Cafe Pinot

Wow, after reading the review I was shocked. I was taken here by a friend who lives in the area an swears by this place. The food was amazing, the chef was charming and the staff was knowledgeable. This by far is my favorite place to eat when I leave the west side!!! more

We visited Los Angeles and chose Cafe Pinot to celebrate our Daughter's 23rd birthday. We had a large family gathering and were extremely happy with the entire evening. The overall environment was very pleasant and the staff was exceptionally friendly and gracious. The gardens were lovely, the patio was inviting, the weather was fantastic and the food was wonderful... A very classic yet comfortable setting. We will return! Pros: Lovely Gardens, Inviting Patio, Fantastic Food Cons: None that we expereienced more

Wow, I was reading the reviews of Cafe Pinot and was quite surprised to read about all the negative experiences. I live and work in Downtown Los Angeles and am proud to say that I am a regular at Cafe Pinot and I've happily NEVER experienced any of the negatives as stated in the other reviews.\r \r I frequent many high end restaurants as I have an extensive interest in the culinary world and I've always found Cafe Pinot to be great food in a chic atmosphere. Don't get me wrong - I'm no food snob - good food is good food and can be found in many places. The reason that I became a regular is because the staff and the food are equally appealing. The current chef is innovative and I'm always interested in her latest creations. The grilled calamari salad with squash might not sound like a winning combination but it is; the soups are also excellent.; the desserts are appealing - the chef takes standards and gives them a twist - for instance making cheesecake with goat cheese gives it a unique tartness that I found very tastey. The menu does change and I'm sad to see items that have become my favorites leave , but excited to find new favorites. The waite staff is very attentive and they sincerely wish for you to have a great experience.\r \r As far as location goes, it couldn't be better being at the cultural center of downtown - at the library. Parking is conveniently located in the underground garage and rates are reasonable compared to other DT lots.\r \r Overall, I will continue to go to Cafe Pinot, and I'm proud to be a regular. Pros: Good Food and Good Service Cons: Traffic can be a challenge around the location. more

The head chef is insane. The Patina Group needs to re-evaluate who they place as head chefs in their restaurants. There is high turnover in the kitchen and it has resulted in a poor overall dining experience. Cons: Fire the head chef more

Someone has beat me to it: hello there! I also went Sunday after subscribing to the Patina email list and had an unpleasant (to say the least) dining experience. There are far better dining options downtown. I notice many of the reviews seem over a year old, hence the 5-star rating here. Alas, that I'd only thought to look here before I went: A familiar story of a place that has sadly deteriorated. What was once a find and a recommendation to friends = an embarrasing recommendation when it is followed up on after the place has peaked. The service was inefficient, unprofessional in attitude, and I don't know how else to explain it--seemed confused. Much to our amusement we saw a waitress going towards a table and then stopping like she had forgotten something and turning around with a completely vacuous look on her face. A table next to us also had similar looks of discontent that seemed to grow as the interminable meal went on. Wrong orders came out. In fact, it seemed the host was more helpful in having things run smoothly (he actually came to the table and cleared off the plates; we were relieved at a sign of life). We were seated before another table but ended up being serviced later than they did. Finally the waiter just disappeared and other people were doing all the work--I imagined him chain smoking in the alley doing the crossword puzzles, at my expense. Now, the food. This was of course not the greatest day to sample the food, as we ordered off the prix fixe menu, but still. It was also another classic example that causes despair: Prettily plated with no grounding and appreciation for the real underlying essence of the food. I can't help but think of it as like getting a knock-off of what's really worth spending money on--the general crowd isn't really going to be able to discern a fake. The entrees were as confused as the wait staff, dessert cloying. We can only hope the general public may have enough sense to recognize rude service and look elsewhere. Pros: They are not ""pros"" in any sense of the word Cons: Perhaps there are some cons among them. But mostly they seemed to be in another time-dimension. more

