10/25/08

Really good food, cheap beer, friendly staff

by sehansen

I had wanted to check out the Redwood for a long time, so one day I went in for lunch on a Saturday. I ended up staying four hours! I had such a great time hanging out with the staff that I'm going there every Saturday now.

The food is very fresh, and it isn't that run-of-the-mill frozen and reheated bar food. Very delicious. I think today I'll try their breakfasts. They're not on the menu yet, but you can still order them. Even the cooks are friendly!

Try the grilled chicken. mmmmm.

But, yeah, this place is definitely more a bar than a restaurant. Come here to drink and eat, not eat and drink if you know what I mean. And to hang out with all the awesome, chill, unpretentious people.

• Pros: Friendly, cool staff, fantastic food, chill patrons
• Cons: no where for large parties to sit together

09/11/08

A good bar but needs more pirates

by glazz

I had hoped there would be more pirate stuff at this bar but I still had a good time. The drinks are good and I especially like the fish and chips. I just want some more pirate stuff!

08/18/08

Sad place to be

by JoeMerlos

I used to like the Redwood bar, especially for the fish and chips. Until this past saturday, the fish and chips stayed good but the atmosphere and the music was shocking!! I dont know who in their right mind put the entertainment together but the MC a mister "Old White Man" was offensive to say the least. Along with the other "entertainers" as well the only word you heard out of their mouths was either X-rated, or blasphemous or both. From sexually perverted ABCs to describing sexuall fantasies on stage, it was just waaay out of hand. The fact that there were children present did not seem to phase neither the performers or the staff either. What a shame!I will not recommend this place again nor stop by for any reason at all.

• Pros: None
• Cons: Drink prices

05/21/08

Best bar food, best service, best night out.

by ClaraRose

I ate at Redwood Bar & Grill while visiting in town this past Saturday night. I'm formerly an LA resident and moved away several years ago. I had heard downtown was built up but had no idea what to expect. Several friends took me out and we started our night at Redwood. I was super impressed. We wound up staying the whole night despite our big plans, the place just drew us in. Dinner was perfect, that burger was incredible - my friends talked it up and they were right on. Gotta say, I've done all the fancy LA joints and it didn't turn me off one bit in that way, it gave the sweet comfy cool vibe of being a local bar. It was packed but the service was excellent which is seriously a rare find in this town. We loved our server and our eventual bartender was wonderful and much too charming. Sigh. Thank you, Redwood, you have renewed my faith in LA bars!!!

05/13/08

Great place for live music! Great Food! Nice People

by Westside4Life

I was lured downtown to visit the Edison but was turned away when the bouncer said my $300 tennis shoes didnt fit the dress code. Hmm.. not having any moccasins on hand I strolled down the street to my car and saw a load of action up ahead. The Redwood didnt look like much from the outside but once I stepped inside I was glad that the Edison had rejected me. The place was lively and hopping and packed with a young and attractive crowd of predominantly females. A dream come true!

I was a bit famished from a long day and ordered myself a burger. A decadent journey into culinary snackery that really satisfied. The perfect blend of meat and bun and a nice cold brew to wash it down. I ordered the sweet potato fries and loved every minute.

Then the music started up.. a local artist named the Gray Kid got everyone moving and the bar suddenly transformed into one of the best intimate venues I had ever been too. The nautical decor and wood panelling made it feel like you were at someones very cool uncles house party. So all in all.. check out the Redwood. Its a great place to catch a show and a bite and maybe reel in one of the many fish in the sea.

• Pros: great music great food
• Cons: parking can be tough

02/28/08

Where's the plank?

by tbonline

I gave this place a few goes. At first I was charmed by it's quirky props and "new downtown LA" location. Slowly but surely, like a series of progressively worse dates, the charm soured into a sincere distaste.

I've lived in London and Australia, places where the word "Pub" is more than a cute marketing hook and the term "Gastro Pub" a brave statement, best backed up with very good food. So General Manager Jennifer Frizzell's brags about her "Gastro Pub" should be ignored wholesale.

It's better to describe this place as a Pirate Fantasy Camp - complete with worn-out furnishings, food not even fit to throw overboard and staff that would slit your throat for the two gold coins in your pocket, the second you turn your back. You'll be begging to walk the plank.

• Pros: alcohol
• Cons: staff, food

02/27/08

Sail away

by Adam5000

Seriously one of the worst dining experiences ever. If stale buns, burned patties (ordered medium) and cold fries = a gastro pub, im never going to one of them again. The only thing colder than the fries was the service when these problems were pointed out to the staff. And this is not a cheap place, a Grey Goose martini costs $12.50 and an Absolute vodka is $8.50. And just as a final (somewhat technical) point, over 6 people they include the tip (ill let you guess why), and while on the menu it says 18% they really charge you 20%. If you question that, they'll point you to a sign at the bar. I think you know what im talking about here.

• Pros: props
• Cons: food, service, cost

09/25/07

Bartender is an A-hole!

by susiehome

Me and two other friends went to the Redwood bar on Friday around 6pm. It's very fun to walk into the place, the decor is great. We ordered a couple drinks and sat down for awhile. I know it's silly, but we poured a little hot wax in our hand and watched it dry. The waitress apparently told the bartended who came over and started scolding us. He was so condescending. I realiz we were acting a little childish, but we really had the situation under control. There is totally a nice way to say "quit playing with the wax!". He was so concerned about the wax getting on the black carpet in a dark bar (by the way, there was only a tiny bit of wax in my hand and that was it). I would be more worried about the grease from the food getting on the carpet, rather than the wax. He totally ruined my feelings about the bar.

• Pros: Fun decor
• Cons: A-hole staff!

06/21/07

Great food, great fun

by hiella

I went here the other night with my honey. The outside looks kind of random, but once you come in its dark and homey... just like all those pubs I used to go to when I lived in London. The bar top is sticky, but the drinks are good and the bartenders are nice. They have a very good selection of beer (on tap and in bottles), as well as wine, and cocktails. My boyfriend had the burger (which was huge and very good, make sure to order the sweet potato fries!) and I had the wedge salad (great dressing) and the crispy barbecue wings (soooo good, and definitely had leftovers for the next day.) Overall, it was a great experience, very chill and unpretentious, and a crowd that was friendly and relaxed.

• Pros: Food, service, ambience
• Cons: No happy hour

06/13/07

Service so bad that it was actually funny

by anzobananzo

After thinking long and hard about where to go for my birthday I decided on The Redwood Bar and Grill for the Downtown location and Pirate theme. When I arrived, the place wasn't very busy but like others said, there are very few seats which seems especially strange since on this website their video raves about what good food they have which makes the place sound like more of a restaurant than a bar. There were 7 of us and we did end up getting a table pretty fast but our waiter disappeared right after he sat us and came back about an hour later. When he got to our table, he literally threw a tantrum because we had gotten up and ordered drinks from the bar. He then proceeded to place a little sign on our table to let others know it wasn't occupied. It was actually laugh out loud funny because I couldn't figure out how he was planning on removing us from the table and why the owners would want us removed considering the amount of drinks we were purchasing. If he had only just slowed down a bit and been friendly about it we would have ordered more drinks from him and compensated him for his trouble but after that I don't know what kind of tip he was expecting. I have to say that the managers were so nice about the whole thing and apologized but I can't figure out why that guy was working there? Also in the video they go on about the nautical themed drinks but when I asked for the menu the bar tender didn't even seem to know one existed (although when he found it he made the drinks like he had done it before, they were great!)