Went here tonight for a birthday party... Â Ordered the stuffed chicken special and it looked great, but I don't eat gluten and it came breaded and pan fried. Â Since it was the special, there was no description on the menu to read... Â I guess I need to ask is a stuffed chicken is fried in the future... Â The waitress was polite and apologized, and said "It wasn't like that yesterday".
So I got the bbq ribs, Â recommended by the bartender and the waitress.
There were 6 baby back ribs, and they were smothered  in a bad bbq sauce, probably to cover up the taste of the meat, which was soggy and bland.
They came with some stick fries and a fancy cole slaw. Â Anyway $30 for 6 bad ribs with fries and slaw? Â I was not impressed. Â
I thought the service was good with lots of smiles, but I did have to ask for water 3 times. Â They put a bottle on the table for refills which lasted about 10 minutes. Â Then it's up to you to ask for more I guess because they never offered.
Anyway I left hungry and won't be back.
Came here with a regular for the first time recently after its renovation and I enjoyed it. I wouldn't go out of my way to come back, but definitely will come back.
The decor was pretty nice and service was excellent, very attentive. Â I had the Branzino which was well cooked and very pleasant. Â Also had the lobster bisque, which was nice. Nice warm bread served prior to the meal. Â BTW, the regular did recommend the burger, so next time maybe.
Entrees hovered just short of $30 and everyone at the table was happy with their meal.
We wanted to love this restaurant.  Used to meet friends from the valley and eat there all the time.  Dined twice.  The first time we ate upstairs.  It was Xmas holidays and it was VERY crowded and our server was adorable but was overwhelmed. Had to flag her down  to place a drink order and it was downhill from there on. Tried again last Saturday.  Hostess said we were already seated.  Since we were standing in front of her we were not obviously seated.The place is lovely.  The menu and food are very good.  The service is TERRIBLE!  Server didn't take a drink order 'til asked.  Took one hour to get our entres.  When we asked him he kept saying I'm bringing it now..but didn't....No apology... If there were no problem with the service we would sit upstairs and avoid the noise, but with terrible service two times, we will dine elsewhere.
Review Source:Took me awhile to return to the BABG after they remodeled and reopened 4+ months ago in November 2012. Â If you had read my original review from 2010, I was quite excited for them to open again. Â The reopening took much longer than they had expected, and for me -- lost it's place and just wasn't top of mind (nor belly) ever since.
Well, today was the day, and it's beautiful. Â They no longer have a patio, but they've built a second floor and now offer a private dining room for small to medium-sized events. Â The thing I was afraid of the most...I was reassured didn't change -- the intimate feel that it had before. Â The square footage is the same, just well-thought/well-designed upgrades to the ceiling, walls, and bar.
The bar area off of the entrance is much improved, updated and modern. Â The walls around the dining rooms are made of cork to absorb sound, and they've warmed the whole place up with a very nice wood ceiling.
The menu seems streamlined a bit.  For lunch, I chose their Bel Air Burger ($18).  It's a monster and comes with shoestring fries.  Provolone, avocado, tomato, arugula, and onions with a 1/2 pound, hand-formed, patty.  The bun was fantastic, too -- super fresh, sesame, toasted, and perfectly fits the monstrosity and all of its stuff.  Upon request, they caramelized the onions for me -- yay!  <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/bel-air-bar-and-grill-los-angeles?select=mRnpj8GhZS830EzElGgSOQ#mRnpj8GhZS830EzElGgSOQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
This remains a great spot, especially for a business lunch, and for local clientele.
Please improve, please! Â We love your restaurant, it's so pretty and comfortable and the location is great.
but the food....not so good.
Caesar Salad was excellent.
My steak was over-cooked and the manager actually had the gall to argue with me about it. Â That was pretty rude.
So please, improve the food and let us love you.
PLEASE!!!
The food was excellent and the service was even better.
My nephew was being a complete pill and the owner was like a godsend. She was able to figure out what he needed to come back from "the dark side" and behaved through the rest of dinner. Love the new decor and modern space and given its location close to my grandmother's it will become frequent hangout.
Thank you!
