Expressing gratitude to Oriel for a delightful dinning experience! Walked in on a Friday early evening to celebrate a birthday and had a gorgeous meal. Its petite space is easily offset by the charm and intimacy that its ambiance offers. We had the charcuterie board, wine, onion soup (OMG) and the lentils. Our server, and the entire staff, were welcoming and attentive. That's the best part. The bad news... they're closing this month :( So.........., get in there before you miss it or go back if you've been. Merci Oriel! read more

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I love restaurants that can mentally transport you to somewhere else. Oriel does that with a setting on the edge of DTLA, sounds of soft French music playing in the dining room, the perfect lighting for a date night, or even just a night out with friends. Food was good, with classic French favorites for sharing like Charcuterie Boards and Foie Gras. Dinner courses was fish and a Parisian Gnocchi, which was flavor heavy with a rich butter sauce. The only thing I would say could improve would be the service. Our server did not correctly note what was ordered and had to check several times. There was also no mention of it being a Birthday dinner for my lady, which I noted when booking this reservation and upon arrival. read more

Oriel Chinatown - Table for two and drinks to start at Oriel. - French Near Me - Los Angeles, California

We stopped by for drinks and ended up with an aperitif. My husband and I enjoyed our initial meal at Oriel, I wanted to introduce our friends to this quaint place under the metro tracks in Chinatown. Since it is a small place, I wasn't sure they would be able to accommodate a walk-in party of 5 at 6pm on a Saturday. Yes! They were able to seat us. Joy! We ordered wine, champagne and a cheese and charcuterie board. A wonderful aperitif before we headed to our final dinner destination. Bonus: Their set list spoke to our 80s hearts. Bronski Beat was playing as we left the restaurant. Enjoy! read more

Oriel Chinatown - Cheese and charcuterie board. Well-composed. - French Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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One of my favorite place to hangout when I'm in downtown LA. It makes you feel like you're "sort of" in Europe local dive place and get away from the noisy busty LA. You got the train running on top outside and light chill music inside plus an outdoor for smoking and sort of fresh air. The bar area is a cool place hang out w/ friendly bartenders and guests and you and be caught into conversations. Or you can sit at the window tables with your friends or in my case, my kid and just chat and get lost into online games. The foods are great (majority of them). I came here for the escargots, mussels, desserts, and the breads. You got to love it when the place is tiny and located in Chinatown, the Plaza at Olvera Street (Mexican outdoor market) and nearby Union Station, where only the local knows their name. read more

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Relatively brand new restaurant that specializes in French-inspired cuisine. It's got a cute, romantic, bistro-like atmosphere that's perfect for date night or an outing with friends. Service was somewhat lackluster. Our server never really introduced himself -- he just swung by to take our happy hour order. He then came back to take our order off the regular dinner menu, then disappeared. We saw him float around between the different rooms, but he never came back to check in on us. Another male server came by and asked if we needed anything. Some time had passed between our appetizers, our first few dishes and our main entree, which was the steak. We had to ask for that, before it finally came. There's a happy hour menu, which is quite a good deal -- we began with two glasses of the Bordeaux for $8 each; a $10 beef tartare toast, and a $5 salmon rillette tartine. The wine was good, and so was the tartare. The salmon rillette tartine, however was rather underwhelming in both appearance and taste. It need oomph, at the very least some salt. We also ordered the French onion soup -- good, but not amazing. It was a tad stingy on the cheese. The salad Nicoise was very underwhelming. I have traveled to Nice, France and had salad Nicoise at various restaurants while there -- this was far from what you get in France. It had way too much lettuce, no anchovies, and the yellowfin tuna was nothing extraordinary. It also severely lacked any real flavor -- it's a simple salad, but the lemon vinaigrette missed the punch or acidity it needed to bring this classic French salad together. And at $24 a plate, I expected better. The best dish of the night was the Bavette, a flank steak, which was cooked to our liking: medium rare. This was accompanied by mashed potatoes and some greens. Tasty! We skipped out on dessert and had 2 more glasses of wine: the Cab Franc and the Côtes du Rhône red blend of Syrah & Grenache -- the latter was excellent, fruit forward, a medium red, while the former tasted light-bodied and flat. But to each his own when it comes to vino! Parking: the small lot adjacent to restaurant is a crapshoot -- so best to park in the garage directly across from the restaurant. It's only $3 per hour. We paid for two hours during a 5:30 PM reservation and thought that was plenty. Would we return? Not in a heartbeat. There are more enticing restaurants in LA. read more

