Smeraldi's felt a bit like we stepped into an old-world scene; its striking fresco of a Mediterranean coastal town dominated the space and beams stretched across the ceiling complemented the rich, wooden panels lining the walls. It's undeniably beautiful, and call me weird, but we expected breakfast to match that same level of elegance and refinement. However, the food didn't live up to the setting and it was pretty disappointing. Side Note: The restaurant is located past the hotel lobby elevators, go down the stairs into the Rendezvous Court, walk all the way to the end and make a left. THE FOOD. - Breakfast was buffet-style and offered the usual suspects: scrambled egg varieties, bacon, chicken sausage, potatoes, breads, yogurt, cheese, fruit, and other basics. For the most part, the food was underwhelming... the chicken sausage was really tough and dry to bite into... scrambled eggs had a rubbery consistency... the bacon was more chewy than crispy. Off to the side (sitting on a cart) was a pot of congee with toppings to mix in right next to it. Although it seemed a little out of place to see that as part of the breakfast line-up, I tried it anyway and realized it was not my cup of tea. THE DRINKS. - Coffee. Medium blend; warm, smooth, and the highlight of this meal. - Orange Juice. Mildly sweet with some pulp. THE PARKING. If you're popping in just for the restaurant, self-parking runs $15 with validation, while valet is available at $35 with validation. As always, check the hotel's site for the most up-to-date rates. THE VERDICT. Not a fan of their breakfast buffet and wasn't happy about the price point either. However, the staff were all very attentive and friendly. So, I feel mixed about this place, but in the end, I'd rather go to another breakfast spot. Smeraldi's felt a bit like we stepped into an old-world scene; its striking fresco of a Mediterranean coastal town dominated the space and beams stretched across the ceiling complemented the rich, wooden panels lining the walls. It's undeniably beautiful, and call me weird, but we expected breakfast to match that same level of elegance and refinement. However, the food didn't live up to the setting and it was pretty disappointing. THE FOOD. - Breakfast was buffet-style and offered the usual suspects: scrambled egg varieties, bacon, chicken sausage, potatoes, breads, yogurt, cheese, fruit, and other basics. For the most part, the food was underwhelming... the chicken sausage was really tough and dry to bite into... scrambled eggs had a rubbery consistency... the bacon was more chewy than crispy. Off to the side (sitting on a cart) was a pot of congee with toppings to mix in right next to it. Although it seemed a little out of place to see that as part of the breakfast line-up, I tried it anyway and realized it was not my cup of tea. THE DRINKS. - Coffee. Medium blend; warm, smooth, and the highlight of this meal. - Orange Juice. Mildly sweet with some pulp. THE PARKING. If you're popping in just for the restaurant, self-parking runs $15 with validation, while valet is available at $35 with validation. As always, check the hotel's site for the most up-to-date rates. THE VERDICT. Not a fan of their breakfast buffet and wasn't happy about the price point either. However, the staff were all very attentive and friendly. So, I feel mixed about this place, but in the end, I'd rather go to another breakfast spot. read more

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They no longer have the buffet that all the pictures reference to. Everything is ala carte. A 20% gratuity automatically added to the bill, which is fine because the service was stellar. The food was just ok but not worth a return with all the other offerings around. -Biltmore Burger: I can't believe that burger is $30. Slap the word wagyu on things and you can charge more. Seemed like a very basic burger. -Chicken Italiano Pasta: This was more like pasta and capers tossed in butter. There was no sauce, just melted butter. -Ruben: Standard, no complaints. read more

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Everything changes. No more breakfast buffet, you just order from a limited menu. The coffee and tea service was as quick as before, while murals, tiles, and wood paneling have not changed since my last review in 2014. The best part is entering from Biltmore's famous and stunning courtyard. Since I couldn't have their delicious fried potatoes because they have onions and I cant eat bacon or sausage, they gave me fresh fruit and fresh tomato slices. read more