Love this place!! Â It's was great before the renovation but now it's great with a chic ambience. Â The service is impeccable and the food incredible. Â After trying many of the menu items... I tend to go for either Artichoke or Truffled Mac n Cheese as an appetizer (although my daughter's fave is the Calamari). Love the Sea Scallops. Â And even when on a diet can't pass up the Red Velvet Ding Dong for dessert. Â Decadence defined! Â The icing on the cake is the wine... great selection with reasonable prices.
Review Source:It's not often where I've been treated like royalty, and didn't suffer a heart attack when the bill came. Â Bel Air Bar + Grill was exceptional for my guests and I Â (6 total) last week.
+1 Ambiance: modern, classy, yet inviting
+1 Service: Â Max greeted my party and was both friendly and helpful with setting a quiet area to have our dinner. You will understand what I'm talking about my "royalty" comment as there is plenty of helpful staff continuously refilling drinks and they all are well-versed in menu recommendations.
+2 Food: Â Incredible! I had the daily special, seafood linguini, and I have found my new favorite dish in LA. Plenty of seafood, with the perfect portion. It wasn't too greasy, which I find common in a majority of linguini dishes in LA. Also, they went easy on the salt & butter, but kept the flavor somehow. First time I've had linguini like that so I was definitely impressed. Â Also can't be missed is...
+2 Dessert - RED VELVET. DING DONG. I seriously contemplated asking if I can order a "Baker's Dozen" of these but decided not to fully embarrass myself. It's basically the bacon of desserts...THAT good.
Verdict: 5 stars
Sad, very sad.  Please make sure your rating dropdown is configured to "date" because postings and reviews entered prior to the last three months will not tell you the whole truth.  Having recently moved back to Bel Air I thought I would try this restaurant again as it would be nice to have a friendly local eatery just a short distance away.  The restaurant has been rebuilt and looks hip, slick and cool from the outside even though it shares its space with a freeway offramp and a gas station.  Our evening started with a surly nay miserable valet parking attendant who failed to tell me that there was a FIVE DOLLAR CHARGE for parking in the restaurant parking lot.  The sign with the charge posted is placed around the corner and oh yes, there is a smaller one about 30 feet away from where one pulls up; so, if it is dark or there is another car in front of you,  conveniently, for them, you cannot see it!  The four of us then went inside, nice entrance but that is where anything "nice" ends.  We went upstairs, the place reminded me of a dining hall or studio commisary; cold and utilitarian. No ambience or atmosphere at all.  Two youngish couples looking for an enjoyable evening out locally shared the restaurant with a clientele whose average age group was deceased!  Actually there was one young family there  but their family consisted of two whining toddlers and two frustrated and complacent adults! Well, I suppose I should talk about the food and the service.  The food was just about OK. Two salmon dishes and two steaks,  one glass of house wine, two waters and a soda, $210.00 before tax and tip!  The wait for everything was way too long by far and it appeared no-one involved seemed to care very much about anything; the server was reasonably polite but certainly not gung ho!  It appears the owners have put a lot of money into the rebuilding of this place only to seem to want every penny of it back quickly, and at any cost.  We could have easily had the same quality meal at a Cheesecake Factory or  Westside Tavern; half the price and twice the atmosphere and enthusiasm.  I can't even recommend it for a business lunch as one can hear everything being said at practically all of the tables. Well, we haven't tried Manny's Pizzeria across the street yet but I am sure it can't be any more disappointing than this excursion.
Review Source:I live right up the street from this place, so my wife and I decided to walk over and try it out shortly after it reopened. Â We walked in and the host brought us upstairs which has a more formal ambiance than downstairs. Â It was one of those places that was awkwardly quiet and in which you could hear everyone else's conversation.
I ordered a penne dish and my wife ordered the salmon. Â Both were good, but nothing to write home about. Â I've had similar pasta from Manny's Pizzeria across the street for much less.
There wasn't anything really remarkable about the restaurant except that we actually had a great server. Â Unfortunately, I don't remember his name, but he was very helpful and friendly and attentive - everything a serve should be.
We might come back to grab a drink from downstairs, but otherwise we'll gladly get our neighborhood dinners from Manny's.
