Reviews & Ratings for The Penthouse

06/22/11

This Place Isn't For Bros

by Bros Can Do Brunch at Citysearch

So this place is not for bros, but I think I like that about it. I am still not completely sure. See, me and the wife wanted to celebrate and get fancy. She suggested this place, The Penthouse, which I thought was fine. Nascar would have to be on since it's Saturday, and I could tune her out by watching the races.

There was no nascar being played. So, my reaction was "bro, turn your TVs on." But there were no TVs. Just chandeliers and tons of bros in suits.

But here's the good part. the drinks. Had a $12 dollar gin n' tonic that I don't remember paying for. It was that good.! Attractive staff, made up for the lack of nascar. They could have played better music, like some Avenged Sevenfold, but instead they had a DJ pumping some current junk...but after my 3rd gin n' tonic I started to love it and get into it. Ended up getting into it with the staff and was asked to leave.

But I never left the hotel. Woke up the next day without my wife in one of the rooms at the Huntley. Amazing. Very posh, but they had sheets that I had to have, so I took them. My whole experience here was amazing, but if you're like most bros, you might reconsider this spot.

04/12/11

Great View

by andy66 at Citysearch

Fun place to go. Also, lovely in the afternoon when it is not that crowded and has a great view. The food is also quite good.

03/30/11

Great Atmosphere, Beautiful People, Chic Decor

by thebottlelife at Citysearch

Was visiting Santa Monica last week and stopped by the Penthouse with a couple friends. Upon entering, I was surprised as to what I found. In a very good way. We stopped by around 10pm on a Thursday evening, it wasn't too busy, but it was busier than most Santa Monica places on this rainy Thursday night. Gorgeous women are everywhere, bring your A game; or as a insane yet truthful guy sitting at the bar said "put them in a movie" and they'll talk to you. Drinks aren't cheap, around 12 bucks a pop for Vodka/Soda, but it's worth it for a night out to live lavishly. The decor is very clean and minimalistic. White everywhere, cabana type booths around the outside of the lounge, some smaller dining tables in various sections and a massive bar takes up the middle. Never had to wait more than a minute or two for a drink and the service was top notch. You may even run into a couple celebrities while you're up here.

02/03/11

AMAZING!!!

by 56samantha at Citysearch

This is the 1st time I have eaten at The Penthouse and they did not disappoint. The atmosphere is beautiful. Our waiter Todd was extremely knowledgeable. To our surprise we were also offered the Dine LA menu. We had the young romaine salad and the flatbread which were huge, I thought that was our meal. Todd reminded us we can have anything we want packed up so we had room for the rest of the food. The servers were always refilling our water and folding our napkins, Todd was always making sure our food tasted great. The manager Frankie also stopped by every table to make sure we were ok. For the main course we had Pappardelle and Braised Short Rib. The pasta was tasty, but the short rib was AMAZING!!!! The staff is all about telling you "yes", let me explain. If you ask the person who is filling your water if you can have more bread he will say yes and make sure the guy who serves the bread gets it to you. The table next to me asked if they could have the bread warmed up, and the answer was yes. We asked the lady who brought out our dessert if we could order another one and instead of telling me to "ask my waiter" she said "absolutely I'll tell your waiter". We had chocolate lava cake, creme brulee, mini ice cream sandwiches...ALL of it was delicious. I can barely breathe because I didn't want to waste any of that food.

10/14/10

BEST SPOT ON THE WEST SIDE!

by Amanda05 at Citysearch

I finally checked out The Penthouse after months of wanting to and I have to say… This is my new favorite west side spot for drinks and apps! Our experience started with an adorable hostess who showed us to a beautiful cabana that had THE MOST AMAZING view of the ocean and Malibu. Our server was SO nice and extremely knowledgeable on the menu as well as wine which is a huge bonus for me. The highlights were the following:

- Charcutierie plate (AMAZING)

- Ham & Gruyere flatbread

- Braised short rib tacos

- Aperol Smash cocktail

- Cucumber & Thyme Martini

Aside from the excellent food & incredible service.. this place is GORGEOUS. They somehow manage to keep a laid back vibe with this incredibly chic, upscale, beachy décor. I can’t wait to go back!!

10/12/10

I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!!

by Rochelli at Citysearch

Yes this place is beautiful. Yes this place is hip. Yes this place has amazing cocktails. But this place is all about the food! My boyfriend and I went to the Penthouse for dinner last night and I am still drooling. My boyfriend had the Beef Wellington because our waiter said it was the Chef’s specialty so he had to try it and he was NOT disappointed! It is a little different than what you may expect from a Beef Wellington but it was absolutely delicious and one of the best he has ever had! I had the Ribeye and it was AMAZING. So juicy, and flavorful and cooked perfectly.

If you haven’t tried the Penthouse it is an absolute MUST.

10/12/10

LOVE!

by clx683 at Citysearch

This place is amazing! I've only been to the Penthouse a handful a times, but this particular visit warrants an awesome review! I planned a friend's birthday dinner recently and they did an amazing job. We got lucky and went on a very clear night so the view was gorgeous!Our server was very attentive and the entire staff was very friendly. The Managers came by to check on the table and introduce themselves and to make sure we were all having a good time. The food was delicious as always. It was some of my friends first time to the Penthouse so I had to have them try the mac & cheese. It's an all time fan favorite for everyone! We actually ended up ordering 2 orders for the table to share :) I'm always really concerned with time when we go to fancy restaruants, but the Penthouse did a great job. Everything came out in a timely manner and they even brought out the dessert platter for us to sing happy birthday to my friend right when we asked. I get really stressed when I plan stuff, but the Penthouse worked out so well for all my friends. The food and service and just the whole experience was great!

10/11/10

LOVE THIS PLACE!!!

by sassofrass at Citysearch

I have been to The Penthouse several times & I am constantly amazed at how AMAZING the food AND the service always is. And don't even talk to me about those views!

This is my go-to spot when I am celebrating something special, or have friends or family visiting and I have never been disappointed!

Don't believe all these haters who the place is "poorly managed." I would say that 3 out of the last 5 times I have been there the manager himself has come to my table to make sure everything was ok! That is excellent customer service if you ask me!!

09/26/10

Poorly managed!

by Coccus at Citysearch

I've been here three times now, twice for dinner and once just for drinks. The view really is terrific, and the food is okay, but the place is poorly managed and makes for a bad experience if anything goes wrong. The managers are arrogant and act like the place is a Manhattan socialite club or a Hollywood red carpet event (not the classic, friendly coziness of most Santa Monica locales).

I recently spent close to $1000 hosting an event here and one of the managers made a stink about the number of dinner entrees we were obligated to order. They almost gave our reserved table away until I agreed to their new terms. It was entirely unprofessional to argue with me in front of my guests when the issue was moot relative to the total amount of the bill.

In short, go for a drink and to soak in the view, but avoid the attitude and take your event elsewhere.

09/13/10

If you don't mind drunk and inept servers!

by knutsoncolt at Citysearch

Definitely not the pinnacle of fine Dining on the west coast.

Maybe I was understandably spoiled when I had the opportunity of eating at Animal. The Penthouse's Atmosphere is a bit stiff, and extremely loud. Not the place to have a business meeting over Dinner with your partners.

Maitre D' is congenial and, contrary to what you might suppose, not uppity in the least. Seating accommodations are made on the fly with pleasure.

However, the food felt uninspired and sadly was not memorable. Impeccable service in fine-dining is expected and our service throughout was laughable to say the least.

Our server, Brian, was descent at first but became increasingly drunk during service. He could barely open our bottle of wines by the end of the evening. The busboy ended up taking our dessert order and brought our check.

Gorgeous space, poor operations.

So if you don't mind drunk and inept servers - enjoy the Penthouse!