The Dresden Restaurant & Lounge

10/11/09

A Los Angeles icon!

by DaveHaar at Citysearch

If you live in Los Angeles, you know you need to hit up The Dresden at least once. A great spot and a step back to another point in time!

• Pros: Great vibe and old school ambiance.
• Cons: None.

09/02/09

Terrible service

by Annouchka at Citysearch

I went there with my husband on our first date after our baby was born. The food was terrible and the waitress was rude. She brought me the wrong order and told me right in my face that it was my fault. I will not got back.

• Pros: Ambiance
• Cons: Service - Food

05/10/09

Loud

by notalentassclown at Citysearch

I arrived before the lounge act started and was able to enjoy conversation and my glass of house wine. Once the act started, it was so loud, we had to leave the room. The musicians seemed fine, they played well, but they were so loud that it was painful to listen to and you could not hear what the person next to you was saying. The decor was fun, I just wish the music was not so loud, I would have enjoyed myself much more. Some of my friends ate there and did enjoy the food. For the most part the staff was nice.

Perennial Los Feliz lounge keeps retro-kitschy glam alive.

by Mar Yvette at Citysearch

Built in 1964, this Los Feliz institution was going strong long before it was immortalized in "Swingers" and gave Vince Vaughn a career. The grand dining room is a kitschy wonder of high ceilings, white booths, bright-orange accents, faux Asian screens and an Italian-leaning steakhouse menu. But through the arched walls is where the real action is: Walls made of rock, gold metal-encased pendant lamps and sienna leather booths set the scene for Marty and Elayne, the black-clad duo who've effectively owned this room since 1982. Taking on everything from Captain and Tennille to the Bee Gees, the ageless geriatric pair have not only created the last vestige of swank dining and cocktail consumption in the tradition of Coconut Grove, but they've also made a stop here a veritable commandment in the bible of hip.

11/25/08

Love Marty and Elayne, HORRIBLE service

by cajenner at Citysearch

I frequent the Dresden often and to be honest we only go for Marty and Elayne. We usually choose to go on Monday nights because it's less crowded and parking is usually easier but even if theres no street parking you can park in the lot for $2.50. Tonight we encountered a horrible experience. If you go here, watch out for the over-processed blonde waitress. She seems sweet at first but watch her move for about 5 minutes and you realize she's a hummingbird on speed. I have friends that have seen her do lines in the ladies. She's a complete b*tch. She forced me to order a drink (I'm pregnant and was simply there to be with my friends, and I ordered an expensive meal thinking that it would make up for buying a drink), she said I couldn't replace a drink with food so my only healthy option was a $5 bottle of Evian water. We had a group of 5 including myself. She took 2 of our orders, took half an hour to help the 3 other customers in the lounge, came back to take the other 2 orders and left our other friend hanging for another half hour. Finally we got everything we ordered (in about a 3 hour time period) and the same friend tried to order an appetizer. She told him she wouldn't take his food order until she helped the customers buying drinks first. We were all incredibly kind to her despite her attitude and coke problems. Finally she brought our checks. She piled about 10 papers together, handed my friend a napkin and pen and had him seperate the bills and do the math himself. They're handwritten checks so I'm not sure why she didn't just write them all seperately... Anyway then she came to the table and loudly asked who had the gold card and said it was declined. My friend is very wealthy so I know his card could not be declined. It was embarassing and unnecessary for her to announce it to the entire lounge. Basically it was a good 4 hours of Hell at the Dresden. All because of this server. Marty and Elayne ROCK! :) Go to see them but avoid "blonde" waitress!

