(323) 822-3300

8279 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90046 34.0908 -118.3699

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Neighborhoods: West Hollywood, Central LA

OBARLA.COM

Price:

$$$

Last updated 6.04.11

Category:

Restaurants, Bars & Pubs

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Discover, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Late Night Dining, Romantic Dining, Outdoor Dining, People Watching, Business Dining, Online Reservations, Group Dining, Fireplace, Bar Scene

General Info:

Open 7 Days

Cuisine:

New American

What People Are Saying About O Bar

Featured Review

Tara Lis

Contributor

The Scene – Unlike its minimalistic predecessor Felt, this stylish eatery is over-the-top gorgeous. With a decorating eye toward Atlantis, the underwater fantasy features frosted-blue accents, dangling quartz rocks and thin, coral-like rods sprouting above the bar. Thinly veiled cabanas host groups of business diners and local A-gays, while cuddly couples and see-and-be-seen singles occupy smaller tables and banquettes. Handsome servers are rushed, but still find time to dote. – – The Food – American classics are gussied up with innovative flavors and decadent…

Editor's Tips

Where to Sit:
Sweeping vistas of the lush "forbidden garden" make table 4 a romantic Boys' Town retreat. (Seats two).
Know Before You Go:
The patio is reserved for dinner patrons before 11pm--smokers have to light up outside. Alcohol--and all glassware--is prohibited on the patio after midnight.
Parking:
Use the valet just east of the club in the Village Cleaners' lot. It's $8, but only $4 with validation from the restaurant.
ambiance
95.15999794006348% positive
  1. Great decor, great food
  2. Lovely decor, friendly staff, and most importantly, stiff drinks!
  3. But I like the ambience and the drinks so that's why I'd hang at the bar for a martini.
  4. The decor was fabulous and the service was friendly.
  5. the parking is not so good.
  6. love the crowd and ambiance.
  7. The garden, the fountains, the rock and metal blending in the decor is the perfect combination of hip without that "in-your-face-trying-too-hard-to-be-cool" presence.
  8. The ambience was great, the service was excellent.
  9. Great food, Great wine, Great atmosphere, Great staff.
  10. Every time, without fail; fantastic food, great ambiance, and even better service make for an easy hastle-free night out.
  11. The decor and mood in the restaurant is great.
  12. They have great ambience, I felt like I was on the coast, plus they make great vodka tonics, you can't beat that!
  13. The food was great, the servers were very attentive, the ambience was nice.
  14. Nothing I've been to in LA can compare with the look: romantic, new, Calvin Klein-zen, more New York than LA.
  15. Best service and great atmosphere.
  16. and fantastic decor.
  17. great food, great atmosphere, and GREAT Mojitos!
  18. the ambience is wonderful.
  19. we had cocktails at the bar and enjoyed the ambiance.
  20. The atmosphere was beautiful and the service was impeccableas far as the kindness of the wait staff.
  21. great ambience, so-so food
  22. always choose a pretty fun place for my birthday dinner, O-Bar was no different.
  23. Waiters are very friendly, and the decor/atmosphere was nice too.
  24. Great atmosphere
  25. It's about time that West Hollywood had a place to go to where the clientele, male or female; straight or gay, can feel comfortable whether you are wearing shorts and flip-flops or a tuxedo.
  26. The special mojitos we're incredible and the atmosphere is amazing.
  27. The food is fabulous the atmosphere is beautiful and the staff is welcoming and well informed.
  28. The ambiance is amazing.
  29. Great food, service, atmosphere.
  30. The atmosphere is lovely for a romantic dinner for two (my friend recently proposed to his girlfriend here!)
  31. The atmosphere was so very cool, relaxed, and sexy.
dessert
96.14999771118164% positive
  1. THE WAITER HIGHLY RECOMMENDED A COCOLATE CHIP COOKIE TOPPED OFF WITH A SCOOP OF ice cream
  2. The desserts looked amazing but we were too full to partake.
  3. Overall, I enjoyed my experience and may go back for some drinks & dessert, but I'm not too sure about ordering dinner.
  4. We split the Nice Mussel entree as our appetizer and were all impressed with the amount served and the lemon white wine cream sauce was AMAZING!
  5. It was hard to save room for desert but we were glad we shoved the "the best banana split you've ever had" into our pregnant bellies!
  6. Desserts are terrific, especially the cookie, which is more like just barely cooked warm gooey cookie dough w/ ice cream on it (yum).
