LOVE THIS PLACE! SERVICE = A+ FOOD=A ATMOSPHERE=A+ Highlights were the lamb pasta, Hokkaido milk buns, cheesecake, & cocktails (I forget which ones but they were great) read more

Verse is a wonderful restaurant with attention to details in design, sound, service, and food. Would be 5 stars but we went on a Monday where they advertise "something special from the kitchen" and our waiter let us know that "we have an amuse tonight" - great! We thought there was a glass of champagne as part of the promotion as well from a social media post but didn't get one. No worries - maybe that was just for their first Monday of service and we're still getting the amuse bouche. Still a nice, fun way to get people out of the house to an expensive meal on a Monday night. The food and drinks are expensive but worth it. However, I was surprised when I got the bill that they do in fact charge for the amuse. I think it was $5 or $10 per person, certainly less than it would cost on the actual menu and a pittance compared to the overall cost of the meal, but the feeling of misrepresentation was a bummer. The marketing made it seem like something free in exchange for going out to an expensive meal on a less popular weeknight. We took that bait, got charged, and left with a bitter taste as a result when the meal itself was great. Weird strategy. read more

We love you! We love you!! We love you!!! Thank you for having us and we are excited to come back again!

Nice night out for anyone into music, food, cocktails or just a good time. We came for the music and didn't actually have high expectations for the food but it blew us away. Everything was flavorful, well balanced and inventive including our cocktails. Friendly, helpful staff checked on us throughout the meal. Would definitely recommend. read more

First of all, this restaurant is so low key. You can't even tell its a restaurant from the outside. The food was good, the jazz band playing that night was amazing and the ambience is great. If you're looking for a nice dinner with some live music this is the place. read more

Came here for my cousins birthday. Everything was good, especially with the customer service by Bradley and his team. I would definitely come back with my boyfriend, super cute date place. I also enjoyed the live entertainment. read more

Hello Yelpers! I hope we are all hanging in there. I wanted to share with you our Friday night dinner at the Verse in Studio City because it was SO delicious. We sat outside, the chairs were super comfortable, it was a little chilly Friday night and they had the heating lamps all ready to go. We started off with a few drinks, I tried the pomegranate cocktail, which was perfect balance and not too sweet. We then shared the kale salad! Great choice, very refreshing with a light pineapple vinaigrette that I loved! The Duck bolognese was just fantastic. Think of this dish as a lighter, but just as rich in flavor as a traditional meat bolognese. All was just perfect Friday night date night with my two besties. I will be back for sure. And I wanted to give a shout out to the staff who made us feel so welcomed, every dish they explained and sent out little gifts from the kitchen like the chicken croquettes. Also really great. Please give the restaurant a try. read more

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This place is a super classy romantic restaurant! ambiance- it's just amazing, live music that alternates, dim lights and an intimate seating space. We sat close to the stage which was perfect to see everything. In terms of food, It wasn't the greatest , but their drinks for sure to die for, can't wait to have more drinks there . Customer service was great, our waiter quickly came to us and the hosts at the front were good with our reservations. The worst part of this place is the parking that turned me off from first moment. NO VALET parking, NO public parking. Are you serious????? Am I gonna go back? Yes read more

I'm so disappointed. I brought my husband here last night and everything was great... ambiance... service and food. SO WE THOUGHT!!! My husband has been throwing up since 3am last night with horrible food poisoning. Here's what he ordered. Appetizers- Grilled Oysters Main- NY steak Dessert chocolate cake Sincerely Disappointed since we were looking forward to coming here and checking out the live music. Didn't mind the expensive bill but surely didn't expect my husband to get Horribly sick. Currently 1pm and he's still throwing up. read more

All I can say is wow wow wow. Just go, don't even keep searching for that nice dinner spot. You found it, this is it. The food was to die for and the drinks are actually worth the price. The service was great and the vibe was cool and laid back. I live very close and now that I've discovered this hidden gem, I'm gonna have a hard time not spending all my money here. I want to live inside a Hokkaido Milk Bun now. read more