What a lost opportunity. Â The location is prime for not only the wealthy bel-air residents that don't care about price but families travelling from westside to valley. Â There really is nothing else in the area. Â The Management has completely priced out that possibility. Neighborhood restaurants should be accessible. Â Oh there is that reasonably priced "shack in the back" which is accessible. Â Only problem is they don't accept credit cards. Â So you have $30 meals in the front room and no credit cards accepted where the "real people " could eat or at least take away food. That's just bad practice and left a bad taste in my mouth...
Review Source:Was a raining night and that was the best thing about this location. The front desk people did not smile and thought they where doing you a favor letting our party with reservations in- The waiter did not write our orders down and 2 of the 4 dinner where wrong. The location looks OK, but that the best it gets. The place need management, a chef who can create exciting meals, and a reason to go back.
This was not a nice experience. Â Spend your money elsewhere.
OK, was kind of a regular before the guys sold the place to the new owners before the new construction. Â The old place was cozy and service was friendly. Â Went into the bar last night to try out the new place and what a white and kind of cold bar we walked into. Â Service, to say, was very bad. Â My wife was looking at a menu to view the wine list and the bartender came up to her, took it out of her hand saying that she had the wrong menu and gave her the bar food menu (which had no wines). Â To top of that rude encounter, a person walked up behind us (as we were trying to order a cocktail), the bartender looked past us and took her drink order while we watched. Â Enough said, we got up and left - never to return. Â Hope they learn and do better, we really miss the old place now!
Review Source:It pains me to say this, as I was so excited they were finally reopened, but only one word comes to mind: Lackluster. Any "wow" factor stops at the beautiful front door. The food wasn't bad, but nothing stood out. It was good, but not great. Menu was uninspired and seemed somewhat limited in choices. Service was frustrating, took 20 minutes to get a drink refilled...and that was after having to ask a busser at the end. Our entrees took forever to come out without any apologies or explanation from server.
The dining room matched the food - uninspired. Lovely fireplace, but otherwise felt like a a very small banquet room that had been set up as a restauraunt. I am not sure what they were going for in the lengthy remodel, but it just didn't feel like a restaurant, and not quite intimate enough to be one of those dining rooms made to feel like you are dining in someone's private dining room.
Overall was very disappointing - it could have been a great new option fir the area. May come back to visit the bar to watch some sports, but won't be dining here again.
This place is awesome. I was lucky enough to have lunch here before they closed for their major remodeling. I was "watching my diet" when I Â patroned so I Â lightly indulged. My coworker had a lobster sandwich that I was going gooo gooo gaaa gaaaa over, I swear when they reopen thats the first thing I'll order. OPEN OPEN OPEN (homer voice)
Review Source:My husband took me here for Valentines day because they are one of the only restaurants that didn't have a set Valentines menu. The restaurant is right next to a gas station, which is really odd, because the restaurant is nice and has a lot of potential. Â The food was good , I had the tilapia. Â And the desert was delicious ( chocolate lava cake). Â I would have given this place 4 stars but the location shares its area with the gas station. Â Also, the name of the restaurant makes it sound more casual than it is. Â Oh, one more thing...I noticed that most of the people at the restaurant were older, which was kind of weird as well.
Review Source:This place is so close to my house I decided to go down the hill and give it a try. The first thing I noticed when my friend Amy and I walked in was that it was very ritzy and very nice. The restaurant looked great with the table settings and the whole over all enviorment.
There were old people everywhere though- No joke- It wasnt even the early bird special haha but seriously there wasnt a person under 65 in the whole place.
So my girl and I were def get some looks but oh well.
now on to the food- I wanted a burger and fries- so I ordered that and it was so good!! They have all types of food here but it is pretty expensive so be ready for a big bill at the end. The drinks were ok- the service was ok- nothing really jumped out at me besides the french fries. DAMN they were good!
xoxo Jenna
The family and I eat here often, and I previously lived down the street so I would eat at the express  for lunch. I never had a bad meal there until this week. I ordered a pasta dish that I normally order and it was not as good as before. I had to order sparkling water 5 times, and eventually just asked to buss boy who was more helpful then our server, and he brought me the sparkling water. In general all our meals lacked the flavor they previously had. I am not sure if the place was sold to new owners, but either way something was really off with the food, and the service. I really don't think we will be going back.
If we had never been to this place before I may have given it a better rating, but the service was really bad that night.