Horrible experience. I took my mother here for mother's day. The entire ""brunch"" took 2 hours! They kept serving the wrong plates to the wrong person and service was abysmally slow. The waitress I had seemed completely indifferent and the waiters were standing at the hostess desk arguing about who could take their break. As the tip was included I couldn't express my dissatisfaction through leaving a tip. I strongly do NOT recommend this restaurant--made a day that should have been special into a complete disaster. Feel disrespected in the lack of professionalism, slow service, mistakes and the food was only passable. Whoever manages this place should pay attention to how the customers are treated. Especially as the waitress did not bring to our attention the tip was included and then actually said ""but feel free to leave more. Took 15 minutes after being seated just to get water. One person kept getting served 5-10 minutes after everyone else. ??? This was a 3 course meal that took two hours, complete with flies in the restaurant. Atrocious. Pros: ??? This was a complete waste of money and time Cons: I spent over 300 bucks on a terrible meal more

I visited L.A. with friends recently and we had dinner at Cafe Pinot. A friend and I shared an entree for $34, grilled scallops ""on a bed of potatoes and squash puree,"" or something to that effect. There was a split charge, of course, which is customary and acceptable. We each received a large, almost empty plate with three scallops laying on barely a brush-paint's worth of whatever the bed of potatoes and squash was supposed to be, so it was essentially three lonley little scallops in a sea of white. Perhaps this was haute astronaut food. In addition, the scallops were grossly overcooked. Another diner at our table ordered the mustard-crusted chicken, a visually pleasing and generous plate. However, the dark meat was thoroughly raw, which, as anyone knows, is both disgusting and potentially dangerous. We do not recommend Cafe Pinot under any circumstances; there is an abundance of superior choices in the area. more

If you are going to an event at the music center etc, this is a beautiful venue and they can get you out the door on time. However, if it rains, do a reality check. Most of the tables at Cafe Pinot are outside. They have tarps and heat lamps, but it was like dining in a shower. On a clear night, it is wonderful. If you love great wines and don't care about the price, this is the place for you.\r \r If you are vegetarian, look at the menu before you go. Pros: Great spot for the location Cons: Not good if it rains or is unusually cold more

Although I had not been here for about a year, I had always remembered this restaurant to be a magical place in the realm of Downtown Los Angeles. This still held true on my most recent visit last night. The vibe in this place has really picked up and they were very busy!! The bar was full and even though it was a Saturday night, we were shown to our table immediately. The hostess was very polite and even saved a nice table for us on the patio (which is one of the best parts of this restaurant). We were a party of 4 and we ordered across the menu. I am not sure why the other reviewer didn't like the hamachi dish because it was so unique and flavorful...pepper sorbet with olive oil and grapefruit. WOW!! The filet mignon was tender and cooked to perfection. My other guests fully enjoyed their meals which if memory serves me correct, one of them had a black cod dish and I think the other had the lamb. The service was very professional and efficient. Overall, this was a great night and we will most CERTAINLY be back. On the patio again....if possible! Pros: outdoor patio, great service, delicious food Cons: valet slow more

I was surprised to read the bad reviews of this restaurant because I went here two years ago with my parents and I remember the experience being magical. The food was great, the service was attentive and helpful, and the atmosphere was upscale, but inviting. However, I went back here last night and was shoked by the decrease in quality that has occured over the time from my last visit. My beau and I started with an heirloom tomato salad, a beet salad and a yellotail hamachi. The two salads were very unimpressive and instead of being a coherent dish were just a plate of different ingredients with no real fusion. The hamachi was very uninspired and tooooo lemony. A similar dish at Nobu is much better. For my entree I had the duck a la orange which had a good flavor. The mustard chicken with pinot fries which was plain and the flavor was really not anything extraordinary. I had the tomato salad and the ckicken on my previous visit and my family and I had raved about it. I am not sure if it was an off night or they have simply lost their touch over time. The creme brulee was very good, the cookies were a joke (really terrible), and the berry crumble was sorbet and granola essentially, very disappointing. To make matters worse, our waiter was horrible, very condescending, unhelpful, and had a bad attitude. I won't be coming back here again, especially with all of the terrific options that have recently sprung up in downtown. Pros: Nice outside dining Cons: Food and service were very lacking more

We went to Cafe Pinot before going to the theater. Our waitress was unprofessional, telling me the house wine was""drinkable"" (though I found it to be quite good!). She was slow and really didn't know the menu very well. My mother's meal came out wrong, and did not look appealing. My friend's steak was great, but everything else on the plate was nothing special. I had the crab cake which was luke warm and not that tasty. Desert was terrible and stale, and their version of creme brule was aweful! Never going back!!! more

we ate there last night, the food was ok, not amazing. but the service was horrible. the waiter was not attentive, and could not elaborate on the menu items. if it was not for the terrible service, i would think about going back. i eat downtown all the time, they are far better choices. Pros: nice outdoor seating Cons: slow valet service more

