Happy hour menu is all I needed! Amazing prices & quality food! Absolutely recommend this place.

I love the food here. The skirt steak is absolutely delicious. They have an amazing happy hour and the food is great. We love Mario T the bartender. He is so attentive and gives excellent service and recommendations. Mario has hooked us to coming to Charcoal and we love it. It's a wonderful place with wonderful service. read more

It was a good dinner. Not great and was pricey. With so many great restaurants in Los Angeles now good just isn't good enough for me. I do have friends that like it here a lot and are surprised by my lackadaisical review. read more

so if it was not for Jessica the bartender, i would always come to this amazing place, so i been there many times and Eric the bartender who is fast and sweet is great for this place! this person Jessica was rude and a B***h! and i'm never this vocal! if I was a manager, I would fire her!!' i'm never coming back! i've never had a horrible experience in my life and it made me never wanna go back! read more

Tasty but pricey for happy hour. Fries are 14 bucks.. their mushrooms are about 7 but also half the regular priced size. I hate when restaurants do this. I say skip it for happy hour and save it for the special occasion that these places are good for. Service was very attentive. read more

First time ever doing a review, this place blew me away. Made me download this app! Perfect food, service, and environment. Unbelievable pork, carrots, and potato's. Desert was just as good. If you're in the area, GO! Unbelievable! read more

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Loved the Thanksgiving feast. Cabbage Baked in Embers, Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Cake, Turkey, stuffing, whipped potatoes, prime rib, sunchoke soup, beet and mushroom tartare, radicchio salad, pumpkin pie, apple pie, pecan pie, coffee. Friendly service. Easy handicap parking and handicap access. Nice setting - not too loud, well decorated. Such fun! read more

Charcoal Venice - Thanksgiving festivities - New American Near Me - Venice, California

Our dinner experience at Charcoal left a lot to be desired. We ordered the char-grilled cabbage, the calamari, a bison ribeye, a prime beef ribeye and steak fries . The cabbage arrived 2 minutes after being ordered and the calamari about 5 minutes later. Then we waited, and waited, and waited, and waited--for 45 minutes--for the steaks and fries to arrive. Numerous times we inquired about the status of the order, only to be assured that it would be out "in two minutes". The quality of the food is ok-to-good. --The char-grilled cabbage is unusual, but good. --The calamari was ordinary at best. --The two steaks were ok, certainly not worth the price and definitely not worth the 45 minutes wait. --The steak fries were ordinary. --The chocolate peanut butter cake was the best dish of the meal. The restaurant is either badly understaffed or very disorganized. There seemed to be only one waiter for the entire patio. Other tables joined us in vying for his attention. One group of diners brought two dogs, one of which barked throughout the meal, while its owners and the restaurant management did nothing. Charcoal wants to be an upscale steakhouse. The only thing upscale about it are its prices, which are not justified by the quality of the food or the service. read more

This is THE spot. Can't go wrong at happy hour. The cabbage is one of the best things I've ever had in my life. A little noisy, but adds to the charm of the restaurant. read more

Great spot to eat, the food here is great and the service is always good. The service is great and I like the dimmed lights. I took off a star because you can only order off the happy hour menu if you're sitting at the bar. Which is ridiculous because it's so good, it's just really annoying. read more

Charcoal Venice - New American Near Me - Venice, California

Decided to visit for Dine LA's restaurant week. So glad we made the trek to Venice. We arrived a little early, so we were offered to wait at the bar and that we did! We opted for an Old Fashion and were impressed with the large selection of top shelf whiskeys. Eric, our bartender, was terrific. The restaurant style is modern and comfortable. The aroma of the charcoal adds to the pleasant ambiance. Our Server Alex and busboy Antonio provided exceptional service. We were provided the Dine LA menu and the regular menu. We opted for appetizers of the main. Appetizers: Yellowfin tuna tarte was light and refreshing, the cucumbers and cream fresh were n perfect balance with the citrus vinaigrette and avocado. Grilled calamari with green beans were exceptional and done without the usual bulky breading. Dine LA Menu: It was a 5-course menu of pure delight. I loved the Hamachi, baked cabbage, refreshing salad. The petite filet was seasoned perfectly and done to our rare specification. Chilean sea bass awesome. Vegetables were delicious. The dessert was a bit simple and not remarkable. We opted to wine to pair with our dinner. While there were some higher end selections, our first choice was not available. They do have a wine list, but it could use some higher end options. Overall, our evening was exceptional. Mainly in part to the outstanding service. We were afforded the opportunity to pace our menu with our wine selections so we did not feel rushed as can sometimes occur for a Dine LA event. read more