When I first walked in to the Bel-Air Bar & Grill I noticed a patio area to the right which is covered, quiet and serene. They give you a choice of sitting inside or outside and I chose the inside because it was cooler. When you walk into the place there is a bar on the right and a lounge area surrounds it. The left is the indoor seating area where I sat. The lights are dimmed making it comfortable and relaxing if you want to take out a chica!
I came here with my two friends. We ordered the calamari shrimp and mushroom appetizer for about $13 dollars to share. I ordered the southwest barbecue chicken salad (it was very colorful and delicious). My friends got the salmon with butternut squash and grilled asparagus. They told me that it was delicious  -  "cooked to perfection."  The whole meal was about 80+tip. We all left really full and happy.
The service was good. Our waitress was more than helpful and very outgoing. The bus persons were very quick (my cup wasn't even finished and they would refill it to the top. I love that)
Did I mention they have valet parking??? It was very efficient and fast. Overall I give them a 5 stars for their food, service, and ambiance.
It was so good last year when I went for my birthday, that I chose to go there again this year on Saturday, May 22, Â and it was Excellent, in Every Way!!! Â They have a great selection of hors d'oeuvres, salads, entrees and desserts. The staff is knowledgeable, accommodating and friendly. The ambience is very nice...it has great art, decor, lighting, floral arrangements...it's classic contemporary and casual, yet elegant! The noise level is minimal too.
FOLKS, there's a "lone wolf" in this thread, Cyrus G.
In your review Cyrus G, the last paragraph, you say, "And yes the crowd was mostly geriatric. Â The most interesting thing I had never seen before, were two different tables with 80-yr old women dating their 24 yr old ethnic gardeners!"
The crowd is not mostly geriatric, but a wide range of folks, from the studio crowd, The Getty Center, locals and more! My mom and dad were the only elderly people at my table of eight, two were children and four were 30s to 50s.
Not only is your so-called "review" of the restaurant WAY off on every point that you try to push, but this last statement is a judgment, on top of being off. Â If you DID see really elderly, "geriatric" women, it could be that they're with their assistants; that area has a LOT of older, wealthy people, many widows and widowers who have full or part-time help. The fact that you say gardeners is utterly nonsensical! Â My girlfriend's father has three Filipino assistants who rotate shifts. Â Her father lives in the area and goes out to eat nearly every night, with an assistant [or two]! Â Can you imagine an elderly/"geriatric" woman wanting two gardeners when she probably can't even make it to the restaurant and back home by herself? Â Oh yeah, she's ready for a roll in the hay alright.
Cyrus G, I can see and sense by the way you write that you have an attitude problem. Â I'm wondering if you work on it, or if it just comes naturally...probably a LOT of both!!! Â So, I went with my gut and checked out your other restaurant reviews...same thing...didn't get the comp(s) you wanted and ripped every restaurant. SHAME on you! Â
FOLKS, please realize that this review by CG is bogus; take a look at his other reviews, you won't find one good one. Â CG, take your bogus review to another restaurant and try to win a free meal, a comp or whatever else you can CON and whimper for *like a gypsy*, and when you don't get your freebie by your natural or earned attitude, then write another bogus, angry review.
In short: Terrible food, rude hostess, malicious manager. Â Go to Brentwood Bar and Grill by sunset and Barrington. Â 1000 times better for the less.
This was the most terrible food and service experience I have had in a long time. Â
The food was Las Vegas buffet food. Â Low low quality and at times high quantity (baby back ribs was huge but disgusting). Â Despite the age and taste differences in our party of 3, nobody liked their appetizers or entrees. Â
What was even worse was the management. Â The hostess and the manager were simply loud, dishonest and malicious! Â They did not want to hear our feedback and were completely rude and would not even provide their names. Â They finally lied and pretended to take off some of the entrees from the bill but went ahead and charged our credit card in full, later we found.
And yes the crowd was mostly geriatric. Â The interesting thing I had not seen in LA, were different tables with 80-yr old women dating their 24 yr old ethnic gardeners!
General Note: There are a lot of fake reviews on Yelp in the past year for a lot of diff restaurants with high ratings. Â Just take yelp with a grain of salt.
