Came as a group of 7 people where we knew that we wanted to have a bite of everything. *Note: I would probably recommend going with a group of 4 or less to have better person:bite ratio; it's recommended to order 2 dishes/person* Our server mentioned that the dishes do rotate, thus this is what we had at the end of spring/beginning of summer menu: WHAT WE ORDERED; * denotes would order again: APPETIZER - Broccolini -- bright dish! It had a good acidic component from the vinaigrette and the broccolini themselves had a good bite to them. - Market lettuce, mango -- another bright dish that was needed for health purposes. It was bright and summery and delicious. MAIN - *Croque Madame -- a table favorite; I will say we cut it into 8 slices and we felt like it was enough richness with the one bite we had. I thoroughly enjoyed how fluffy the bread was and how it soaked up the sauce - *Abalone and Bay Scallop Pot Pie -- also another favorite with the richness of the pot pie. Ample mushrooms which I thoroughly enjoyed. The puff pastry was also very flaky. The "pot pie" is more butter based so it is a rich dish. - Spaghetti Bolognese -- perfectly al dente pasta; a good bolognese but nothing to write home about for me - *Loup de Mer -- enjoyed the flaky yet tender fish that paired well with the sauces in the dish. I enjoyed that it didn't feel overly heavy, but the dish matched the thickness of the fish itself - *Pekin duck breast -- served medium rare which was perfect. I didn't get much peking flavor, but did enjoy the skin and cut of the duck breast. The french fries were also nicely seasoned. DESSERT/DRINK - Espresso martini -- I would skip. I was disappointed by the drink itself. Pandan can often have an artificial vanilla taste and that artificial taste unfortunately was the major note of the drink. It also tasted quite watery which was a disappointment - Chocolate Fondant -- a molten lava cake; nice and hot. The restaurant paces the food well so you feel satiated, however, I think I would prefer to have had things come out a little more quickly. All our mains were served one by one which led for idle hands at times. read more

Besides the toasts, all the dishes were way too salty. Also, the spaghetti noodles were undercooked and crunchy. The duck breast was tender, but then again, way too salty. The dishes are interesting ideas combining French and Japanese cuisine, but the execution was a miss. Food aside, there was a seating hiccup. We had to be seated outside, even though I indicated I'd like to be seated in the standard "indoor" room on my opentable reservation. Per the restaurant, standard includes indoor and outdoor seating together. It should be made clear on Opentable if that's the case. Their manager, I think named Patric, had wonderful service and was a pleasure to have around. I guess he was the only highlight of this restaurant lol (ironically not the food) read more

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My wife and I enjoyed the food and service here. I recommend the branzino, spaghetti bolognese with a Japanese twist, and sweet potato gratin. The croque madame was nothing special and can be made at home for a fraction of the cost. It was interesting, and likely a coincidence, that the restaurant sat all the Asian people at one side of the restaurant. Very peculiar... The fella bussing tables had WAY too much cologne on and it was overwhelming every time he came by to grab our finished plates. Our tables are too close to the neighboring tables as well so when the staff come to take orders and stuff, their butts are right in our faces. It was a bit too close for comfort at the booths and I can hear every word of the neighbor's conversations even though I didn't want to. read more

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02/20/26 Friday Dropped in a little after 5 PM and was seated immediately. We were told the tables were mostly reserved so we had about 2 hours. Bar seating would not have this restriction. We took the table outside which has cover and heat lamps so it was completely fine with us. My plate and napkin had black particles that I had to wipe off with my wet napkin... I didn't bother asking for a plate replacement. This is in order of when it came out. 8/10 Chicken Liver Mouse Toast - the berry mostarda overpowered the chicken liver. Otherwise, it tasted good. Very umami. Pretty small, like 50 cent coin sized toasts. 8/10 Pot Pie - As it was being served, the server recommended lifting the puff pastry off the little pot, squeezing + stirring in the lemon juice, and then dipping the puff pastry into the filling. The dish came out piping hot. Be careful to avoid touching the little pot. Too salty overall,because the puff pastry also had salt sprinkled and baked into the top. Abalone is on the chewier side. Scallops are perfection. Heavy on the butter, esp since the top is buttery too. 10/10 Dry-Aged Burger was super tender and not greasy. So good. The cheese paired very well with the meat. The jalepeos weren't super spicy, which I am thankful for. The fries are nothing special. 7/10 Grilled loup de mer - They did well with making the fillet very tender and not fishy tasting. Not to mention CRISPY skin! Decent size fillet too. However, the sauce was too tart and the bok choy was too salty. The total came out to be around $150 for two people before tip. The total includes a 4% fee which the state in the menu. We were pretty full, especially with all that butter and oil. Two Co-ed bathrooms. Parking is a limited, but there is street parking available. read more