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Superb service. Enjoyed our meal. We had American Wagyu steak, seasonal veggies, sea bass, smashed potatoes and a Caesar salad. Good music playlist. read more

Br Bites Hour I decided to try the Bar bites and the Glass Off Specials they have between 930 pm and 10 pm. The Canernet was great. I had chicken and steak skewers, both very tasty Then the bar bite special burger. It was tasty as well! I'm full lol. Eric was a very personable friendly creative bartender. I miss this place. I certainly with my daughter and her husband Alex DePue for my birthday October 1st I had the strip sirloin cooked on coals and their wonderfulbaked potato. My son-in-lawpassed away in Januaryin an accident and I miss his dearly. He was a wonderful person and an extraordinary fiddler. Look him up!!! I will always treasure this place for the beautiful memories of thst evening. I'm a Marina Del Rey resident so I am close by. I'm going to try their new weekend BRUNCH soon! read more

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Our server Al.... Something? Was amazing! He went through the whole experience with us and helped with special recommendations. Having only been there for HH we didn't know the full extent of menu. Let's just say it was mouth watering and the cocktails were great too. Living local makes this our new favorite spot!!! read more

Charcoal Venice - Bison, New York strip and the wagyu! - New American Near Me - Venice, California

This place is great. It's a little bit noisy, it but doesn't take away from the experience. Our server was super polite and checked back on us often. One of the menu items that made me want to try this place were the lamb ribs. I have never seen these at any other restaurant. If you like lamb, it is a must try. That is listed as an appetizer, but it is surprisingly filling. For Entrees, I have two suggestions which are both excellent. If you are in the mood for steak, I would get the skirt steak with a side of roasted wild mushrooms. If in the mood for seafood, I suggest an order of prawns with the tagliatelle pasta. Having both makes for a nice Scampi pasta type dish. read more

Charcoal was a great experience. The ambiance wasn't great. We had to walk through the kitchen to get to the outdoor seating, which I would not recommend. The server was great, and extremely knowledgeable. However, the service was disproportionately spread out. We had to wait more than 20 minutes in between our second and third course. The food was the highlight. The tuna tartare and baked potato were not that great, I wouldn't recommend them. The oysters weren't that great either, disappointing coming from a place near the water. The collard greens salad, grilled cabbage, and grilled calamari were fantastic and I'd highly recommend you try them. The steaks were amazing. The skirt steak and filet were delicious, and they had a variety of sauces to go along with it. We also loved the broccolini Overall, charcoal is great and a place worth trying if you're in the Venice area. It's expensive, but justified. I would definitely recommend getting a reservation! read more

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Conflicted on where to rate this restaurant. I rounded up to 4 stars but sometimes it feels like it deserves less than that. We have been regulars of this place (mainly for brunch) for 2+ years. It definitely isn't the same as it was previously. I find the prices to be very overpriced for the quality at this point. Brunch use to always be consistent but almost always one item is off now. We also came for dinner for the first time last week and while the filet, short ribs & other meats were amazing- we didn't enjoy the drinks or a lot of our sides. I will say I love their iced tea but that isn't enough reason to get super excited :) Service can be hit or miss depending on who you get. I do still enjoy this place but we are going to kick back the frequency of going a bit. Just can't stomach the inflated prices for the current quality. read more

Charcoal Venice - Interior - New American Near Me - Venice, California

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My first time at my local spot and wow, what a treat. We ate at the bar and Mario treated us like family. I will definitely be back for the service and food and the conversations. read more

Charcoal Venice - Mario rocks!!!!! - New American Near Me - Venice, California

The food, wine selection, and service is impeccable and unforgettable. So unforgettable that I forgot to take fotos of the food! The team behind Charcoal has the pedigree of 2 Michelin Stars. If ya don't know...now ya know. Enjoy! read more