My Grandparents live in the area and like to frequent this "Cheers-like" spot. Everyone seems to know everyone there--it has a surprisingly small town feel. I have joined them many times when I visit them and it is always yummy! Great fish and pasta dishes--even their meatloaf is fab as well as the Seared Ahi. I also love the truffle mac and cheese and the chopped veggie salad. I have never had the BBQ ribs but will order them next time bc they look pretty good too. I also noticed that the portions are pretty generous so I guess you get a lot of bang for your buck.
Mostly 40 somethings and up seem to come here, so I would not call it a trendy LA hotspot at all. However, I think that is the appeal with the people go there and celebrities seem to be left alone here too, since it is so low key. The bar area is cozy (usually younger people there) but the patio is a little sad. Has potential but not very appealing the way they have it now. Ask for the dining room for sure. It has a nice atmosphere. Service is usually good and friendly. However, the last time I was there, my Grandfather asked to see the manager about the service and then a different (hottie :) waiter came over and said that he WAS the manager. My Grandfather was kind of annoyed becuase he thought he was lying but then he really handled the situation as if he was the owner, so maybe he was telling the truth. Kind of wierd but my grandparents were really impressed and said they would be back again soon. I didnt care since I wasnt paying! hahaha --Anyway--it is worth visiting. Great food--great drinks and a pretty comfy atmosphere. Go for the homemade dessert too! LOL
Bel Air is expensive and this is one of the only (if not the only) restaurant actually in Bel Air. It's mostly a locals place, where people come for dinner when they don't feel like cooking and don't want to venture far from home.
The vibe in the restaurant is very different from the bar area. The restaurant is where you'll find local celebrities, grand dames of the silent era and a number of Oscar winning writers and producers, now in their 80s or 90s. If you want to take an elderly aunt somewhere nice, this is the place to bring her. (Try to reserve a table by the fireplace).
Mark Burnett Studios is around the corner so the bar is usually full of hard working editors slamming down a few drinks before they go burn the midnight oil. After a long shift, Getty conservators cool their heels  on the patio which also hosts a number of bar and bat mitzvah parties on the weekends. You'll also see older wealthy men drinking scotch out here and sometimes a gaggle of women having a night away from their husbands.
Armando is the best bartender. Not only can he make any drink exactly the way it should be made and gives you a full pour, he has a million great stories and is very loyal to "his" customers.
The food here is always delicious, very good quality. The portions are larger than you would expect, but exactly the right amount. The decor is bit dated, like time has stood still here, but it can be oddly comforting in a city that is continuously reinventing itself. Worth going if you're in the area. I recommend drinks and dinner in the bar or on the patio.
Very good food. Fantastic seared ahi that wasn't your random cold in the middle tasteless slabs..it was seared to perfection with an xlnt light sauce, came with interesting veggies atop the mashed. Warm spinach salad and wedge salads are superb for starters. The rack of lamb does get yet another vote of approval (although from other friends of mine, I don't eat cute little lambs). Even the desserts are good. Sorbet trio, and lemon tart, among others. The atmosphere is subdued lighting with large floral displays upon entry. Yes, it's an odd location, but who cares about the gas station-shared-parking area? I don't suggest the outdoor patio, not very comfy-looking, but the lounge is cozy and friendly, with many locals of ALL ages talking to each other and even strangers. Patrons may be a bit on the older side, but when I was there mid-week it had a smattering of old, middle, and family. Recommend for a first date, but start early. Service was very good. As another reviewer noted..the valet did deposit our car keys on the table at 9:30, and server got ancy but remained pleasant, by 9:45.
Review Source:I really like this place. Â If you have the cash, it's just a classy place that's nice to chill in once and a while.
It just has a good feel. Â I love the short ribs. Â The patio could be a lot better because if they took down the tarps it would be a real patio, now it's just another indoorish area. Â
The service is great, food is great, check it out.