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Service was impeccable! We made a reservation for 5pm and had tickets to see a show at 7pm that'd be about 30-40 minute drive to get to - so we were nervous about making it on time but really wanted to eat here. We called ahead the night before to let them know our situation - they reassured us and let us know they put a note on our reservation. We showed up the next day and were seated promptly - the host and our waiter both were so nice about having seen the notes on our reservation regarding having to leave by a certain time time make a show. Service was efficient there on and after - it was so nice to enjoy our meal without having to worry about making it on time for our show. We're so grateful for how accommodating they were! On top of outstanding service, the food was excellent! We started with the oysters (golden hour pricing 5-6pm- nearly half off regular price!) . The oysters were fresh - the ponzu mignonette and yuzu cocktail sauce were incredible - probably the tastiest cocktail sauce I've had - interestingly, tasted kinda BBQ/smoky in a way on the oyster - so good! We also got the uni/tuna toast, abalone and scallop pot pie, prawns, grilled oyster mushrooms, grilled loup de mere, and fries. All dishes were fantastic but the grilled oyster mushrooms was a standout - the mushrooms had nice grill flavor and the persillade green sauce was exceptional- bright, savory- we dipped some of our fries in it- such a scrumptious bite! We finished with crème fresh cake - delicious! To drink, we had the signet ring NA cocktail and NA panache - both were refreshing and delightful - not too sweet (which is always appreciated when it comes to NA drinks). We parked in the $5 lot across the street. There was also $12 valet. read more

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Oh hey, look, it's another already mostly finished review draft I never published from before our trip a month and a half ago... in this case, *just* before. So as the setup for why we were here and when - we just downgraded our Sapphire Reserve after they jacked up the price to a wacky $800 dollars, offset by a bunch of fiddly new annual perks, one of which was $150 off only a couple specific expensive restaurants not terribly near us, the nearest being here. Conveniently for us, the perks showed up just *slightly* before the due date on the annual fee, so obviously we had to make a reservation here and then downgraded the card afterwards. It wasn't previously on my radar, mostly due to price, but for $150 off, stackable with happy hour? That obviously changes the calculus. So as far as service - everything arrived super quickly. Like *crazy* quickly. Not so quickly you don't think they're not making it in the back, but *almost*. Every time. Great service, food-wise. Drinks-wise, they were less consistent there, at least the day I was there in December. (The $12 happy hour martini I ordered actually ended up being removed from my bill without me asking because they could tell I was confused as to why it didn't arrive until several minutes after our food when I ordered it before we started ordering food (I appreciated it but didn't *expect* it. The second drink I ordered, the *fancy* martini, did arrive almost instantly.) Food-wise, we ordered: The Croque Madame - a highlight. Super cheesy, great meat and cheese, pretty rich, actually a decent value for how filling they are. We shared one, I immediately wished we'd each gotten our own. A half-dozen happy hour oysters for $18. I'm not a big fan of oysters, but my wife is - she said they were great. 30 bucks for one fairly small piece of confit'd duck, not nearly a good deal, but it was *very* good confit'd duck. Didn't care for the base much, though, though it was a bit... muddy (not like it didn't know what it wanted to be... like it tasted a little like mud). The $30 abalone and scallop pot pie - a much better value. Definitely wish it'd been bigger, cause it was delicious, but pretty rich and full of great seafood (good abalone and scallops aren't cheap!) Also loved the puff pastry, and that it was easily separated and then dunked as desired, so we could split it. The $26 sashimi place... which yeah, was great, some of the best I've had, mostly because I don't order sushi where 6 pretty small (basically bite-sized) pieces of sashimi were $26. Quite tasty, though. They also sent out a small cookie cause we said we were celebrating our anniversary (the truth, though it was the subsequent Friday rather than the actual mid-week date.) Glad it wasn't anything heavier at that point, as that was a pretty good amount of food for 2 people. To pair with it, obviously I had the happy hour martini since we got there intentionally at the tail end of their happy hour (5-6). It was, as you'd expect, a basic martini, nothing The $18 menu "Decibel" martini - gorgeous. I *am* the target audience for $18 fancy martinis, once it isn't happy hour, especially when Chase subsidized the first $150 of our meal. It was very good. Perfect sweet/savory balance. As a cocktail nerd - a standout. Only reason I'm giving it 4/5 is because, while everything was great, it is all pretty expensive, unless Chase is subsidizing a bunch of it. I could totally see coming back just for a Croque Madame and a happy hour martini as a slight splurge, though, if I happened to be in the area. read more

