So impressed, my new favorite restaurant, especially with the rotating chefs! Creative delicious menu and cocktails, top rate service. Relaxed beautiful atmosphere, convenient location. Had dinner here with my foodie friends and we will definitely be regulars! read more

My husband and I decided to have lunch here before a matinee at Ahmanson Theatre. This restaurant is located in the Music Center /Theatre complex which is really convenient. Most of the negative ratings in yelp were regarding service. Not sure if this was an evening issue but for lunch the service was great. We ate out on the patio. Joshua did a wonderful job in answering our menu questions and provided prompt service. I ordered the crab toast with a poached egg, avocado and trout roe (chef's favorite) with a iced green tea. Very tasty but a corner of my toast was partially burnt. My husband ordered the fried chicken sandwich with an Angel City IPA. He said it was very tasty with a good sized chicken breast. Sandwiches do not come with sides so if you want a side you have to order it alacarte. We finished our meal with a slice of hummingbird cake which was light and delicious! Not too sweet which we liked. We would definitely return when in the area. read more

See all

Such a cool concept to have various LA chefs do stints at the restaurant. I think their Yelp page is going to be super confusing for dish recommendations, but I'm sure all the chefs will have awesome dishes. We went on 9/27 and had the S² Cecio e Pepe and the potstickers. Both were great, but the S² Cecio e Pepe was the real treat! They used the perfect amount of sichuan peppercorn to give a numbing, citrus feel but it wasn't overwhelming. The tofu, pecorino cream was delicious and although it wasn't light, it was definitely lighter than a traditional cacio e pepe. We split it and it was a good quantity. Pro tip - grab a reservation if you're going before/after a Music Center show. read more

1 solid star for the location The second star is for the large alfresco patio setup, and 2 stars is generous This restaurant is literally 60 seconds walking distance form the Ahmanson Theater, and almost everyone dining there on a Friday night is going to the theater based on the age and how they are dressed, 40-75 year old crowd, dressed nicely. We made reservations and said that we had a birthday celebration and told the waiter about the birthday when we sat down before the birthday boy arrived. Literally nothing was mentioned about the birthday. Also this place has super low energy. Do not waste your time or money. Also, when I read the reviews of people commenting on the very small portions and high cost for the portion and quality, I should have listened. I've been to Michelin star restaurants around the world, and that is where small portions of excellent cuisine is welcomed to accommodate a 9+ course dinner. We had hamachi, the tuna on sourdough, the squid (weird dip), the orrichaite, and one appetizer with homey and almonds. Nothing stood out. Had to flag down waiter, he never checked on us, only 4 beers to choose from and not on tap. Don't feel trapped like I did before going to the theater and chose this restaurant because of location. It's worth it to either walk further or Uber and go to a restaurant deserving of your money and time. read more

My friend and I accidentally ended up here before seeing a show at the Ahmanson, and we were so pleasantly surprised. In my experience, restaurants located right next to theaters tend to focus more on getting guests in and out before a show, and less on quality of the food and experience. But Abernethy's is certainly an exception. Despite the pre-show rush, our service was wonderful! Shout out to Kevin, our main server, but the entire team was really just lovely. Chef Chung designed a small, but really well thought out menu. My friend and I shared the Bowl of Hugs (I could live in that broth), the radish salad (so refreshing), the lamb belly (I've never had lamb belly before and it did not disappoint - but the kimchi style greens that came on the side were the star of that plate), the kale rice (super fragrant and perfectly cooked), and the rice pudding (light, a little sweet, fresh fruit, and the PERFECT texture - I typically can't stand rice pudding and this was a beautiful end to the meal). Most of the menu was also GLUTEN FREE, which was amazing. I'm actually kind of sad that it's a rotating chef menu because I don't want these dishes to go away! Please, Chef Chung, add these dishes to your other restaurant's menu! Don't be put off by the location. Definitely give this place a try! read more