The best food and service in Los Angeles. Ask for the tall waiter with glasses. Wine selection is amazing, food impecable amd service to dye for. Pros: service and food more

We went to Cafe Pinot on Valentine's Day. Searching for ""The Best"" French restaurants (in LA) online led me to believe that Cafe Pinot would have been a good option. Of course you want to impress your Lover on Valentine's Day, especially if you have taken the responsibility of planning the evening and each part of it is to be a surprise.\r Is was not very difficult to get a reservation, though I did call weeks in advance for one. We were seated immediately, with our choice of inside or out. I would definitely recommend outside, for it was a nice setting in the city.\r Our waitress was delightful, though not very knowledgeable regarding the special Valentine's menu.\r The food was not very impressive at all, but the wine suggestion from our wait staff was. If I can convey, the food was ""meh"".\r The women's bathroom smelled bad and was littered with paper towels on the floor.\r Basically the best thing on the predetermined menu was the ravioli, not very 'french'.\r The desert was a shared hazelnut something with raspberry sauce....I think, it didn't stick out in my mind.\r I remember the desert I had at a french restaurant we ate at 6 months ago better than the one we had last night.\r So, in the end, we dropped 3 bills (including wine) on a meal that was so-so. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant, not even for a Tuesday, much less a special occasion. more

Pleasant and classy, with a nice menu and unusually vibrant street life. It's too bad there aren't more such restaurants downtown. Pros: Decent food; pleasant room Cons: Inconsistent service more

Downtown still seems like pioneer country at night when you see tumbleweed rolling down Main St., but a night at Cafe Pinot can make you forget that LA is still struggling to support an urban core. The food was delightful we had amazing wine with the help of a wonderful waiter and the patio right next to the old library was light with strands and candles. Gorgeous and romantic. It's expensive so maybe it requires an occasion but it was well worth it for a lovely evening. Pros: Ambience, quality, wine Cons: Pricey more

I would highly recommend cafe pinot for a dinner before heading over to the music center. Valet parking was quick, and seating very prompt. Our server was perhaps one of the nicest I have ever encountered, very accommodating and helpful in absolutely everything. Great crab cake appetizer, highly recommended!! I had the osso bucco and my boyfriend had some sort of fish (I already forget!) and they were both well cooked and delicious! Definitely try the panna cotta for dessert if you want something light, it was perfect!!! Right across the street from the music hall shuttle so that was really convenient as well. A lovely start to an evening! Pros: Service, Food, lovely outdoor patio more

The service was great! Our waiter was very attentive and the hostess even kindly asked to take my coat. The Fillet of Beef, Rotisserie Chicken, Tuna Tartar, & French onion soup are not exceptionally great, but decent. However, my friend said the chicken was undercooked. The fries that came with the Rotisserie tasted very delicious though! BTW, use the valet parking. It's only $5. The garage parking is like $7 or something. Pros: Serice, Outdoor Patio more

Not kid friendly? Kids eat for FREE! Great wine list with GREAT bottles in the $40-60 range. Best patio dining in So Cal by far. The times I've eaten there the food was always excellent - Mark Gold is a chef to watch. The desserts leave a bit (sometimes a lot) to be desired...but that is the only thing that detracted from the experience. Service was always swift and pleasant. Yes, pre-theatre is a horrible thing, but they do it very well here. Pros: Wine list, Ambiance, Service Cons: Desserts more

I made reservations for Dec 9th and was seated promptly. We walked over from the Biltmore where we were staying so parking was not an issue. The staff & service were courteous & attentive, without being annoying. The patio seating in the gardens outside the Library is the place to sit- a beautiful & relaxing setting. We ordered the duck & lobster bolonese pasta, both were cooked perfectly and flavorful. I was surprised the $12 glass of wine I ordered was even on the wine list because it was horrible and $7 for a bottle of water was a bit extravagant. Other than that, it was an excellant dining experience and I would recommend it highly. Pros: Ambiance of location, menu selection Cons: High-priced extra more