Took my partner here for her birthday and for sure it was the best decision I could have ever made. We had reservations online made in advance, but it seemed like it wouldn't be too hard to get one setup, or even if it is needed at all. Still, it's a recommendation I would make to set one up so that getting seated is no issue. Parking: There is a lot of street parking available. Seems like no lots, but plenty of meters to park at, so it usually shouldn't be an issue, especially for dinners. When we arrived at Verse, the service was notably superior to any other service we've gotten at a restaurant. Wait staff and servers were very friendly, mindful of things like water, when we were ready to order, etc. However, they went well above and beyond, taking away plates and utensils as soon as they were finished and wiping down tables completely on a routine basis while we were sitting; even small drops of water were taken care of. Everything was done super attentively without feeling like we lacked privacy. Regarding food, we ordered hokkaido milk buns, kampachi nigiri, tomahawk steak, and mushroom linguini. For our occasion, we also received beignets with butter ice cream and a coffee and turnips dessert on the house, which was very nice. Everything was absolutely amazing. The hokkaido milk buns had me wondering how anything else could ever top that. The nigiri admittedly was okay and on the weaker side of the entire meal, but still not too bad. The portions were notably very small for nigiri. The tomahawk steak on the other hand was a massive giant that was paired well with a nice bone marrow sauce. It was cooked to perfection with all the juices still in tact. Afterward, we had the mushroom linguini which was honestly even better than the tomahawk steak. The rich flavors really pulled through and every bite felt like a large burst of yummy yet sophisticated flavors. The ultimate highlight were for sure the desserts, beignets in particular. To this day, I have never had a better experience with desserts. The coffee and turnips were good but overshadowed by the beignets. They were so light and fluffy, yet crispy on the outside. A breathtaking experience for sure. The cocktail I had to go with my meal was called the moonlight sonata. Very tasty blackberry flavor that isn't too strong but also very tasty. Perfect for those who are turned off by super strong alcoholic taste. The drink is also very aesthetic, crafted beautifully with a ball of ice in the center to represent the moon. What really brought me to come to Verse in the first place was the live performances. Beautiful jazz music really completed the entire experience and turned an already amazing restaurant experience with superb service and greater food and drinks into an experience that really adds class to what I can only call elevated dining. Nice music with stunning decor and ambience, this place has it all. read more

Love love love! Second time visiting and everything was phenomenal. Alec or Alex was our server again and he's a sweetheart. Really attentive and friendly. He coursed out our meal perfectly and we enjoyed every single dish so much. Hokkaido milk buns are insane, loved the persimmon and prosciutto starter, the skin on the duck breast main was crisped so nicely and paired well with the cheese sauce and scalloped potato thing, crispy quinoa vegetable salad was so refreshing and had a unique spice in it that I couldn't pinpoint, and the risotto did not disappoint. Really enjoyed my drink too, the Moonlight Sonata. Deserts were so yummy too. Loveee the toffee on the chocolate and caramel dish, and the french toast was excellent. Ambience is gorgeous. Love the blue velvet upholstery and the acoustics are perfect. The live jazz musicians were awesome and it was so nice to be able to carry a conversation with the music playing vibrantly. Couldn't recommend this spot more! read more

Came here for date night. The service was absolutely outstanding. The waiter described the history of this place and introduced the menu with such grace. The menu is very unique and cannot be repeated elsewhere. The quality of the fish and seafood dishes was shockingly delicious. The ambience was great, especially the live music. The drinks were strong. This place is definitely worth the price tag for special events and I can't wait to go back for the food, service, and ambience. read more

Came here for my birthday and WOW...!!!... what an experience with the stunning ambience with beautiful jazz music and attentive service and the food was absolutely spectacular.... My kiddos had the milk bread and it was warm and tasty and delicious and sweet tea and they have the lobster Bolognese pasta and we had some dishes that Chef Oscar sent out and everything was on point... like I said, stunning ambience and the food was spectacular so come here casually or come here for a special occasion and you will not be disappointed... we will be back and thank you:) read more