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A neon romantic and trendy French restaurant in Chinatown is definitely a place you want to visit. Very cool vibes and the food was delicious. We had the "duck in a jar", French onion soup (favorite), escargot, and the steak with mashed potatoes. Our server was extremely professional and kind. Recommended for people who enjoy French food and who want to try something different than a typical restaurant setting. I would suggest going in the evening for the neon romantic lighting. read more

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Rumor is that April 26th will be the last day. I'm very sad to lose such a pioneering place. I wish the owner luck in Oklahoma City. Duck in Jar!! All the wine... all the breads... Escargot! Wish they had French fries to go with the steak. read more

Overall - we were super excited to try this place and was really disappointed in the food, especially given it's great reviews on both yelp and Google. Also, I love French food, which made this even more disappointing. Ambiance- solid 4. There are 3 different seating area, the front entrance gives off small and kitschy vibes. The "main dining room" feels homey and the outdoor area is surprisingly large. Parking - 5 stars. It was super easy to pay for and find parking. Wine - 4 stars. We had the Beaujolais and it was fantastic. Food Escargot - 1 star. This was the most disappointing probably because I had been looking fwd to this the most. Escargot is supposed ot be buttery and filled with herbs. This, as pictured, had no herbs and the liquid you see isn't butter. It just tasted like the water left over from when you steam food. Bread with spread - 1.5 star. This just wasn't great. The bread itself was pretty solid but the spreads were juat meh. The pickles were good though. Bavette - 1 star. The potatoes and salad were okay but the beef itself lacked flavor. Imagine airplane food but a budgeted airline. I was shocked at how bad it was. Beef tartare - 2 stars. This wasn't great and lacked flavor. I liked the ambiance and wine but as for food,a definite NO. I might come back for wine and a cheeseboard since no cooking is involved. Prices are far and it's a cute place. read more

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Tried out this spot with my friend on a weekend and we got there a bit after restaurant opening (opens at 4:30p) for an early dinner. It was quite empty at that hour and we got to choose from sitting OUTSIDE (patio), inside by the bar, or right at the entrance inside what felt like a greenhouse section. We chose patio outdoors. It was quite nice sitting outside with fresh air and catching some sun while intermittently hearing the overhead metro pass by quite loudly. This restaurant is wedged between the main Alameda street and the south edge of Chinatown and almost beneath the overpass of the metro line. It's also right across the street from Homegirl Cafe and Homeboy Industries. Ambience was very chill. We heard much Spanish music in the background while dining. Food came out fairly quickly and the server was friendly and even helped us take photos. We ordered: - escargot - very earthy - mashed potatoes - fluffy and delicious - my favorite of all items ordered - steak tartare - it was ok - not sure I enjoyed the flavors of this preparation as much as others I've had at other restaurants - French onion soup - not bad! Would order again as well Restrooms : 2 separate restrooms for either gender but so dark you can't see much in there and there's a tiny candle lit only. Parking : there's a $3 paid parking in the lot right in front of the restaurant, otherwise there's lots of meter parking along the streets that you can access since literally by the time the restaurant opens most of the things in Chinatown already has closed. read more

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Came here before a show downtown, and was blown away! First of all, this place has a lovely happy hour. I definitely will return one day after work for a nosh and a drink! We had a lovely bottle of orange wine off the main menu, as well as the steak tartare and the duck in the jar. Both were lovely. Our server was incredibly nice too, gave us a sample of the wine prior to us ordering. The atrium and ambience is just so COOL! Absolutely loved the vibes, wine, and food. Highly recommend, we will be back! read more