  7. Ther service was impeccable and the owner even came to our table and bought us a round of drinks because they burned our dessert and had to make it over.
  8. We loved the crab cakes & mahi mahi (tasted so good with the sticky rice).
  9. And of course, I always try to save room for their yummy desserts, which changes seasonally and never fails to satisfy my sweet tooth.
  10. The desserts that we shared, a huge freshly baked warm chocolate chip cookie with caramel ice cream and a (special) pistachio tartlet with saffron ice cream, were heavenly.
  11. O-Bar is consistently one of my faves for drinks and occasionally for eats (particularly desserts.)
  12. Patient with the pickey's, prompt food delivery as one of my guests had to leave early, helped us dessert options, and great suggestions all around.
  13. Oh, not to mention awesome desserts (if you have room after the big meal).
drinks
95.2400016784668% positive
  1. This has got to be the best restaurant in Los Angeles bar none.
  2. But I like the ambience and the drinks so that's why I'd hang at the bar for a martini.
  3. Other than that, the place was buzzing with beautiful people and the scene was great for drinks just before going out clubbing.
  4. Ther service was impeccable and the owner even came to our table and bought us a round of drinks because they burned our dessert and had to make it over.
  5. Nice spot for drinks and dining
  6. You can order from the full menu at the bar, too.
  7. Great food, Great wine, Great atmosphere, Great staff.
  8. Food is excellent, the drinks are very tasty.
  9. My date is an avid wine buff and raved about the great selections and prices on the wine list.
  10. The bar has great eye candy for bartenders-- no muscle boys or twinks.
  11. We have been here many times for the fantastic happy hour at the bar so we decided to try it for dinner when a friend came to town.
  12. People were very nice though, and the bar was good with good mojitos.
  13. we had cocktails at the bar and enjoyed the ambiance.
  14. Totally Awesome-STRONG drinks and GREAT food
  15. We split the Nice Mussel entree as our appetizer and were all impressed with the amount served and the lemon white wine cream sauce was AMAZING!
  16. An amazing, trendy, upscale bar built to impress.
  17. -- with lots of yummy and potent drinks (and a half-priced happy hour that lasts till 8pm!)
  18. This restaurant is not only beautiful, like you're dining underwater, but the food is AMAZING and their drinks are awesome!
  19. Loved the bar and will now be a regular.
  20. O-bar is VERY cool!
  21. Lovely decor, friendly staff, and most importantly, stiff drinks!
  22. Yummy drinks, great sweets!
  23. as well as a group event, and there is a great cocktail and wine selection.
  24. The server recommended several wines (apparently the wine list is new also) to go with our dinner and the ones we tried were wonderful.
  25. This place is very cool, I love the atomsphere and happy hour drinks for 1/2 price.
  26. Overall, I enjoyed my experience and may go back for some drinks & dessert, but I'm not too sure about ordering dinner.
  27. the cabanas are great to sit in and have a few drinks and nibble on appetizers.
  28. O-Bar is consistently one of my faves for drinks and occasionally for eats (particularly desserts.)
food quality
91.19000434875488% positive
  1. The crispy roast chicken (very herby!)
  2. The food is brilliant.
  3. The food was great, the servers were very attentive, the ambience was nice.
  4. Flat iron steak w/ bleu cheese aioli and sweet potato fries was similarly superb, really flavorful and tender unlike lots of flat iron steaks you run into that tend to be a little chewy or gristly.
  5. Great food, Great wine, Great atmosphere, Great staff.
  6. maybe that's what makes the food so good.
  7. Great food, service, atmosphere.
  8. However, my girlfriend ordered the fried chicken, which simply was not good.
  9. The food is fabulous the atmosphere is beautiful and the staff is welcoming and well informed.
  10. Oh, not to mention awesome desserts (if you have room after the big meal).
  11. This restaurant is not only beautiful, like you're dining underwater, but the food is AMAZING and their drinks are awesome!
  12. We loved the crab cakes & mahi mahi (tasted so good with the sticky rice).
  13. Great decor, great food
  14. The food, however, was quite good.
  15. great ambience, so-so food
  16. The food, especially the squash soup, was excellent.
  17. -- with lots of yummy and potent drinks (and a half-priced happy hour that lasts till 8pm!)
  18. And of course, I always try to save room for their yummy desserts, which changes seasonally and never fails to satisfy my sweet tooth.