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Smeraldi's restaurant is located inside the 'Millennium Biltmore Hotel,' Downtown Los Angeles, CA. I was either in need of some munchies when I arrived or was looking for a place to support this Historic Landmark. However, I was directed to wait around for their take out Side Cafe, 'Rendezvous Cafe,' to re-open because the staff there had gone to lunch. I decided doing so till about half day, noon-ish. Finally the 'Rendezvous Cafe,' opened up again for any take out orders except they didn't have enough choices. I decided to go for a coffee drink and some pastries. Since the cashier found out I stuck around for them to re-open, he was super nice that he gave me an extra piece of their butter croissant for the price of one. Thank you, super friendly cashier/barista!!!! You made my day. I ordered their Cappuccino to go as well. I'm glad I stuck around 'Smeraldi's,' here because it was so relaxing with Biltmore Hotel's live jazz radio going off the entire time on top of the running fountain water sounds in the background. I'll be back again for another take out experience but not during a long weekend. Cya next time, 'Smeraldi's,' Downtown Los Angeles, CA. read more

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3.5 only because of lack of "Bridgerton". We have been to several teas at Smeraldi's in the Biltmore; high tea, Christmas tea, and the Bridgerton Tea this weekend. The Hotel is old and beautiful, the lower lobby is a perfect place for a tea. The Bridergerton Tea was fun, lots of guests dress for the event, they accommondated by Gluten allergy and have a vegan option too. The selection of tea was good, they had 5 different options, be sure to taste them all. While the ambience was perfect for a tea, we wanted more "Bridgerton", may a character or two, the music from the show, etc then I could give it a 4.5 for sure. I recommend the teas at Smeraldi's, especially during the holidays. The enitre hotel is decorated. Whenever you go, be sure to spend some time checking out the hotel. Perfect picture opportunities. #1sassytraveler #fever #biltmore #smeraldis read more

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4.5 Stars! This place has been around for a very long time, it's probably one of the oldest buffets in Los Angeles. The restaurant is connected with the Biltmore Hotel which is probably one of the oldest hotels in Los Angeles. The buffet here is pretty good. For the lunch buffet the price is $23. This buffet includes shrimp, tilapia, beef brisket, vegetable soup, pizza,a bar where you can create your own pasta and best of all...crab legs! To be honest, all a buffet really needs to win me over are crab legs! The crab legs here are actually pretty filled with meat. I've been to several buffets where the crab legs are all very thin legs with hardly any substance in the shell. This place gives only the thickest crab legs and but also keeps them fully stocked! Then again it's not hard to keep it fully stocked if not many people eat here. The pasta here is warm, delicious and creamy, which is what I expect from an Italian restaurant. The soup is also hot and flavorful as well. The beef brisket is tender and juicy. This buffet has been around for so long that I feel like some people forgot about it. Which is probably the reason this place is pretty empty most of the time. It may also be due to the fact that most working class people in DTLA don't want to spend $23 for a buffet. The food is excellent and the servers are friendly as well. It's definitely a great place to visit when you and your coworkers are in a celebratory mood! read more

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Absolutely delicious. I am solo usually but I do enjoy Great coffee and food. They did not disappoint. Presentation perfect. More importantly the food was delicious and the coffee superb, 100% Colombian. I couldn't decide between the eggs Benedict and the salmon so I got the salmon to go and did not disappoint later on in the afternoon. All the food and the service was perfect except I think I left my debit card there. I hope staff reads this I left two messages hopefully they found it. read more

Smeraldi's is the in-house restaurant for breakfast at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles. And of course - the hefty price tag for breakfast. First day I ordered the Breakfast Buffet - $20. And I ordered a glass of Grapefruit juice. Turns out the juice is not part of the buffet - I was charged an additional fee for the juice. Had the breakfast potatoes, a few slices of Applewood smoked bacon, and an Omelet with spinach, mushrooms, scallions, onions, and cheddar cheese - made fresh at the Omelet station. Omelet was pretty good, as was the delicious Applewood smoked bacon. The potatoes were rather ordinary. The second day, I ordered their Corned Beef hash with two eggs over easy and an English Muffin, plus Grapefruit juice and coffee. Corned Beef hash was a fresher corned beef that most places offer - but I've had way better. Eggs were cooked over easy - just as I requested. When you request an English Muffin - beware, they brought me two (see pic). Again breakfast was around $20. At those prices, I sure wish that there was a Denny's or IHOP close by! Service was good. read more