Charcoal Venice - At the bar. The bartender was outstanding and explained the concept and menu like he was the professor!! - New American Near Me - Venice, California

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Lamb ribs, NYC strip Angus, Chicken Salsa Verde and fries all was good. Nice place with great food. read more

Should have known when it took 10 minutes for a server to greet us after we were seated. Not gonna rage on yelp but there were issues. A picture is worth a thousand words. It looks like a child plated this food. It tasted like Costco prepared food. Truly underwhelming for an alleged Michelin star chefs menu. Oh, and, a table for two within earshot complained to their server the chef needed to work on their lemon ricotta pancakes read more

Charcoal Venice - Cornflake Corn Flake Crusted French Toast - New American Near Me - Venice, California

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Upon returning to Charcoal I was very pleasantly surprised by how delicious our food was this time and how excellent the service was as well. The cocktails were balanced and unique without being overly crazy. The smoked cabbage was divine (the yogurt sauce is the perfect compliment). The smoked chicken wings are out of this world (try all of the homemade sauces with them). The beef tartare was just OK so I would skip it and focus on all the meats and smoked foods. The beef was perfectly cooked as was the Cedar plank salmon. Our server was attentive and our water glasses remained filled throughout the meal. The ambiance was nice and it wasn't too crowded for a weekend night. I will be back to try brunch soon!! read more

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Charcoal There's a couple things at this restaurant that we've never had before, one was, a kitchen appreciation tax. I've never seen this ever. The other was, Fermented jalapeño vinegar. The oysters were served with a passion fruit mignonette. They have a cooler of many varieties of steaks, differently aged from days, two weeks, to even months. We enjoyed everything that was there but I felt that they were very proud of their prices. It was loud, Nor did I think the service was that grand. I WOULD probably go back for a cocktail or glass of vine but wasn't that impressed on what they charged for their age steaks. read more

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Love their charcoal Benedict and fluffy biscuits. Great service. Parking - street parking and there's valet by the restaurant as well. Brunches they have bottomless Bloody Mary's which are spiced at a medium heat level. Bathrooms and restaurant are clean. Mostly booth seats and a few high tops. read more

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I went in tonight for Charcoal's Happy Hour, which they call the "Evening Glass Off." This experience was SO different from my last one. We sat at the bar and Juan was our bartender/server. He was FANTASTIC! His recommendations were on point! Everything we ate was delicious. Oysters on the half shell Smoky Grilled Chicken Wings Charcoal Burger Grilled Calamari with Green Beans, Almonds, Lemon Breadcrumbs And the cocktails...WOW. There was one with rose-infused rye, grapefruit and amaro that was incredible. And another with whisky, yuzu, pineapple and shishito pepper that was equally good. Chef Joe Johnson and his crew have definitely won me over. This has officially now become one of my favorites! read more

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Amazing ambiance, very clean, however the food is out of this world, Dani the Chef prepared every dish with such quality that every dish was unique on its own, everything was delicious. Nadia has an excellent team and they are very dedicated to leave you with an unforgettable experience. Would definitely recommend this restaurant to everyone. Thank you for the unforgettable and memorable time at your restaurant! read more

My partner and I decided to give Charcoal a go for our anniversary dinner. We were very excited to try a new place and went out of our way to come here for our dinner, because of the raving reviews we read and their menu. We ordered the New York steak, the squash side dish, an order of fries, and two drinks. Overall, the food was pretty good. The New York steak was cooked well but it didn't really taste like anything special, especially for the price. We found that the side dishes were our favorite part of the meal. The squash have a charcoal flavor to them, making them unique and tasty. The fries were also good, and you can tell that they were deep fried twice because they have a nice crispy outside layer to them that makes every fry taste great with a crunch. My least favorite part of our experience was the service we received. My partner and I were on the younger side of the demographic sitting at the restaurant, and it was pretty obvious that our service was downgraded because of that. While I had to specifically ask about any particular recommendations the server had or popular menu items, the table next to us seated later received a full treatment that we didn't see the whole time we were there. My partner tried to ask our waitress a question about our food when she stopped at our table for a brief moment, but she ignored him and didn't return until our meal was finished. The rest of the staff seemed nice and I was grateful that we were able to be seated at the restaurant on a weekend night without a reservation. We would consider returning to try other menu items and receive better service. read more