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Honestly, I only discovered this place because it was on my credit card's Reserve dining credit list. Come pull up to the location, and realized they took over the spot of another French restaurant that was Church & State. Camelia has done more than just fill their shoes, but replaced it with Christian Louboutins. I'm weighing 5 stars here, mostly on service. Everyone, and I mean everyone, their whole team from valet, to hostess, to waitress, busboy, and even the floor manager were all so very generous from start to finish. It really brings to mind the last 4-episodes of Grand Maison Tokyo, the J-drama starring Kimu-Taku (member of SMAP, voted Japan's sexiest man for 15 years, and Im Yoona's of Girls Generation's ideal type) where a team of disgraced French-Japanese chefs come back together on the road to attaining "mitsuboshi" (3-Michelin stars). I could practically hear the angels playing Yamashita Tatsuro's "Recipe" ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-3ManAlBS0 ) as our meal was wrapping up. All while every table in the joint was filled for a packed Saturday night. I really can't fault anything on the menu. Cocktails are well-crafted, and spot on. Oysters are clean satisfying, whether straight raw, or ponzu vinaigrette. If you like french fries cooked in duck fat, then these are a prime example. Though I realize, I tend to prefer fries cooked in beef tallow or clarified butter for a richer texture and aroma. Duck fat as a cooking medium doesn't exactly make the fries as crisp, and the flavor is more neutral - which allows the dipping sauces like the curry ketchup and the mustard aioli to stand out more. The ahi tuna tartare and uni toast... $28 for two bites. Luxurious, primal, sensually lustful bites. It'll make your eyes roll like being in mid-orgasm. How do some influencers put it? Yummylicious foodgasm? But only 2 bites. The stand out dish of night for me was the abalone bay scallop and mushroom pot pie. The pastry puff is super light, airy, flakier than that friend that always cancels on you. Buttery, old world richer than Warren Buffet. Using abalone and scallops, fellow mollusks in the place of escargot is quite brilliant, while that rustic, savory snail butter sauce goes nuclear on any sense of modesty within you from licking every last drop remaining off the bowl. Our sweetheart of a waitress, Janine (and her heart chakra vibration oozes every bit of sweetheart, the kind that is very loving, giving, self-sacrificing, but not to the point where she'll be a doormat to some ungrateful bitch-ass), she got the kitchen to provide an extra pot pie puff pastry for us. The branzino, on the menu as loup de mer is really quite lovely. Crispy skin, gentle white flesh. Jazzed up with ponzu sauce using oroshi/grated daikon as a sauce delivery medium. Delicious and healthy, the kind the aspiring centenarian orders. The duck breast is also very hearty, meaty. The bearnaise really makes the dish, and I actually really loved the Kyoto red carrots that accompanies it. Maybe the most impressive French duck dish I've had by far in my life... but not enough to pry me away preferring your garden variety $38 whole roast Cantonese duck at the local Sam Woo BBQ, or an order of Peking duck. That's just a matter of my personal taste. Their dessert menu does seem to revolve out for seasonal changes, but I was hoping to try their Castella Pudding. The yuzu tart is pretty good though, if you like citrus type desserts. The berry cream with white sesame pralines were okay, but I felt like it was missing something to give it more impact. As if my inner voice was channeling Stark, asking: "was the Jumbo Berry Special always this small?!" Valet is $12. The parking lot across the street is $5/hour. Something to consider if you want to math up how long you'll spend dinner here. read more

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I celebrated my birthday month at Camelia and it was such a lovely dining experience. I've always wanted to try French and Japanese fusion, so this spot had been on my list for a while. The branzino was the standout of the night. Perfectly seared with crispy skin and tender flaky fish, served over greens with a bright ponzu daikon sauce that brought everything together. Every bite was light, balanced, and really flavorful. We also tried the duck. While it wasn't my favorite dish of the night, the presentation was beautiful and it was still nicely prepared. We started with oysters during happy hour and there was a small mix up where the kitchen initially brought a dozen instead of the half dozen included in the special. They caught it and fixed it right away. Our server Janine was attentive, friendly, and handled everything smoothly. They also surprised us by comping the yuzu dessert, which was such a refreshing citrusy finish and a really sweet birthday month touch. Mistakes can happen anywhere, but what stood out was how graciously the team handled everything. Great service from Janine, thoughtful dishes, and an amazing branzino. I'm looking forward to coming back. read more

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We recently tried Camelia and it was a flavor journey! I was so exited to try their take on French and Asian flavors. We went on a Saturday night at 7:30pm. It was definitely busy and I imagine it would have been difficult to walk in with a reservation. When we were seated it took some time for us to get our order started, but it was a very busy night. Our waitress Rebecca was awesome and super attentive through the evening. We ordered a little bit of everything and all of the plates are shareable which makes this good for a group of 2-4 people! The menu does change periodically so some of these items may not be available! Our order in included: - Japanese black sesame rolls - 1/2 dozen oysters - shima aji sashimi - market lettuces - king oyster mushrooms - spaghetti bolognese - grilled pekin duck breast The standouts of the night were the rolls, market lettuces, oyster mushrooms and the duck breast. The duck breast had AMAZING flavors, a beautifully crispy skin, and a juicy bite. The fries were the perfect side to soak up the remaining bernaise sauce. It was a bit of a smaller portion so if sharing definitely get at least 1 more entree. Can't wait to go back and try the steak au poivre an sweet potatoes gratin. read more