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Came here one Saturday evening before our concert. The ambiance was classy but not pretentious and the service was attentive but not overbearing. Food - everything was pure Italian comfort * Salsicci e Cavolo Nero - is my favorite Italian soup. It's warm and hearty with sausage and kale. * Spaghetti Alla Carbonara - another Italian classic which was cooked to perfection * Butterscotch Budina - this dessert is hands down one of my favorite desserts of all time. Warm butterscotch pudding with vanilla caramel. It was rich and decadent and the perfect end to a wonderful meal. Luckily we walked back to Walt Disney Concert hall for the concert so I was able to burn off all the calories. I would definitely recommend this restaurant if you are in the mood for Italian food. read more

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Located conveniently in the Biltmore hotel and due to the fact the hotel did not offer room service, we decided to try them out for breakfast on 2 different occasions, both times were disappointing. We were always seated very quickly and had a very nice welcoming. We had the same exact server on both days. The first day, just like the second, she was not very attentive. There was a gentleman who was doing the busing and he was super friendly, attentive and warm. He really did his best to make the situations we dealt with get resolved. I ordered hard boiled eggs and on both days, they brought me the eggs still in the shell. I had to repeatedly ask to have them peeled. Even the second time, I mentioned it right away while I was ordering, they still came out with the shell. On both occasions I asked to sub the potatoes for fruit, and the first time was no issue, however the second day she mentioned she was not even sure she can do that. Mind you, I had the same order the day previous with no issues. Then my partners food came out, also incorrect when we asked for no onions in the potatoes, and only my eggs (still in the shell), came out with my sausage and my toast. I had to ask a few different times again to get my eggs peeled, and to get my fruit. My partner ordered a glass of milk and that never came. Our waitress seemed uninterested with us, and couldn't be bothered to address our concerns. I stopped the manager and told her about my experience and she seemed apologetic. She ended up giving us 2 croissants and hoped we could come back. Overall experience was 1.5/5 (could only rate up or down, your welcome). You are better off walking a couple blocks to Ihop where the service and the food is great! read more

Love it here. The buffet selection isn't vast, but I think I'm completely in love with the desserts, mostly the macarons. Hhaha. The made-to-order pasta is great. Try getting some seafood and adding it onto your pasta for them to cook. Salad and fruit is also fresh and they have a few hot dishes on the middle area of the buffet. It may get busy during lunch time so it's best to make reservations. read more

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Set in the beautiful Biltmore Hotel is Smeraldi's. It is fantastic. The food is Italian and they have a wonderful selection. The chairs are not comfortable, but other than that the place is beautiful. The art on the walls is warm and comforting. The service is top notch. You can linger if you want or have them get your meal to you quickly, if you are running to the theater. The most basic of dishes, the penne is perfect. They have a great wine list and a full bar. I suggest you make reservations in advance. Have your car valet parked at the hotel. Enjoy, read more

After reading on Yelp page that they were open for breakfast I decided to walk over there for a nice Saturday breakfast. I had been there many times prior to pandemic for lunch which used to be quite good. Unfortunately they are closed. They do have some kind of BS coffee stand in lobby which serves some not so good food. Someone needs to update their Yelp page and website! read more

Came here for dinner before L.A. Phil. Ordered calamari alla milanese, carbonara spaghetti, grilled salmon (w/ superb cheese polenta). The wild Atlantic salmon was perfectly grilled- flaky, moist and very fresh! Highly underrated and surprisingly good. Relaxed, courteous service. read more