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Lovely ambiance Live music is a plus Delicious drinks , we especially liked the apricot one We got the tomahawk and it came with a bone marrow which they mixed into a "salad"--I'd suggest asking them not to do that because we completely lost the bone marrow goodness after that :( we also asked for chimichurri sauce for the steak (it didn't already come with it) read more

Overall we liked it, but didn't love it. Atmosphere was very nice including the live music. They have done a great job setting the mood from the lighting to the decorations. Food was good but not great. I recommend they get a curtain to hang outside the entrance since it's dark inside the restaurant and if you get a table before the sun goes down, every time the door would open the sunlight would blast my eyes at the table. It ruined the ambience until the sunset. Attentive service needs improvement. We couldn't find our server twice; once, I had to flag down someone else for a spoon and second, I had to even get up to ask the hostess to find our server for the bill. Broccolini side came out undercooked, we were offered a new one but by the time the server came over to check on us after our food arrived, we were nearly done with our entrees and I didn't feel like eating it by itself. Milk buns were very popular at most tables and all over social media too but they were NOT good enough for the price. $14...it's 5 tiny bread rolls. Yes you read that right, bread for $14. They removed the broccolini from our bill and brought us a dessert as an apology. It was a nice gesture. I am willing to return if/when they have new menu items. I hope the attentive service can be improved. read more

this place is a whole mood! my boyf is a fan of manny M and was super excited to try this place. It is definitely worth the hype. food: sourdough bread with lava salt and the best damn butter ive had in my life! order 2 of these!! tuna tartare = heaven korean hanger steak was out of this effing world. the meat was soo perfectly cooked with the most delish marinade to make it melt in your mouth. boyf got the lobster bolognese... order this right now! i dont even like pasta and I couldnt put my fork down! such a great flavor with perfectly textured pasta! dessert: carrot cake totally reminds me of something straight outta alice in wonderland! which pretty much sums up the vibe here! the sound system is amaze! live music too! sexy and cool ambiance with dope drinks. awesome date spot. overall this place is totally falling down a rabbit hole like alice into bomby food & feels! read more

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Overpriced and overrated. Atmosphere is dark and sexy like a jazz club. Service though is robotic and rushed. Food is only okay. Everyone raving over the Hokkaido Buns is deluded: five kings Hawaiian style mini buns for $14?! These should be complimentary when the a dinner for two runs $380. read more

My husband and I had a date night and made reservations at Verse for the Ozomatil x Verse experience. It was amazing! The show was awesome, as always, but the restaurant itself was on another level. The service and our waiter were amazing. This experience alone has us both wanting to go back to Verse soon! We started off with the Aged Yellowtail Crudo, it had great flavor and was refreshing. Then we decided to get the Hokkaido Milk Buns, these were AMAZING and lets just say these alone make me want to return to Verse real soon. We did order from the Ozomatli x Verse menu and decided on the Blue Corn Sope, brilliant combination of al pastor, charred pineapple, and cotjia cheese, you can not go wrong with that combination. But the topper to what we ordered was the Braised Lamb Pasta. I have never had lamb before, usually don't venture out on other meats like this, BUT this was beyond amazing. I can't even explain how delicious it was! Just try it and trust me when I say I'll order this plate anytime we visit Verse. read more

Everything we ordered was so good! Will always come here to celebrate bdays and special occasions. They play music too at night. Verse is a must try! ambience, service, food is amazing. You gotta get the Hokkaido milk buns to start with. We always get 2. There's street parking read more

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An absolute delight. It's about time great food and music became the norm again. The food was delicious, service speedy and attentive and the music was infectious. This is a wonderful spot! read more

