The Penthouse

Recommends

clx683

Joined 6 years ago

LOVE!. This place is amazing! I've only been to the Penthouse a handful a times, but this particular visit warrants an awesome review! I planned a friend's birthday dinner recently and they did an amazing job. We got lucky and went on a very clear night so the view was gorgeous!Our server was very attentive and the entire staff was very friendly. The Managers came by to check on the table and introduce themselves and to make sure we were all having a good time. The food was delicious as always. It was some of my friends first time to the Penthouse so I had to have them try the mac & cheese. It's an all time fan favorite for everyone! We actually ended up ordering 2 orders for the table to share :) I'm always really concerned with time when we go to fancy restaruants, but the Penthouse did a great job. Everything came out in a timely manner and they even brought out the dessert platter for us to sing happy birthday to my friend right when we asked. I get really stressed when I plan stuff, but the Penthouse worked out so well for all my friends. The food and service and just the whole experience was great!

Doesn't Recommend

Coccus

Joined 5 years ago

Poorly managed!. I've been here three times now, twice for dinner and once just for drinks. The view really is terrific, and the food is okay, but the place is poorly managed and makes for a bad experience if anything goes wrong. The managers are arrogant and act like the place is a Manhattan socialite club or a Hollywood red carpet event (not the classic, friendly coziness of most Santa Monica locales).

I recently spent close to $1000 hosting an event here and one of the managers made a stink about the number of dinner entrees we were obligated to order. They almost gave our reserved table away until I agreed to their new terms. It was entirely unprofessional to argue with me in front of my guests when the issue was moot relative to the total amount of the bill.

In short, go for a drink and to soak in the view, but avoid the attitude and take your event elsewhere.

Doesn't Recommend

knutsoncolt

Joined 3 years ago

If you don't mind drunk and inept servers!. Definitely not the pinnacle of fine Dining on the west coast.

Maybe I was understandably spoiled when I had the opportunity of eating at Animal. The Penthouse's Atmosphere is a bit stiff, and extremely loud. Not the place to have a business meeting over Dinner with your partners.

Maitre D' is congenial and, contrary to what you might suppose, not uppity in the least. Seating accommodations are made on the fly with pleasure.

However, the food felt uninspired and sadly was not memorable. Impeccable service in fine-dining is expected and our service throughout was laughable to say the least.

Our server, Brian, was descent at first but became increasingly drunk during service. He could barely open our bottle of wines by the end of the evening. The busboy ended up taking our dessert order and brought our check.

Gorgeous space, poor operations.

So if you don't mind drunk and inept servers - enjoy the Penthouse!

Recommends

miguelyoung53

Joined 3 years ago

Amazing View. I decided to take my girlfriend to a really special place for dinner. I found this place, The Penthouse. We had a really awesome experience, the food was really amazing, the presentation was great, the service was good and most of all the view was stunning! Let me just say that this is not a cheap place to go, but well worth it. Make sure to make a reservation though.

Recommends

Fronte Del Porto

Joined 3 years ago

The person below me doesn't know what food poisoning is.. great!

Doesn't Recommend

eat see play

Joined 3 years ago

Stunning views, bad attitude. Located on the top floor of the Huntley hotel, the Penthouse hosts the best ocean and city views in a Santa Monica restaurant. Period. I've been bringing friends and family visiting from out of town to this place since it was Toppers, that is, until my last visit.

Its a fantastic place for a lunch or pre-dinner cocktails. Expect to spend around $15 for a cocktail. The decor is modern, posh and the crowd ranges from young professionals to tourists.

The food is forgettable but the views and ambiance are worth the trip. You can get the similar types of cocktails at Fig or Copa d'oro. The weekend crowd can get a pseudo Hollywood pretentious vibe, the last time I went it was with bottle service only at the booths. I don't mind bottle service at a club but not allowing patrons to sit at a booth, even when requesting dinner because we didn't want bottle service was a first and very disappointing. I really hope they change this policy or the gm.

Have a cocktail here and head to Fig or Michaels for dinner.

Five star views and decor.

Two star value for food and drinks.

One star service.

Doesn't Recommend

Kika Davis 2

Joined 5 years ago

Drinks, Go Elsewhere for Dinner. I tried out The Penthouse for a second time since they are participating in Dine LA's Restaurant Week hoping it would be better than my first experience, and I was wrong.

The food was far below the standards of what you usually get for those prices (soggy blueberries, overwhelming lemon in the salad dressing, and gray meat - that is NOT medium). And the service was worse. Granted I went on a Sunday around 1:00p so they were busy, but that doesn't mean you can ignore patrons to the point of not even offering water.

In addition, they had a real issue with keeping up with silverware ("taste the soup") and took forever to bring out each course (for a three course meal it really shouldn't have taken us two hours).

However, the real kicker was during our desert a maintenance person came out and, wait for it... was WAXING the floors. I couldn't believe it.

Needless to say, my friend and I are not coming back here for any meal. The bar is nice enough with good drinks and a great view, so I'm sure a drink or two are in our future.

Recommends

pinkgirl8

Joined 4 years ago

Beautiful Hangout - dinner or drinks or both!. Great girls night spot or date night as well.

Doesn't Recommend

lmac22

Joined 4 years ago

Beautiful Surrounds But Just OK. There's no denying that this place is beautiful and the view is amazing especially on the ocean side. I was really looking forward to having brunch here for a special occasion but was very disappointed. The food was very mediocre and really overpriced for the quality and taste. The service left much to be desired. We had to ask to order. We weren't even offered bread until after our appetizers arrived (30 min after sitting down). I'd stick to this place for the night time bar scene. At least then you get the view, the crowd and the drinks for your money's worth.

Recommends

Dena G.

Joined 11 months ago

The View, The View!. Great place to meet for drinks especially for a date or with out of town friends. The views are amazing, try to head over before sunset. Sunday bruch offers spectacular views on a clear day. The food is good and I've gone during brunch and had a work lunch there. Its typical hotel restaruant food fare. The cocktails are good but you go to the Penthouse for the atmosphere and view.