Hangar steak banh mi: Looks and tastes more like a steak sandwich than a banh mi but this was quite good. Good for sharing with another person. Crunchy crispy bread but not difficult to eat. The pieces of steak were tasty and flavorful. Probably my favorite dish of the meal. -Duck hash: Crispy egg sits atop chunks of duck along with cubed potatoes and other veggies. It was good, mustardy. -Steak tartare: Pretty good but also nothing standout -Japanese sweet potatoes: Also pretty good, jalapeño sauce. In my opinion, erewhon makes them better lol -Romanesco: veggie dish that was really unique and tasty. Capers and sardines give it a nice tang and saltiness. My other family members got a few pizzas and they weren't crazy about them. The kids (and adults!) were obsessed with the lemon ricotta pancakes, which were also beautiful with a blueberry compote. Service was great, we had a really friendly waiter, DJ, who was on top of it and thoughtfully coursed out the meal for us and provided us with recs. The one thing, and it's kind of a big thing, that we disliked about this restaurant is that you can't make any modifications, substitutions, or even omissions from any dishes. Even if someone has an allergy! My boyfriend & I are lactose intolerant so we were hoping to try certain dishes without the dairy but they were unable to accommodate that. And it's not like we were wanting a dish that relies on dairy, such as Mac n cheese without the cheese; I get how that request would be challenging. We wanted to try a couple dishes that don't even rely on dairy and would simply be topped with cheese or a simple yogurt sauce. We found this disappointing and it honestly made us feel like the chef thinks he's better than thou. They should allow simple omissions for allergies, come on. All in all, good meal but be prepared to spend $$. read more
11 days ago
Food is 3.5 stars, 5 starts for our second waitress but -5 stars for our first waiter. Good thing first: - we arrived 40 min earlier than our reservation and they were able to accommodate us. - Food is good. - Our waitress Whitney is great. She noticed the discomfort we had with our prior waiter and tried to make up for us. - pomodoro pizza with Burrata is good. Must add burrata! Now it comes to the disappointment: - First of all, we were not asked for our preferences of indoor or outdoor sitting when we first checked in. We were taken to the patio without shade and had to request to be seated indoor. This is a minor issue. The biggest issue is follow: - Our first server (a gentleman) has been rude to us. He walked away in the middle of the conversation without saying anything (perhaps he wanna go serve the big party next to us). I had to go up to find him after a long wait and then he pulled a colleague to help us out. This is very unprofessional!!! read more
8 days ago
15 days ago
2 months ago
This place is such a vibe. I loved the aesthetic. We were able to sit out on the back patio by the fire pit, which kept us warm and made the experience even better. Our waiter was knowledgeable and incredibly patient with our group. The pizzas were amazing! I highly recommend the squash blossom pizza, which was my personal favorite. The wagyu beef bolognese was also fantastic, and all I can say about the asparagus sauce gnocchi is that it was exactly as advertised. Very asparagusy. Overall, we had an amazing experience. read more
5 months ago
Top picks: house made pickles, saffron pasta, and their roasted cauliflower with hanger steak. These ones had a beautiful contrast of umami flavor and the portion sizes complemented each other for sharing. The oyster mushrooms were juicy but overly salted. Staff was very sweet but nothing extraordinary. Attentive but not the best conversationalist, at least the ones we had. But it didn't bother us. The decor was very minimalist and personally love the outdoor patio to dine in. read more
1 month ago
Gjelina we gotta talk... everything was great UNTIL WE FOUND A LARGE PIECE OF PLASTIC IN THE PIZZA CRUST?!? This is not only gross to have something indigestible in the food you're serving but also a choking hazard that could have resulted in someone's death Before the discovery- We had a great time at the actual restaurant and really enjoyed the pork belly with grits. The mushrooms were also very complimentary. The Grilled squid was bright but not as much of a flavor explosion as I was hoping for. The guanciale pizza was tasty at the restaurant- but we were SHOCKED when we got home and found a giant piece of plastic in the crust!!! We believe it must've been stuck when the dough was rolled up or something? But quality control here! We didn't spend $200+ to eat literal plastic I understand the need to preserve items in the preparation process but baking indigestible materials & choking hazards into the food is NOT OKAY! read more
3 days ago
Good food! The pizzas are really tasty but the standout was the orichiettie beef cheek pasta. It had a thick sauce packed with meaty delicious flavor and topped with this rich ricotta cheese on top! The chorizo pizza was like a yummy pepperoni pizza. We all thought the squash dish they are known for was not as good as we had hoped. The squash was a bit hard and it needed more sauce. The inside felt really dark but the patio outside seemed more vibrant and cuter! I thought the menu was jam packed with too many items and as a designer the way it was laid out felt overwhelming and hard to read / choose things. For a pretty pricey place I wish the service matched that. Our server didn't really explain the menu to us and only gave me recs when I had asked and then she seemed a bit annoyed with us figuring out what to order. read more