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Wow, this place is literally the worst steakhouse I've ever eaten at. I paid $79 for a chuck of cold fat. The service was also really terrible. How can this place exist? I'm guessing it will be closed within a few months. read more

Beautiful restaurant with high quality food! Ive been coming to Charcoal since 2016 and I've introduced this restaurant to all my friends and family and it's a hit every time! Service is always good too. Highly recommend. read more

Continuation of long review. SERVICE: To start, the hostess was also bussing tables? We had 3 different people greet us before the hostess arrived to seat us. We also had someone come to our table to take our orders then a second person arrived afterwards asking if we were ready to order. Then another person stopped to drop off food and talk to us about the missing food. It was so confusing having multiple waiters...or maybe one of them wasn't our waiter but was helping? Still not sure why the service was structured that way at brunch. As we got the check, the "more experienced" waiter said he was sorry for all the confusion during our visit and that the lady who was helping us was new. If that was the case, why wasn't it addressed earlier instead of telling us as we're getting our check? I thought it was a no brainer for newer staff to work with someone who had more experience but like I said...nothing made sense. It was a very weird experience to say the least. The multiple servers ordeal probably made the miscommunications we experienced during our whole visit much worse. In our party, two people ordered from the DineLA menu and I ordered off the regular menu. When the appetizers were brought out no one explained the the DineLA orders were going to be brought out on the same plate to share or that the portions were smaller than a regular order. Somehow one server thought I also got DineLA but didn't bring anything out for me? Moreover, if my husband and I ordered the same items to share, sure that could make sense to share but for people who may not feel compelled to have to share a plate doesn't make much sense. Anyways, when the honey biscuits off of DineLA were brought out they were stuck together on one plate, brought out with one set of utensils and set in front of my husband...naturally, he ate both them. We waited some time for the next batch of biscuits to be brought out then told the waitress we were still waiting for the other DineLA order. She said it already arrived. We were confused and explained it was placed in front of my husband without any explanation so he ate both of the. She then told us it was supposed to be for two people and apologized then said she would bring out another order so the other DineLA person could have a complete order. Well, it seems the restaurant was waiting for us to give up on it. We even asked multiple servers one said he wasn't going to bring it but others said they would check and didn't get back to us. Finally a person in a blazer asked how things were going and after we explained what happened he brought out the missing biscuit maybe 5 minutes later. This was over an hour after the first biscuit order was brought out... The other complaint I have is about the order in which the food was brought out. The DineLA fiasco's aside (there was more than one plus attitude from one of the servers but it's a lot to fit EVERYTHING that went wrong here)...I ordered one thing and had to wait over an hour for my meal without reason. read more

Me and my partner got the worst service today. Even though we had a reservation and we walked in right on time, no one took our order until 15 minutes after. The restaurant (lunch time didn't seem busy at all). We got our food 30 min later so we were waiting 45 min for any type of food. I had a steak, I understand it needs preparation but my partner just has a salad! We reserved an hour for Saturday lunch we thought it's enough but then we had to stuff parts of our food in 15 min window and take the rest w us. Food was fine, but not awesome, we used to eat in Charcoal frequently and it's not worth the money any more. Overpriced and bad service. (We got apologies and a discount yet we were not looking forward to saving bucks and we were planning a special event before my partner goes out of town). Will never come again. read more

Over the years dine LA has become lackluster as many restaurants try to figure away to just bring people in the door, offering a plain menu, and not really make it a great value. However, charcoal was just the opposite. For $65, they offered five courses of exceptional food. You got pretty much everything on the dinela menu, not having to pick just one item from each course and there was no up charge for any items. Each dish was solid and unique to Charcoal and they all tasted great. Best salmon that I have ever had!...cooked just right with a nice light sauce. The service was on point and the vibe was fun and classy. I definitely want to come back for some of their other specialties. The only drawback is a lack of parking in the area. read more

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We loved it. Casual and bustling but the food was incredible and our waitress wore sequins from head to toe for a flash of old LA. For two of us, we had way too much food, but we loved all of it. If I did it again, I would skip the sourdough loaf of bread - but just so that I could taste more dishes. The grilled calamari was perfect, sitting on a fresh salad of crisp vegetables. Grilled steak huge enough to split. We tried all three condiments on the table served old school like a NY diner, but they were a sophisticated homemade steak sauce, BBQ sauce, and chimichurri. All amazing. Tomato salad and grilled broccolini smoky and perfect. read more