Came here for DineLA week with my mom to sample the lunch menu. Absolutely incredible! The chef came out personally to greet us. I had a stuffed mushroom for a starter, a sage and brown butter ravioli, and finished with a butterscotch pudding. My mom had stuffed poblano peppers, a chicken and ratatouille dish, and finished with marscapone ice cream. Both menus were just $20 for DineLA week. I felt like I was having a $60 meal! The service was top notch, the food was amazing, 10/10 would recommend!! read more

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Ali, the restaurant manager, arranged a private space for me to host family and friends for a celebratory dinner after graduating with my Master's from USC last weekend. He was so gracious and concerned over making sure we had a great experience. Thank you so much Ali! Smeraldi's has an old world Italian feel, perfect for this group of Italianos! We were seated in a space that was beautiful, spacious, and comfortable. The service was very kind and attentive, and the food was excellent. I had the Filet Mignon and my boyfriend had to Osso Bucco and we were both very happy. I have to say that the Tiramisu was some of the best I've ever had! We are so looking forward to coming back again soon! Thank you! read more

This place was terrible. The service was slow. Slow doesn't even cover it. If snails were serving us, they would have done a better job. The waiter didn't seem to have a grasp on the menu and the lunch seemed to drag on for much longer than it possibly should have. The food itself was bland and completely not worth the price. It's clear that the restaurant is living off of the hotel, not on its own merits. read more

My husband and I signed up to do a tour of the Biltmore Hotel on Easter Sunday. While checking out the website to see what sort of dining we could do at the hotel before the tour, I stumbled upon the Easter Brunch. Thoughts: hmmmm...we don't have any plans for Easter since doing the family thing is out this year....hmmmm. Sushi and champagne?!!! Let's do it! We made reservations and before we knew it Easter was upon us. The spread was set up in the Rendezvous Court and the food list was extensive. Yes, there was lots of sushi and all of the champagne you could drink. Mimosas anyone?! Other items: *Huge omelet station *Crab and shrimp cocktail station *fruit platter *cheese platter *a kiddie station (that I ate off of too because I couldn't resist the baked mac n' cheese...yummy for the tummy) *an awesome spinach quiche that melted in my mouth *tons of other items *and a GIGANTIC dessert station. I mean like 20 platters full of cakes, brownies, pies, you name it! AND a big Easter basket full of chocolate bunnies, Cadbury creme eggs, and other Easter-y treats!!! I was just sad that my yummy wasn't big enough to eat everything because it all looked so good! The setting is just lovely. Hello! It's the Biltmore!!!! read more

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This restaurant is located inside the Biltmore hotel for those searching for it ( i know this could be a tip but figure people pay attention to reviews first). Anyways i have been here a few times actually and had held up on reviewing because the first time was a nightmare almost. Our food was late, then they forgot one entire dish , and finally a drink was dropped on one of our coworkers. However, mistakes happen and well we came during lunch hour and we know things get busy. At the same time the other two times i have come here the service has been close to average each time. Even when not so busy they really almost forget about you. Then the food items are either missed or not cooked the best. I've only had a good experience one of the three total times i have been here. The location is nice but also challenging if you are not already in the area or staying at the hotel. The place doesn't exactly get full and i can see why. I would recommend many other restaurants to eat at then here if in the area. Seems to be that the name itself is simply carrying the people to this place. As my reviews say, it is just A-ok, nothing special. read more

