Howard Johnson Plaza Wilshire Royale

In Short – Hidden inside the historic 1920s Wilshire Royale Hotel, this swanky spot features a cool cocktail lounge, a black slate bar, a 35-seat circular booth, and lush patio. The dining room's soaring columns offset original white Italian marble and hand-carved French oak. Executive Chef Eric Ernest (Citrine, BOA) weaves classic French technique into American themes with dishes like salmon crudo with Kaffir lime, scallops in black truffle cream, and Mediterranean-spiced roast lamb. Desserts include a "chocolate tasting" and a bowl of cotton candy.

Editor's Tips

Parking:: Complimentary valet parking is provided with validation from the restaurant.
What to Drink:: The wine list includes celebrated names from both old and new worlds, with more than 40 selections offered by the glass.
Happy Hour:: Enjoy drink discounts and live DJ music weekdays from 4pm to 8pm.

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User Reviews (24)

ambiance	100.0% positive	“Highly recommended for a romantic evening or to impress business partners.” “The decor is beautiful.” “When dining out on the weekend -- I look for top-notch decor, consistently good food and service, all of which Royale lacked:” “also think what they have done as far as decor is beautiful.” “The cocktails, food and atmosphere are great.” “Cozy and romantic atmosphere, Corina our waitress was pleaseant and extremely knowledgeable about the menu.” “The setting is beautiful and comfortable, modern without being trendy.” “The ambiance is great with a mix of sultry cool in the bar/lounge, fresh and casual in the patio area and classic holloywood in the restaurant.” “The decor is truly amazing and inspiring which in fact directly compliments the menu.” “Great interior space and design, nice restrooms, beautiful flower decorations, a menu that LOOKS great”
dessert	100.0% positive	“While the entree's are great, my favorite are the appetizers and desserts!” “The chef excels at creating entrees and desserts that are crispy and textural on the outside, while still moist and flavorful on the inside.” “Highly recommend the spicy crispy pork spare-ribs (melt in your mouth with the right amount of spicy kick), and the chocolate sampler dessert.” “The night finished with a chocolate tasting that was accommodate by a nice vintage port.” “The crab cakes were pretty good.” “For desserts try the chocolate tray: incredible.”
drinks	94.44000244140625% positive	“The bartender recommended we order drinks made with Well vodka (Finlandia) because you get better quality for the money than the usual well swill.” “The ambiance is great with a mix of sultry cool in the bar/lounge, fresh and casual in the patio area and classic holloywood in the restaurant.” “We had a great time and I would highly reccomend this restaurant if your into great food and great wine.” “The bar/lounge has 2 indoor areas on the first floor that were really cool and then upstairs there is a loft area that overlooks it all.” “First there's the lounge in the fromt which has an amazing bar and two lounge areas.” “The cocktails, food and atmosphere are great.” “No annoying 21 years olds, no velvet rope, good music without thumping speakers--good food and drinks!” “We started off with a nice sparkling rose then my date started asking tough wine questions to which he answered mostly, then defered to the resident sommelier.” “You will lounge in a luxe posh Wilshire setting and enjoy cocktails with friends, while at the same time being inspired by the city's best DJ's, indie acts, and a modern cultural mesh that proves the Divine is the world's first and best DJ and mixologist.”
food quality	79.9399995803833% positive	“Nice interior BUT Extremely Poor Service AND VERY average food” “Big Eye Tuna with avocado, truffle mac and cheese, endive, tomato & frisee salad and an artisinal cheese platter with amazing bread and rolls were what we ordered, each $5-$6!” “We had a great time and I would highly reccomend this restaurant if your into great food and great wine.” “The cocktails, food and atmosphere are great.” “definitely enjoyed the New York steak and others in my party who had the filet, john dory, and short rib talked about it all night.” “When dining out on the weekend -- I look for top-notch decor, consistently good food and service, all of which Royale lacked:” “The prices were definitely reasonable for the quality of service, setting and food.” “Badly trained staff, thus poor management, VERY average food (which is fine if they charged $10 to $15/meal), Poor customer service, At the end of the day -- not worth the price.” “Drinks are interesting and delicious.” “The texture, temperature and flavor of the food was outstanding.” “The crab cakes were pretty good.” “Almost all high end restaurants serve a great Chilean Sea Bass dish which I mistakenly ordered at Royale.” “highly recommend this place to anyone who loves the art of food; which has been totally captured at this spot!” “The food was superb, my husband Jose' is a Mac&cheese expert.” “Highly recommend the spicy crispy pork spare-ribs (melt in your mouth with the right amount of spicy kick), and the chocolate sampler dessert.” “The food is terrific, just as expensive as any great place, i have tried the sea bass, filet mignon both impeccable.” “The steak came