Good food, but a little strange that we couldn't make any modifications even when we had some people who had a dairy sensitivity. Not sure what that's about. We ordered a bunch of dishes and they were all really good. I wasn't a fan of the pizza. We ordered the caramelized onion one and the truffle one and the basic margherita with burrata, but I really wasn't too impressed with the flavors sadly. I did love the broccoli romanesco with the caper dressing, and the bok choy with tahini was incredible. Sweet potato dish was awesome. My kids shared the lemon ricotta, blueberry pancakes, and that was a hit! I had several bites and I was really impressed. The still water and sparkling water that we ordered didn't come in the San Pellegrino, so I kind of wish they would've told us that part. DJ was our waiter and he was really great with giving us enough space but also giving us some recommendations too. We sat all the way upstairs, with the other families and older folk lol. Love the ambience of the place and it feels like an older home. Definitely charming quality to it. I think they should add labels to each other their dishes to let people know if it's vegan or gluten-free, especially if they can't do any modifications. Otherwise would give them 4 or 5 stars read more
Ambiance has always been lovely here. Food is good- I did prefer the pasta and veggies to the pizza. Come with a group and share different plates for variety. The seasonal honeynut squash pasta was my favorite dish. Note, they aren't a restaurant that accommodates a lot of preferences (e.g., crispiness of the pizza, extra sauce on the side) so keep that in mind when making a reservation! read more
I came here at 9:30am and there was a small breakfast menu. We tried the duck hash. It was decent, a bit greasy and I wish they gave more duck pieces. Service was okay, wasn't friendly but was fast. We came here to spend our Chase Sapphire Reserve dining credit. I would say come at 10am because you can then order from the other parts of the menu with more selection of food and not just breakfast food. I think the food is kinda expensive for what you get but it's Venice. read more
I've been coming to Gjelina for years now, and stopped by for dinner this past weekend. Whether it's brunch or dinner, the food is consistently good, and that's always why I keep coming back. Like others have mentioned, service seems to be the weak spot here, but to their credit, they are showing some signs of improvement on that front. While the wait staff can be a bit slow to attend to you, the bus staff and other members are friendly and quick to serve, which is a refreshing change. I also really appreciate that they take online reservations. For food, we ordered the grilled chicory salad, Japanese sweet potato, mussels, and salami pizza. Everything was delicious, with the Mussels being my favorite dish. The broth was super flavorful and everything was cooked perfectly. The pizza and sweet potatoes were great too, and the chicory salad was a refreshing change of pace. I definitely think people should give it a try at least once, especially for their brunch (I think about their ricotta pancakes and Moroccan baked eggs all the time). The place is a vibe and an Abbot Kinney staple. read more
2 months ago
came again for brunch, no substitutions or additions and I thought the menu personally was a little strange for the lunch part ie no simple chicken sandwhich. Lamb burger was more raw than I wanted it to be so couldnt eat half of it (for most people, I don't think this is an issue). There may be less over hyped places in the area to try with similar ambiance. Kind server read more
The food at Gjelina never disappoints! We ordered the four cheese pizza, white cannellini beans, and wagyu beef pasta and everything was so hot and delicious. I couldn't pick a favorite honestly it was all so good. I can't believe it took me so long to visit here but I'll definitely be back. We were seated outside since the weather was so good and they were able to accommodate my friends stroller. The service was a bit slower than I liked; I would have appreciated the server checking in on us some more. It seemed like she was forced to be working. Parking is a pain as usual so add some time to find street parking. read more
The wait was a bit. The thin crust pizza we ordered was room temperature which was surprising being Cooked at high temp ? The broccolni was delicious a bit too much oil but lovely char marks. The blue berry apple cider drink was perfect to cut through all the fat. Would I go back probably not. Way too overpriced. read more
6 months ago