I've been excited to try Verse since I read about it on Thrillist. I wish we had a better experience, but we didn't. Starting with the positives: the room is beautiful and it was nice to hear music clearly but not have conversations overpowered by it. There was no live music on the night we were there, but we enjoyed the playlist selection. Grace, our server, was also great. She was friendly and fun. We enjoyed a cocktail and ordered a bottle of wine. While the evening was still going relatively well, we were served the Lollipops, Crab Cake, and Octopus. The flavor of the Lollipops is good, but they were very tiny and overcooked. The Crab Cake was fine; nothing wrong with it, but I've had better, especially at a price point of $22 for a single crab cake. The Octopus was also a bit overcooked and just ok; not good enough to justify the $22. I let Grace know that I'm interested in having a glass of the Brunello to enjoy with the Bolognese, and she brings it over shortly. Here is where the evening turns. After about a half hour, Grace seems concerned that we don't have our Lobster Bolognese or our Pork Chop. She assures us they will arrive soon. 10 more minutes and still nothing. We've almost finished all our wine at this point, without even having our main dishes. I express my concern to Grace, as we have been very patient, but our patience is wearing thin. She is going to check on it, and has told Rob about the issue as well. As Rob walks by our table, he assures us our food will be out soon and I stress to him that it's been a very long time and we're losing our patience. I felt he was a bit condescending as he said that we're going to "push through it" and that "everything will work out." He alluded to making sure we get a dessert for our troubles and walked away. After being told at the beginning of the meal that we should order all our food at once so the kitchen can course it out properly, it is clear that the kitchen can't really do that. When our dishes did arrive, the Lobster Bolognese had clearly died at the pass. The dish was nearly cold, with what appeared to be butter congealing on the bottom. The dish lacked some of the delicious flavor people mentioned and it didn't live up to the hype or the $38 price point. The Pork Chop was cooked nicely, but it was just ok, flavor-wise. It's also hard to enjoy these things after the struggle to get them to our table. Rob walked by and asked if everything was tasting ok; I responded that we were happy the dishes arrived. He walked away. The trifecta of the extremely long wait, the ho-hum dishes, and the response from the GM left us with a disappointing evening. We are not averse to paying for good food; we understand that sometimes things go wrong in the kitchen. But when the highlights of the evening are a playlist and a very friendly server, rather than the food, it's hard to justify spending close to $300. read more

Verse is a delightful and charming restaurant, perfect for a romantic evening. The menu is exceptional, the atmosphere is cozy and intimate, and the service is exceptional. Highly recommended! read more

What a great al fresco dining experience at Verse! From the beginning the personal attention to every aspect of my "experience" throughout the night was top notch. This intended supper club opened a couple of months before Covid hit. They shut down, made their changes and adjustments and started open air dining on the sidewalk in mid September. They've been open for two weeks and based on my experience, they've adjusted well. Whatever issues they may have, they make up for it in service. Moving on to the food. The food was fantastic. Here's what we tried for our first (because I will definitely be going back) visit to Verse: HOKKAIDO MILK BUNS - Brown Butter, Sesame Seed, Black Lava Salt - a tinge of sweetness, a little saltiness and a whole lotta soft pillowy bread. It's a good thing there were only 7 rolls because we could have sat there and eaten these all night long! C&C CROQUETTES - Burnt Tomato, Chicken Confit, Grana Padano - the croquettes are served impaled on the end of lollipop sticks. Not sure if it's for whimsy but it worked well for convenience sake. It comes with a side of sauce that's I think I would have personally drizzled all over the presentation. The chicken confit buried inside the fried shell was pretty darned yummy. MAPLE LEAF DUCK BOLOGNESE - Pappardelle, Achiote, Basil - on paper, this sounded good to me. To my friend that I was dining with, not so much. I love to share when dining so I told her, if she didn't like it should could have everything else and I'd eat all the pasta. HA! It didn't have to come to that. She ate most of it because the dish was fantastically prepared. There was no gaminess or the typical duck essence that scares people away. WOOD BURNED LOUP De MER - Broccolini, Thai Chili, Charred Lime - another name for Bronzino. I asked them to leave the head with us because I personally love eating the head! The fish was soft and flakey and seasoned well. For dessert, I think it was a turnip flavored ice cream served in a chocolate "soil" with thin waffle "chip". My friend loved the clean freshness of the turnip. For me, not so much, my tastebuds immediately thought I was munching on some grass. I will say, the menu surprised me. It wasn't what I was expecting. But maybe it's because I've never been able to put my finger exactly in the meaning of "California Cuisine". Perhaps that's exactly what it's supposed to be, a little of this and a little of that. There's tons of free street parking after 6 pm and this stretch of Lankershim Blvd was surprisingly quiet and slow during my Covid dining experience here. I will definitely be back to try the other dishes. read more