out with a slab of cold herb butter slapped on top of it.” “And the food wasn't even that great!” “requested that they make a simple food substitution (some people have food allergies, etc, and a good restaurant will always accommodate these types of requests without hesitation) & agreed to the changes with the GM -- the chef prepared the wrong meal ” “Everything was delicious, especially for such a great deal.” “Usually what we remember about a restaurant is the food, but the only thing I'll ever remember about the Royale on Wilshire is that it has the worst staff I have ever seen.” “No annoying 21 years olds, no velvet rope, good music without thumping speakers--good food and drinks!” “Best food and service , great billiards room, Mac & cheese to die for, service personnel pleasant & knowledgeable” “The ambiance is great with a mix of sultry cool in the bar/lounge, fresh and casual in the patio area and classic holloywood in the restaurant.” “The food is superb.” “am a regular at the front lounge since I live in the building and think this place is a breath of fresh air and hope it stays!” “The Jidori Chicken was without flavor and the chicken was of poor quality.”
menu variety	100.0% positive	“The decor is truly amazing and inspiring which in fact directly compliments the menu.” “Everything on the menu is amazing.” “Great interior space and design, nice restrooms, beautiful flower decorations, a menu that LOOKS great” “Cozy and romantic atmosphere, Corina our waitress was pleaseant and extremely knowledgeable about the menu.” “Daniel, the bartender, went out of his way to explain how great the happy hour is at Royale, and the menu did not disappoint.”
overall	100.0% positive	“The food is terrific, just as expensive as any great place, i have tried the sea bass, filet mignon both impeccable.” “Overall, the service was the best I've received at a restaurant in some time.” “The ambiance is great with a mix of sultry cool in the bar/lounge, fresh and casual in the patio area and classic holloywood in the restaurant.” “We had a great time and I would highly reccomend this restaurant if your into great food and great wine.”
return potential	100.0% positive	“I've recommended this place to several friends and colleauges and all have come back with rave reviews.”
service	79.89999771118164% positive	“When we arrived we were shown the restaurant by a server or bartender who seemed very pleasant and professional.” “]. The bus staff was polite, however, the waiter was awful -- if it were not for the bus people, I would not have left the customary 15% tip.” “The service excellent: prompt courteous seating, excellent waiters, very attentive.” “The prices were definitely reasonable for the quality of service, setting and food.” “Badly trained staff, thus poor management, VERY average food (which is fine if they charged $10 to $15/meal), Poor customer service, At the end of the day -- not worth the price.” “Overall, the service was the best I've received at a restaurant in some time.” “Best food and service , great billiards room, Mac & cheese to die for, service personnel pleasant & knowledgeable” “Daniel, the bartender, went out of his way to explain how great the happy hour is at Royale, and the menu did not disappoint.” “requested that they make a simple food substitution (some people have food allergies, etc, and a good restaurant will always accommodate these types of requests without hesitation) & agreed to the changes with the GM -- the chef prepared the wrong meal ” “The staff are always friendly yet professional and the free valet service in LA is undeniably hard to beat.” “Usually what we remember about a restaurant is the food, but the only thing I'll ever remember about the Royale on Wilshire is that it has the worst staff I have ever seen.” “Cozy and romantic atmosphere, Corina our waitress was pleaseant and extremely knowledgeable about the menu.” “Watch out for bad posts from ex-employees!” “The interior design that people speak of is interesting.” “Our server was charming with an Australian accent who I saw on TV recently.” “The bartender recommended we order drinks made with Well vodka (Finlandia) because you get better quality for the money than the usual well swill.” “When dining out on the weekend -- I look for top-notch decor, consistently good food and service, all of which Royale lacked:”
value	84.72000122070312% positive	“The prices were definitely reasonable for the quality of service, setting and food.” “Badly trained staff, thus poor management, VERY average food (which is fine if they charged $10 to $15/meal), Poor customer service, At the end of the day -- not worth the price.” “first was taken back by all of the space that this new Restaurant and Lounge has; the lounge was 2 levels and very artsy; their huge covered patio has lounge seating and the Grand Ballroom where the fine dining occurs has these soaring white columns tha” “This place is so new that they havn't built up a huge clientelle yet, but last night me and a group of my friends decided to go check it out.” “The food is terrific, just as expensive as any great place, i have tried the sea bass, filet mignon both impeccable.” “The bartender recommended we order drinks made with Well vodka (Finlandia) because you get better quality for the money than the usual well swill.”

