Wow! Who knew!? Once again I have been forced, because of recent traffic issues, to stay close to home for "date night". Thank God I did!!! This place is quirky at first sight but they quickly suck you in with their presentation of some sort of garlicky pesto spread with sliced bread. It is otherworldly! Our server, Felicia, steered us in the right direction with reccomendations for the crab stuffed salmon with mango and the short rib with a Chianti reduction. Crazy Good! We will definitely be back :) read more

I cannot believe I'm saying this... but this place actually feels like a European holiday. The presentation is Michelin quality. .ie, there is ARTISTIC flourish which does NOT compromise the unbeatably fresh and decadent taste of TRULY AMAZING FOOD! My parents are consummate "foodies".. ie Michelin restaurants are a regular "outing" for them when they travel and out of ALL the places I have tried in Weho, Manhattan beach, Bev HIlls, THIS is the stand out experience.. there is a man who OWNS and RUNS teh kitchen and visibly creates (non pretentiously in voice or price) a menu that is wonderfully light and flavourful and absolutely an "ooh' and "aahh" to look at. It's as if Soho House has competition.. I cannot rave enough. his vegeterian "pate" is a fresh delicate melee of herbs and tasty ingredients (a chimmichurri meets pesto infused herb salsa)... I cannot describe it! GO!! RUN!! take anyone you know who loves great food and enjoy, try the chilled calamari salad or the vegetarian rustica pasta OR if you are a meaty, do the breaded meat with gnocci (depending on his specials).. absolutely DIVINE flavours and presentation! I cannot say enough great things about this.. read more

It has european touch. Appetizer of minced olives, potato, garlic, herbs and olive oil came with toated bread and was very, very tasty. We've ordered Seafood Gambo and it was way better than we have experienced in way more expensive restaurants, like McCormic & Schmick for example. Cheese strudel for the dessert melts in your mouth. It's pure sin. read more

So I decided to come here for a nice dinner. It's been really hard to find a good Italian restaurant. We had the short rib and pork medallions and the angel hair kale pesto. My goodness! Some of the best food I've ever had! I usually have to flavor my pastas but this came just right. Our server recommended the specials to us. Unfortunately these dishes aren't served daily. The service was also great. Love the atmosphere. Love the attitude of the server. Love the food. Will definitely be back. read more

not too shabby. i had their special filet mignon off the menu. i like my meat medium-rare. it was a bit sweet but the food was well prepped. i dont care for the mashed potatoes and the veggies on the side though i do love veggies. it was filling though. i started with the ahi tuna salad with ponzu sauce...i enjoyed that more than the main entree itself. my friend had some kind of chicken....it was pretty good. the portions are good so it will definitely fill you up. pricing was decent. my plate was $26 and for a glass of wine i think i had the chianti for about $6.50 or so. not too bad by the glass. i'd recommend for lunch or something. it's smaller than you think it is. reminded me of a little hole in the wall in sf. i say try it. read more

Ordered steak...first one was well done not medium like I ordered. Second one was rare. Was told it wasn't regular chef. Was that suppose to make me feel better? This was a while back and although local, I have never returned. read more

Great food...a real gem I love everything on the menu but really come back for the chicken Marsala (not always on the menu). read more

Fabulous dinner last night for 8 of us - all raving about it. Food, ambiance, prices and especially the service were incredible. One of our group has severe allergies and our server (wish I could remember her name) made sure everything was perfect. Loved the lamb Osso Bucco style, the salmon and the pastas. It's our new meeting place. read more

Food was pretty decent. Service from the owner was pretty bad toward me, but he treated my guests very well. Not sure how I could have offended? I wouldn't take a date there for that reason, but a casual meal with a close friend where service doesn't matter as much , sure. Spaghetti Fruta DE Mar was good. My guest pointed out that they served with a chipped plate... I wouldn't have minded, but they had a two year old so they paid attention to sharp edges. My guests liked the garlic they served with the bread, they were okay with the food. I liked the small, intimate atmosphere of a locally owned restaurant. read more

Stumbled upon this little gem during the Thursday night market, sat down thought we would give it a try! Jambalaya - Fragrant and flavorful! No corkage I believe on Monday and Tuesday call to check. read more

First time I was there for lunch Chef Hannes was present and all was well The second time I went there for lunch Chef Hannes was on vacation and IT WAS A DISASTER! Please, Chef, do yourself and all of us a favor and just CLOSE THE PLACE WHEN YOU GO ON VACATION! I will give you a third try but only because you were so good the first time. CONSISTENCY IS GOLDEN. read more