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I wanted to try this restaurant as a French / Japanese restaurant sounds amazing but it just doesn't live up to it. We didn't have a reservation so we waited for an hour and half which was fine. The hostess set the expectation well and since we wanted to try this restaurant we decided to wait. Once we got seated the waiter was ready to take our order. After asking for a few more minutes we finally ordered ... and ordered an additional appetizer because our server said our dishes would take awhile. Not 5-10 min later one of our main dishes was delivered to our table and a few minutes after the appetizer. Surprised that our dish came early we decided to begin eating and sharing the dish and side. Once we were finished our server came back and started to clear the table and asked if we were ready for desert - not knowing that our table never received our final dish. Needless to say we didn't have a good experience for what was supposed to be considered a good restaurant. The food was alright but the service doesn't match up. read more

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Excellent choice of food items with even better quality! Every dish has a unique, fine taste from the mini uni bluefin tuna toasts to the abalone pot pie. Highly reccomend visiting for a fancy happy hour with friends after work! Service is friendly and ambiance is upscale lounge vibes. read more

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Absolutely wonderful restaurant with exceptional service and mind blowing food. Our dear friends celebrated a birthday here and I was open to the experience after reading reviews here and Open Table... French and Japanese cuisine that is known for blowing the palettes and the minds of their customers. We ordered a variety of appetizers and entrees, desserts, and sampled cocktails, enjoyed a bottle of wine we brought, as well as a bottle recommended by a sweet gentleman at the restaurant (I cannot recall his name). Food was absolutely delicious, from textures to flavors. I regret not writing this immediately after going because I cannot recall what I ordered. Overall, wonderful experience. Thank you, Camelia! Until next time! read more

Camelia is a French restaurant with Japanese inspired dishes situated in the arts district of DTLA. I very much enjoyed the creativity of each dish and the ambiance of the space. Staff was also friendly and helpful when explaining each dish. My standout was the Spaghetti Bolognese which was savory, rich and umami. read more

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If I went to Whole Foods and bought all the ingredients from scratch, I would probably have whipped up a tastier version of the chefs menu in a single evening to be very honest. Not sure what everyone at Camelia is raving about, unless it's the classic Arts District interior vibes or the bartender service, which was on point (thanks Kevin)! Each dish progressively got worse and it didn't start at good in the first place. The chicken pate bites tasted like someone took out a large scoop from the chicken liver pate from the Whole Foods fridge and then slapped it on a piece of undercooked bread. The tuna bite was a jarring, and very, not fresh mouthful of sashimi topped in wasabi plus a random piece of undercooked bread. Every dish after that was a struggle to get through. To be quite honest, I don't remember any of them anymore except the pain that it took to get through the bites. I do remember the Uni pasta I'm wondering how such a tiny piece of Uni could be the namesake of the dish. After struggling through the onion rings with steak, which was overcooked and extremely unappetizing, fit more for an amateur's attempt at preparing meat, the meal ended on a dull note with yuzu tart. The set menu is a low $115 but honestly, pay more for a real set menu or save your money and just get an a la carte entree to save your stomach if you must eat here. All I can say is, save yourself and run over to Bavel, which pretty much guarantees to be a better meal than here. Only reason this even gets any positive mention and 1 star (because this place should get 0 if it existed) is because of Kevin's excellent service and manners, keeping my hot water cup filled and apologizing for the very slow wait between dishes. read more

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We rarely trek all the way to the Arts District for dinner (because... LA), but when we do, we try to make it count. And Camélia definitely made it worth the drive. We snagged seats at the chef's counter, which sounds very exciting and theatrical. In reality... we did not actually see any chefs. Not a single sauté pan in motion. It may have just been the empty pastry station we were staring at all night lol. So if you're going for dinner and a show, just know the "show" might be more interpretive. That said -- Patrick took amazing care of us and fully made up for the lack of culinary live action. Elite vibes, super knowledgeable, and generous with wine tastes. The sesame roll? Obsessed. Paired with that French butter that melts instantly like it has no responsibilities? Unreal. I would've happily just eaten bread and butter and called it a night. The chicken liver pâté nearly shocked me when it arrived because... she tiny. Like comically tiny. But wow -- rich, smooth, and packed with flavor. Small but mighty queen. The chicory salad was... a journey. Bitter, spicy, sweet, sour -- my taste buds were in a full-blown group chat argument. I appreciate the ambition, but I'm still on the fence. Now the duck? Absolutely divine. Main character energy. Perfectly cooked, deeply flavorful, zero complaints. The fries though... meh. And the ketchup had paprika in it?? I respect the creativity, but sometimes Heinz just needs to Heinz. The sweet potato baked dish was a sleeper hit -- cheesy, cozy, decadent deliciousness. Would order again in a heartbeat. Wine selection was fantastic, prices were definitely on the higher side, but hey -- it's LA and it was Valentine's Day weekend. We emotionally prepared. read more

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Went here for the first time for a girls night and it was a great experience! At first we weren't sure about the "fusion" element but everything we got was delicious. The server had great recommendations and was super kind and attentive. The chicken liver mousse on toast was delicious and our favorite was the pot pie and Uni risotto. We were seated outside at a small table for two where the lights were low and we had just enough privacy. Definitely going back! read more

