Primitivo

Recommends

Airblue1

Joined 3 years ago

Best Tapas in So Cal. I have been to the Primitivo on several occasion for many different reason. I have to say this is the best restaurant to meet my energy and food desires. The seasonal menu is one I look forward to, well, every season. For a tapas restaurant the portion sizes are a bit bigger than one would expect, however that does not mean you have to eat your entire meal. The food is always made fresh and brought to the table in a timely manner. One can tell the wine has been carefully selected to pair with the many different tapas options on the menu. The Primitivo also carries a lot of local and international wines to meet the many needs of the wide range of locals and visitors from around the world. Not knowingly the staff is very professional but work to make your experience one that fits your particular dining experience. From the hostess to the bar tender to the GM each person works in-sync to make your dining experience both comfortable and incredible. Please be sure to make a RSVP and use the Valet to park your automobile. Remember one cannot enjoy any experience if one goes into it with a negative disposition!!! Have a great time and go back many times!!!!

Doesn't Recommend

heather w

Joined 3 years ago

Bad Experience. I have never felt the need to write a bad review until now. I went to Primitivo on Saturday night to meet a group of friends. I was carded when I ordered a drink at the bar and couldn’t find my ID because I had been traveling all day and it was lost in my purse within a purse. The bartender said that he couldn’t serve me and I understood. I’m clearly 32 years old so I asked to speak to the manager. I was informed that the manager was on break and that he would be over in a minute. Eventually, the manager sauntered over to me and as I tried to explain the situation, he began speaking to me in a very condescending tone. I wound up leaving to get my ID and when I returned the manager met me at the front. He started belittling me as he yanked the ID from my hand and said that he needed to take it to the back to make sure it wasn’t a fake. He was so unbelievably rude that I wanted to leave but my party had already sat down. Subsequently, my party had waited almost 2 hours for a table on the patio which they haphazardly gave to another group that had arrived after us. The hostess was rude and unapologetic. After being seated, the waitress took everyone’s order except mine. I waited an hour to order food and drink because she ignored me every time she came up to the table. The food was average but the Sangria was good. Overall, this was the worst restaurant experience I have ever had. I have never been treated so poorly at a restaurant. Is customer service dead?

Doesn't Recommend

JohnnyZee

Joined 4 years ago

Bad Experience. we told him we had a party of 20. We told her that we were interested in their Thursday night special. However, Primitivo, acted like a used car sales woman and did the bait and switch. They tried to have us each commit to 35 dollars a person and 18 percent tip !! I was shocked. I asked them what about your Thursday night special. She changed the subject. I ask that you do not give your business to these con artists. Honest to God I was going to bring 25 people to that place. ALSO. i did visit the place and the place is a little run down. They have this we don't care attitude

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summerair

Joined 4 years ago

Best bar in LA. Last week I was meeting three of my friends here for dinner. I arrived early and the hostess asked if I wanted to be seated or wait for my group to arrive. I choose to sit at the bar and wait and I am so happy I did. The bar was awesome. The bartender was quick to help me find a wine I loved. I am usually a cab drinker, but wanted to try something different. He suggested I try a Rioja and it was wonderful. By the time my friends arrived I was having so much fun we decided pass on our table and eat at the bar. We tasted a bunch of different wines and I was impressed with how large of a selection they had. As for the food things just got better and better. The tuna tartar and cheese plate got us started, but for the really good stuff we had short ribs, tiger shrimp, scallops, and salmon wrapped in grape leaves. This place is a gem for sure!!

Recommends

guyeatsalot

Joined 5 years ago

yumm yumm this place is fun. Let me start off by saying this place has the perfect vibe. The bar is full of people tasting, sharing, and loving wine. The tables inside are great for a fun dinner, or the two outside patios will allow you to have a romantic evening over looking the beautiful garden.

But who cares about all that? lets get to the food! For starters try the endive salad with blue cheese and bacon, need I say more? Follow that with what I call asparagus heaven? its grilled I think with a fried egg, morel mushrooms, bearnaise sauce, prosciutto, and a little bit of manchego cheese. I then had rosemary lamb chops. They come over a barley risotto and lasted all of two seconds on our table. I never can remember which wines I like, but our server was quick to make suggestions with each course and they were spot on. The rest of table must have been just as happy because from the time the first plate landed we didn?t talk until it was time for desert and port. Thanks again and I will be back for the asparagus!

Recommends

mbeckett

Joined 5 years ago

Unique Tapas. Really great food and excellent wine selection. Okay, I'm really just writing this review to test Facebook Connect :)

Doesn't Recommend

LAgirl2008

Joined 5 years ago

Bad quality of food, bad service. This place destroyed the definition of tapas. Most plates are $15, which sounds a little pricey for a tapas place, and I have eaten in many of them in Los Angeles. The waiter did not bother to mention the size of the "tapas"...and most of them are like a regular entree. We ordered gnocchi with ox tail, short rib, and salmon wrapped in grape leaves. When we saw the actual plates, we could not comprehend how they could have been called tapas. We were able to eat only gnocchi and short rib and took the salmon home. Well, the food has poor quality. I've eaten ox tail and until this place had no idea that it could be inedible. The sauce on the gnocchi was very greasy and gnocchi did not taste freshly made. The rib was ok, but for a plate as a whole, tastelessly thrown on the top of sauted kale, did not make up a tapas dish, and was just ridiculous for an entree... The salmon I tried the next day, and it tasted as a farm raised, was very fat and the side beans had too much lemon on them, that left a bad after taste in my mouth. In addition about the service: I am pregnant and did not order any wine. And the second the waiter heard of my and my husband's choices of water, he became disengaged. He took the order without even mentioning the specials, and disappeared. I had to look for him at the end of the meal to ask to give us the check. Plus the sloppy cleaning people dropped some grease from a plate to my designer purse permanently marking it. And the music was so loud that it was impossible to communicate!!!

So a big NO to Primitivo unless you go there for their huge wine bar...

Recommends

ga522

Joined 5 years ago

Always great. Two things you can always count in this place... Fun Bar and Great Food. This is a great place with an ecletic crowed. From local singles at the bar to romantic couples on the back patio.

Recommends

Mar Yvette

Joined 6 years ago

Forget the name: This stylish tapas joint on Abbot Kinney's restaurant row serves artfully crafted fare that's far from primitive.. On any weekend night, try getting a table without a reservation at this crammed Mediterranean wine bistro and chances are you'll be waiting a mighty long time. Sure, the boisterous Euro-style shabby chic vibe is a draw, what with the billowy linen curtains, larger-than-life oil paintings, rustic wooden tables and elbow-rubbing crowd. But the real reason the hoardes of yuppies, scenesters, couples on dates and singles on the prowl (usually found at the bar) can't get enough of this place is the food. The seasonally driven tapas menu ranges from cold options like a farmers' market heirloom salad and marinated French, Greek and Spanish olives (although you can just stick with the complimentary tapenade and warm bread and be no less satisfied ) to hot dishes like braised beef short ribs and pistachio-crusted salmon served atop a dollop of potato puree. As for the wine list, you can take your pick among the well-priced selections from California, South Africa, Chile, New Zealand and other parts of the world.

Recommends

jmkanter

Joined 8 years ago

Best Local Spot. Primotivo used to be a well-kept Venice secret with its amazing tapas and wine selection. I have tried some of the most amazing (and hard to find) Spanish wines and really appreciate that they are always willing to make things "veggie" friendly for me. I would highly recommend it, especially for happy hour, which is always a fun, eclectic mix of people.