Royale

03/06/2008 Posted by PrtyBrn

I have had the opportunity to hang out in the lounge several times and dine in their restaurant and found each visit very satisfying. The cocktails, food and atmosphere are great. I like the fact that there is a DJ spinning tunes for happy hour. Other places make you wait until 9pm to hear anything half way decent. The staff are always friendly yet professional and the free valet service in LA is undeniably hard to beat. I like that the crowd at the Royale are not a bunch of posers or wannabe's; this makes the place feel real and inviting. I don't know what's up with those who have decided to slam the place as they have, but I guess you just can't satisfy everyone. My friends have started going on their own and they love the place also. Keep up the good work Royale!

Pros: Parking, cocktails prices, food, atmosphere, service, patio

Cons: Seating in lounge

11/21/2007 Posted by lachica74

I love this place. I have been here three times... I have brought several friends here from the westside who swear they would have never ventured out passed western blvd. From the outside my friends were like "you are taking us to an apt. building!!!" True it is on the first level of some cute real estate. However, they were amazed by the grandeur of the mix between old and new. The detail and architure of the place is beautiful. You can't get that anywhere but here. Also, the food and tre chic lounge is by far as competitive or surpass some of the westside venues as social hollywood, hyde, opera, republic, firefly, huntley, viceroy, skybar.... this place you get the star treatment without being "someone" or "who do you know"... There are no lines, no list, no bottle service, and free valet service. The food is terrific, just as expensive as any great place, i have tried the sea bass, filet mignon both impeccable. This is my secret for now... but it won't be for long. Great place to either just have dinner or a place to have drinks. This area is close to La Cita, Elevate, The Edison, The Standard, J's Lounge, the Broadway bar.

Pros: Great ambiance, great service, terrific food,No lines, Valet free, No list, No VIP line, great crowd

Cons: Area is being developed. Crazy punk club across the street. Nothing else to do w/in walking distance.

10/09/2007 Posted by scbranson

The setting is beautiful and comfortable, modern without being trendy. The high vaulted ceilings give an impression of space, but the layout of the table and lounge areas make it still feel intimate, not to mention very comfortable. The service was cheerful and completely on point, with impeccible timing that made the whole meal flow effortlessly. Overall, the service was the best I've received at a restaurant in some time. The chef, quite frankly, is a genious. The texture, temperature and flavor of the food was outstanding. It was delicious, savory and full of flavor yet delicate and light at the same time. The chef excels at creating entrees and desserts that are crispy and textural on the outside, while still moist and flavorful on the inside. The food literally melts in your mouth with an explosion of flavor. Highly recommend the spicy crispy pork spare-ribs (melt in your mouth with the right amount of spicy kick), and the chocolate sampler dessert. The Chilean Sea bass was perfectly cooked and the presentation was very nice. The taste was spectacular. Highly recommended for a romantic evening or to impress business partners. The prices were definitely reasonable for the quality of service, setting and food. We will definitely return again to try more of the delicious-looking menu selections.

Pros: Lovely, comfortable setting with excellent service and delicious food.

Cons: Not the best area, but free valet service helps. Have to walk through bar/lounge to get to restaurant.

08/31/2007 Posted by eriklarsen

Royale is a hidden gem. I say hidden because everytime I have been there it is almost empty. The food is superb. Everything on the menu is amazing. The service excellent: prompt courteous seating, excellent waiters, very attentive. The decor is beautiful. The only negative is the location, pretty deep on Wilshire, but oh well. Definitely romantic. This is one of my favorite restaurants in LA. Try the scallops, or the fillet mignon. If you're feeling really American try the mac and cheese. For desserts try the chocolate tray: incredible.

08/17/2007 Posted by piggywiggy

This place is absolutely FABULOUS! I've been twice recently and both times, the team there did not disappoint. The ambiance is great with a mix of sultry cool in the bar/lounge, fresh and casual in the patio area and classic holloywood in the restaurant. The decor is truly amazing and inspiring which in fact directly compliments the menu. While the entree's are great, my favorite are the appetizers and desserts! The Big Eye Tuna and the chocolate chip cookies with a root beer float are out of this world. I found the staff to be pleasant and very accomodating even with a larger group. I've recommended this place to several friends and colleauges and all have come back with rave reviews. Having said all of that, the Royale is definitely a pleasant surprise in a transitioning area. The cherry on top is the ever so charming chef, Eric. Very personable and as delicious as his menu.