Charcoal Venice is a surprising little jewel box of local fine dining. Josiah Citron has created a lovely space out of a corner slice of Washington Blvd. chef de cuisine, Dani McNish makes an incredible, perfectly seared steak. But the sides are equally tasty. I wish they had an outside space for summer dining but perhaps the Venice culture makes this unachievable. We shared a chopped salad. DELICIOUS and filled with tasty tidbits, perfectly dressed (not drenched) the hassleback potatoes, although a small portion to split, were lovely. We shared the 8oz steak. It was perfection. This review was millimeters from a 5 star except for these 2 points Our waiter forgot or missed our appetizer. It was fine, there was plenty of food. Pricing is very steep. Our 2 glasses of Bordeaux were $20 each. The quality is exceptionally good but we shared one meal and it totaled over $150 before tipping. But, let's be clear, if you want a great meal, this is the place. read more

Our favorite place on the westside! You cannot beat the food, it is always delicious. The glass off is best, sometimes there is a line out the door. The last few times we have been Jessica has been our bartender and the cocktails are on point. If you want quality cocktails and phenomenal food, check them out! P.s. if you're a chocolate lover finish dinner with the chocolate peanut butter crunch cake. read more

I met up with a close friend last Sunday to take advantage of trying a new restaurant during restaurant dine LA. We decided on the cheddar buttermilk biscuit with pepper honey, and the smoked strawberry's with yogurt and granola to start. Both were pretty good, I could definitely taste the Smokey flavor. Main course we chose the charcoal crab Benedict-Dungeness crab, arugula, tomato, poached egg, and charcoal infused jet black hollandaise sauce. We also shared the charcoal-burger-lettuce, tomato, grilled onion, and white cheddar that comes with house sauce and fries all for $25.00. Both dishes were just ok, they didn't knock my socks off. I had the bottomless mimosas for $20.00 my friend had the bottomless Bloody Mary for the same price. Note: plenty of street metered parking read more

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The food was okay. The atmosphere of the restaurant was so noisy. It was impossible to have a conversation with people screaming during happy hour. The man who greeted us was really crabby about us not knowing the "happy hour rules" when sitting at a table (which makes no sense given the prices of this place). Our waiter was friendly but the service was insanely slow. It took a solid 30 minutes to get drinks. We waited another 30 minutes before our order was taken. The food came out at a snail's pace, and we were honestly ready to leave by the time the food got to the table. Our entire dinner process took 3 hours. For the cost of the food, they need to do a lot better as far as service goes. Also an important point- there are BEADS blocking the bathrooms. They are a true test of strength to get past. I don't know why this is even a thing but they wacked me in the face several times. Thankfully we are from Chicago and will not need to go back here. Just go somewhere else and have a nice experience. read more

We came here for Friday happy hour. There were a few small groups waiting outside starting close to 5pm (they opened at 5:30pm). There is plenty of bar seating (happy hour is only at the bar). There is chic decor and a good happy hour menu. The drinks are good (I got the house margarita). The bartender was very personable and funny - he gave me a taster of the house marg (I originally wasn't going to have a drink but it was too good to pass up!). We had a great time and it was the perfect start to our weekend! Will be back. :) read more

Tonight was a major miss for this restaurant. It was Dine LA week and we did the pre fixed menu. The food was not good and the service was terrible. We had a reservation at 6pm and it took 2.5 hours to get our food. We so frustrated that we took the remaining food to go. The bathrooms were not working, so we could not use them and we were told to walk to another location up the street to use the restroom. I complained about the very long wait on the food and the drinks to our waiter and he didn't seem to care. We wont go back again, and it's a shame because we live up the street. read more

