A.O.C.

10/20/09

HIghly recommend!

by BIngoBango at Citysearch

Susanne Goin is one of the best chefs in LA and AOC is fantastic. I recommend sitting at the bar. The food is great, the servers and bartenders are helpful and friendly and they have a great wine selection. The bacon-wrapped dates are a must.

02/02/09

great food, great for groups

by kara nortman at Citysearch

I had my birthday dinner at AOC this year and it was fantastic - great food, wine and service! Try the scallops and skirt steak.

• Pros: fantastic tapas, no dish disappoints
• Cons: bright, a tad of 'tude

11/28/08

Great small dish menu

by jasoncoberfest at Citysearch

The first time went to AOC I loved it, but I have since backed off on that. The dishes are great (farrow w squid one of my faves) but while the atmosphere is fine it feels a little sterile-- kind of a like a big coporate restaurant.

• Pros: Wide variety of options, super high quality.
• Cons: Crowded, noce but sterile atmosphere.

09/08/08

Delicious

by LeDouxNot at Citysearch

I'm sorry, but I have to step in. There are obviously enough great reviews on here to let you know the true nature of this place, but anyone whose review says they'd rather eat Lean Cuisine at home obviously doesn't have the taste buds to even be allowed through the door. This place is fantastic, the servers are all really knowledgeable, and everything is made very well. The beer and wine list are awesome, and while it is a bit loud, most trendy places in LA are, so don't go to a trendy place if you don't like that. Overall, the prices are totally fair for the quality, and if you happen to get an off server, ask for a different one; I've never had poor service. Perhaps another tip for receiving quality service is to refrain from asking for "hot sauce"; despite popular opinion with the Lean Cuisine crowd, it's not Uncle Darrow's.

• Pros: Great food, knowledgeable staff, good beer list
• Cons: A bit loud, but it comes with the territory

04/26/08

Agree with the "Restoration Hardware" guy ...

by salsucks at Citysearch

Actually enjoyed the food but it felt like dining in an airplane hanger. Loud as hell, real losers - t-shirt wearing with no-manner types - dining there, and a pretty lousy attitude by management and wait staff. Baffled about all the 5-stars. Is there some ballot-stuffing going on here? Try some other places, the environment is so awful here that this one's a definite pass.

• Pros: Pretty good food
• Cons: Jackhammer loudness, t-shirt loudmouth loser customers, weak waiters

03/21/08

dining at 'restoration hardware'

by dthstar at Citysearch

we don't get how your site gave this place a 5-star rating! upon your site's recommendation, we went there for valentine's dinner. not only did the place look and feel like 'restoration hardware' (w/ the same bright lighting & everything), none of the servers knew if the cheese bar was open or not (we were really in the mood for cheese), and when we asked for hot sauce cuz the food was so bland, they had none! as they had a set menu cuz it was valentine's day, they served a multiple-course dinner, and w/ all honesty, each course just got worse and worse. none of the food had any flavor- staying home and eating 'lean cuisine' would've been so much better! it was so bad that we had to ask for salt and luckily they had THAT. the music was even bad- as if it was haphazardly put together last minute by some uninvoloved by-standard, cuz the same songs played in a loop over and over all nite long. we seriously don't know why your site gave this place such a high rating- they must put up a lot for PR.. lastly, what star-siting?!?! the valentine's dinner patrons even looked like they shop at 'restoration hardware' anyway- bland and boring. WE DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE TO ANYONE (especially if you're trying to impress guests from out of town)!

• Pros: none
• Cons: where do i start?

03/17/08

Really delicious plates, great service

by KariMcShorty at Citysearch

Went with a big group (made reservations for the back patio). They seated us within 10-15 minutes. Nice table, great service. The portions are small - but, hey it's tapas style. Every bite was wonderful. I really enjoyed the skirt steak, the chicken and apples, butternut squash, and the chocolate dessert. I will go back for wine and cheese with a smaller party.

• Pros: Delicious, very high quality food
• Cons: Need to order a lot of plates to get full (again, it's tapas!)

03/09/08

Wonderful cheese bar experience!!!

by seigo at Citysearch

Been there at least half a dozen times and it never dissapoints. Our first experience was w/ no reservations on a weekday. We waited for a while for things to open up at the main bar, then the cheese bar had some space available and we went for it not knowing what to expect. What an incredible experience, from our cheese host, Hunter (no longer there), who provided a personalized introduction, to the food, which was incredible (cheese-stuffed dates wrapped in bacon decadence) and the other more-socially inclined cheese bar patrons provided a unique experience that has kept us coming back for more. If you haven't been to AOC or tried the cheese bar, it's definitely a worthwhile experience.

• Pros: Cheese bar, food, drink and dining experience.
• Cons: Can be loud, crowded and might involve waiting but worth it.

02/11/08

Great for a Special Dinner Out

by NICseattle08 at Citysearch

If you one to save up for a special meal out, this is a great place to look forward to. My sister took me here to celebrate my birthday while visiting L.A. and it was such a treat for us (we don't dine out--nicely like this--very often). The cheeses were divine, we tasted 4 different wines, and like everyone has said, the wait staff really love helping you with your picks. All the tapas were great, creative flavors. To top it all off, we split the sheep's milk cheesecake that was heavenly--so airy and delish! Can't wait to go back sometime.

• Pros: delicious everything, especially wine and cheese, helpful & attentive service
• Cons: cozy--a bit european in this way--not tons of elbow room

01/31/08

Excellent Tapas

by finedine2008 at Citysearch

The tapas here are amazing. The environment is great for both group dining and couples dining.

Servers are friendly and helpful, I highly recommend this restaurant as it is a awesome place for good food and wine.