Before going to see Slave Play at the Taper, we had dinner at Abernethy's - they rotate up and coming chefs every 4 months or so, and we were there for Chef Ryan Costanza's Mediterranean/Sicilian-inspired menu. The stars were the cured hamachi (with white soy, kombu seaweed, kumquats, jicama, and avocado) and the sea urchin carbonara. I honestly cleaned my entire plate of bucatini AND then ate the rest of my friend's (she got the same entree, thankfully) - it was that good!!! We also ordered all 3 desserts (a dessert flight, if you will) - the winner was the panna cotta with prickly pear granita on top. Every single person we interacted with was fantastic, including our server Marc and the manager Billie. Honestly, I would go back even without a performance to see - although it definitely helped that they checked vaccination cards/IDs beforehand, so we could avoid the line at the Taper. Definitely recommend! read more

Abernethy's - Sea urchin carbonara (absolutely fantastic) - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

See all

This was not the advertised establishment. It wasnt Anerican Soul Food, but Middle Eastern food. Not sure what's going on, but I didn't like the food at all. Once we were seated and looked at the menu we decided to try it. The food was not at all to my liking; we were deceived and should have left immediately. THis is NOT American Soulfood, but Middle Eastern. I read more

Excellent food and cocktails. Service was great. Got to our show full and happy. Can't wait to try it again when the chef/menu changes.

Almost all of our dishes were tasty including the chilled mussels and albacore bruschetta appetizers, shrimp, and a tender, delicious hangar steak with charred onions. But my cod was bland and tastleless. I had to ask for salt and finally dipped it in my husband's steak sauce to make it edible. It's a lovely spot for outdoor dining on the plaza at the Music Center. Wonderful friendly service, and i appreciate that she immediately checked if we had an 8pm theater/concert to get to. read more

Our New Years Eve 4 course dinner was a delight! Absolutely amazing food, service, and area. We had to wait a little bit due to the festivities to get into the place but then got seated immediately. We ordered hummingbird cake and chocolate ganache for dinner. Total Bill: $230 for 2 people for a 4 course meal. It was a great experience! Super pricey for New Years though. On a regular day / non holiday, the portions are better and cheaper. read more

See all

My wife and I went here before seeing Noklahoma. That is not a typo. It was awful, as was this meal (for me at least). I ordered pork skewers and my wife ordered the starter salad. The salad was good according to my wife, the skewers were okay, but surprisingly gristly. They tasted like very low quality meat, but the flavor wasn't bad. Then my wife had the trout for her main course which she said was delicious. I ordered the steak, which did not come out with the trout. We waited for about 5 minutes then my wife tucked in anyway. My steak came another 5 minutes later, and was cold. I sent it back despite being English, and a few minutes later the same steak was returned, now luke warm. I decided to just get on with it as my wife had finished her meal by this point. The meat was very low quality, and however they cooked the steak it had no substance to it. There was no char - barely even browned on the outside. It came medium rare as I usually like the steak however the chef suggests - but this was a mistake. With bargain bucket meat you're better off getting it cooked thoroughly so you're not each chunks of gristle. Our waiter was average. Not really interested, not apologetic, just kind of vacant. He didn't make any eye contact so I think he just felt like avoidance would get his night over more quickly. It's rare that I write a poor review, but I would avoid this place if you don't want to have a terrible dinner before a terrible show. read more

Came back for a second visit and so happy I did! The cocktail "Just in Thyme" was excellent - very impressed with the cocktail program here. Started with a refreshing beet and citrus salad, followed by the absolutely delicious short rib. Loved the tamarind BBQ sauce! Great service and ambiance overlooking the Music Center Plaza fountain. Can't wait to come back for the next chef. read more

See all

Had a good experience at Abernethy's. Stopped in without reservations before a show. The cool thing about this place is the chef and menu change every 90 days, so there will always be something new to try. We tried the wontons, pasta, radish dish, and sesame donut. We liked it all! Interesting spices, tasty mixes, and a really great staff will have us returning whenever we're around. read more

See all

First time here! So packed! But Clay the bartender was soooo awesome and goood llooking :)) Made the best drinks, was super friendly, made our experience sooo much better! We will be back for sure! But mostly because of Clay and his drink making skills!!!! Thank you Clay! :))) read more

Abernethy's - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Amazing meal, great service and wonderful ambiance. The menu offered something for all of us with a range of pallets. Would highly recommend. read more

Randomly walking through Music Center Plaza before the show and tried this place. Had no idea from the name that this was upscale Chinese food. Had the lychee martini which was delicious. Grapefruit and radish salad, potstickers and dumplings. Chill, fun vibe. read more