  19. Totally Awesome-STRONG drinks and GREAT food
  20. have NEVER had service or food this good in Los Angeles EVER!
  21. great food, great atmosphere, and GREAT Mojitos!
  22. We split the Nice Mussel entree as our appetizer and were all impressed with the amount served and the lemon white wine cream sauce was AMAZING!
  23. The food here was pretty good but considering how long it took to get it, I don't think I'd go back.
  24. love the food at O-Bar, but I won't be returning.
  25. Great food for an independent restaurant.
  26. mediocre food.
  27. the striped bass with striped beets (I don't even like fish skin, but the crispy tasty skin on this one is irresistible), the mussels and fries, short ribs.
  28. Very cool design and the food was over the top GREAT.
  29. food was awesome as usual.
  30. I've eaten here twice recently, and it's hands down the best food I've had in LA (and I am picky picky picky!)
  31. Great food all around, good prices and NO uppity service.
  32. The new spring menu is simply delicious!
  33. Overall, the food is fantastic enough that I'll definitely keep going back.
  34. The food was terrific and the mojitos are fantastic.
  35. special of the night pasta and pistachio yellowtail was flavorful and the portions had enough for leftovers.
  36. Food portions are big and tasty.
  37. All the food was delicious and the service was great!
  38. The chef prepared the most delicious food I've had in weeks.
  39. generally do not like fast food, but KFC tasted better.
  40. Service was attentive but not fussy, and the food was very tasty (although some dishes were a bit on the spicy side).
  41. The food is consistently delicious.
  42. But none the less the food was very tasty and the prices were great!
  43. Our server was very attentive and knowledgeable and the food itself was excellent and prepared beautifully.
  44. Every time, without fail; fantastic food, great ambiance, and even better service make for an easy hastle-free night out.
  45. Had the fried chicken for dinner which was also good.
  46. Its a great place to enjoy food and just to talk to your friends and hang out.
  47. The food was SOOO amazingly awesome and I mean all of it because we tasted everyone else's dinner in the booth.
  48. the pita/hummus is yummy.
  49. Patient with the pickey's, prompt food delivery as one of my guests had to leave early, helped us dessert options, and great suggestions all around.
  50. breath of fresh air
  51. Decided to visited this beautiful venue on my anniversary, and had a fantastic meal with very friendly service.
  52. the peach martini is sooo delicious.
  53. Food is excellent, the drinks are very tasty.
menu variety
85.71000099182129% positive
  1. And even though the menu is short, eveyone enjoyed their entree!
  2. Went to O-Bar last night with friends and had a great time, the new menu is fantastic and the service could not have been better.
  3. My date is an avid wine buff and raved about the great selections and prices on the wine list.
  4. You can order from the full menu at the bar, too.
  5. Patient with the pickey's, prompt food delivery as one of my guests had to leave early, helped us dessert options, and great suggestions all around.
  6. The new spring menu is simply delicious!
  7. as well as a group event, and there is a great cocktail and wine selection.
overall
100.0% positive
  1. would definately recommend this as a great place to come for a celebration of any sort or just for a nice night out.
  2. Overall it is a great place to go while you are in L.A.
  3. From "running into" celebrities (who know a great place to go) to being treated like a queen, my friends will come from as far away as New York to come to OBAR!
  4. great place to bring out-of-towners for a bit of the l.a. "scene
  5. What a great place.
  6. The best place in L.A.
  7. Its a great place to enjoy food and just to talk to your friends and hang out.
  8. For my birthday, I was looking for a unique, nice restaurant to celebrate in.
  9. If they can fix that, it might be a great place.
  10. This has got to be the best restaurant in Los Angeles bar none.
  11. This is a great place to have a party!
  12. It's a great place for small groups.
return potential
100.0% positive
  1. Overall, I enjoyed my experience and may go back for some drinks & dessert, but I'm not too sure about ordering dinner.
  2. The food here was pretty good but considering how long it took to get it, I don't think I'd go back.
service
97.5% positive
  1. have NEVER had service or food this good in Los Angeles EVER!
  2. went for a birthday dinner and we were a big group and surprisingly the service was quite good.
  3. Too bad the service is so poor