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The food, vibes, and service here are great, its just a tiny bit pricey for what it is; however, if you have a Chase Sapphire Reserve card, you can use your dining credit here and that makes this place worth a visit! I ordered the following in my visit: Flame Seared Japanese Madai Sashimi Uni & Bluefin Tuna Toast (really good small bites) Chicken Liver Mousse Toast (really good small bites) Hokkaido Uni Pasta (a little al dente, which I liked) Oyster on the half-shell read more

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I've been hearing good things about Camelia, a French/Japanese spot DTLA's art district so I decided to come here with a friend. We ordered a bunch of dishes to try: Black sesame parker house rolls with house-cured ikura Grilled oyster mushrooms Abalone and bay scallop pot pie Hokkaido uni pasta Grilled pekin duck breast Sweet potato gratin Matcha yuzu tart The best dishes of the night were the abalone and bay scallop pot pie and grilled oyster mushrooms. Definitely take a moment to admire how tall the puff pastry is. The seafood in the pot pie filling is so savory and the seafood is so fresh, we can't stop eating it. Something about grilling the oyster mushroom - it brings out so much flavor and the sauce was a perfect compliment. Overall the food was tasty. Though I feel like the food and menu has good intention but some execution and combination is a bit off. For example, the uni pasta is mostly buttery. It didn't have much uni flavor. The duck fat bearnaise was too heavy with the duck breast that has a fatty skin already. We added house-cured ikura to the black sesame parker house rolls that's additional $15. We didn't taste much sesame flavor and the ikura flavor was too fishy for the rolls. It was a packed house on a Friday night. Even with reservation we waited half an hour to be seated at a table outside. Service was a bit slow so we were late for the 2 hour self parking lot. The space is read more

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Very nice French Japanese restaurant. Love the food. We tried the $114 chef menu, but does not seem enough. So we ordered the roll and pot pie extra. Love most of the dishes read more

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I was excited to try Camelia after hearing all the hype. I finally made reservations for one rainy night! It's small and cozy inside, and the tables are pretty close together. They also have a patio with heaters. With the reservations, we still had to wait about 10-15 minutes, and after we were seated, it was a while before anyone came to take our order. We ordered the bluefin tuna toast, market salad, abalone and bay scallops pot pie, and the branzino. The bluefin tuna toast was tasty but pricey for such a small bite. Market salad tasted light and fresh with the apples, walnuts and calamansi vinaigrette. I wish they put onions in the description though, because I don't like onions and it altered the taste for me. The pot pie was really good! It was my favorite dish of the night. Loved the flaky puff pastry on top, and the buttery sauce. It does get a little heavy though so it's best to share! Branzino was tasty, but nothing really special about it. Also, there is a 4% fee added to your bill and tax on top of it. Overall, food was pretty good but aside from the pot pie, nothing really stood out. And service was just okay. The staff is cordial, but service was slow. We ran out of water and didn't have anyone come by for a while for us to ask for a refill. Parking is either valet or street. read more

Camelia - Scallop and abalone pot pie - French Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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All food was delicious! We decided to order separately from the menu instead of the set menu so we could try different items from the set menu. We had a table of 7 and we ordered about 10 items which is more than enough since you can order drinks and desserts later. Our server was attentive and explained the menu well. The restaurant was clean and airy which was nice. I suggest using the valet parking since it's $12 instead of the $5 hourly rate at nearby parking spots. read more

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I really enjoyed my dinner here. The standout dishes were the bay scallop and abalone pot pie and the uni risotto. The duck and chicken entrees and black sesame rolls and rice and French fries were all quite good too. Drinks wise enjoyed the sake and cocktails selection. General service was attentive but it took awhile to find our server after she took our order and we wanted a second round of drinks. Lovely space. It felt welcoming and cozy with a good vibe. read more

Got reservations thru open table for camellia as French and Japanese are one of my two favorite cuisines! Unfortunately it gets busy and we got a late dinner reservation, we were promptly seated at 845 however by time of order and getting our food it took almost 30 min or more. Our waitress was really nice tho and she said their system were down so took awhile for the order to come in coz a couple next to us half an hour after we were seated got their food even before us. Now after reading their reviews this is fairly common for this place As far as food, we got their abalone pot pie, branzino and the grilled duck breast. All were delicious and solid options. This place is however on the pricier side. Got 3 items and 1 hot sake drink for over $200 for two people. Worth checking perhaps one time, not sure if we would be back read more

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The food here is good, but the pricing is hard to justify. The puff pastry was the best part of the entire meal--perfectly flaky and easily the standout dish. We also had the uni pasta, duck, and the sweet potato side. All three were delicious and well-made, but definitely overpriced for what you get. The sweet potato got overwhelming and this was when I wished they just made it as a regular potato dish to eat with the duck. The pairing was just off balanced. The drinks were a disappointment. They were basic and definitely not worth $20+ each. Definitely would not come back. read more