I've been coming to Gjelina since they opened. Back then it felt like a hidden gem, and I truly believe it helped shape what Abbot Kinney has become today - a worldwide destination. I've brought countless friends and coworkers here over the years, and it has never disappointed. This last visit was on a Thursday night, and even with a reservation we waited about half an hour (they had to close part of the restaurant because of strong winds). Still, imagine being that busy on a Thursday. The place was absolutely bustling. Part of me wants to gatekeep this spot, but that ship sailed long ago. This is where famous directors, cast, and creatives celebrate new movies, birthdays, and other occasions - and for good reason. I truly can't remember ordering anything here that I didn't love. This time we shared the chanterelle appetizer, fennel sausage pizza, and half chicken - yum, yum, yum! Even our friend - who, let's say, has strong preferences but kindly lets us choose (everything except anchovy pizza!) - enjoyed everything. Service was excellent throughout. The team checked in exactly when needed, and the bus staff kept plates cleared and hot water refilled seamlessly. Thank you for taking such good care of us! Bonus: free street parking behind the restaurant. read more
Tasty restaurant. It was absolutely packed and behind even with reservations today due to 80% of diners being there to use their chase sapphire reserve open table dining rebate credit. We ordered a ton of food and everything was good. My favorites were the anchovy burata toasts, roasted cauliflower, and the lamb merguez shakshuka type dish. Liver toasts were nice too. We ordered a crapton of food for 3 adults and one 4 year old to share and finished everything. The waiter Paul apologized for doubting our ability to finish everything that we ordered and we all joked about it throughout the meal which was in good fun. The service was pretty exceptional considering how insanely busy they were. The restrooms are gorgeous. There's indoor and outdoor seating. We were seated upstairs which has a lighter atmosphere than downstairs. I feel like the walls were painted darker downstairs? Or maybe just that the windows let in a lot more light upstairs. Desserts were all lovely. The standout was the butterscotch pot de creme. read more
Been on my list since I first visited AK. Snagged a res for late lunch and sat upstairs' rooftop. Nice sunny day but a little cool with no heaters at the time, and sun's hit was perfect. Started with trout salad, brussels, michelada and ginger lemonade - all delicious. The walnuts on the brussels with the dressing amazing! Shared guanciale pizza, mussels and steak banh mi. The cilantro sauce on mussels was soooo good that we took the sauce home to make with pasta. Pizza was amazing! The closer is the butterscotch dessert - saved the best for last and everything was incredible deserving of a Michelin. Pretty popular and busy place. Could get noisy downstairs, and a definite must try while in AK read more
The moment I walked inside, this place screamed "LA." The ambiance was trendy and full of chatter. It was pretty dark and crowded on the first floor but I had a reservation so I sat on the second which gave it a more pleasant vibe. Service was decent, nothing bad to say about it. Food came out one by one slowly though which can be attributed to the large amount of people. As for the taste of the food, I enjoyed it but found the portions to be small for the price. LOVED the Brussel sprouts and the tangy sauce it came with. read more
5 months ago
My coworker recommended us to try this place and me and my husband were excited to see that Gjelina was part of the OpenTable restaurants that has a Chase Sapphire Reserve partnership with, so we could use our dining credits here. Atmosphere is very cozy and perfect for a date night. We ordered a bunch of different plates to share with each other, which is a great way to sample a little bit of everything that Gjelina has to offer. We ordered the following items: * Half Dozen Oysters (very fresh and easy to eat) * Charred Brussel Sprouts * Pomodoro Pizza w/ Burrata * Honeynut Squash Agnolotti (yummy but portions were small) * Crispy Duck Confit (my favorite dish) * Warm Date Cake All of our appetizers came out fairly quickly and all very tasty. The oysters were a nice opener to our meal, they were the perfect size, not too big and easy to swallow. At first, we tried to order the scallops as our entree, but they ran out earlier that night, so our waitress recommended the Crispy Duck Confit instead. So glad that we got that because it ended up being my favorite dish of the night! The skin was fried to perfection, very light and crispy. The duck itself was very tender and flavorful. We also really enjoyed the pasta too, but wish it was a little bigger. Me and my husband had to ration each little piece of pasta LOL. We finished dinner with some dessert, which we don't normally do, but we saw a lot of other tables order the Warm Date Cake, so we had to try it too. I've never had a date cake before, but the flavor profile was similar to caramel + toffee, so it has a nice sweetness to it, especially paired with the ginger sorbet. read more
5 months ago
Really good food, great date night spot, Pinot was very good and light- matched well with the duck/ pizza. Came another time w the girls and shared things - everything was insanely good read more
The squash, crudo, and meatballs were excellent. (See pic for crudo) There were several closed mussels in the mussel dish that could not be eaten. Wasn't a huge fan of the mushroom appetizer, they were a little too earthy for my liking. The restaurant was also very accomodating to my one year old niece which was appreciated! read more