  4. The atmosphere was beautiful and the service was impeccableas far as the kindness of the wait staff.
  5. Went to O-Bar last night with friends and had a great time, the new menu is fantastic and the service could not have been better.
  6. The service was extremely helpful for a new restaurant.
  7. Every time, without fail; fantastic food, great ambiance, and even better service make for an easy hastle-free night out.
  8. Our waiter was attentive and very friendly.
  9. Great food, Great wine, Great atmosphere, Great staff.
  10. Ther service was impeccable and the owner even came to our table and bought us a round of drinks because they burned our dessert and had to make it over.
  11. Best service and great atmosphere.
  12. as well as friendly bartends & staff, there's really little to complain at.
  13. they have good service too.
  14. His service was, in a word, PERFECT.
  15. Service was attentive but not fussy, and the food was very tasty (although some dishes were a bit on the spicy side).
  16. The food was great, the servers were very attentive, the ambience was nice.
  17. The server recommended several wines (apparently the wine list is new also) to go with our dinner and the ones we tried were wonderful.
  18. Lovely decor, friendly staff, and most importantly, stiff drinks!
  19. The ambience was great, the service was excellent.
  20. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable, and got into the spirit of the party with us.
  21. Other than that, the place was buzzing with beautiful people and the scene was great for drinks just before going out clubbing.
  22. Salads were excellent - but, although well put together, my duck entree had obviously been sitting too long, and the servers practically pulled my appetizer out of my hand to bring the entrees.
  23. The service was excellent!
  24. Great food all around, good prices and NO uppity service.
  25. However, our waiter, point-blank, asked us to settle our bill and leave because the section we were seated in was reserved for a big party and they'd arrived.
  26. He's super attentive but not obtrusive, devilishly handsome, and his flawless personality is destined to be discovered by some media-mogul soon (no crush here.)
  27. I've been here a few times at the wait staff, along with the hostess/hosts have been excellent.
  28. The vibe was so cool from the moment that we walked in and the hostess knew three of the people I was with from previous dinnners there.
  29. Our server was very attentive and knowledgeable and the food itself was excellent and prepared beautifully.
  30. The decor was fabulous and the service was friendly.
  31. Waiters are very friendly, and the decor/atmosphere was nice too.
  32. Great food, service, atmosphere.
  33. The server and the host was friendly.
  34. The bar has great eye candy for bartenders-- no muscle boys or twinks.
  35. The food is fabulous the atmosphere is beautiful and the staff is welcoming and well informed.
  36. Decided to visited this beautiful venue on my anniversary, and had a fantastic meal with very friendly service.
  37. the service is nice, waiters are very friendly.
  38. The wait staff was great, really attentive, and definitely put up with loud, rowdy behavior from us.
  39. All the food was delicious and the service was great!
  40. Very swanky, the wait staff was friendly and attentive -- I was even escorted to the bathroom!
value
90.90999603271484% positive
  1. Food portions are big and tasty.
  2. Chicken and waffles are great, albeit expensive.
  3. Great food all around, good prices and NO uppity service.
  4. The desserts that we shared, a huge freshly baked warm chocolate chip cookie with caramel ice cream and a (special) pistachio tartlet with saffron ice cream, were heavenly.
  5. This place is very cool, I love the atomsphere and happy hour drinks for 1/2 price.
  6. special of the night pasta and pistachio yellowtail was flavorful and the portions had enough for leftovers.
  7. As far as overpriced West Hollywood eateries go, this one is one of the best places!
  8. The drinkd are really affordable too especially if you come for happy hour (1/2 off).
  9. My date is an avid wine buff and raved about the great selections and prices on the wine list.
  10. But none the less the food was very tasty and the prices were great!
  11. their prices are not bad too.
wait time
100.0% positive
  1. Salads were excellent - but, although well put together, my duck entree had obviously been sitting too long, and the servers practically pulled my appetizer out of my hand to bring the entrees.
  2. The food here was pretty good but considering how long it took to get it, I don't think I'd go back.
4 Star Rating: Recommended

