My wife chose H&H Brazilian Steakhouse in Los Angeles for my birthday dinner. We picked it in part…read morebecause of the halal options, which we appreciated, but overall the service and experience were disappointing.
We had a 6:30 reservation, and after being seated at table L4, it took several minutes before anyone came over. When our waitress Karen finally approached, she greeted us with "Hello, ladies" without really looking at me. She then realized I was a man and apologized. I do have long curly hair, so I understood how the mistake happened, but it made for an awkward start to the evening.
She was pleasant while explaining the menu and helped us understand which items we could eat. One of the main reasons my wife chose H&H was because of the halal meat options. Since we do not eat pork, our waitress specifically told us she would let the meat servers know not to bring pork to our table. Unfortunately, pork was still brought over to us, which was disappointing considering our dietary restriction had already been clearly discussed.
After taking our drinks and getting us started, our waitress essentially disappeared. We had to flag down other staff throughout most of the meal whenever we needed something. Meanwhile, nearby tables were receiving regular check-ins and much more attention from their server. We were among the few couples of color in our immediate area, and while I can't say why our service was so different, the contrast was noticeable and made the experience uncomfortable.
The meat servers were actually one of the bright spots and a big reason this isn't a one-star review. Several of them were friendly and accommodating. However, the red-and-green card system didn't seem to work consistently. Even with the green side showing, there were times we were passed by and had to ask for certain meats.
The food itself was mixed. The Brazilian limeade was probably my favorite part of the meal. We also really enjoyed the cinnamon pineapple, fried plantains, Brazilian cheese bread, and the mashed potatoes, which were excellent. Some of the meats were good, but others were overly fatty or very tough and difficult to chew, also we did not like the big crystals of salt all over the meat which made it very salty. The fried corn wasn't for us.
The farm-to-table area was another disappointment. We noticed numerous small flies flying around the food, which immediately turned us off, so we barely took anything from that section.
Cleanliness also stood out for the wrong reasons. There was visible dust buildup on the wall and lighting area behind our table, as well as on the small lamps around us. In the restroom, there were no paper towels available for drying your hands, only the air dryer.
My wife had also specifically noted on the reservation that we were celebrating my birthday. There was no acknowledgment until she went and reminded the staff herself. They eventually brought something out, which I appreciated, but by that point it felt more like an afterthought.
Even getting the bill at the end was difficult. We were left waiting and eventually had to track someone down just so we could pay.
There were definitely some good moments, the Brazilian limeade, cinnamon pineapple, Brazilian cheese bread, mashed potatoes, some of the meats, and several helpful meat servers, but for a birthday dinner costing us well over $200, I expected much better service, cleanliness, attention to our dietary request, and overall hospitality.
Unfortunately, this was not the birthday dinner we were hoping for.