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This is a French Japanese fusion restaurant located in the Art District DTLA. Street parking is very difficult to find. There is valet parking available at the entrance on the side of the street. We opted to park at a paid lot right across the street ($5/hour) and you must pay upfront (can choose from 1 hour, 2 hours, etc ). Warning!! the parking spaces are very COMPACT. If you have a bigger car, I would try valet parking instead. We made a dinner reservation for friday night on opentable and we still had to wait about 30 mins before we were seated. They were very busy , do expect a slight wait on peak nights. The ambiance is very nice w/ an open kitchen and the decor sets the tone. There are both indoor and outdoor seatings with heat lamps + throws for you in case it's cold. There is a pre-set menu you can order from, but all parties must order the same set menu. The food and the flavor was very impressive and flavorful. Since this is a French culinary, there will be LOTS LOTS of BUTTER, but it's so yummy. What we ordered: - Decibel Martini 10/10 - Main ingredients are Shochu, Haku vodka, French vermouth, hint of lychee. The lychee gave it a good kick (Im a huge lychee fan). This martini was served with a sidecar (a drink refill nestled in a small bowl of ice to keep the cocktail cold.). - Grilled oyster mushroom 10/10 - MUST ORDER!! Wooow, hands down the best mushroom appetizer I've ever had. The flavor was so good that I want to order another one. - Abalone and bay scallop pot pie 10/10 - MUST ORDER!! This pot pie surprised me. They didn't skimp out on the abalone and scallop ingredients. The flaky crust topper was perfection. - Parker House Rolls w/ Ikura 6/10 - will not order again. No black sesame flavor, although the rolls were fluffy. The butter was bland. The ikura is not worth the add'l $15, I don't know if the Ikura flavor goes with the rolls. - Uni pasta 6/10 - will not order again. There were a few tiny uni pieces at the top. The pasta texture was slightly hard , not al dente . Not much flavor except salt and butter. - Duck breast frites 9/10 - One of the best duck breast I've had. Very juicy, tender, medium-rare-ish duck breast with the brown sauce. I wasn't a fan of the duck fat bearnaise , I think it was way too rich for me. The carrots were really good. French Fries was 9/10 too ! - Sweet potato gratin 8/10 - this dish was good, the sweet potato with miso butter was pretty tasty. - yuzu matcha tart 10/10 - very good crust with a balanced flavor of yuzu and matcha. I think my palette was very tarty towards the 2nd half of it but I still managed to eat it all because it was very good. Overall, it was an amazing meal and I would definitely return again to try other dishes. It was a great dining experience. read more

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I discovered Camelia while I was browsing Yelp looking for a restaurant around downtown LA and was interested in the idea of a French Japanese fusion restaurant. I was able to make a reservation just a few days before the desired day. We arrived a bit before our dinner reservation and had bar seating. We asked if we'd be able to change to a table but there was no availability, and even on a rainy Sunday night, Camelia proved popular- by 7, pretty much every table was full. The ambiance here is dark and chic. It reminded me much more of a restaurant in NYC or Paris rather than LA. Camellia describes itself as a French Japanese bistro, and their menu options reflect that. I found the menu to lean more French in its offerings. We ordered several dishes, including the black sesame Parker house rolls, spaghetti bolognese, abalone and scallop pot pie, and potato gratin. I enjoyed every single thing we ordered. I saw in reviews that people raved about the spaghetti bolognese, so I suggested that my husband order that. He enjoyed it too, though I wouldn't say that this is a must-order dish. My scallop and abalone pot pie was delicious. The seafood came in a buttery sauce and the top of the pie was a flaky pastry crust that paired well with the seafood. The sweet potato gratin was cheesy and excellent. I should add that all of food tasted rather decadent, and we left feeling stuffed. We couldn't leave without dessert, and ended the meal with a cheesecake, which was also very good. Both of us were happy with our meal and it's a place I'll look forward to returning to. read more

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We hit up Camélia for my birthday dinner and it was a beautiful dining experience. Food coma after! Where you sit really matters. Unfortunately we sat outside and the vibes were not the same. I'd try to sit inside if possible. The interior is very nice and I love the open kitchen concept. We kicked off dinner with drinks. The Gimlet is solid. We ordered the bread rolls, market lettuce, spaghetti bolognese, New York steak, and the sweet potato gratin. I enjoyed everything minus the spaghetti bolognese and I know this is an unpopular opinion! I just don't know how to feel about seaweed in my pasta. The bread rolls were some of the best I've had and the French butter takes it to a whole other level. Fluffy perfection. The market lettuce was also a nice surprise and I loved the walnuts for the nutty crunch. A lot of their dishes are on the heavier side here so a salad was a nice and refreshing add. New York steak was very high quality presentation was top tier! Sweet potato gratin is another must order- it's unique and tastes like cheesy guyere perfection. This pairs well with the steak. Overall I enjoyed the French-Japanese take on their dishes and we need more innovation like this at other restaurants in LA! read more

