Palomino - Los Angeles

10/22/08

All the pretense with none of the quality.

by losangelesdiner at Citysearch

I don't know what it is that people see in this place. I've been there a number of times, usually for business dinners, and I have been uniquely unimpressed each time. The menu is overly ambitious, with too much window dressing for the core of each dish. Prices are very high given what they wind up delivering on the table. The wait staff is garden-variety, unimpressive, and generally exhibits "attitude" towards the customers. Give this one a pass. They've figured out the pretense and the pricing but are woefully inadequate in living up to the image they think they're projecting.

• Pros: Not much
• Cons: Price, service, food quality

08/31/08

Utterly disappointed!

by Angel05 at Citysearch

We've four of us, ordering a variety of appetizers and main courses. All the dishes were no good. The taste of all dishes was very strong, probably because of all the spices and sauce added. That covers all the fresh taste of the food. It turns out the Paella was too sour (too many lemon pieces), the soup was too spicy (it's supposed a mushroom soup!), and the fish and scallop tasted without any freshness. Even the wine that we ordered was very disappointing. Overall, we think that this restaurant is overrated and we will not go back again.

07/07/08

Happy hour rocks!

by tlorenz at Citysearch

Palomino is great, especially as a bar that's a little more upscale but doesn't have to be pricey: their happy hour makes that possible. The food is suprisingly tasty- the gorgonzola fries and the tomato basil pizza were seasoned perfectly and had just the right amount of salt to please any "drunchies" that may have occured as a result of the $2 glasses of wine. Plus, it has great ambiance: low lighting makes it comfortable and relaxed even during the evening bustle.

• Pros: Happy hour, atmosphere
• Cons: Bartenders have a hard time keeping tabs straight

12/17/07

Great Happy Hour!

by hectorsoy at Citysearch

This is hands down one of the top bars in the Westside. Dinner is not too bad either and the price is reasonable. I happen to order Salmon often and it is always cooked perfectly to order. One of the few restaurants in Westwood (if not all of LA) which is open late.

I tend to make an appearance once a week. Always a happening place, even when we are the first ones at the bar at 4PM!

Service is always first rate and with a smile.

Happy hour prices are excellent. Don't miss this bar/restaurant.

• Pros: Great happy hour food. Even the $3 happy hour wine is not bad!
• Cons: Parking is a pain. Sometimes valet is not the greatest if you plan on staying late.

05/20/07

okay food, terrible service

by pinays at Citysearch

three friends and i recently visited this establishment for dinner. i have previously been here for drinks and it was fine. i had never had dinner here and had no bad expereince from my past visit so i had no objection when someone suggested we dine here. while we were seated promptly even without reservations (it was 8:30 pm), everything went down hill from there. we were informed that the oven was broken so my friend (who was visiting from out of town) was told she could not have the chicken she wanted. she asked if she could have the crab cakes and was again told she could not have that either. the server did not make any suggestions and only did so after we asked him whether he had any suggestions given that my friend had already asked for 2 different entrees and was told they did not have it. she ended up ordering the paella, which was just ok. another friend had the steak frites, which she liked. i ordered the pork chop, which was just ok. when the bill came, we promptly paid, the server came and told us that we shorted him by $1 and just wanted to let us know. we, of course, busted out with our calculators in our cell phones and calculated that we had tipped him about 18%. we then realized that he wanted more tip. we got out of the table feeling disgusted because we came to the conclusion that that server's conduct was in poor taste (i think that tips are earned for good service and not automatically given.) we complained to the hostess, who was very apologetic but a man next to her (who also worked there) tried to explain that mistakes happen when the party is large. my friend explained that there were only 4 of us. he then proceeded to accuse my friend of yelling. my friend's voice was calm and even keeled the whole time. i will NEVER come back here. SERVICE WAS HORRID!!!

04/02/07

Awesome Bar

by hckymarine at Citysearch

We visit Palomino regularly, it is one of the best places in westwood. The bar, can't rave enough about it! everything is delish from pom-martini to selection of colorful mojitos, wish they would bring back the cran-drop. Food is wonderful! appetizer we usually get is the sampler, it has oven rosted garlic with Brie incredible. Try the almond crusted scallops , it is wonderful. Love this place, and the manager soooooo nice and accommodating.

• Pros: Atmosphere, bar, food, service & everything
• Cons: It can get a little tight with the after work crowd

03/20/07

Best prices after 10pm

by juju13es at Citysearch

I've strangely never heard of this place (though it's walking distance from my apartment) until my friends took me out here for my birthday. They have this awesome deal where appetizers and certain drinks are half-off after 10:00pm... We ordered about 9 appetizers and 3 drinks and it came out to $90, which is really cheap! Our favorites were the calamari, their thin crust pizzas, the garlic peppered chicken. I ordered the mango mojito (which wasn't half-off), which was not too strong, but perfectly sweet. But if you want to get bar seating, you might want to get their a bit earlier to secure a spot (it gets pretty crowded on the weekends). Though it's right next to UCLA, the crowd didn't seem like college students, but an older crowd of professionals... I even sat next to a UCLA professor!

• Pros: great happy hour, delicious appetizers, mojitos
• Cons: pretty crowded on weekends

01/24/07

Totally Overrated

by baychick at Citysearch

After listening to tons of raves about Palomino, I took my boyfriend there for dinner one night.. There was a long wait to be seated (twenty minutes) and an even longer wait for our food. He got a seafood dish that was good but not great; I got a bowl of plain spaghetti drenched in oil, with unappealing chicken shreds thrown on top. The guy at the next table even leaned over and asked how our meals were, complaining that his was not that great! For the price and reviews, I was expecting more. I do not plan on going to Palomino again, although I do hear that it's happy hour is amazing and cheap.

American comfort fare with a twist, in a snazzy Westwood setting.

by Contributor at Citysearch

In Short
With magenta-and-tangerine taffeta curtains, potted palm trees and a bright blue Matisse reproduction, Palomino is all upscale Vegas-style glitz. The bold decor fits well with the bustling room, full of aspiring "it girls," studly UCLA docs in scrubs and old-school Holmby Hills residents sipping dry martinis. A winding bar frames a dining room with soaring ceilings. A predominately American menu with European-influences features items like paella, glazed tenderloin of beef and pear-bread pudding.

11/22/06

Best Happy Hour anywhere!

by janicebarthelemy at Citysearch

They have the best happy hour in town! All the appetizers are 1/2 price and they are great. Grilled clams, crab and artichoke dip, grilled shrimp, etc. etc. They have wine (red and white) for $2.99/glass, awesome and not bad. They also have a version of a cosmo for $4.99, can't beat it. The environment is upscaled, lots of business types because they are in the heart of Westwood. Great place to meet up with friends or business colleagues and have a great time for not a lot of money

• Pros: great happy hour
• Cons: no place to park on the street, must valet