This review's just for the afternoon tea here, which is really nice. I've come here twice for afternoon tea--first time with a gaggle (about 12) of girls for a friend's bday, and then with just a few friends today--Superbowl Sunday. We didn't plan it that way; when we made plans like a month and a half ago we had no idea today would be the superbowl. But you know what, it turned out to be great because it wasn't very crowded at all. But I don't know if it was the game or the cold blustery weather. Either way, it was nice and quiet. On to the tea: For $22 you can get the Victorian tea, which comes with sandwiches, scones, pastries, and of course tea. For an extra $4 you can get a glass of an alcoholic beverage, like a mimosa, sherry, kir, etc. The princess tea is $18, and you don't get any sandwiches. I've had the victorian both times (gotta have those sandwiches) and even though it doesn't seem like it at first, it does end up being quite a satisfying amount of food (unless you're totally ravenous). Those lil sandwiches and pastries really expand! Everything is delectable; I love the tasty lil sandwiches and I love the chantilly cream that comes with the scones--it's so thick it's almost like whipped butter and I just slather it on everything. The pastries are good also but not as memorable, except for maybe the lil lemon tarts that are really tart and good! Ah, tea and crumpets with good friends in a lovely relaxing atmosphere; what's not to like? You do have to valet park it here, and make sure you get your ticket validated at the restaurant, otherwise you'll be paying $36 instead of $8. I know, how crazy is that?! read more

Smeraldi's - Afternoon tea at Biltmore - Italian Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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The food here is not great. However, I do commend the waiter who brought over a plate of fruit for the lady at our table who was vegan and could not have the ice cream dessert. Bread rolls are too dry. The pumpkin/squash ravioli was drenched in so much butter that it was all I could taste; no pumpkin flavor. The ice cream with apple bits in it was bizarre. read more

Located in the beautiful historic Millenium Biltmore Hotel. Go early just to explore the hotel and enjoy the historic beauty of it. Valet is $6 for 3 hrs with validation from the restaurant(s). Was here for their $45 Thanksgiving dinner which was 3 courses with two glasses of champagne; A good value in my opinion. We arrived 45 mins early hoping to get in early and luckily it worked! It wasn't busy at all and so they sat us immediately. Started with complimentary bread basket, and of course our first glass of champagne (which tasted good). Everything was in good portion and I didn't even finish my plate and was still super full... so full in fact that I took my dessert home! In comparison to other places that charge $65, I would recommend this place to anyone looking for an affordable, yet very presentable Thanksgiving meal. read more

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Let me begin by saying ***** for the dinner. It was amazing. Valentine's Prefix Menu was excellent. The bread was warm, crusty on the outside and soft inside, so good! The starter soup was great. A concoction of carrot puree and orange. I couldn't imagine melding those flavors but it was so delicious. The filet mignon and poached lobster tail were both well prepared and to my liking. The Four-Play dessert was decadent and this coming from a man without a sweet tooth! Now for the bad news... the ambiance. Wayyyy too bright for a romantic dinner. It would have been nice to dim the lights and have real candlelight instead of the candle shaped bulb. It's Valentine's Day, candlelight = romance. The walls were whitish and having the lights on full blast hurt the eyes. We were seated by the window so it kinda felt like we were on display. Service was good, very attentive. The waiter kept the champagne flowing. A+ on my book. This spot has so much potential. Great location and historic venue. A few tweaks to the lighting and boom, Smeraldi's trending up. read more

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Wow what a horrible and disappointing experience. I was here for a conference today and we had a 1.5 hour lunch break. To make our life easier we decided to just go to the restaurant in the hotel. We were seated after waiting a few minutes, and it wasn't too busy yet. We waited at least 20 mins for someone to take our lunch order. There was a buffet going on too but they sat us down with regular menus as well so we figured we had a choice. After asking 4 different busboys to get us our server, one busboy told a manager and the manager looked straight at us and started shaking his head profusely and pointing to the buffet. I figured that meant he was trying to say its buffet only? Still, no one came to our table and we literally got up and left without being served after 30 mins. read more

Since we stayed in the hotel, we decided to eat at the restaurant for breakfast both mornings. The buffet was well stocked. They offered a well stocked fruit and bread station. I especially loved the tiny croissants and the mini jars of jam and preserves. The omlette station was very good! They offered hand many options including grains to be put into your eggs, I thought that was awesome. There was pancakes, bacon, sausage and potatoes. And then there was the coffee and juices. They were delicious. At $21.00 it wasn't terrible, but it wasn't the Holiday inn either. read more