This is a wonderful, quaint, European cafe not far from LAX. It has a nice selection of very reasonably priced entrees. Try the back room if the weather is nice. Their garlic paste spread served with French bread is fantastic (and is for sale as take out, too). read more

My husband and I found this place just by walking by...very cute and small. COZY!!!! Good food at a really great price. I thought it was cheap for all that you get. Service was ok by straight to the point. Homemade desserts that were really tasty. I would go back. read more

Love, love, love this place. We sat outside and it felt like being in Paris at some sidewalk cafe, except the food here rocks. It was totally unexpected and I was so surprised. Right in El Segundo. Who knew? Do not miss this place, as it is a shining star. Very nice woman who served us, courteous and attentive. Awesome job folks! read more

We had lunch here for the first time just the other day, and liked it VERY much! He had the lamb sandwich, I had a chopped salad, and we both had the shrimp bisque - happy all around. The potato-garlic spread is AWESOME, so please, Hannes, get some high-quality bread to serve with it. Once you do, I'll give you a fifth star, I promise!! Local gem, for sure. read more

Nope. Never again. I don't want to sound like a food snob, but this place does not even come close the the fine dining in places like Santa Monica, Abbot Kinney and Manhattan Beach. I know it's El Segundo, so I shouldn't expect much, but I shouldn't pay a lot either. I felt like I was eating in a restaurant in my little hometown in Reading PA. This place was far from the California cuisine I've come to love. The Bread is old and lame, the "dipping" spread was even lamer, and the service was rushed and unprofessional. DO NOT take my silverware off my plate to save for the next course. At this price point, they can afford to give me a clean utensil with each course. The last thing I have to say is, if you are under 60 years old, you will be the youngest people in the restaurant. Sorry, this was a gigantic miss for us and we will not be back. read more

Created an account just to review this place. Got the Fish special, a Dover Sole with Brown Rice, and mixed vegetables, as well as the Ahi Tuna Sashimi Salad. The food was amazing, and the service was spot on. The Sole was slightly over seasoned, but delicious. The thing to really rave about is their bread though! You may think its guacamole at first, but its actually a mashed potato with basil mixture. It comes with un-toasted rustic bread, and toasted rustic bread. I think I could have an entire meal consisting of the spread and the bread itself. read more

I went here last Friday with reservations for 8:15. Since this place is pretty small, there were only around 10-12 tables. I arrived with my bf at 8:20 and all the tables were full. It was weird because we had to walk past all the full tables to the host counter/serving counter in the back. The waitress/hostess told me she would have a table in 5 minutes for me. We were seated in five minutes. But it was really weird standing there around all the diners b/c it was really cramped. We brought our own wine and they had a corkage fee of $15. The menu is simple and the prices can't be beat. This restaurant has a great ambiance for dates and the service and food would rival a more costly place in l.a. My bf got the pork chops with veggies and mashed potatoes... they were yummy! They had a slightly smoky flavor from the grill which went well with the brocolli, carrots and baby bok choy. I ordered the spicy penne pasta and added the chicken sausage. The sauce was delicious, and we all know that's what makes a good pasta! I'm not sure I would order chicken sausage again (was my first try) it just doesn't have the texture of good ole fashioned italian sausage. I would definitely come back here. The area that the restaurant is located is a cute strip of other restaurants and small businesses. For a Friday, it was really low key. I liked it because going out on a Friday night anywhere is really crazy and crowded. I saw a restaurant called "Farm Stand" across the street... I'm gonna Yelp it and try it out next week... read more

Very cute little bistro in El Segundo. I thought it was french but the menu was more Italian with farmer's market produce offerings. We started off with their on the house app of soft chewy french bread and potato/garlic/olive oil spread. Tasted like oily garlicky mashed potatoes--more delicious than it sounds. My brown rice and chicken gumbo was just alrite ($12.95). Soupy almost to a porridge but full of good veggies and plenty of chicken. The salmon was perfectly cooked and baked on a bed of greens and three scoops of mashed potatoes. Lastly, the seafood pasta dish was fresh and well made, esp after adding a bit of red pepper. Three glasses of wine for $6 each complimented the meal nicely. service was slow bc one poor lady was running the whole show but it added to the mom and pop feel of the place. Very affordable dishes and a lovely atmosphere to enjoy them in. Perfect date spot if you like it small n cozy! read more

their desserts are SOOOOO good!!! Other than that, I like their spicy chicken tenderloin and lamb. read more

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Very small initimate restaurant, but the food was just okay.