Charcoal. A BBQ joint? Nope. Another "share plate" place. Yes, and we know that sharing is way overrated. Charcoal offers more meat than a Marina Del Rey Happy Hour but not much real deal Que or chew. This spot is the red headed step sister of Melisse wearing hand-me-down overalls. It is a large box with a long Bar with uncomfortable looking comfortable seats, a few communal high tops, and a bunch of booths all in muted tawny toney tones. No open kitchen here to stare at. Just a see through meat aging case which is better than staring at a sad case of aged meat in a see through shirt. A large open front window looks at the Islands. Channel Islands? Nope, Island's Burgers. It's mainly fine, if pricey place to hide from the Birds whizzing by and nurse a drink. Setting the Bar: A bunch of complicated signature cocktails. A Tequila forward menu. (Tequila makes me seem backward). Better to keep it simple. I said to charming Alanna, "Please, I wanna have something frisky with Whiskey". One Bulleit Whiskey Sour coming up (actually, staying down). It was a short pour of rockless joy juice. Direct, assertive, straight forward and purposeful with a sly wink. (And so was the drink). Alanna, you're hired. A Sidecar had Luxardo Amaretto, filling in for Cognac. Smokey, whisper soft, smooth and silky, (and so was the drink.) with a lovely Apricot finish. The Staff: On it, in it, all over it and in the end better than the plates they brought. When my place mat resembled the aftermath of Pickett's charge a fussy busser swapped it out for a new one on his own. Classy. The Vibe: Architects and Actors (actually working ones) plus the 1% in the hood whose bungalows are paid off allowing them to allocate the Mortgage money to up-market dining. The Food: Does an uneven kitchen get you a high five stars? You decide. The Bread was a house baked Boule as large as a bowling ball. It had been wedged and looked like an Outback Steakhouse Bloomin' Onion sired by the Hulk. Served with a brick of Cultured Butter this was terrific. Here's my bread for your bread. Check please. Next came the Happy Appy Hour Grilled Calamari, Blue Lake Beans, Almonds, and Lemon Zest Breadcrumbs. Alas, they got this all wrong. It was mostly Beans with a few tiny Squid tips mixed in, oh, and eat the Breadcrumbs quickly, as they will sog up in a hurry. This was basically a salad pulled from a 50's Gourmet Issue and prepared by someone destined to live in a house dress for eternity. Pass. The Chopped Salad should be chopped too. Okay, I ordered the toppings. Chopped Greens, diced Havarti cubes, E.D. Bacon, (which was limp from the jump), Grilled Onion slivers, Kalamata Olive bits, and Jo-Jo's Vinaigrette. What's a Jo-Jo? Something from the Exxon Valdez? This was regrettably forgettably. I think even a few nice fresh Black Walnuts (bring some from home) couldn't save this. Served in a bowl that's way too small, you're guaranteed to have half of it in your lap or on your Lap Top with the first scoop. Pass. The Certified Black Angus Beef New York Striploin (Stormy cut) was allegedly roasted on hot coals instead of raked over the coals on Fox and Friends. This wanna be Arturo Mallman adventure was passable. Finished with Maldon Flaky Sea Salt it came with a caddy of Paprika Mustard Chimichurri, Red Wine Chipotle Sauce, J-1Steak Sauce, and Basque Vinaigrette. (Sour outlook?) Take all the sauces home and have a saucy party. Hell, just take the Caddy too. Cutting to the chase, did the steak cut it? Was this cutting edge and a cut above Cut? Cut me to the quick, no. Okay, I'm a cut up, and I'll cut it out now. The pre-cut steak was okay, okay? The Salmon Creek Pork Porterhouse was marinated and charred. Adam Perry Lang perked up at that. Fine, go there. This too was passable. The measure of Sotto's legendary Grilled Fennel Crusted Pork Chop? Nope, but then nothing is. Here, there were some chewies, some dry chunks, and some tasty tenders tossed in. Take it home, slice it up and hash it out for breakfast tomorrow. The Eggplant and Sweet Potato Green Curry with Coconut Milk was simply poorly done. The Potatoes were crunchy hard, the Eggplant was attached to unmanageable skin. Eggplant. Overdo it, and it's forgiving, underdo it and it's inedible. This was underdone. The kitchen lost yardage on this play. Dessert: Three of the five offerings being offered showcased McConnell's Ice Cream. Excuse me but that's a trip to Vons and the self check out stand. This was $115 per person on a school night. The cost benefit ratio needs fine tuning or some pruning. Charcoal, ya'll need some soul. read more

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