I've been wanting to try this place ever since I peeked in shortly after they opened during an Arts District staycation I did awhile ago. Partners Charles Namba (chef) and Courtney Kaplan (wine and sake director) have a well-regarded culinary history; he brings French influences and technique to his Japanese background. The restaurant occupies a ground floor space in the historic National Biscuit Company building, which has been converted into lofts. The space has been at least 2 different restaurants in the past. You may be able to find street parking in the area, or they have a valet. The space is pretty with an open kitchen on one end and a bar on the other. There is a large outdoor patio also. I initially booked planning to try the short Golden Hour (5-6 pm) menu, which at one time featured a soft-shell crab sandwich as well as oysters and fries. The sandwich was briefly replaced with an oyster po' boy, but now only has the oysters and fries. Thus I was planning to order off the regular menu, but was also presented with a Chef's Set List that looked interesting and had good value, so I chose that. It was the best introduction to a variety of plates I was interested in. The Set menu included: Bluefin tuna toast, Chicken liver mousse toast, Grilled kabocha squash, Uni pasta, Loup de mer, Hanger steak au poivre, Yuzu tart. Every dish was delish, with my favourites being both the toasts, the pasta and the steak. I was today years old when I learned loup de mer and branzino are the same fish! One is the French name and the other the Italian name. I hope to return because there are dishes on the regular menu I'd still like to try, like the Croque Madame, Abalone and scallop pot pie, Grilled Pekin duck breast and the burger. read more

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Service is OK, ambience is nothing special, I don't feel the right vibes for the price that I pay. Food mediocre, this restaurant needs to work more on hygene and food quality. The appetizer (uni tuna toast) had hair in it, I had to ask the kitchen to make a new one. The spaghetti was way undercook, I know it's italian style and sometimes the spaghetti is supposed to be a little hard, but mine was way undercooked and I couldn't chew. This restaurant also automatically adds 4% for what they call to support the competitiveness and to pay for their employees' benefits. I found this is ridiculous, even though, we can ask servers to remove the 4%. But this is a mind game, it puts customers in awkward situation if we ask to remove the 4% in this so-called "fine dining" setting, everyone else around will look at us like "cheap". But yah, I totally dislike this ridiculous 4% read more

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I just had this amazing place and it was a great experience Service is great and knowledgeable Ambience is just perfect in a old building adapted to their and our needs Food is excellent but the Croque Madame stole the night I can eat a thousand of those Definitely I would recommend this place read more

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Parking- street or valet ($12 as of 11/25) Best to go with a party of 3+ as tables for two aren't in the best spots in the restaurant (ie risk of seating by the bathroom). For a night that easily tops $200+ for two, a bathroom adjacent table isn't ideal. The meal itself was great! Highly recommend the duck breast, spaghetti bolognese, pot pie,and the rolls. Their martini is not to be missed. Our server was attentive at first but rarely checked on us towards the end of our meal. Our plates arrived early in quick sequence, but my main was poorly timed (and slightly rarer than I'd expect a duck breast). read more

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Made a reservation here for an early dinner before a movie. Got there a bit early and was able to find nearby parking spot on the street. Otherwise there is valet available. We arrived at opening hour, 5 pm and since many others were there too the entire team came out to help seat guests quickly. The two of us were sat toward the back near the corner near the bar. The hosts were very helpful when it came to the menu. For two people we started with the sashimi and chicken liver. The sashimi was paired with a delicious sweet ginger sauce and apples. The chicken liver with jam on a puff pastry type of bread was also very memorable! Then we moved to the uni pasta, cooked al dente and fresh. The sauce was delicious but not overwhelming rich. We were then served the branzino which had a great crunchy skin texture and delicious flavor with the greens. Our last dish was the duck breast with fries. Delicious and fatty duck breast was very memorable! Lastly we had the mochi ice cream dessert which was banana sorbet and chocolate Ice cream. The place itself is very warm and inviting, kind of had this seventies furniture vibes with the wicker chairs and building. Really enjoyed our meal here, definitely recommend! read more

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Have a lovely dining experience at Camelia. I made a reservation for 5pm. We showed up 10 mins early and there was a line because they had not opened yet. All of the food we had was delicious and flavored just right. Dishes we ordered: - sesame Parker house rolls - spaghetti bolognese - croque madame - sweet potato gratin - market salad - yukimi daifuku - matcha yuzu custard tart - soba-cha read more

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Contrary to some of the reviewers who thought Camelia was subpar, I thought it was fantastic. Had a 7:30p Thursday night reservation and was seated promptly upon arrival. The vibe is intimate yet casual and trendy all at once. From beginning to end, we were delivered A+ service from our server and the additional wait staff. Ordered the seasonal salad, crudo, spaghetti bolognese, uni pasta, and cheesecake and each item accomplished what we were after. The salad was a tasty mix of fresh greens with differing textures, the crudo paired well with the shaved pear and ginger, both pasta dishes were realllly tasty but the uni pasta was a homerun for us, and the cheesecake toffee genmaica ice cream was the perfect close to the meal. We were extremely content with the service, food, and ambiance. Really appreciate the fine attention to detail the restaurant prioritizes; the daily menu with the staff and their names made the dining experience more personal. Thanks Camelia for the lovely evening. read more