I finally decided to check out Chef Hannes and I must say I'm not disappointed at all. I ordered the roast lamb sandwich, tomato basil soup and it came with bread and some sort of green avocado/garlic/pesto/olive oil/other stuff concoction. The green dipping concoction was pretty darn good. It wasn't much to look at, but it sure was pleasant in the mouth. It had large blanched chucks of garlic that perfectly delivered the right amount of kick and perfectly salted. The only complaint I could say about it is that it's slightly oily. The soup was off the hook, I've had other tomato basil soups but this soup was rather hearty (as far as tomato basil soups go) with a nice touch of crisply fried basil leaves floating on top. It was salty, but I like salty food so if you can't handle that, then you might be better off getting one of his other soups. The lamb sandwich wasn't what I was expecting, it's actually a lamb pate sandwich but it was pretty darn good too. I still would have preferred and traditional lamb sandwich but this was a nice deviation from the norm, although I probably wouldn't make it a habit of eating this on a regular basis. I think Chef Hannes is worth checking out - he's a pleasant guy, great food a nice cozy vibe to his place. read more

Three stars for service. The food was ordinary. It's a good place for an intimate dinner.

The lamb fettuccine was excellent and the pork chops were equally as tasty. The main dining area is small, but I noticed another room to the side with additional tables...they just didn't need to use it that night due to the weather keeping people away. I would return again and again to further explore their menu. Staff was friendly and service was excellent. read more

This is a good place for salmon salad and pasta! Fantastic fresh slices of grilled salmon on a bed of romaine. They always have great service and have never been disappointed in any of their meals. read more

I'm surprised by the mixed reviews for Chef Hannes. I've been eating here for years and have never once had a bad experience nor have I ever had a bad meal. I've samples many of their menu items and have enjoyed all of them: salads, soups, chicken toscana, the salmon, the scampi and a few specials. I highly recommend this restaurant and will be returning again soon! read more

How woulda thought that, not far from the bustle of the 405 freeway and LAX, nestled into a quaint corner of El Segundo, is a little gem of a restaurant. Chef Hannes is a charming and quaint establishment that offers fresh, healthy, and tasty food at a reasonable price. The service is excellent and friendly. Hannes' decor is eclectic and the ambiance is warm and inviting. Can't wait to return! read more

The place is very nice and so is the food. My girl and I were the first costumers of the day we were greeted by the Chef, quite nice of a guy. Can't wait to return there. The food was very fresh. read more

This place was fantastic! The atmosphere, the food, the price, and, of course, the staff. Felicia could not have been any nicer. I had a delicious shrimp scampy, and my wife had a great veal dish. If only we could get another business trip back to LA... We would go here in a heartbeat. (Voula - thank you for the suggestion, whereever you are!) read more

This is one of our staple restaurants. Food is excellent, portions are generous, prices are reasonable, menu has good variety and healthy options and there is never a wait to get a table. We have been happy the many times we have gone. read more

Does the trick but nothing extraordinary. I had the spicy sausage pasta. Pasta was cooked perfectly al dente but sauce and sausage was equally bland. read more

I had the smoked salmon sandwich and it was great. The highlight was the lemon bread pudding was amazing. Definitely recommend for all occasions. read more

Above average Italian good. The spread in their bread is unique. Their pasta and lamb shank were excellent.

It was ok. For the price it should've rocked my world and it was just average. I wouldn't go back!!

The food was so good, like a gourmet home style meal. Prices are reasonable and the staff was very friendly and on top of things.

Ate twice already at Chef Hannes and both visits were a great experience. I'm so glad I found this place. You could tell the food was prepared fresh and made with passion. I had the best vegetarian dumplings ever! Hands down! The kale salad that came with dumplings is so good! Had the grilled salmon with mashed potatoes and arugula salad. Ohh so good! Also had the apple strudel to finish off my meal. It was divine! Will be back soon! read more

Popped in on a weekday for lunch. We were served by the owner, who was courteous, efficient, and accomodating. The sauted sole with angel hair was wonderfully prepared and tasted delicious! Will definitely be back to try other items on the menu. read more

The service was very slow. When the waitress stopped by she was very good. How ever it took nearly 20 minutes to order drinks and 30 minutes after we finished our meal to get the check. She apologized and reduced our bill. My braised rib was marginal at best. However my wife and mother enjoyed their dinners. Given the high recommendation, we may give Chef Hannes another try. read more

When it comes to Atmosphere, Food & Personal Service Chef Hannes has it all. A true gem in the culinary world.

I only lunch there, but always had a great meal and experience. Chef Hannes is a creative and hard-working Chef. His prices are very fair, and the whole staff cares and it shows. Try everything, it's all great, I love the gumbo, the lamb sandwich, the tuna salad...... There is a sister cafe next block with amazing sandwiches which is one of my better lunch spot (Blue Butterfly) read more