See all

We had dinner here this weekend before attending St. Matthew Passion at the Pavilion. They served us the best gin and tonics we have had in recent memory, and I'm going to try and recreate the recipe. Service was on point and the food was delicious. We had the mussels/clams dish, the roasted mushrooms over polenta, the wild greens salad, the croquetas and the roasted olives. All were tasty and filling. The desserts were good too (I had the panna cotta with prickly pear granita, my husband had the saedas), although my husband found the saedas a little too savory for his taste, he loved the ice cream and ended up eating most of my panna cotta dessert. Great view of City Hall from the side patio. We will be back! read more

Everything about this restaurant (except the food) is terrible. Servers act like they are doing the customer a favor by waiting on them, management is disinterested in improving and actually seems apathetic, the music is so loud it is difficult to have a conversation, the cocktails are weak and poured short. The cocktail issue is a personal pet peeve - either pour heavier or buy smaller glassware a half-full martini looks rediculous and feels like a ripoff - the bartenders should be embarrassed pouring cocktails like this. We have now been 3 times since the plaza reopened in September and I would not willfully go back. I hope Patina loses their contract for the Music Center and we see improvements in the future. read more

Abernethy's - 1/2 full specialty cocktail served at the table. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

See all

The food was good, and the service was good. The reason for the 3 star rating is that the portions were very small, and the prices are high especially considering the portion sizes. read more

This place is legit. That cured Hamachi was real nice, the grilled radicchio was straight up delicious with all the contrasting flavor, and those beef tallow olives were honestly some of the best olives I've had anywhere. I don't think one person is supposed to consume that many olives in a sitting but i crushed them. Perfect spot for a meal before a show, everything came out quick. That's impressive for the quality. Conquistador was super nice, never thought vermouth would go so well with mezcal. Also shout-out to the bartenders, I asked one of them to get creative and surprise me for my second cocktail and damn, that was a good drink. Lastly I gotta address the negative reviews on here - these yuppies have clearly never worked a service job and it shows. A bunch of spots around LA are understaffed right now and these servers were busting their ass. Boo hoo you didn't get your meal within the arbitrary perimeters you made up, go around the corner to Asterid if you want you want to spend a couple hours having your ass kissed. I watched a couple tables complain about some dumb shit and I don't know how the manager handled it so professionally, I would've lost it. I'll definitely be back, this place and concept is sweet. read more

The food was really great here! There were lots of food options for all different types of palates. Casey our server was great and very attentive/gave great recommendations! read more

Awful menu. I could barely find anything to order -- and I love variety. The salad was inedible. How do you ruin a salad? Yes, the Venetian spritz was good, but even I can make a good spritz! Small, pricey portions of not very good food. Sorry. I wanted to like it. Very convenient for the theaters. Some of the pop-ups here have been good. But not this one. read more

Had high hopes for this place - a new venue at the music center for dinner before seeing a show at the Ahmanson. Different chefs rotate through with different types of food. Tonight was a Philippine flare and the food sounded delicious. We arrived at 6:30, which gave us an hour and a half to eat and get to the show (a short 1 minute walk across the plaza). A little after 7pm we finally got our drinks and appetizers. They have vegan and gluten free choices, so something for everyone. The apps were good as were the drinks. Unfortunately the "good" stopped there. By 7:10 our waiter hadn't been by to take our dinner order despite numerous attempts to flag him down. We finally did order but by 7:30 didn't have our food. The waiter apologized and said the kitchen was backed up, although we noticed most of the tables around us had received their food. This restaurant really has one goal - to get people in, fed and out in time for 8pm performances at the theaters. At 7:40...still no food. We made the decision to leave at that point. Even if our food came out, we would have had to wolf it down - not something we really wanted to do with entrees that started around $25 and went up from there. We did ask to speak to the manager but was told she was too busy in the kitchen trying to help. (Was she REALLY too busy or did our waiter not want to get her because he knew he had not successfully ensured we'd have dinner? Hmmmmm....). We told the waiter we had to leave to get to the show and he said not to worry about the bill (we had already decided drinks and apps should be on the house). Since there was really nowhere else to eat on the plaza and you can't eat or drink in the theater anyway, we sat through the show with rumbling grumbling stomachs. Very very disappointed at how our evening turned out (didn't love the show "Oklahoma" at the Ahmanson either!) We'll stick with our usual (expensive) standby - Kendall's - from now on. Definitely wish there were more choices for dining at the music center! read more