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French cuisine in Chinatown.....Wut? Walking into the place you get the Tarantino Pulp Fiction vibe with the dimly lit red and edgy ambience. Starting out with the cheese charcuterie board, Bibb lettuce and duck liver in a jar more than tantalizes your pallet for what's to come next the Bavette (skirt steak), sea bass, mussels and escargot. Pair all this with a fine red Cabernet for a good value corking fee. And top it all off with freshly baked almond cake. Definitely fine cuisine to be shared family style! Our Malaysian server was absolutely gracious in his attentiveness throughout the entire evening. What a night to remember! read more

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Who knew there was a French wine bar and bistro in the heart of Chinatown! Oriel was on the Michelin Guide last year and is serving up some amazing traditional French food! They have so many dishes that remind me of when I studied abroad in France. My favorite dishes were the French onion soup and the Bavette steak which was super tender. The escargot and the watercress sides tasted a bit earthy to me, but I absolutely loved the emmental cheese that was in the soup and the duck confit parmentier that we ordered as well. Fun fact: this space used to be an auto body shop before it turned into a restaurant! It's a small place that only accepts walk ins so definitely come early to get a table! They have an extensive wine list to pair with your meal as well, so make sure to check it out the next time you're in Chinatown! read more

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Oriel is kind of LA, kind of French bistro yet not pretentious at all. And they're located in Chinatown! Overall I like the food and the unique ambiance. When you walk in it's like you walked into a hazy greenroom and then the next room is their dimly lit bar. Our group got to try a lot, from the French onion soup, Loup de mer (branzino), Bavette steak and mussels. Loup de mer had a yummy lemon sauce with it and the mashed potatoes complimented it well. I can have that sauce every day! Bavette steak was perfect with all its buttery goodness. Mussels were good to share and the garlic wine sauce was so tasty. We loved it with their bread! Everything was so good we decided to try all their desserts because we didn't wanna miss out! Lol. The winner was definitely the almond cake - buttery, light and was a nice little treat at the end of our meal. Definitely check it out if you're in the area! Can't wait to try their happy hour. read more

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Really surprised by this little french restaurant in chinatown under the metropass. I would have never expected what a cute little gem would be there. We sat in the sunroom area so the service was a bit slower since we were on the forgotten side. Wish we sat in the main dining hall. We ordered quiet a lot for us 3. We got the mussels, the pate, escargot, the steak, and the fish. The fish was super slow so we almost asked to cancel it but it was in the process of being made ... they said. Either way would be back for date night and wine happy hours. But not good for kids! read more

Oriel is a gem. The charcuterie board is fantastic. We also had French onion soup which was delicious. It is located very near the Chinatown metro stop so a good place to have a meal before getting on a train to go to an event. Great wine selection too! read more

I really like the ambience of this restaurant it's hit or miss with the food for me The staff is always lovely read more

Small French restaurant with romantic vibes. Very dimly lit inside and I was really feeling my age when I needed to use my phone's light to see the menu. Came here around 6:30 on a weekday and there weren't many diners at first. Started to get pretty busy around 7:30. Service was great. Server answered questions and recommended some dishes for us. Ordered 2 onion soups, escargot and mussels. The onion soup was bigger than I was expecting for one person. I agree with another reviewer that it could've had more cheese. Escargot and mussels were alright. Both were served with bread. There is a small lot outside that requires payment. Street parking also available. read more

The place is understated and well worth the stop. Easy parking and service is top notch. Great place to have a good meal and cocktail in a peaceful atmosphere. This is one of my new favorites in L.A. read more

Oriel Chinatown - French Near Me - Los Angeles, California

What a cute, romantic, awesome little French restaurant. Amazing wine selection, amazing service. I went for my birthday and had zero complaints. They even put a little candle in my cake. I will definitely be back read more

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Loved the tucked-away feel and service, will def be back. Perfect if you're looking for a meal of a bunch of tasty snacks; loved the bread and pretty much ate it with everything. Am giving them an extra star for being so kind and accommodating to having a place for me to lock up my bike. Highly recommend the steak tartare, escargot, and duck pate; kinda learned that I don't really get gnocchi, I didn't love the texture but the sauce was still delicious. read more