$59 three course Valentine's Day dinner. The restaurant is inside the Biltmore hotel and you can enter directly from Olive Street. The restaurant is small, but cozy and the food is excellent. I really enjoyed the filet and both of the desserts. I was a little surprised that a 15% tip was included in the bill although my party consisted of 2 people. read more

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Good Eggs Benedict. Convenient. Nothing special. Priced for tourists as you would expect a fancy hotel. read more

Smeraldi's - Eggs Benedict $16 Croissant $4 Coffee $4 - Italian Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Pretty good! Food pretty fresh and many selection to choose from. For the price they charge at a luxury hotel like this it's totally worth it! will definitely come back again! highly recommend! read more

This review is for their $19.95 Mediterranean buffet lunch. It is amazing. Like, ridiculously amazing. You know that things are going to cost a pretty penny for lunch in DTLA, so $19.95 is par for the course, but what you get for that is what makes this lunch a great deal. There is a salad bar with crab legs, and shrimp cocktail. There is a made to order pasta bar, with chef who stands there and makes your pasta dish with desired noodle, ingredients, and sauce right there in front of you. I had the pasta type I wanted, with scallops, and cream sauce. There is also a giant dessert tower with cute bite size pastries. There was a drink bar too, with a variety of non-alcoholic drink options. For a work event, this was a HUGE hit! Place rocked. Everyone was happy with enough variety to suit everyone. read more

Went here for a quick bite for lunch and had the Insalata "Cesare." It was amazing! Love the architecture of the hotel and restaurant as well. read more

Smeraldi's - Italian Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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The review is for the seafood buffet.... Where else can you get quality seafood - oyster on the half shell, crab legs, jumbo shrimp, mussels, and lobster ravioli for $20???? In addition, there's soup (clam chowder) and a traditional salad bar with smoked salmon and a variety of vegetable salads. If you want a quality, delicious seafood buffet at a reasonable price, Smeraldi's is the place to go in DTLA.... read more

This place was not great. I chose the Winter Special pre fixe for my dinner. Had the minestrone (which was good) the filet mignon - which was NOT good, the sauce was too sweet and the meat was medium not medium rare). The dessert was a chocolate layerd cake thing - good but seemed mass produced. My waiter was not on top of his game, maybe it was an off night for him but there were only 4 tables used in the place - decorations are lacking too. Would not go back. This place is in the Hotel next to their tea room. read more

Ever wonder what it feels like to be rich? Who doesn't? I ate breakfast at Smeraldi's. Perhaps it was the time or day, but I was the only person there. Sitting at a table with white, crisp linens, it was a fun fantasy to think what it'd be like to do this everyday, if I was rich. The service was attentive and prompt. Little touches transformed the ordinary to something special. For example, I ordered a standard breakfast of eggs over easy, bacon and whole wheat toast. When the waiter presented it to me, the large plate had the food laid out in a visually pleasing fashion, along with a small orchid flower as a garnish. There were five slices of hot bacon, not the usual tepid three or four slices you get elsewhere. The toast was tucked into napkin, hot again and not sliced. I had a choice of four preserves along with small, individual bottles of ketchup and hot sauce. There was a small plate of fresh blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and sliced strawberries on the big plate. All this luxury for $13 at the Biltmore! If you valet park, be sure and have the restaurant validate your parking which gives you 3 hours of parking for $6, a huge savings over the $4.50 per 15 minutes, $35 maximum daily charge,otherwise. Who knew you could have a rich fantasy at the Biltmore on the cheap? read more