Hidden gem. Ambiance is fantastic, specially if you enjoy live music. Service is great, friendly and helpful staff. The best part, is their food, everything we've tried has been delicious! Highly recommend this place. read more

Responding to the Manager: I was there March 10, 2022. Please contact me and I'd love to see the music set for the night. I'll also contact you through the website. If I'm wrong I'll gladly change the rating as fair is fair. It was our 6 yr wedding anniversary and found time to get a baby sitter so was an expensive evening. With just so much hype for the music all over the website and reviews, the music was hardly there and was just genuinely disappointing. The band was the "something" trio. again food, ambience and the service too was genuinely good. read more

We had an amazing night at Verse for my husbands birthday. The food was amazing. We had the duck and braised beef and they would basically melt in your mouth. Daniel was our server and he was incredible. So informative and personable. Such a great spot for dates nights and celebrations alike! read more

Hidden gem. Passed by multiple times and never thought this may be a restaurant. Live music, great food, great drinks, great vibe/atmosphere . This place is great for any occasion whether its a celebration, friends night out, catching up, date, you name it. Some of the entrees/appetizers are small for the price so you definitely need multiple orders for big parties-we were party of 4 and got 2 of everything and it was jsut right. 1 order would definitely not be shareable even as appetizers. For example the sushi/ fish (prawns, nigiri, crudo) these were good for 1 max 2 people and about $22 each small bowl. Some of the sides are also not shareable in my opinion, but obviously depends on how you eat/your portions. Considering there is live music and great drinks, parties would like to stay around and mingle for some and I would think they would like stuff to munch on as they hang around, therefor the portions seemed like it wasnt enough, other than that everything was A+. Will deff return read more

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A totally unexpected experience! A GREAT experience!!! A dear friend set this evening at Verse to celebrate an important milestone for me. It was the Sunday evening Cuban theme night and the Gabrielito y la Verdad orchestra was amazing!! Some incredible musicians make up this fun band! The room at Verse is sultry and romantic with excellent acoustics for the live entertainment. The service was great and the food fantastic! Every dish is perfectly prepared and presented. We were not drinking alcohol on this visit but the bartender whipped up so delicious mocktails for us. We finished dinner with a killer cheesecake! Definitely will be back for more, especially the monthly Cuban theme nights!! read more

Total date spot! Live music is fantastic, make sure to get the lobster pasta & the beignets. read more

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Great music, flavorful appetizers, but not a good experience. I'd go back for the music, but not for the drinks bc my first drink was terrible, and my second drink never arrived. Lamb pasta was soggy and super spicy. I also broke a tooth on a hard seed so that wasn't fun. read more

Verse - Front row! - Seafood Near Me - Toluca Lake, California

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I was pleasantly surprised to find a place in the area that it was in. Super cute with a NY vibe with jazz feel. Extremely cute! Def a great place for a date night. The food was pretty good and the chocolate dessert was phenomenal! Our biggest issue was the wait that it took to get our actual food... 45 mins to an hour is a tad bit ridiculous without any communication.. granted they were super busy but that's not an excuse to let your table know food is running late. Overall the food was very delicious & we loved the place. Service though sucked because it was super slow. read more

