This place was a great experience form start to finish. The menu Has a lot of unique dishes but…read moreeverything fel we thought out instead of overcomplicated. The naan with the dipping sauces was the perfect way to start. and the grilled oysters had an incredible smoky flavor that really stood out. The gilled corn wasn't my favorit it was have been much easier to eat if it had been cut off the cob but that was a small detail in an otherwise excellent meal. great service worth the visit.

Dreamy dining experience. My work friends and I met for a 7pm reservation to celebrate a new…read moreposition of a friend and had a nice long table that sat a party as big as 8. We were quickly attended to by their kind staff and waiter who moved efficiently, and made great conversation. I enjoyed how knowledgeable our waiter was with both the dinner and cocktail menu! All plates and drinks were prepared just as described and had charming presentation. It's clear that their kitchen and staff valued attention to detail, and was more than considerate of a luxe dining experience. I loved my farmers market margarita, and seed smoke mezcal cocktail, they were not overly boozy, but had been made with an even blend of flavor and dressed with complimentary ingredients. As we were all men, it was pretty stereotypical that we ordered almost exclusively protein dishes lol. Each meat on the table was tender, juicy, and very savory. My favorites included their goat curry, and pork belly boat noodles. The plates were all Exciting, innovative, and an overall unique menu. I'd love to return for a date night with my lady as the vibes were very romantic.

Who says Filipino food can't be considered fine dining? Chef Josh Espinosa is showcasing how the…read moredishes we're accustomed to can be prepared with an elevated approach. Sampa is located in the Arts District near the intersection of S Hewitt St and E 5th right next to Urth Cafe. There's a parking lot directly across the street from the restaurant but you can also park around the corner by Arts District Park for $5. If it's your first time visiting Sampa, you have to be open minded towards the concept itself. Yes, the dishes here are smaller in portion and costs more than your typical fast casual spot. All the servers here are attentive and offer to help with what to order if you're unsure. For dinner, the Crispy Pasta is their take on crispy pata but served with spinach tagliatelle. The crab fat fried rice is a no brainer and depending on the night you come, I highly recommend the Sinigang xiaolongbao special. You don't have to be Filipino to appreciate what Sampa is doing for the culture, just come by and see for yourself.

The restaurant is Filipino food with an "upscale," aka fancy, spin…read more Ok - so, I was in the area with my son, saw the grill outside. I thought it was a taco stand. It was not. It's where they grill certain items, lobster, ribeye, skirt steak, the intestinal part of a chicken (?). So, not tacos but grilled meats so we stayed. twist. First of all, it's a lovely space. In a not very obvious area of DTLA, next to Urth Cafe but no other restaurants. We didn't have reservations so we had the option of sitting at the bar or following the waitress to a back room area instead of the front room that is visible to everyone. My son is a minor, so to the back we went! Seriously, the closer we got to the back room the more I felt I had been cast in "The Chef." Scary! Lol! The back room is black. Blackout black! Black tablecloths, walls, chairs, dark, low light. Very luxurious and open space. Which - because it wasn't full at the time - felt a bit like being in the film, The Menu." A bit too upscale and empty to feel comfortable. More guests arrived later, a large table, so that was more comforting. The food: Recommended *Kara Kara Tamales: braised oxtail with a peanut butter sauce. Wow! The taste was wonderful! Hard to explain but Filipino/African food meets Latin food. It was on the "shared plate" menu, which to me means it will be a lot. But the 2 tamales were not very big. Still, they were so rich that the 2 really were sufficient to share. Quite filling. I couldn't get enough of the sauce! *Crab fried rice: Very tasty and generous portion. Plenty share! Not recommended: The street eats menu. Now, this is what pulled us in - the sights and smells of the food being grilled outside the restaurant. Most of which was on this meme. Like a tasting menu. But for price to portion ratio, it simply isn't worth it. I ordered the skirt steak. 4 oz, cut in half. Cooked down to what looked like .5 oz! Each on a toothpick sitting in a paper plate (or maybe it was cupcake holder?) IDK. I just know it wasn't a good presentation and the taste wasn't memorable. Regular. More grill smell than taste. Not at all worth $8. Service: Really nice. And mostly good. Though they did fail short by (1) Using only small appetizer size plates and (2) Not bringing a fresh plate to eat the crab fried rice on after the peanut butter sauce laced tamale appetizer was eaten. The server brought the fried rice, but didn't bother to give us fresh plates (nor silverware). My son was mortified when I grabbed a plate from one of the empty tables! (Teenager energy on full effect). But after initial attentive service, the variety of different servers whizzing by didn't stop to ask if we needed anything. And I sat waiting at least 8 minutes staring at the rice. I assured my young man that the servers would be fine with me getting another plate to save them from having to. And once I did, he suddenly started eating from my plate of my peanut butter free fried rice. And of course, when a server did attend to us and I let her know, she was glad I took matters into my own hands instead of not eating for 15 minutes. Thoughts: Go for dinner, and order from the full dinner menu, skip the skimpy street eats menu. With reservations you can sit in the main restaurant area that has some view to the outdoors. Without it - back to the black room you go! Know that it will be expensive. And it will be original. Not sure I'll go back. It's very "special occasion" upscale dining. But If I do it'll be with reservations. The meal was memorable and worth experiencing.