Two of my co-workers and I were looking for somethign to eat and ran into this place. We walked in and ended up having the seafood buffet which was pretty amazing. I'm not typically a fan of oysters but they were amazing. Shrimp cocktails with shrimp damn near the size of jumbo prawns. The mussel's were also very flavorful. They also had a wonderful spread for a pasta bar. I didn't have any but a short order cook was on hand to cook your choices. In my co-workers opinion it was definitely at the quality their pasta entree's would be at. Dessert was incredible. The lemon tart was astounding and there was a layered chocolate cake with chocolate mousse and rather than chocolate overload I thought it was rich but not overpowering, and I'm not particularly a dessert kind of guy. My only real gripe was that the crab crakes were really dry and rather tasteless. I wouldn't waste the room or the carbs for the health conscious. The restaurant used to be the Biltmore's men-only lounge from what I understand and it definitly still has that feel with a bar that opens to the foyer (which in its own right is enough of a reason to come here). Rather than tables with white linen, you can definitely imagine large leather chairs, snifters of brandy, and cigars. Overall its definitely not something for everyday, we spent $76 for three buffets, but definitely a great treat once in awhile. The quality of seafood was definitely unepxected, especially for a buffett. Come ready to spend, but defintiely worth the price and being a buffett you can be in and out as quickly as you want for the time crunched Gordon Gekko's of the world. read more

Located inside the beautiful Millennium Biltmore hotel on Grand Ave. Smeraldi's has the potential to be equally as beautiful. Too bad it fails. Passing through the hotel lobby you think, oh this restaurant is going to be so pretty, but once u get inside, it's more of a Holiday Inn cafeteria buffet. I went for the breakfast during the week and in the sparsely populated dining area, the host sat me and my friend in some random isolated section of the restaurant. Our waiter came about 5 minutes later to get our drink order. It took almost 10 minutes for the mimosas we ordered to come to our table. In the meantime, a different waiter tried to bring us 2 cups of coffee that we did not order, and when we turned them away, he came back with 2 cups of orange juice which we also didn't order. When our regular waiter finally returned with our drinks, our menus had been closed for quite some time already but he dropped off the mimosas and left. A few minutes later he returned to get our food order and while the food came out at a pretty quick pace, my friend's food was less than appealing. He ordered the "Fitness" which was supposed to be a healthy breakfast option for $17. A large fruit platter came along with a bran muffin & a bowl of "granola", or in this case what looked like 3 flakes of rolled oats tossed in with half a bag of dried berries & pecans, and a cup of strawberry yogurt that resembled expired cottage cheese. I ordered the Eggs Benedict which were actually pretty good, but not good enough to save this place from the extremely slow, neglectful, & lackluster service. There were probably a total of 4 tables having breakfast (including us) and the other 3 were eating from the breakfast buffet. With a total of 12 dining guests, you'd think that the 18 waiters that were mysteriously wandering around the empty dining room could've asked us more than once if we were doing ok; and not by saying, "how's breakfast, good? yeah? ok." It's not the waiting that hurts the most, it's knowing that the place was totally overstaffed for 10am on a Tuesday morning and that nobody working there seemed to understand what customer service means. My advice is don't take out of town visitors there because you'll just leave really embarrassed for having wasted their vacation time on a place that obviously doesn't value their time any more than they do their jobs. read more

$20 for soup and calamari? Eeesh, hotel prices! But ya know, the tomato soup was pretty good. Not $6 good though. And you don't even get crackers or bread. Grr. And the calamari was tender, not overly fried and had barely any batter (just the way I like it). Too bad it was also $9 for a small portion. You think you're getting a lot but then you realize they had stuffed the bowl with lettuce and the calamari was on top. Bah! Oh, I had to eat in the Rendevous Court because Smeraldi's was actually packed and they put the spill over crowd in the lobby. Yay, I ate a $20 meal in the lobby...which wasn't that bad. The lobby is beautiful as is the rest of the Biltmore Hotel (ahahah, it always makes me laugh my high school prom was here). Service was okay, they had one waiter running around the whole place and he was mostly busy with the private event handing out the free wine. He did give me sparkling water when I asked for water. Hmm, I don't like fizzy water but that's okay, it was mainly ice cubes away. Sigh, I want water! I had originally wanted to order the lasagna but he discouraged me from doing so telling me it would take 20-25 minutes. But that's how long it took to get my soup and calamari. Ack! $20 parking with validation or park across the street at Pershing Square for $6 (rate good after 5 p.m.). read more