Pros: Ambience, Food, Chef

Cons: no complaints

07/18/2007 Posted by chloe1031

After reading some of the negative reviews about Royale, I felt compelled to write this review. Talk about an ax to grind, all i can say is " are you kidding me". The impetus to write this was the review that stated the "valet got them out quickly". That's how I knew it was an angry ex-employee....The only thing that takes a long time is the valet. I too eat out frequently and have NEVER had a bad experience at ROYALE. I'm not proud of the fact but i am an extremely picky eater and the chef has ALWAYS taken care of any special requests i have. I also think what they have done as far as decor is beautiful. And to boot the chef got voted 1 of the 10 sexiest chef's in LA. Don't believe the haters.

06/11/2007 Posted by fredeats

I met a friend at the bar for Happy Hour and was very pleasantly surprised at the service and selection of appetizers offered at 1/2 price as well as $4 well drinks. The bartender recommended we order drinks made with Well vodka (Finlandia) because you get better quality for the money than the usual well swill. Daniel, the bartender, went out of his way to explain how great the Happy Hour is at Royale, and the menu did not disappoint. Big Eye Tuna with avocado, truffle mac and cheese, endive, tomato & frisee salad and an artisinal cheese platter with amazing bread and rolls were what we ordered, each $5-$6! Everything was delicious, especially for such a great deal. I recommend Royale's happy hour to anyone....and cannot wait to dine in their beautiful dining room in the near future.

05/05/2007 Posted by mictay77

This place reminds me of something a restaurant wannabe would open. After reading their claim that the restaurant put together a world class team we decided to try it. What a mistake. First, I am not sure where the chef has worked that makes him world class, but in my opinion his cooking is closer to the Daily Grill or Houston's not Guy Savoy. The Jidori Chicken was without flavor and the chicken was of poor quality. The lame was worse. We asked for an adjustment on one of items and were told that the chef does not alter his art pieces. Sheesh, A real "World Class" chef would do anything possible to accomodate a guest, but not this guy, this is not a world class experience. Service was nice but lacked any professionalism or passion. Who is training the waiters here? We could also here the chef yelling at servers and other employees from the dining room. This place better get some help quick.

Pros: Nice Patio

Cons: Everything else

05/03/2007 Posted by sandra_w

In short, I would not recommend this restaurant. I eat out frequently (11-15 times+ a week) and work as a management consultant (note: no relationship to restaurant or community/re: property values). When dining out on the weekend -- I look for top-notch décor, consistently good food and service, all of which Royale lacked: 1. Decor - I felt like I was eating inside a large bathroom, other décor is sparse. White tile spans from floor to ceiling, this includes tiled columns. The patio is pleasant. Women – note: the bathroom door is translucent, the bathroom lighting is stronger than the main dining room, and the door (while off to the side) is visible from the main dining room. Note: this is not 4/5 star. 2. Food - Overall, I found the whole food experience to be very unpleasant. We had heard good things about the chef but were disappointed by the overall lack of professionalism & food preparation. I requested that they make a simple food substitution (some people have food allergies, etc, and a good restaurant will always accommodate these types of requests without hesitation) & agreed to the changes with the GM -- the chef prepared the wrong meal on purpose and then ruined the dish, twice. Further, the chef came out of the kitchen to observe my reaction. The other food we ordered was of marginal taste quality and came out lukewarm. In a “something in exchange for something” [quid pro quo] business, I found this placed lacked overall professionalism and good business sense. 3. Service – You should be aware that if you make a reservation, be very specific on where you would like to sit: there is a bar type area which has couches and low lying tables - so it is possible to “make a reservation and get placed in the bar area” [read: eat dinner in your lap]. The bus staff was polite, however, the waiter was awful -- if it were not for the bus people, I would not have left the customary 15% tip. We got nothing from the clearly inexperienced server.

Pros: if you live in the building and want a drink: difficult to screw up liquor.

Cons: food, service, chef, management. unprofessional.

04/01/2007 Posted by hatebuster

I have found it best to pay attention to those review where people 1) have more than one restaurant review, 2) don't seem to point out one person or another while salvaging others and 3) don't sound like ex-employees who use industry terms and have intimate knowledge of inner workings of mangement and ownership. I am a regular at the front lounge since I live in the building and think this place is a breath of fresh air and hope it stays! This place gets a lot of commendation on blogs and other sites. Careful with the nay sayers.... I recommend the crispy spareribs, mac n cheese, and Jidori Chicken! their bartenders are hot too.. FYI- The post below is from the former GM who just got fired for trying to beat up the chef and harrassing female employees!!!

Pros: Food, Design, and hot lounge!

Cons: None