04/07/11

Great hotel BUT..

by GeorgeEvelyn1978

It's a great hotel but if any of you are looking to save some $$ then book it at goo.gl/FPxYD They have some of the best hotel deals on the web!

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02/27/09

Strong location for special events!

by The Event Division

When your looking for a special event space, I recommend Royale..

To view photos:

theeventdivision(dot)net

Located perfectly at the cross-section of Downtown Los Angeles, Silverlake/Echo Park, Koreatown, and the Mid-City, this new venue, embraces the true architecture of old Los Angeles and intentionally clashes it with the urban style of the NEW L.A. You will lounge in a luxe posh Wilshire setting and enjoy cocktails with friends, while at the same time being inspired by the city's best DJ's, indie acts, and a modern cultural mesh that proves the Divine is the world's first and best DJ and mixologist.

Set below a historic Hotel, the vibe can best be described as eclectic. We not only embrace this, but as the pictures on our site will show, we have a blast celebrating it by constantly offering different looks and feel.

CAPACITY: 250

www(dot)theeventdivision(dot)net

(310) 424 5112

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03/06/08

I just love the place!

by PrtyBrn

I have had the opportunity to hang out in the lounge several times and dine in their restaurant and found each visit very satisfying. The cocktails, food and atmosphere are great. I like the fact that there is a DJ spinning tunes for happy hour. Other places make you wait until 9pm to hear anything half way decent. The staff are always friendly yet professional and the free valet service in LA is undeniably hard to beat. I like that the crowd at the Royale are not a bunch of posers or wannabe's; this makes the place feel real and inviting. I don't know what's up with those who have decided to slam the place as they have, but I guess you just can't satisfy everyone. My friends have started going on their own and they love the place also.

Keep up the good work Royale!

Pros: Parking, cocktails prices, food, atmosphere, service, patio
Cons: Seating in lounge

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11/21/07

Don't judge a book by its cover.

by lachica74

I love this place. I have been here three times... I have brought several friends here from the westside who swear they would have never ventured out passed western blvd. From the outside my friends were like "you are taking us to an apt. building!!!" True it is on the first level of some cute real estate. However, they were amazed by the grandeur of the mix between old and new. The detail and architure of the place is beautiful. You can't get that anywhere but here. Also, the food and tre chic lounge is by far as competitive or surpass some of the westside venues as social hollywood, hyde, opera, republic, firefly, huntley, viceroy, skybar.... this place you get the star treatment without being "someone" or "who do you know"... There are no lines, no list, no bottle service, and free valet service. The food is terrific, just as expensive as any great place, i have tried the sea bass, filet mignon both impeccable. This is my secret for now... but it won't be for long. Great place to either just have dinner or a place to have drinks. This area is close to La Cita, Elevate, The Edison, The Standard, J's Lounge, the Broadway bar.

Pros: Great ambiance, great service, terrific food,No lines, Valet free, No list, No VIP line, great crowd
Cons: Area is being developed. Crazy punk club across the street. Nothing else to do w/in walking distance.

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10/09/07

Utterly perfect.

by scbranson

The setting is beautiful and comfortable, modern without being trendy. The high vaulted ceilings give an impression of space, but the layout of the table and lounge areas make it still feel intimate, not to mention very comfortable.

The service was cheerful and completely on point, with impeccible timing that made the whole meal flow effortlessly. Overall, the service was the best I've received at a restaurant in some time.

The chef, quite frankly, is a genious. The texture, temperature and flavor of the food was outstanding. It was delicious, savory and full of flavor yet delicate and light at the same time. The chef excels at creating entrees and desserts that are crispy and textural on the outside, while still moist and flavorful on the inside. The food literally melts in your mouth with an explosion of flavor.

Highly recommend the spicy crispy pork spare-ribs (melt in your mouth with the right amount of spicy kick), and the chocolate sampler dessert. The Chilean Sea bass was perfectly cooked and the presentation was very nice. The taste was spectacular.

Highly recommended for a romantic evening or to impress business partners. The prices were definitely reasonable for the quality of service, setting and food. We will definitely return again to try more of the delicious-looking menu selections.

Pros: Lovely, comfortable setting with excellent service and delicious food.
Cons: Not the best area, but free valet service helps. Have to walk through bar/lounge to get to restaurant.

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Editor's Tips

User Reviews (24)

04/07/11

Great hotel BUT..

by GeorgeEvelyn1978

02/27/09

Strong location for special events!

by The Event Division

03/06/08

I just love the place!

by PrtyBrn

11/21/07

Don't judge a book by its cover.

by lachica74

10/09/07

Utterly perfect.

by scbranson

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