Citizen Smith Restaurant

Came here based upon a recommendation of a co-worker. Reservations were very easy to make, once there, the atmosphere and sceneary was great but too bad thats where the greatness stops. Pros: The decor, nice spot Cons: The food, service & cost more

the decor was beautiful ... but the service was average and the food was NOT good and a disappointment ... and the music was awful ... for a savvy place that it is, it needed to have some cool down tempo tunes, instead of the bad 80's music that belongs at a dive bar ... and the crowd was not impressive ... they were people trying to beautiful, but really weren't ... also sat next to the cool automatic door to the back outdoor area ... which sounded like we were on a roller coaster every time it opened, not so cool and ruined the dining experience ... there are so many better places in LA to dine with good service, excellent food, great tunes, and beautiful people who don't have to work so hard! Pros: cool spot, fun decor Cons: bad food, bad music, average service more

After reading all the scathing reviews posted on this website, I was more than hesitant to go there for dinner. Thankfully, I stuck to my guns and gave it a try anyway. I was able to make reservations a few hours before I wanted to go there. The hostess and waitstaff were above courteous all night, even changing our table at our request. We didn't have to wait more than 30 seconds to be brought to our table when we arrived. The wine list wasn't as plentiful as I'd hoped, but when they were out of our selected wine, they let us try a glass for free of a recommended wine to see if we liked it before we bought the bottle. The NY strip steak was cooked to perfection. The mac and cheese and mashed potatoes were to die for. Fried chicken was pretty good, not the best I've had but not bad either. Creme Brulee was phenomenal. Service was very attentive, yet they knew when to leave us alone if we were talking, etc. We didn't feel rushed out of there at all. Music is awesome. Great atmostphere. A little dark inside so reading the wine list and menus was sometimes a struggle. We had two full meals with sides, a bottle of wine, 2 desserts and coffees and the bill was more than reasonable. I didn't find it overpriced at all. This place is definitely worth a try. Pros: Great location, great food, great atmosphere Cons: Very dark inside - hard to read menus. more

The hostess kindly moved us..after being swallowed up by the couch were she initially sat us at. We were seated at another table better suited for dining. But what we dined on is the main reason for this post. The food at Citizen Smith is by far the worst I have had in a long time. I left most of the Jalapeno Mac and Cheese on my plate. The cheese used to make it tasted of poor quality like an American type processed with oils and had a bland bitterness to it. I think they used a pepper jack cheese and then added sliced raw jalapeno to it. NOT the decadent dish oozing with cheese and spice that I was hoping for. My pork chop was listed on the menu as 10 ounces. It was closer to 6 but that was ok because I did not finish that either.. It was paired with apple and was just plain boring, like anyone could have made it not an ""uber chef"". The worst part of the food experience came when my dining partner arrived at the same conclusions about her Mac and Cheese. I felt strangely relieved when she commented how bad it was, and was glad that it wasn't just me being a food snob. I did feel bad for suggesting the place and believing the hype. She made the comment first saying the Mac and Cheese was dry and not worth the carbs. Then she asked me to try her Salmon with Lemon and Capers. She had a concerned look on her face. I took a taste and instinct told my brain to quickly remove it from my mouth. Yes, I refused to swallow. It was very mushy not fresh or flaky; it tasted overly fishy and decayed. I have never taken the time to write any comments or reviews of any kind but this dining experience has prompted me to warn others to avoid this bad food. Don't become a Second Class Citizen. more

i went here last saturday night after watching a movie @ the arclight. as we approached the door, the person at the front asked what we were doing here. i told him we were here for drinks. i'm assuming if we asked for dinner it would have been a different situation. Pros: decor, eye candy, music more

If you can get over the fact that the ""hostess"" does not make you feel welcomed, has a big attitude and is rude then this place is great. The ribeye was delicious and you have to try the jalapeno mac n cheese. Great beer selection, friendly staff. This place rocks..the vibe is lively and they play fabulous music. more

Another Hollywood prime steakhouse (sigh). I arrived at 10pm on a Sunday night only to encounter a bouncer who insisted on knowing who I was there to see (How about the chef, you a-hole?). I mentioned dinner and was let in to the mostly empty dining room. Decor is very nice as is the ambience. I can only imagine ""attempting"" to get in on a Fri/Sat night. The staff was friendly and didn't sport a 'tude. My ribeye steak was very good, juicy, well-seasoned and a large cut at 20oz. The wine list here is a joke but I don't think that would affect the average customer of this place who is more into looking good than looking at what's on the menu. A great place for drinks and socializing. Pros: Great atmosphere, eye candy Cons: Very "Hollywood", pricey, embarrassing wine list more

Friday night...our 2nd visit. Two members of my party stepped out for a cigarette, and upon return their 1/3 drank drinks had been cleared, and seats at the bar filled. When they questioned the bartender she blankly told them that they'd been CUT OFF . . . ONLY AFTER 3 DRINKS. She bluntly told us that her manager had cut them off. When we asked if we could speak with him to demonstrate that we weren't trashed and were there in fact, to have a good time, were asked to leave. In short, if you're into an establishment that has no regard for their clientele, and serves mediocre CHILIS/TGIFRIDAYS/APPLEBEES food...then come on down to Smiths. YOU'LL FIND ME AT OUTBACK! more