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When there a week after Valentine's Day. The location is right under the Chinatown metro station which was kind of cool. They have a parking lot but street parking was plentiful. They sat us by the bar and the server station and we could hear the food expediter apologizing for being late and the owner being super chill about it. Without missing a bit, he went right up to the pass and got to work. The food was awesome with one exception - the Escargot was too herby and not garlicky enough for my taste. They had a very good wine list, the service was super friendly and the owner chatted us up. We will be back. read more

Oriel Chinatown - Tartine X 3 - French Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Awesome, romantic, vibey ambiance. Food was so buttery and rich. Their mussels was so good. I love that mussel creme. Slurp slurp. I opened those mussels on each side and pried them open to sip/slurp that creme juice right out of that shell. The meat in between was just the cherry on the cake. The escargots were plump and chewy and the sauce it marinated in was so succulent. Sea bass was great, dessert creme brulee was awesome. Def recommend. Their bathroom is so sexy, you could have a quickie in it. Thank you. read more

Comfort French food with great wines and service. Our server Zamir was very friendly and steered us in the right direction. The atmosphere is chic and the music was a fun mix of French pop and R&B. We'd come back for sure if in the area. Prices are more than fair especially for LA. This review isn't personal but our honest experience. read more

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Great food. I forgot the guys name that was there on Friday but super friendly and helpful. He was dark and a little on the older side and he knew all about the wines. Beef tartare with lemon was 10/10 Escargot was also delicious (9/10) Charcuterie was okay (4/10) read more

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Hello Yelpers! I hope everyone is good. I also wanted to drop a quick note about Oriel Chinatown! My partner and I had an impromptu date night at Oriel and it was so perfect. The restaurant is amazing we enjoyed the low lit dining area looking up at the metro train zoom by occasionally while having dinner and talking over the oriel spritz (a take on Aperol spritz) Justin (bae) ordered the sardines. They were not for me but he loved them. I got the French onion soup (yum) then we shared the steak and ordered dessert (not pictured) the chocolate mousse was delicious It's a great spot, food is good, wine list is extensive and the vibe is on point. read more

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Always fun to try new cuisine. The place was super quiet with French music playing. I think we were the first ones in but at the perfect time for happy hour. I had the Bordeaux blanc to drink which was crisp and delicious. We tried all three tartines for an appetizer (Duck mousse, Salmon Rillette and Romesco). Just fyi it's a very filling appetizer as the size of the bread is huge. For main course I had the gnocchi which was very tasty. French gnocchi is a bit bigger than Italian gnocchi and the tomatoes burst in your mouth with an explosion of flavor. I tried my boyfriend's (Loup de mer) which was a white fish, very tasty but was a lighter choice, he finished in 4 bites and ate the remainder of my gnocchi. My favorite part of the whole meal was the crème brûlée which the bartender torched up right in front of us which was awesome. Thank God we had our phones to look up what most of the dishes were because we were unfamiliar with French cuisine. Great introduction to French food. Will return for happy hour and maybe a cheese board. read more

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I can't decide between three and four stars . . . the food generally good but the owner/manager was just not particularly nice. The music was super loud, the table was super small. I am not actually surprised it is closing but with a few tweaks (like nicer service) it could have been a really cute French restaurant in a city that needs mid priced good French options. The moules were super good and so was the almond cake. read more

Adding an update here! Some more must tries are the BEEF TARTARE and the FRENCH ONION SOUP!

Absolutely delicious food you just can't go wrong here! Ate here over the weekend and it was outstanding. Service was top notch as well!

Simple Wine Bar Serving Very Good Food. Order Duck In Jar (Yummy !!!) , Loup De Mer , Bavette. read more

Oriel Chinatown - Duck In A Jar - French Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Hidden gem restaurant and wine bar. Indoor or outdoor patio for seating. On the edge of Chinatown. There is a small parking lot in front. Menu had a variety of options. French onion soup is delicious. read more