• Pros: Marty and Elayne, historic lounge
• Cons: "Blonde" waitress

07/15/08

A Place With Real Character and Charm

by vmarg at Citysearch

I used to live on the same street as the Dresden, so it was a great place to just walk to with a friend when we decided to go out for lunch. There are a quite a few good restaurants in that four block span of Vermont where the Dresden is located. But just based on appearances Dresden is the most stately looking and inviting with an awning, stone and brick work on the outside with oval windows. I usually eat lunch late, so we ended up at the Dresden at around 2:30pm and the place was almost completely empty. The waiter asked if we had forgotten to eat lunch and right away you could see that this was the kind of place where they take service seriously not just a job that you take while you're waiting for something else. The red room looks like an old time bar, so we opted for the famous dining room with the white booths. The dining room is fairly small so, there is that feeling of cozyiness. But there is a lot of vertical interest with the tall decorations and it's beautiful. I've been to a lot of restaurants and I prefer the ones where the decor has real character, not just the crisp and clean look. If you have been to Taix on Sunset the feel here is somewhat similar although more casual. One diner was leaving just as we were perusing the menu, so we had the whole dining room to ourselves. How often does that happen in LA? The menu is very traditional fare with dishes like grilled chicken breast and prime rib. I ordered the prime rib, which looked like a hunk of meat when it came out, but the taste was exceptionally tender and good. My friend had the grilled chicken and was equally satisfied. There are no twists or hip LA concoctions on this menu, the basics probably haven't been changed in a long time. Basically, this is a place with a very unique look that is beautiful and you don't have to settle for bad food to get the experience.

• Pros: Great Ambiance, very unique, solid food, relatively low prices
• Cons: Food could be better

07/06/08

absolutely horrible

by anuddermadeupname at Citysearch

i was truly looking forward to experienceing one of LA's must see shows. the dinner was inedible and NOT inexpensive. we then carried our coffee into the bar to see the 'show' and the waitress was rude and hustled drinks if we were going to stay for the "show". the snl parody is much better entertainment. save your money and go ANYwhere else.

05/25/08

Great alternative to typical LA nightlife

by samanthab at Citysearch

My friend and I were looking for a fun place with no door drama, something with some spark, but where we could also talk, ya know? We'd never been to the Dresden and gave it a whirl last night.

What a treat! Right away - the lot in the back is easy to park (and cheap!), the door staff was friendly, we were approached by a waitress in the bar who helped us find a little table (imagine that - proactive service!), and our waitress was attentive and friendly. She got a little overwhelmed i think when the place filled up around 11-midnight, but we were having fun so it was cool.

The atmosphere is certainly enchanting and crowd was so mixed - everything from lively older couples to attractive singles to crowds of hipsters. Marty and Elayne are amazing & take requests!! :) And some guest singers who popped up on stage were great too. Drink prices are also very reasonable - was surprised by how little the bill was.

If you want a night out with some style and class, try the Dresden. Get there a little before the set starts to grab a booth and hold onto it all night, or mix it up with the crowd near the bar later and chat up an attractive guy. Don't go there to be seen or get crazy, keep it real and you'll have a great time.

• Pros: classy, casual night out, great staff, unique entertainment
• Cons: none yet

10/21/07

I LOVE THE DRESDEN!!!

by huntsman at Citysearch

I love The Dresden Room! I used to go there regularly, but haven't been in awhile. I arrived on a busy Saturday night to a jam packed bar. I figured my party and I probably wouldn't have a chance at a table, but I thought to give it a try just in case. No twenty dollar handshake needed here. We asked the server if there were any available tables, and not only did say that she would snag us the next table that became available, she actually did! Completely refreshing! Bonnie gave us the best service, Marty and Elaine are quite the sight to see, and the crowd is awesome! I would highly recommend The Dresden Room. Old School Glamor with a pulse.

• Pros: The service, the ambiance, the music.
• Cons: None.

04/24/07

Swingers!

by radiancelee at Citysearch

Menu offers fine dining, but the meals weren't cooked to perfection. Prices quite touristy. Wait staff super nice and genuine. Lounge next door fun. Marty & Elaine hokey but memorable and offer unique experience. One can talk while listening to classic songs. wish the sound system were better. The drinks were more juice than liquor, so stick to wine and beer. Cool white booths. Ambience over quality of food and drink.

• Pros: Ambience, Waiters nice
• Cons: Expensive for dinner, Drinks watered down