It was Friday night and I didn't have anywhere to go. Then my friend invited me to this ""cozy little place in hollywood"". At first, I said no thanks but then she talked me into it. On the way there, I kept complainig about Hollywood and everything that comes with it. I'm not a big fan of that scene. Anyhow, as we arrived I parked valet then went inside. We didn't have a reservation but the hostess told us if we wanted to eat in a the lounge by the back bar. We agreed. Pros: Food and Service Cons: Price more

Bartenders S**ck and the drinks s**ck even more. I dont mind paying $13.00 for a drink Vodka/redbul as long as its not 95% some liquid they call redbul. Been there about 10 times and its a same story every time. more

I had heard both good and bad things about Citizen Smith, and had read some reveiws on this site. Thursday last, myself and four friends had an impromptu going away celebration and decided we'd give it a try. We walked in and were told there would be a wait for a table, so we sat at the long black bar and had a drink. Amazing and design-heavy, the place is something to behold. A place where the important people want to feel important and the beautiful people want to be seen, or scene. After what I would call a reasonable time (about a drink and a half), we were shown outside to our booth. Not as pretty as inside, but nice, outdoors. Actually a bonus to get away from the Jack-FM inspired music that was being played far too loudly inside. By L.A. standards, our waiter was impressive. And then the food came. Mind you, in a place that is scene first, I had my fears. And I love comfort food. And I was blown away. BBQ shrimp, Jalepeno Mac, Nicoise, for starters, all amazing. And I had what was probably the best N.Y. Strip I can remember. I stole bits and bites off everyone's plate and must say I will be back for more. My date's lamb was also amazing. Pros: food, scenery, smoking patio Cons: jack-fm music, volume, pricey valet more

I read many of the negative user reviews and was tempted to turn away from this restaurant. However, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. As reviewed, the service was slow and a bit lacking. However, the food was solid. I had the filet and really like it. The crowd and scene is out of control. I have not seen that many beautiful people in one room in a long time. Wow! I will certainly go back to this place and next time try to get one of the large booths in the front room. Pros: beautiful people, ambience, music Cons: service, a bit expensive more

this spot is GORGEOUS, particularly the outside patio.. but it's overpriced, pretentious and not as cool as it thinks it is. i've been here three times, and the music is always annoying (bad 80's rock at loud volumes). the drinks are served in pretty mason jars, though, and on a hot summer night, its spectacular. valet is overpriced, though.. good place for a romantic rendezvous. that's it. more

I really wanted to like this place. Really, I did. My friends have raved about it, and there's always a tantalizingly attractive crowd smoking out front, so heeded the siren call and had dinner there. Pros: Friendly staff, nice bar scene, pretty room Cons: Incompetent staff, terrible food. more

I second every complaint so far- rude and obnoxious staff, too long of a wait to get seated (30 minutes after my reservation time), too long of a wait to get served (50 minutes!), mostly bland food (except for the ahi, which was awesome), and an impotent managerial staff who did nothing to speed up the service or quell the attitude of the waitperson serving us. We told four people we were short one place setting- the host, the server, the busser, and the manager. Still, I had to share a fork with one of my party for half the meal. Wow. Couldn't pay me to go back. Pros: Ahi tuna Cons: Everything Else more

I used to love this place I thought they had a great menu but I just went there again recently and apparently the chef changed and so did the menu so all my favorite dishes were replaced with something else. I thought I would give it a try anyway, my friend had the filet mignon and it wasn't good, I had the ahi tuna dish, it was disgusting and unflavorful. The drinks are still overpriced, the hostess was rude and abnoxious for no reason. We were seated right by the patio door, which makes this ridiculously loud and annoying sound throughout the whole evening and we tried to move but of couse the hostess would not let us. The desserts are bland and their menu is just pitiful. more

Save yourself from the attitude and the hassle and just skip it. The hostess could not have had a worse attitude if she tried. We showed up on time for our reservation and she acted like she was doing us a favor by making us wait 40 minutes at the bar. The restaurant wasn't even that busy. We purposely tried to stay pleasant towards her so we could get seated, but nothing can quell an attitude problem that large. I don't need to spend my hard earned money in a place that treats its guests as if they're lucky to be there. You couldn't pay me to go back. YUCK. Pros: Food Cons: Host more

In the mist of chatting and catching up with a group of friends, we suddenly noticed that ALL our shared food were gone. The bus boy was instructed to take away our food (so that the next group can take our table). Food was better than expected, and service was expectedly bad. Pros: ambience, price Cons: service, expensive valet more

I was extremely disappointed with my night at Citizen Smith. Beside waiting for a half hour for our server to even acknowledge our table and charging us $10 for a couple of sides of salad dressing, we saw her eating our macaroni and cheese behind the DJ stand as we waited for 2 hours for ours to arrive. When it finally did, it was wrong. When we sent it back, instead of making a new one, the cooks added the additional ingredient to our picked at dish and mixed it around a bit. The service here was the worst that I have ever received in any restaurant. more

We cannot even tell you what the food was like because we got to the restaurant and waited at the host stand for 5-10 minutes without being acknowledged. We even had a reservation! There were not too many people in the restaurant and the staff was not that busy. Cons: NO Service more