Good for a light dinner/snack due to the limited menu they currently have. Ended up going out for a 2nd dinner elsewhere right after for something more filling. French Onion Soup - Came out piping hot. I thought it was good but my friend has been here pre-pandemic and said it used to be better. Salade Nicoise - Was as expected. Good balance of flavors with the tuna and anchovies. Escargots - Snails with parsley, garlic, and butter so this was also as expected. Bouillabaisse Marseillaise - This was ok. One of the mussels had what I think was sand inside. This dish comes with bread a well but some seemed stale but maybe it was toasted to be more like a crouton? I'm not sure. Would try this place again once they bring back the full menu. read more

Oriel Chinatown - French onion soup and salade nicoise - French Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Very good french restaurant. My two gripes are the fact that the portions were too small and some of the foods were too cheesy and salty. The atmosphere is amazing. Great lighting and minimalist decor. Location is super cool under the Chinatown metro, near Chinatown where the french quarter used to be a century ago. Loved how all the photos came out with a red glow. ***The french onion soup: Definitely get this dish! The onions are so soft and delicately cut. The comte cheese on top that is melted gives additional sweetness and richness to the soup. Best French onion soup i've ever had (even than in france). ***The gratin: don't get this dish unless you like to be disappointed. It came in a tiny portion the size of the palm of the hand of a child. It was greasy, salty, full of cheese. Could not taste any potatoes in it. Gratin should be more about the potato than the cheese. ***The steak tartare: I thought it was good and worth it. Could have used some capers to accentuate the taste here. Weirdly this dish was a little too mild! ***the pate: the duck pate was very good. Super creamy and fresh. I like how it was preserved. I also learned about berry capers thanks to this dish and my husband wants to buy them for the house! Yay! The country bread with it was very good too. Overall don't think I would come back, unless it were to try the bavette steak, which smelled absolutely delicious. You should get that!! I think this restaurant needs more than just 2 main dish options. read more

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Great space to have dinner with friends, family or a date. The food is great and what you'd expect from a French bistro. The pricing is fair considering the other options in LA and the portion sizes shouldn't leave you hungry. The lighting is dark so food pics are hard to take so keep that in mind as you look through the photos. read more

Oriel Chinatown - Steak tartare - French Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Loved the place, very peaceful, wine and food were delicious. Staff very polite. Great place to have a nice conversation. read more

Oriel Chinatown - French Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Great little hole in the wall in chinatown! I was told about Oriel a while back and surprised it has taken me this long to try it. Menu is small with great wine selection. We ordered the steak tartare, duck in the jar, french onion soup, escargot and the bavette. Steak tartare: solid 4/5 Duck in the jar: 12/5 French onion soup: 3/5 Escargot: 3.5/5 Bavette: 3.5/5 Honestly, everything was solid, but if you do go here, make sure to get the duck in the jar. It was the star of the show. In addition, their beer and orange wine was also very light and refreshing. read more

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The food. The ambiance. The service. All are 10/10 amazing. I absolutely love this place for a dinner with friends or date night with your significant other. Great for sharing, and portions are perfectly sized. I never feel overstuffed, even after eating a lot, which is a sign of high quality food and preparation. Their wines are fabulous and it doesn't feel over priced for the quality. Plus I loveeee the location, it's away from the crowds, plenty of parking on the street/the lot. I've gone back 3x in the past month, and I live in Weho, so you know it's worth it if you're going to make that trek. read more

Oriel Chinatown - Mussels, duck confit, bavette and their bread - YUM! - French Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Recently I had a chance to stop by Oriel in LA's Chinatown on the recommendation of Linda the Foodie. Even though I only had a cup of soup and bread, it was clear why this place gets such high ratings. Oriel is a cute small spot with an approachable bar. The soup was one of the best versions of a French Onion Soup, but it was the butter that stole the show. According to the bartender, Oriel gets their butter (which was rich and perfectly salty with small salt crystals) from Normandy, France - but he wouldn't name who makes it. I highly recommend this place if your in or around downtown LA! read more

Oriel Chinatown - Amazing French Onion Soup and even better bread + french butter ! - French Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Delicious cheese platter ! Cool ambiance great vibes the staff was very sweet attentive gave great recommendations that I loved ! Also ahh my Phone died as I got the almond cake! It was Delicious melt in your mouth good :) read more

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Service was friendly, acknowledged my bday with a complimentary drink and desert. Steak, mussels and French onion soup all delicious