Some reviews were mixed I underestimated to set my expectations but this place rocks! The food was unique and interesting, and the service was good. Due to the location, the tables are so tiny and they may not fit a lot of dishes comfortably. However, I loved the Sunday morning ambiance and the variety of foods on the menu. Lamb burger - delicious! Medium rare pattie was something we can't forget. Trout salad - amazing. I need to come back for this. Perfectly cooked fish and the well seasoned arugulas were divine. Meatballs and fries - simple and good for kids. Sauces that come with fries are elevated so our kids just used the meatball sauce to dip their fries with. Chorizo pizza - spicy and good but I think we will go for other kind of pizza next time Duck hash - I love duck and the vegetable medley was perfect for this dish. My husband who doesn't normally like duck really enjoyed this dish so that tells something. Unique but I wish it had some sauce or more flavors. With that said the runny egg was perfect. It felt the fish wa a bit reserved but maybe it is one way to embrace the ingredients and I should like it as is. Parking is hard but if you get lucky there's a lot of parking lots a few streets behind the restaurant. read more
Came to Gjelina's for brunch and I really love the vibe here. They have a really cute outdoor space as well. The food is pretty standard, and nothing super outstanding but it's solid food. The crispy fingerling potatoes are amazing though, you have to get them! I tried the crispy egg prosciutto, and it was pretty good, but again very, very basic. Service was good, our waiter was attentive, but not very friendly (which is fine). Our food took a good 20-30 minutes to come out, which felt a little bit long, given the simplicity of the dishes. The fresh ginger lemonade drink is really good too. Our reservations were on Sunday at 11 AM, which I think is a really good time to go, if you want to beat the rush and find parking a little easier. read more
Gjelina is located in the middle of Abbot Kinney Blvd in Venice. Came for a weekend brunch and I got a nice mix of breakfast items. They're in the Michelin guide, which praised them for their locally sourced ingredients which are prepped thoughtfully and simply. Got a blueberry scone, which was served warm with cultured butter and an orange jam. The scone had a nice texture with its crispy edges and nice crumb. Also started with their Tai Snapper Crudo, which was bright and refreshing as the light snapper was paired with acidic flavors from lemon, melon, pomegranate seeds, and Fresno chiles. I wanted something sweet, so I went with a nine grain pancake with their cultured butter and maple syrup. The pancake was well-made; however, the textures from the nine grains provided an unusual bite and chew that I didn't enjoy. My wife went with their duck hash, which was served with mustard and a crispy, runny egg. This was delicious and the duck was nicely balanced by the creamy egg yolk and mustard. We wanted to get something grilled in their wood-fired oven, so we ordered their grilled oyster mushroom with tarragon butter and salt. The dish was amazing. Mushrooms really hold on to the smoke and char from live fire. They were thick and meaty and were nicely balanced by the tarragon butter and salt. It also paired really well with the duck hash that my wife bought. Service could have been better as we didn't really get much follow up for refills of water or coffee. I think you could also make a strong argument that price is high for portion size; however, I felt that we had a nice sampling of the menu in our visit and we'd love to come back for dinner. Next time we come, we definitely want to try to get pizza and/or anything charred in their wood ovens. read more
Had lunch at Gjelina on Abbot Kinney and overall, it was a really solid meal. We started with the tai snapper crudo, and honestly it stole the show. Super fresh, a little spicy, and that dressing was so good I wanted to ask for extra just to drink it. Then we tried the charcuterie board, which was also really good -- plenty of variety and nothing felt like filler. The salami fennel pizza was... good. Not amazing, not bad, just somewhere in the middle. I've had better pizzas there, but it still did the job. We finished with the mussels and clams, and they recently changed the sauce. I'm not in love with the new one -- not terrible by any means, just not my favorite compared to what they used to serve. All in all, still a solid lunch and a great spot if you're already wandering around Abbot Kinney. The hits definitely outweighed the misses. read more
The wait was about 30 minutes before we were seated, even though we had reservations. People who arrived after us were seated first, which was frustrating. Thankfully, once we ordered, the food came out fairly quickly. We got two pastas and two pizzas. The pizzas were delicious lots of mushrooms, and the mushroom truffle was my personal favorite. Service was okay, but it was difficult to get anyone's attention since the patio area was pretty dark. As for the pastas, the nettle chitarra cacio e pepe noodles were extremely tough and tasted undercooked. The honeynut squash agnolotti was delicious, but the portion was quite small. read more