07/08/11

Nice place to hang

by ChristopherBoo

I have been here three times. Ok, the looks are hot, the food is very good..Shrimp on the Rocks or the Tomato Salad are both my favorites... I had the mussels on my first visit.. I had a hard time thinking that they were actually "Prince Edward Island" mussels.. but that's probably just be being snobby! The service.. .I guess you give up a little for the looks :) If you are in town, I would say this is a must see at a great price!

1 Star Rating: Poor

06/29/11

Not worth dining at anymore.

by Denise J

Sadly, this place is going down hill. I eat here couple of times a year. This was an extremely poor dining experience. Were seated and took 10 minutes for a waiter to come over. He then tells us, he's THE only waiter in the entire place. We should have just left, but we were there already. That said, they were out of multiple items on the menu (and it was not a Sunday or Monday night). By the time we received our meals it was 1 hour after we sat down. (we didn't have appetizers & ordered cocktails at the same time we order our entrees). My friends dinner, the cut of pork was literally at least 1/3 fat. So to all, I will not be going back. This place has had it's time. That time has ended.

2 Star Rating: Below Average

08/28/10

I wish they put alcohol in their cocktails

by mizoka

I haven't been there for a while for dinner, but when I used to go there the food was OK, nothing to write home about. I understand that they're trying to cater or the gay clientele by having good looking, hot waiters, but sometimes it'd pay off better if restaurants had waiters who were actually good at what they're doing and weren't just eye candy.

I wish they put alcohol in their drinks. I know that in this economy businesses are trying to save as much money as they can by not increasing their prices, but to practically eliminate the alcohol from cocktails shouldn't be the way to go. The other night I had 2 cocktails there and they were so watered down. Not only you couldn't taste the alcohol in them, but I usually feel two drinks in other bars. After 2 cocktails at the Abbey, you know you drank alcohol. Not here.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

03/01/10

Nice spot for drinks and dining

by BlueOnBlast , Citysearch Contributor

We have been here many times for the fantastic Happy Hour at the bar so we decided to try it for dinner when a friend came to town. Little did we know that Sunday is piano night! If you love show tunes then you will be singing along but if you came to have a peaceful dinner conversation you may be left yelling across the table.

Dinner for 3 cost us under $100 including HH drinks ordered at the bar. (Yes you have to order at the bar to get the special drink prices, but you will save about $20 doing so!) We split the Nice Mussel entree as our appetizer and were all impressed with the amount served and the lemon white wine cream sauce was AMAZING! Ask for some bread to get up bite! The crispy roast chicken (very herby!), special of the night pasta and pistachio yellowtail was flavorful and the portions had enough for leftovers. My only disappointment is that the food could have been much hotter, ok I would have even gone for warm! I kept looking for some sort of steam coming off one of our plates so I could figure out which dish to blame for holding up the order. But none the less the food was very tasty and the prices were great!

Happy hour is 7 days a week with special food menu and drink menu at the bar. The drinks are all under $6 including top shelf martinis!

  • Pros: great Happy Hour $ at bar, interesting and affordable menu
  • Cons: food could have been warmer
1 Star Rating: Poor

02/16/10

Do not recommend O-Bar to anyone!

by mw147694

I took my girlfriend here for Valentine's Day and immediately regretted the decision. When we walked in, we weren't even greeted by the 2 hostesses that were standing there and after standing in front of them for about 30 seconds, we had to greet them (the blonde lady was especially rude, rolling her eyes at us when we asked if they had outdoor seating). On top of this, half the reason we went there was because we wanted the lobster mac and cheese, which is a part of their limited menu. They were "out" of that dish. On Valentine's Day. Finally, when we got our check after eating a overly bland meal, our waiter had taken the liberty of adding his own gratuity to the bill (26%!) when there was nothing mentioned on the menu or anything about gratuity and his service was nothing more than mediocre.

After getting home and realizing what had happened, we called the restaurant and they said that they would give us a free round of drinks if we came back in and told them what happened. I'll believe it when I see it, if I ever go back there.

The Details on O Bar

Place Categories:

  • great soso food
  • great fun place
  • great ther service
  • friendly wait staff
  • yummy drinks
  • very attentive server
  • great ambience
  • great special mojitos
  • very friendly waiter
  • favorite nice restaurant
  • albeit expensive fried chicken
  • bad experience
  • terrific desserts
  • great prices
  • great decor
  • similarly superb flat iron steak w bleu cheese aioli
  • fantastic new menu
  • poor service poor quality
  • loved bar
  • amazing ambiance
  • fantastic happy hour
  • fantastic meal
  • big food portions
  • great atmosphere
  • flat sweet potato fries

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