Friday night I ventured out to Bel-Air Bar and Grill with someone special. :) While my date was amazing the restaurant itself was nothing to brag about. We ordered the t-bone steak which was really good as well as a salad and a drink each and i just felt the place was a bit overpriced. The place also closed up very early...as soon as we sat down to eat at 930 the waitress informed us that we had better make our selections because the kitchen would be closing in 10 mins!! Thats a little ridiculous for a Friday night. Overall the meal was great but I dont think it warranted the prices. 82/100
Review Source:This place is in an odd location-it basically shares space with a gas station, but it is convenient being that it is right on Sepulveda next to the 405 fwy. There is valet but I found street parking on the street behind the restaurant. The decor is really outdated art deco, but the lighting and the fact that this place is in no way trendy or a "hot spot" lead it to have a relaxed comfy feel about it. The crowd I have seen the two times I've been there is pretty old, or couples of younger women with older men. I guess that could apply to me too, but my older man happens to be my dad! I have met him here a coulple of times after work when he's working at his westside office. Maybe those women were with their dads too...possible, although I doubt it!!
The food here is excellent. The service was ok. We had to ask our server if there were any specials, he was like, "oh yeah, they are __". Â I think I ordered the same entree (the tilapia with mashed potatoes and broccoli) last time I was there, but it's so good I might order it next time too. I ordered the warm spinach salad to start with, but I think I ended up being served the special salad. It was delicious and had butter nut squash in it. The waiter had said that the special salad was the "butter nut squash salad" but failed to mention the bacon and goat cheese that came in the salad, which were both in the spinach salad. So, not really sure which one I ended up with. My dad's white fish looked really good too.
I had 2 glasses of the Acacia pinot (one of my favs so props for having that), and my dad had one glass of the Byron pinot-those + 2 fish entrees and two appetizer salads= $118 Not terrible, but kind of on the expensive side if you ask me.
I'm sure I'll be back for another father-daughter dinner in the near future...
I love Bel-Air Bar and Grill! Â It's easy to get to, food is reasonably priced and good, drinks from the bar are fabulous, service is good, and ambiance is great! Â There has never been a wait and I can coast in and out, but it's not empty by any means. Â They have a drive through window which looks kind of odd, but apparently they serve the same lunch items to go. They also have an outdoor heated patio and a nice lounge area in front of the bar. Â Would definitely recommend for lunch or dinner.
Price: Less than $22 for dinner entree
Food: Very Good (Cioppino is fabulous, chopped salad is very good, I don't usually think drinks are anything to write about, but they're great here. Â They have a creme brulee cheesecake that my wife just adores.)
Service: Good (But on one occasion I asked the busboy to get the waiter to order drinks. Â Busboy said OK and left. The waiter never came. Â After waiting 15 minutes, I finally had to go to the bar myself and saw our waiter. Â I asked him if he got the message and he said he didn't. Â He went to find the busboy to find out why the busboy didn't tell him and it turns out the busboy doesn't speak English and had no idea what I was asking for. Â I don't have a problem with the fact that the busboy didn't speak English, but if someone asks you for something and you don't understand, maybe you should go get someone that can understand! Â OK that's my rant for today. Â I've let it go though since I like this place so much.)
Ambiance: They redecorated not too long ago and I really like their new decor theme. Â Great mood lighting for a date or dinner.
Location: Mediocre (The chevron gas station is precariously situation right on the front door. Â But if that's what it takes to keep the prices reasonable, then I'm all for it. Â And honestly, you don't even notice when you're inside. Â They have valet parking, but I always park on the street without too much problem.)
Conveniently located for visitors to the J Paul Getty Museum (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/zRlDhJgcwXEphTUhMaCfyw?hrid=WV-2UwnxatQD4SBR1jInQw">http://www.yelp.com/biz/…</a>), its unglamorous name and location next to a gas station belie the warm and cozy atmosphere you'll find within. For starters, we shared orders of pan-roasted rock shrimp cakes, served with grilled corn salsa and garlic aioli on a bed of mixed greens, and overcooked and therefore too-tough calamari with shrimp, mushrooms, and capers. Risotto with spicy chicken sausage, tomatoes, and peas was creamy, although a bit heavy on the parmesan, and penne with shrimp and lobster was bathed with a sufficiently spicy tomato sauce. Service could have been more attentive - shouldn't we have been asked why most of the squid appetizer was untouched? - and, at $35 per person (without drinks), it was a bit pricey for lunch, even with the portions as generous as they were. Avoid dining on the garden patio, which is close enough to the 405 to hear the steady stream of traffic as it roars by.
Review Source: