The Penthouse
Hello, gorgeous: In a town where looking good is king, the Huntley Hotel's 18th floor restaurant with 360-degree views is nothing less than a royal stunner.
(310) 394-5454
1111 Second St
(at California Boulevard)
Santa Monica,
CA
90403
34.0188
-118.5015
Neighborhoods: West LA, Wilshire Montana
Reviews & Ratings for The Penthouse
56 reviews
What users are saying:
Showing 1-10 of 56 reviews
Good food, excellent view, bad service
by swellison
November 08, 2008
This restaurant has an excellent location, in the top floor of The Huntley Hotel, and the food was very good. Unfortunately, the staff keeps dishing out billing discrepancies. At first, the waitress gave us a bill with several drinks from the bar, which were not ours. Then, we asked her to split the bill down the middle and she couldn't get that right. After calling the restaurant several times to resolve the problem, I was met with cold and unhelpful service from the manager - and to this day, I'm still waiting for an overcharge of $15 to be reversed on my card. Not a lot of money - but it's about principles. This is a nice restaurant, and I shouldn't have to spend a half hour trying to get them to charge me only what I agreed to. I will have to report the Penthouse charge on my card as fraudulent - and it is.
Beautiful Surrounds But Just OK
by lmac22
May 11, 2009
There's no denying that this place is beautiful and the view is amazing especially on the ocean side. I was really looking forward to having brunch here for a special occasion but was very disappointed. The food was very mediocre and really overpriced for the quality and taste. The service left much to be desired. We had to ask to order. We weren't even offered bread until after our appetizers arrived (30 min after sitting down). I'd stick to this place for the night time bar scene. At least then you get the view, the crowd and the drinks for your money's worth.
- Pros: The View
- Cons: Overpriced and bad service
The View, The View!
by DenaG
November 19, 2008
Great place to meet for drinks especially for a date or with out of town friends. The views are amazing, try to head over before sunset. Sunday bruch offers spectacular views on a clear day. The food is good and I've gone during brunch and had a work lunch there. Its typical hotel restaruant food fare. The cocktails are good but you go to the Penthouse for the atmosphere and view.
- Pros: 360 degree views, good food & cocktails
- Cons: A bit to "sceny" on Saturday nights
Very Enjoyable Evening!
by Jeremy90405
October 27, 2008
Going to The Penthouse was for dinner was interesting as I have never gone for food- mainly just the drinks. But I was very pleased with everything- from the service to the high quality, very reasonablely priced dinner. A great place to go for dinner and then hang out afterwards for some after dinner cocktails. I will certainly do it again!
Hello, gorgeous: In a town where looking good is king, the Huntley Hotel's 18th floor restaurant with 360-degree views is nothing less than a royal stunner.
by Mar Yvette
October 08, 2008
Situated on the top floor of the Huntley Hotel, this all-day destination treats guests to panoramic views of the Pacific and beyond--on a clear day you can see as far south as LAX and as far east as Downtown L.A. Yes, it's hard to keep your eyes off of what's outside, but the clean, mostly white interior is a close runner-up. The handiwork of designer Thomas Schoos (best known for his work on Koi and TAO New York/Las Vegas), the space is a study in textured surfaces that beg to be touched: A smooth glass countertop anchors the central wraparound bar; an indoor mother-of-pearl fireplace accents chocolate leather wingback chairs and a fiery-colored shag rug; silver-gilded branch sculptures hold flickering votives and plush seafoam-hued velvet seats make sure visits are comfortable. Just as enticing is executive chef Seth Greenburg's broad menu, which focuses on modern fare with global influences. Starters like the house-cured charcuterie platter and frisee salad served with pancetta and organic egg prove that complex layers can be achieved in the simplest form, while entrees like butter poached black sable and clams in chorizo broth feature ingredients from the Santa Monica farmers' market.
Better than ever... Awesome Cocktail Waitress
by AttnSue
September 05, 2008
I tell you what.... I did not like this place the first time I went for dinner and I was not overjoyed to hear that my girlfriends were going to meet there for cocktails... but I went again hoping for a better experience.
It was like night and day.
At first when the pretty, petite, annoyingly perfect, waitress in a little black dress and knee-high boots, I thought, here we go again... But she was wonderfully attentive, engaging, and down right funny. She (I think her name was Jen) helped us all pick out special cocktails, returned one without hesitation when one of my friends decided she wanted wine, and did not try to sell us the whole menu but recommended we start with only a few appetizers at a time. We went with her recommendations and will be back again for the killer oysters and tuna tartar. I have seen the light-- and my friends and I have our new favorite girls-night spot!!
- Pros: Awesome View, Great Waitress, Fab Food
- Cons: $$$ (but worth it!)
Incredible food, wonderful warm service & amazing view.
by roncore
September 04, 2008
Had dinner with my family and we all were impressed by the layout. The food was incredible with a nice starter off with Pork belly with pickled cauiflower and hard boiled egg, Frizee salad, then an amazing pepper crusted tuna follow by black forest brownie sundae to finish my night. What a meal. Thank you Penthouse.
- Pros: great looking crowd
- Cons: can be to loud
I wish my house looked like this!!!
by Tarktheshark
August 27, 2008
This is, by far, the best looking restaurant in L.A. I was there at night but can just imagine that the views during the day are breathtaking. The crowd and food was great!!! Just reserved a table for my birthday dinner next week. Highly recommend it!!
- Pros: Gorgeous, friendly, delicious!!
GREAT SERVICE AND STUNNING VIEWS!!!
by monicalalala
August 25, 2008
I've known of the Penthouse for quite some time, but I didn't have the occasion to visit until I was entertaining some out-of-town guests. Why had I waited so long?! No one needs to wait for an occasion to see and experience this fantastic place! I've heard so many wonderful things about the Penthouse-- now I know what all the rave is all about! The food is phenomenal, so much so that I even returned the next day for lunch. Night and day are completely different, but both stunning in their own right. It's fascinating how a bright, open and elegant space transforms into a warm, romantic, firelit place in the evening. The views are worth experiencing all throughout the day-- especially sunsets! Much like the food, the service is five star. I was impressed by our server, who unlike any other server I've encountered in LA, was so honest and so delightfully genuine-- so much so that she returned with our bill to indicate that we overpaid on our gratuity which was automatically added. In LA? Unheard of! We were so impressed by her, we let her keep the extra money anyway.
I highly recommend this place!!!
- Pros: Service, Flavorful menu, Ambience
Great customer service & AMAZING food!!!!!
by sassofrass74
August 25, 2008
My husband and I finally decided to try the Penthouse restaurant at the top of the Huntley Hotel this weekend and all I have to say is? I cannot believe we waited so long!!!! We were greeted with a warm smile by an adorable hostess and loved the vibe of the place as we were escorted to our table. This is definitely where the beautiful people come to imbibe! Everything was perfect from beginning to end ~ our waiter recommended the crab cakes and we also ordered the steak tartar (both were absolutely fantastic). For dinner I had the Halibut and my husband had the Rib-eye and we shared the grilled corn and mac-n-cheese (can you say DELISH?!). Come in the mood to eat, drink and be merry! I can't wait to go back!
- Pros: Great service, great eye candy, great food
- Cons: Valet parking only - unless you want to hoof it in the Santa Monica streets