Don't expect deference if you make a reservation! Good thing…read morethis place has delightful food, good waitstaff and inviting atmosphere. The hostess left something to be desired. I have been here a few times for dinner but this was first time for brunch. I made a reservation, was asked to confirmed reservation 3x, noted it was celebrating a birthday and gave no preference on seating. I arrived on time, but one of my group was parking. There were a few people milling around and I was greeted with "checking in?" No hello, no welcome, no mention of celebrating and told to let them know when entire party arrived. (This is becoming more common to be seated along with a $25 per person fee if I canceled less than 24hrs. I know restaurants are struggling but come on!) I watched as 'walk-ins' were given priority tables and when our party was complete, she was squeezing in a 3rd chair to a small cafe table right by the pass through door. No asking our preference. When she returned to seat us, I said "you're not putting us at that small table are you?" Her response - "yes...unless you want to sit inside." How was that not a conversation first? A professional would have said "I apologize, where would you prefer to sit? I see you made a reservation, are celebrating an event and we had some unexpected guests for seating options." Perhaps she was having a bad day, or was still reeling from a prior customer interaction but she was NOT up to the standards I equate with Manuela. Go for the food but don't think by making a reservation you get any special acknowledgement.

Insanely good apple butter biscuit 10/10. Great service…read moreChilequilee 7/10 mostly just sauce not much else Popover Benedict 8/10 signature good but not my favorite Smoked dipped albacore just albacore 7/10 great presentation but a lil too rich for me Ocean trout tartar 10/10 super good easily one of the best things Steak 7/10 quite small for the price Canadian bacon 8/10 pretty bomb if you like sweet bacon and grits

Always love going to bar Louie, it's one of my favorite spots! Top worker there is Kenny for sure,…read morehe's definitely apart of the reason bar Louie is a go to place. 10/10 service and drinks!

Great time! For being a beer guy, Kevin might have changed my mind on mixed drinks. He opened up my…read morepallet to a whole new world. Amazing drinks!! Definitely coming back when he's behind the bar !!

The ambiance alone is worth the reservation…read more Redbird is tucked inside the former rectory of the historic Vibiana cathedral, it's one of the most beautiful restaurant spaces I've been to in LA. Between the courtyard, candlelight, lush greenery, and beautiful architecture, the whole place invites you to just slow down and really enjoy the company you're with. Chef Neal Fraser knew what he was doing. We ordered the Everything Parker Rolls, Kombu-Cured Hamachi (truly so flavorful), Black Cod, and the Lemongrass Ribs (super yum!!). Everything was amazing. Everything. The Parker Rolls with the date butter and the Black Cod were both so lovely. If it's your first visit and you have tastebuds, I'd definitely order both. The service matched the atmosphere perfectly. Everyone was warm and attentive. Valet was also very nice in DTLA. A special place for a special night with a special person.

Came to Redbird over the weekend as we were celebrating a birthday. First impressions walking in,…read morethe staff was super friendly and I really liked how the bar was both inside and outside. Highly recommend paying for valet, as street parking is tough to find on the weekends. As for the food let's get into it: - Kombucha-Cured Hamachi (8/10) It's hard to mess up on a crudo, but this was a great start to the meal. - Garganelli (8.5/10) Pasta was cooked perfectly, had a nice kick/spice to it. Could easily eat two bowls of this. - Steak and Frites (8.5/10) Steak was cooked perfectly, and the sauce was delicious. Slightly pricey but I get it. Overall, I'd say it was a great dining experience as the service is the real reason for the 5 stars. Place might be a little pricey, but worth try once at least. Would I go again? Yes!

The service was great, our server Mario was very attentive, friendly and gives great customer…read moreservice. He has a nice personality and made our family dinner night a great experience. Food was amazing as well. Thank you

The food was amazing! such good comfort food that fills you up! Their fries are so crispy and…read moredelicious. I also had their banana pudding and it was so good! Service was great! The workers are sweet and attentive. There's a lot of seating here!

Great experience in this wonderful Rooftop. The food based on a fusion of Mexican, Italian, Asian…read morecuisine is not only different but delicious. The mushroom oyster tacos are awesome, my wife had the Grilled Branzino and I had the Porcini Rubbed steak. The attendance by Alondra our waiter, was one of the kind, polite and friendly with the best attitude. The view is unique and with the DJ 80s music we had one of the best times in downtown LA don't miss it!!!

Went to Cara Cara for dinner on July 25th and was turned away at the door -- staff said they…read moreweren't taking walk-ins. Fair enough, except when I checked their website minutes later, there were plenty of open reservation slots for that exact time. Turning away a customer while your own booking system shows availability just feels like poor front-of-house management. Also Google has a feature that tells you if a place is busy or not and for Cara Cara that day it said "less busy than usual." A part of me wanted to booked the reservation just to see what would happen but I decided to go somewhere else. Disappointing experience -- I wanted to try this place, but the disconnect between what staff said and what their website showed doesn't inspire confidence. Might give it another shot with a reservation in hand, but wanted to flag this for others walking in hoping to get a table.