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Camelia is an absolutely stunning French-Japanese bistro and one of the best dining experiences I've had in the Arts District. Every dish was beautifully executed and full of flavor. The Uni & Bluefin Tuna Toast was an instant favorite, fresh, balanced, and truly memorable. The Chicken Liver Mousse Toast with apricot jam was rich and delicious, and the Grilled Kabocha Squash with burrata and charred miso was incredible. But the star of the night? The Grilled Pekin Duck. Perfectly cooked, insanely tender, and paired with a duck-fat béarnaise that took it to another level. I finished with the Cotton Cheesecake, which was light, creative, and the perfect sweet ending. The vibe is elegant yet relaxed, service is outstanding, and the space feels like a hidden gem in the Arts District. Perfect for date night, celebrations, or anyone who loves elevated dining. read more

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A true 4.5 experience, the space is very cool if a bit odd that they were playing a lot of top-40 hits. Foodwise, it started off really strong but the mains were a bit underwhelming compared to the starters which is only reason this is not a 5. Best items: oyster mushrooms, chicken liver mousse, croque madame, french fries Skippable: uni risotto, hanger steak; these were still good but just not quite as good as the others. read more

Chic restaurant in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. Parking was a bit challenging, and valet is $12. The service was warm and attentive, with staff taking the time to thoroughly explain the menu. The food was decent overall, though many dishes leaned on the salty side. I especially enjoyed the chicken liver mousse toast, although my friend felt the bread tasted slightly stale. Overall, I'm glad I had the chance to try it, but it's probably not at the top of my list for a return visit. read more

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This place has been bookmarked for the longest time but after reading all the mixed reviews about the quality of the food, I wasn't sure if it would be worth going BUT hubby insisted we give it try bc after all, everyone's palates are different so we dined here last weekend on a Sunday to celebrate Valentine's Day. We made reservations in advance & only had to wait 5 minutes. We sat outside the patio which I didn't mind at all. It wasn't too cold but they offered me a blanket to cover myself in case I get cold & there was a heater behind us as well. I read reviews where people had to wait a long time to get seated or that service was slow. This was not the case for us. The place was packed that evening but service was great & attentive & no long wait times for our food to be served. Quality of food was excellent & I think the portion size wasn't too small for 2 people to share. In fact, we ended up taking the duck & the fish home bc we got full. We ordered: Sashimi Moriawase came in assorted sashimi-super fresh & melted in our mouth. Chawamushi- the steamed egg custard was so soft & light. It was served with abalone & cavier. Absolutely delicious Uni risotto wasn't overly buttery or too heavy. The portion was perfect amount for 2 people to share. Grilled peckin duck breast was our favorite dish of the night. Duck was seasoned & cooked perfectly. Flavor was deep & the texture was very tender. Loved the carrots. Didn't think the fries on the side were necessary though. Grilled loup de mer was surprisingly served pretty big. The ponzu sauce was salty on the fish but the fish itself was flakey & cooked well. As for drinks, we brought our own wine which we saved for a special occasion. Corkage was $35. I'd like to come back to try their other items on the menu. read more

Camelia - French Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I took my partner here to celebrate his birthday and was pretty excited to try a French Japanese restaurant. The service was great as well as the ambiance of the restaurant-5 stars. However the food was a bit mediocre, nothing special with the exception of the sweet potato gratin. A couple of the dishes were on the salty side which we had informed the server about, she respectfully apologized and let the kitchen know. They also provided us a free dessert as means to acknowledge our opinion of the food--great customer service! Over all it was a nice place to try but don't see myself itching to return. read more

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This is a great looking place, but the seats were not at all comfortable. Our feet didn't fit under the bulky scroll leg table. Cocktails were good, and the bartender was great to make a specialty drink at my wife's request. Decible Martini is pretty great! Disappointing wines by the glass, but I did find a decent Gamay. Food was a mixed bag. Uni & Blue Fin Tuna Toast was a huge disappointment and we could not taste any uni. 2 small bites for $25 was a fleecing, and not at all worth it. Chicken Liver Toast was much better, but the portion was also minuscule. These items felt more like an amuse than an app. Uni Pasta had good flavors and pasta was done perfectly, but uni was practically non-exixtent. Croque Madame was excellent and probably our favorite dish of the night. Odd presentation that was like an upscale chipped beef (with ham, of course) and an egg yolk on top. We also tried the Burger and it was very good. Too much bun for me, but flavors were good. The Fries were covered with entirely too much salt, but the curry ketchup was very tasty. Got a mochi dessert that was one chocolate (too hard) and one whiskey (tasted just like vanilla) ice cream. Really not at all worth it and the server very nicely took it off our check. Service was good, overall, but it was a little odd. Including the hostess and a brief visit to the bar where we talked to one bartender, we interacted with 7 staff, 6 at our table. Biggest disappointment was no mention of our Anniversary that we indicated in our booking notes. They obviously saw it as they mentioned they could not accomodate our specific table request, so it really felt like an intentional slight. Whatever, just disappointing. We would not return, but I am sure people can find things to like about the place. read more

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