A.o.c.

Recommends

maybell

Joined 6 years ago

Kudos to the chef!. Yummy! The food is so delectable and satisfying that the small plates satisfied a big appetite like mine. That is quite the compliment because our waitress told us that each person usually orders 3 things each.We started with 2 items each thinking we would order more but never did because we were so full. I think it is because we were so satisfied by the rich flavors and textures of the food that we didn't need more. The only bummer was our waitress. She was really unfriendly. We complimented the food and tried to engage her but she was very disinterested and seemed almost contemptuous of us. I would advise the manager to train the waitstaff to be more personable and while they are at it to train the busboys not to pick up the water glasses by the drinking rim every time they fill up the water, that was a little unsettling.

Everything else we loved. We will just make sure to stay out of the red haired waitresses station next time we come.

Doesn't Recommend

Daveyboy

Joined 4 years ago

AOC--very pricey!. Dining at AOC is an experience in contrasts.

First, the quality of the food is very good, and many of the menu items lend themselves to good pairings with wine. The waiters are knowledgeable about both food and wine. The ambiance is good, but would be much improved if they would dim the lighting just a bit more at night.

My issue with AOC is that the portions are very, very small for the price (and, yes, I understand that their whole idea is small plates, but they're priced almost as much as full-sized portions at a real restaurant). Really, how can you charge $18 for a small plate with basically 4 tiny bites of food? My date and I had a few glasses of wine, some appetizers (wait, everything at AOC is an appetizer), and the steak, and the bill came to nearly $200. I left there with thoughts of the Taco Bell drive through in my head.

In conclusion, it's good but certainly not worth the price. If you're hungry, you're much better off going to a real restaurant. The only way I'll ever go back is for the wine selection and nothing else.

Recommends

Ed Charrington

Joined 3 years ago

Fabulous. Ate there last night with a group of old friends. Haven't been to L.A. for awhile and it was nice to be back in the city. Loved the small plate concept, had a few things I'd only heard of. Sampled several delicious wines, thank God I wasn't driving. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful.

As so often happens in public these days, there is always some oaf that has to make a scene. This jerk, on the pretense of taking his "wife" out for her birthday, berated our hostess, no doubt to impress her with how "important" he was. If it were my restaurant, I'd have tossed the guy out on his ear.

Recommends

BIngoBango

Joined 4 years ago

HIghly recommend!. Susanne Goin is one of the best chefs in LA and AOC is fantastic. I recommend sitting at the bar. The food is great, the servers and bartenders are helpful and friendly and they have a great wine selection. The bacon-wrapped dates are a must.

Recommends

jasoncoberfest

Joined 5 years ago

Great small dish menu. The first time went to AOC I loved it, but I have since backed off on that. The dishes are great (farrow w squid one of my faves) but while the atmosphere is fine it feels a little sterile-- kind of a like a big coporate restaurant.

Recommends

LeDouxNot

Joined 5 years ago

Delicious. I'm sorry, but I have to step in. There are obviously enough great reviews on here to let you know the true nature of this place, but anyone whose review says they'd rather eat Lean Cuisine at home obviously doesn't have the taste buds to even be allowed through the door. This place is fantastic, the servers are all really knowledgeable, and everything is made very well. The beer and wine list are awesome, and while it is a bit loud, most trendy places in LA are, so don't go to a trendy place if you don't like that. Overall, the prices are totally fair for the quality, and if you happen to get an off server, ask for a different one; I've never had poor service. Perhaps another tip for receiving quality service is to refrain from asking for "hot sauce"; despite popular opinion with the Lean Cuisine crowd, it's not Uncle Darrow's.

Doesn't Recommend

salsucks

Joined 6 years ago

Agree with the "Restoration Hardware" guy .... Actually enjoyed the food but it felt like dining in an airplane hanger. Loud as hell, real losers - t-shirt wearing with no-manner types - dining there, and a pretty lousy attitude by management and wait staff. Baffled about all the 5-stars. Is there some ballot-stuffing going on here? Try some other places, the environment is so awful here that this one's a definite pass.

Doesn't Recommend

dthstar

Joined 5 years ago

dining at 'restoration hardware'. we don't get how your site gave this place a 5-star rating! upon your site's recommendation, we went there for valentine's dinner. not only did the place look and feel like 'restoration hardware' (w/ the same bright lighting & everything), none of the servers knew if the cheese bar was open or not (we were really in the mood for cheese), and when we asked for hot sauce cuz the food was so bland, they had none! as they had a set menu cuz it was valentine's day, they served a multiple-course dinner, and w/ all honesty, each course just got worse and worse. none of the food had any flavor- staying home and eating 'lean cuisine' would've been so much better! it was so bad that we had to ask for salt and luckily they had THAT. the music was even bad- as if it was haphazardly put together last minute by some uninvoloved by-standard, cuz the same songs played in a loop over and over all nite long. we seriously don't know why your site gave this place such a high rating- they must put up a lot for PR.. lastly, what star-siting?!?! the valentine's dinner patrons even looked like they shop at 'restoration hardware' anyway- bland and boring. WE DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE TO ANYONE (especially if you're trying to impress guests from out of town)!

Recommends

KariMcShorty

Joined 5 years ago

Really delicious plates, great service. Went with a big group (made reservations for the back patio). They seated us within 10-15 minutes. Nice table, great service. The portions are small - but, hey it's tapas style. Every bite was wonderful. I really enjoyed the skirt steak, the chicken and apples, butternut squash, and the chocolate dessert. I will go back for wine and cheese with a smaller party.

Recommends

seigo

Joined 5 years ago

Wonderful cheese bar experience!!!. Been there at least half a dozen times and it never dissapoints. Our first experience was w/ no reservations on a weekday. We waited for a while for things to open up at the main bar, then the cheese bar had some space available and we went for it not knowing what to expect. What an incredible experience, from our cheese host, Hunter (no longer there), who provided a personalized introduction, to the food, which was incredible (cheese-stuffed dates wrapped in bacon decadence) and the other more-socially inclined cheese bar patrons provided a unique experience that has kept us coming back for more. If you haven't been to AOC or tried the cheese bar, it's definitely a worthwhile experience.