We dined here last Sunday night and it was awesome! Perfect service, great food-it was a wonderful experience. We started with the tuna and lamb appetizers. The tuna was beautifully prepared and oh so delicious. Yum!!! The tuna was fresh and sauced perfectly. It was heaven in your mouth! I can't wait to go back for more. Just perfection! I'm not normally a fan of lamb but my friend is so we got the lamb ribs appetizer and I have to say I have become a fan of lamb. The ribs were really amazing. For our entrees we got the oxtail and the pork belly. Both just beautiful plates of food and so tasty! Dessert-get the flan. It was flantastic! Easily the best flan I have ever had. Order it please-you won't be disappointed. Love this restaurant. Our server never missed a beat, made great suggestions. The manager Aly seated us and stopped by our table to check on our experience. She was very friendly and professional. We appreciated the check in! It was a delightful dining experience. Make a reservation if you are going to the show after and give yourself some time to experience the beautiful food and superior service! Try the ube colada-super delicious and fun! read more

Food was a four. Everything was great! Drinks were pretty good. Ambbiance goregous but noone was in there. Service was very bad. Waiter was nice but had to ask where he qas several times. Would leave ans disappear and noone else working there could see or wanted to see that we needed attention. Had to literally go and ask for a server. We were sitting there for about ten minutes waiting for someone to explain the menu and serve us. Had to ask for too mucb. If you are a waiter or waitress in am empty restaurant there is no reason why you are not on the floor providing the best service you can. Although the server was nice it was definitely a strike against the place and if they cant handle 4 couples on an empty night, Id hate to see what happens if the place gets busy. read more

I have never experienced such a poorly run operation!! There were five of us with an 8pm show - we had a 6:30pm reservation knowing we would only be ordering one course and we ordered at 6:45pm. The first two entrees came out at approx. 6:55pm and the next two entrees came out HALF AN HOUR LATER at 7:25pm with the last entree following about 10 more minutes after that!! And the drinks we ordered at 6:45pm also didn't come out until HALF AN HOUR LATER after asking about them multiple times. Our server never checked with us or let us know there were issues and when we complained he got very defensive about how busy they were and that everyone wanted to get to their shows (hello, isn't that the entire point of your existence?!?!?!). We had to hunt someone down to pay the bill and sat down for our show completely stressed right at 8pm. The food was actually pretty good but I'll never risk going back to try out any of the other chefs. They've lost my business forever and will tell anyone I know to stay away. Of course they'll always have business due to the location, but they don't deserve to. read more

Just Ok. Food presented beautifully but the textures and tastes did not live up to the presentation. Glazed carrots: meh. Potstickers delicious but a puny amount. Chinese chicken salad ordinary. Too much dark green lettuce with no texture. Too much tough chewy chicken with little taste. Rice w kale and caviar had a nice taste but drowned in ropy inedible kale clumps. Mochi donut a spongy finale. The wine was good however. read more

The ambiance is very nice as located at the plaza of the music center - dorothy chandler pavilion. Maybe they had an off night but my order was originally forgotten (lamb) while my wife ate her over salted pasta. The drinks were nice and saved us. We sat at the bar. My portion finally came almost an hour later and was a bit spicy for my taste but was tender and melted my pallet. I believe we will try again during our next show next month. The management was kind and took our bar tab off and my meal off the bill. We were given some desert on the house - sugary sprinkled donuts that we had to cut with a steak knife, kinda weird. Anyways, hope the next customer will be looked after a bit more closely. read more