Great for a large group lunch. Reasonably priced. Co-workers and I went for our monthly birthday lunch. I picked the place this time (b/c it's my birthday). I read the lunch menu - looked like there was something for everybody, including buffet. First course: seafood and salad. Smoked salmon over spinach, with caesar and ranch dressings, artichoke salad, marinated mushrooms and tomatoes, shrimp cocktail and a crab leg. Fresh and delicious. Second course: pasta. Not my usual buffet item, but since this seems to be their specialty, I tried it. Tomato and spinach fettuccine with alfredo, marinara and pesto sauces, chicken, olives and bacon (I spooned on the parmesean cheese at the end) . A multi-color carbonara - excellent idea. Desserts aren't bad - cheesecake, petit fours, fruit. They brought out a mini-tart with raspberry sauce, topped by a birthday candle. Service was good as expected. Ask for Tabasco sauce, and they give you those 1/8-ounce mini-bottles. I took one for home. The majority of us went for buffet. My supervisor went with the chicken paillard and she was happy. Saw another co-worker's penne dish - nice and cheesy. Parking is $6 with validation. If you work downtown, you may want to find another method of transportation (bus, Metro or walk). My department is starting to like my choices for lunch. Thanks Yelpers! read more

My roommates and I originally came here for the dineLA experience, but due to our lack of attention to detail, we did not realize that they didn't serve dineLA on Sunday. Regardless, we ordered items that were similar to what could be found on the dineLA menu. Overall, an enjoyable experience, but nothing amazing that would render me wishing to go back and bring my other friends there. Food: My roommates ordered the lasagna while I ordered ravioli. The lasagna was very unique in that it used shredded meat instead of your regular minced meat. Furthermore, there were bits of vegetables within it that made the entire dish something unique and memorable. As for the ravioli, it was stuffed with minced veal, but I found it rather enjoyable. Nothing A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, but it was still a fulfilling dinner. We also shared a plate of fried calamari as an appetizer, which was good but also not memorable. Ambience: Perhaps it was because it was a Sunday or perhaps it was because they just don't have a lot of dinner guests, but the restaurant wasn't really full. This was nice because it gave us a great atmosphere to just have a nice dinner and quietly chat. Plus, piano background music is awesome! Service: The waiter was really nice and considerate. What made him even better was that it didn't seem like he looked down on us despite the fact that we were college students and didn't order any alcohol. I've found that a lot of the classier places dislike you when you order dineLA as well, but this place didn't really have that obvious distaste. Well, keep in mind that I did go on a non-dineLA day. Overall: It's a good place to have a date or just want a classy dinner with friends. But I wouldn't say that this is a super memorable place that makes me want to come again. read more

Went for the seafood buffet for lunch during the day. (+): pastas- made to order and our chef suggested some good combinations. shrimp cocktails- decently fresh, and nothing to complain about service- great, nice staff and always present when you need them. (-): oysters- i was kind of sad, since i really came for these, but they didn't seem all that fresh, and were not that great. Overall it was fine, but I probably won't go back. Nothing against them, but parking is not great, and eating to get your money's worth never felt so filling. read more

Extremely overpriced! If you're staying in the hotel your eating options are limited to three eateries, but this is the only place for breakfast. The best deal is most likely the Breakfast Buffet for $21.95 - especially since an omelet will cost you $16 plus a small craft of coffee for $6. Unfortunately, buffers are lost on me since I can't eat that much. The two meals I did have here were good, I wasn't a huge fan of the potatoes and peppers that come with the meals, but that was my bad for not asking if I could substitute that out - though that could have meant an additional cost? What was a shock to me was that an order of traditional eggs benedict cost $21 - literally ham, eggs, and English muffin...$21! I would have have been fine with $15-16 but, $21 is way overpriced; especially since I can get lobster benedict in my hometown for $19. Don't get me wrong, the food was really good, but the prices killed me. Also, the staff were extremely friendly and attentive! The staff deserves 5 stars! read more