I don't often visit the Venice area but I stumbled upon this place on OpenTable as I was exploring restaurants. The ambiance has a trendy rustic vibe which I loved. We sat out on the patio which was nice. My sister ordered the orange wine and was not a fan. I would suggest asking for a taste of whatever you are thinking of ordering and they will provide you with one before ordering a glass. I ordered the duck hash which was really good! However, I wanted the egg fried hard but they are very strict and do not allow modifications or substitutes to meals. I feel like simple accommodations to meals shouldn't be that big of a deal, especially when people have dietary restrictions now a days. The seasonal fruit plate was good, just felt like it could've come on a charcuterie board vs a regular plate for $18. My friend ordered the lamb pizza and they loved it! They said the meatballs were also pretty good but nothing special. The service was a bit slow. I had to ask multiple times for my Americano and my sister had to do the same for the mimosa she ordered. Parking is also a bit difficult, you may have to circle and park a couple blocks down. Overall, solid choice for brunch if you're looking for trendy cute vibe. read more
6 months ago
Came for brunch on Sunday and was so pleasantly surprised!! I wasn't expecting much and thought it was an overhyped place but all the dishes we had were great! We had a reservation and was seated at the rooftop. The restaurant is really cute and in a good location though obviously parking is difficult. For 5 people, we got 3 pizzas, 1 sandwhich, 1 hot plate, 1 breakfast item, and a charcuterie board. For the pizzas we got the mixed mushroom, lamb sausage, and Gruyère. The mixed mushroom was my absolutely favorite, 10/10 I will be thinking about it. The garlic confit and rosemary were perfect and the flavors just worked so well. Their pizza crust is sourdough which was really nice and had a nice crunch. Lamb sausage (9/10) was definitely a unique one, not too gamey and had a gold variety of flavors! I thought the Gruyère (6/10) was whatever but definitely get the mixed mushroom!! We also got the butternut curry with crispy quinoa (7/10), it was a comforting dish and is exactly as described. Pro tip, save the pizza crust to dip! The prosciutto panini (8/10) was so simple but it was perfectly toasted and had a nice mustard sauce which complimented it well. For our breakfast item we got the lemon ricotta pancakes (8/10) and it was good but a bit dry. I liked the buckwheat flavor and the blueberry sauce was delicious!! Last, we got the meat charcuterie (7/10) which had a nice selection of meats, duck prosciutto was my favorite and it came with bread and some mustards for spread. Overall, I'd come back which I wasn't expecting too! Would make a reservation as it was still busy when we left! read more
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More info about Gjelina
1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd
Venice, CA 90291
Venice
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(310) 450-1429
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http://www.gjelina.com
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Ask the Community - Gjelina
Private party rooms?
For sure! You can have the roof for yourself - magical at sunset.
Any chance you serve mushroom toast at lunch today? 🥹?
For lunch they have ENGLISH PEAS ON TOAST Burrata, Mint Pistou, Pea Tendril - 26$ They offer it on dinner menu. Not the lunch or afternoon menu. You can always ask once you… Read more
Can they make things vegan? Vegan options?
They have an extensive Vegetable offering section on all of their menus. With regards to Veganism, that is something you can ask the server. The restaurant is very accomodating
Do the serve their dessert menu during lunch?
Yes, the dessert menu is served during lunch.
Can any of the pizzas be made vegan by omitting cheese?
They do not make ANY modifications at Gjelina, so they wouldn't do this for you. They do have a lot of delicious things on the menu, though, that would be vegetarian already.
Do they have valet parking?
I do not believe they do, but there is plenty of free street parking available nearby.
Are dogs not allowed even in the outdoor seats?
I don't know for sure, but I doubt it. You have to walk through the indoor restaurant to get to the outdoor seating. I suggest calling for a definitive answer.
What size are the pizzas?
The pizzas are not like traditional pizzas, they felt more fresh and not so much dough. We shared one and some other courses.
Any vegan or vegetarian dishes?
definitely. not huge selection, but you should find enough.
I had a Pilsner there and thought it was German but can't find the beer menu. Does anyone know what they serve?
Was it the Victory Prima Pils? It's from Pennsylvania.
Is it really noisy at lunch? I want to be able to talk with my date as well as eat.
To be honest, we went with 8 people for brunch on a Sunday afternoon, and it was tremendously loud. My husband and I went for dinner, and it was still very loud. The food is fantastic but if it's a first (or second) date; I wouldn't recommend it. We… Read more
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Gjelina - newamerican - Updated July 2026
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