03/15/09

Bad Experience

by JohnnyZee

we told him we had a party of 20. We told her that we were interested in their Thursday night special. However, Primitivo, acted like a used car sales woman and did the bait and switch. They tried to have us each commit to 35 dollars a person and 18 percent tip !! I was shocked. I asked them what about your Thursday night special. She changed the subject. I ask that you do not give your business to these con artists. Honest to God I was going to bring 25 people to that place. ALSO. i did visit the place and the place is a little run down. They have this we don't care attitude

• Pros: Location is the only pro
• Cons: Horrible Management....Run Down place

01/01/09

Best bar in LA

by summerair

Last week I was meeting three of my friends here for dinner. I arrived early and the hostess asked if I wanted to be seated or wait for my group to arrive. I choose to sit at the bar and wait and I am so happy I did. The bar was awesome. The bartender was quick to help me find a wine I loved. I am usually a cab drinker, but wanted to try something different. He suggested I try a Rioja and it was wonderful. By the time my friends arrived I was having so much fun we decided pass on our table and eat at the bar. We tasted a bunch of different wines and I was impressed with how large of a selection they had. As for the food things just got better and better. The tuna tartar and cheese plate got us started, but for the really good stuff we had short ribs, tiger shrimp, scallops, and salmon wrapped in grape leaves. This place is a gem for sure!!

• Pros: service and wine

12/24/08

yumm yumm this place is fun

by guyeatsalot

Let me start off by saying this place has the perfect vibe. The bar is full of people tasting, sharing, and loving wine. The tables inside are great for a fun dinner, or the two outside patios will allow you to have a romantic evening over looking the beautiful garden.

But who cares about all that? lets get to the food! For starters try the endive salad with blue cheese and bacon, need I say more? Follow that with what I call asparagus heaven? its grilled I think with a fried egg, morel mushrooms, bearnaise sauce, prosciutto, and a little bit of manchego cheese. I then had rosemary lamb chops. They come over a barley risotto and lasted all of two seconds on our table. I never can remember which wines I like, but our server was quick to make suggestions with each course and they were spot on. The rest of table must have been just as happy because from the time the first plate landed we didn?t talk until it was time for desert and port. Thanks again and I will be back for the asparagus!

• Pros: great food, wine and service

12/06/08

Unique Tapas

by mbeckett

Really great food and excellent wine selection. Okay, I'm really just writing this review to test Facebook Connect :)

• Pros: Excellent selection of unique tapas
• Cons: None!

12/01/08

Bad quality of food, bad service

by LAgirl2008

This place destroyed the definition of tapas. Most plates are $15, which sounds a little pricey for a tapas place, and I have eaten in many of them in Los Angeles. The waiter did not bother to mention the size of the "tapas"...and most of them are like a regular entree. We ordered gnocchi with ox tail, short rib, and salmon wrapped in grape leaves. When we saw the actual plates, we could not comprehend how they could have been called tapas. We were able to eat only gnocchi and short rib and took the salmon home. Well, the food has poor quality. I've eaten ox tail and until this place had no idea that it could be inedible. The sauce on the gnocchi was very greasy and gnocchi did not taste freshly made. The rib was ok, but for a plate as a whole, tastelessly thrown on the top of sauted kale, did not make up a tapas dish, and was just ridiculous for an entree... The salmon I tried the next day, and it tasted as a farm raised, was very fat and the side beans had too much lemon on them, that left a bad after taste in my mouth. In addition about the service: I am pregnant and did not order any wine. And the second the waiter heard of my and my husband's choices of water, he became disengaged. He took the order without even mentioning the specials, and disappeared. I had to look for him at the end of the meal to ask to give us the check. Plus the sloppy cleaning people dropped some grease from a plate to my designer purse permanently marking it. And the music was so loud that it was impossible to communicate!!!

So a big NO to Primitivo unless you go there for their huge wine bar...

• Pros: huge wine bar
• Cons: food, service, loud music

10/18/08

Always great

by ga522

Two things you can always count in this place... Fun Bar and Great Food. This is a great place with an ecletic crowed. From local singles at the bar to romantic couples on the back patio.

Forget the name: This stylish tapas joint on Abbot Kinney's restaurant row serves artfully crafted fare that's far from primitive.

by Mar Yvette

On any weekend night, try getting a table without a reservation at this crammed Mediterranean wine bistro and chances are you'll be waiting a mighty long time. Sure, the boisterous Euro-style shabby chic vibe is a draw, what with the billowy linen curtains, larger-than-life oil paintings, rustic wooden tables and elbow-rubbing crowd. But the real reason the hoardes of yuppies, scenesters, couples on dates and singles on the prowl (usually found at the bar) can't get enough of this place is the food. The seasonally driven tapas menu ranges from cold options like a farmers' market heirloom salad and marinated French, Greek and Spanish olives (although you can just stick with the complimentary tapenade and warm bread and be no less satisfied ) to hot dishes like braised beef short ribs and pistachio-crusted salmon served atop a dollop of potato puree. As for the wine list, you can take your pick among the well-priced selections from California, South Africa, Chile, New Zealand and other parts of the world.

07/11/08

Best Local Spot

by jmkanter

Primotivo used to be a well-kept Venice secret with its amazing tapas and wine selection. I have tried some of the most amazing (and hard to find) Spanish wines and really appreciate that they are always willing to make things "veggie" friendly for me. I would highly recommend it, especially for happy hour, which is always a fun, eclectic mix of people.

06/20/08

perfect atmosphere

by alirg

It is a quaint atmosphere which is usually quite crowded, but there's a reason. The wine list is amazing, and the tapas are great. It's a wonderful place to meet some girlfriends for dinner, talk business over a glass of wine, or have a romantic date.

• Pros: food, wine list, service, atmosphere
• Cons: usually have to valet your car

05/27/08

Great atmosphere, delicious food.

by santam

Went to dinner here with my boyfriend and we both enjoyed everything ... the sangria, the lamb and shrimp were excellent. We also had the spinach salad with strawberries which was also wonderful. This place tends to get crowded, so reservations are recommended. Our waitress Amber was great - very helpful and great food recommendations. We will come back for many more dinners. Don't forget to check out their great happy hours deals too.

• Pros: Delicious Sangria
• Cons: Gets a bit noisy.