Went to Abernethy's for lunch today with my family. It was our first experience here. Beautiful environment, a prime location in the new Music Center Plaza next to the fountain. The decor, dishware, glassware, furniture were all very elegant. Unfortunately, our experience with the food and the service were both below expectations. First, the food: We ordered the Cecio e Pepe, Bowl of Hugs, Kale and Caviar Mixed Rice, Kung Pao Tofu and the Chicken Potstickers. The Kung Pao Tofu was probably the best among these. The Bowl of Hugs was good too but the soup came cold. the Potstickers were ok. We really did not like the Ceciio e Pepe, it tasted like lemony pepper and cream with overcooked pasta- not a good mix of flavors. Didn't get to try the Kale and Caviar Mixed Rice because apparently they ran out of Caviar today. Next, the service: Hostess was nice and our main server was nice too, but there were a couple of concerns. No one came to our table for about 15 minutes after we were seated. So we had to go to the hostess to ask for our waiter/waitress. We were actually served the Kale and Caviar Mixed Rice without the Caviar- that's a bit like serving a steak dinner without the steak. They did replace it with another dish upon our request, but I don't think they should have served it without at least letting us know that there would be no Caviar. Also, they did not serve rice with the Kung Pao tofu until we asked for it later. For such a salty and spicy dish, it should really just come with rice. Finally, no one came by to refill water or ice tea even though most of us ran out of one or the other. We are not ruling out coming back since this is such a beautiful restaurant in a great setting, but probably not until the next chef rotation, and we are hopeful that the service will improve. read more

This is now my favorite eatery before an evening at the Ahmanson. Wonderful soul food. The Mac and cheese and corn bread are "da bomb!"

Myself and my family (4) ate at Abernethy's after seeing a show at The Music Center. We were all surprised that some of the food was over salted and was not palatable at all, additionally other dishes were over seasoned and non-recognizable to consume safely. The Dancing Eggplant was tasteless and over spiced. The Kung Pao tofu was oversalted and the Cecio e Pepe noodles were unrecognizable in taste, especially the after taste which resembled a chemical bleach like taste.We were told by our waiter that the chef was still working on it. We politely asked to have our bill comped after not being able to continue eating beyond the couple of bites we each took. read more

Abernethy's is using a rotating cast of chefs. We were unlucky enough to be presented with a menu of Philippine food curated by Geter Atienza. It was awful. Fatty pork skewers, tasteless fried rice and mushrooms (3, maybe) with rice noodles. While these offerings might be acceptable as inexpensive street food, they are absolutely unacceptable at Music Center prices. read more

Amazing menu ! I really enjoyed the beyond eggrolls with the sweet Chile sauce as well as the kinilaw (tuna ), my server Aliyah was super hospitable 10/10 will be coming back to try more food read more

I came here for the first time last Friday and it was the most amazing service and great and unique menu! Definitely coming back!

I had a friend recommend this place to me if I ever saw a show on the plaza. Well today I went to see PROM and before we saw the show, we got a table (without a reservation btw)! The two host were very sweet and so accommodating. The blonde host was very sweet and recommended the tuna to us! Per her recommendation we tried it AND OMG SO GOOD! The lumpia was phenomenal, and the lemongrass Sambar was delicious. Everyone seemed to love to be there and we loved it.. will be back soon to see Oklahoma, can't wait to try that oxtail! :) read more

I stopped by this restaurant during the week and absolutely loved it! Almost everything on their menu sounded really good to me so it was hard to choose. I decided to just try the Kinilaw which was like a tuna dish & it was delicious! I'll definitely be going back & the service was great! read more

Well I was lookIng soo forward to eating here and trying the soul food. So disappointed!! It took a long long long time to get our food they told us it was because our party was 15 minutes early. One of us got his food. He loved it, devoured it. After another long 1/2 hour we got the test of our order. I got a beautiful poached egg and crab dish witH avocado . It was ice cold. Made me ill. The service , although polite, was terrible. The cocktails were watery. Also, all the people who came after us were served before us. No way were we happy. Any way, I'm nauseous. Please find this chef at his own restaurant I'm sure it will be better than this. read more

Had an amazing experience here. Scallops (special) , rice and eggplant were fantastic. Great wine list and drink list!

All around amazing. If you come you have to order the mussels and the lamb ribs. And the flan is probably the best flan ive ever had. So creamy and rich. Not to mention a great cocktail list. I had the code switch and the oasis. My server was nice and made great suggestions. Coming back with friends! read more

Every morsel was outstanding. Like you had to close your eyes and savor every bite. Beautiful setting, great service and incredible food. Loved the lamb belly, the wine, the rice pudding dessert and the heirloom carrots. Anyone posting a bad review does not appreciate good food. read more