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Boyfriend surprised me with a reso here on Valentine's weekend - and WOW the whole experience is fantastic! We were blown away by the food and jazz acoustics with a live band. Even if you don't like jazz....it is such a vibe. The tunes were like a modern jazz/latin fusion. Ambiance is classy, dark, and sexy AF. The only offering on Valentine's weekend is a pre-fixe menu and we were initially disappointed that they didn't have the hokkaido milk buns, but honestly not a big deal as we loved the courses throughout. All the courses were delicious but the stand-outs were the Yellowtail Nigiri and giant prawn tostada. Sushi is the last thing I would expect to enjoy at a spot like this, but holy F the nigiri was INCREDIBLE. I consider myself a sushi enthusiast and prefer my sushi unseasoned. This sushi was very much seasoned but flavors are so refined and not overpowering - they know how to do it right. The giant prawns in the tostada tasted so fresh and well-seasoned. The tostada is pre-sliced which made it easy to share. Everything else was fantastic and the portions are surprisingly decent. We didn't leave stuffed, but fully content. This restaurant charmed me and definitely took me by surprise! What a perfect evening, my bf and I can't wait to be back. read more

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Booking - 5 stars We made reservations through email for party of 4 to celebrate my friend's birthday. Quick response rate, they confirmed my booking through email within an an hour after I sent them a request Corkage - 5 Stars Verse allows you to bring up to 3 bottles of wine and only charge $25 usd per bottle for corkage. I personally think it's really reasonable for such a nice decor restaurant with live band performance on certain days Parking - 5 stars Valet parking is available and there are plenty of street parking close to the restaurant Service - 4 stars All the employees are very friendly and informative. They shared good amount of info about the restaurant background, the sister Restaurants and the live band. They also make good F&B recommendations. The area for improvement is attentiveness and clumsiness. We needed to ask for water refill and we also poured champagne for our own table because they didn't pay enough attention. The servers also dropped utensils multiple times on the floor throughout the night but they did apologize and replaced them immediately. Food - 4 stars Diver Scallops - 5 stars as they were so moist and cooked perfectly in the butter Crispy duck breast - 5 stars, the skin was really crispy yet not burnt, the breast was medium with a little pink but taste really delicious Lobster Bolognese - 4 stars, the pasta was el dente which was great, however the lobster sauce was a little bit smoky and I didn't like the smokiness Sour dough - 5 stars, the bread was warm, soft and baked per request & served with really yummy homemade butter! I feel like putting a spoonful of that butter in my mouth... and no joke it's that good ! For the rest of the items were just ok with 3 stars - the complimentary amuse bouche with honey comb was not refreshing enough, the sparkling spring cocktail was a bit on the sweet side, the crudo was beautifully decorated but the fish quality is not the top, and desserts ( chocolate cake & homemade Ice cream and sobet) did not standout. Overall, very reasonable price point for all the F&B items. I would like to return again to try other dishes and see if they have any seasonal menu available. The most exciting part for me is the live band performance as they change all the time ! I love love music and that's one of the main factors attracting me back to them ! read more

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Great hidden gem. The restaurant is very nice and they play live music. I really enjoyed the food and service was on point. We ordered everything on the menu and non of the dishes didn't disappoint. We look forward to going back. They allow corkage. read more

Verse - Seafood Near Me - Toluca Lake, California

Such a cool venue that I almost wish doesn't get more attention. The space is incredibly special, with such attention paid to acoustics that I felt like I was transported into a movie set. PS: Waiting for Manny to partner with me and get into NFTs ;) Food-wise, I might not get the Hokkaido milk buns again. They were a little too buttery for my liking. The carrots (side) are skippable. Loved the lobster tagliatelle and the pork entree (even as someone who never gets pork). read more

Phenomenal! Chef Shoemaker amazed us with his savory, flavorful dishes. The presentation was lovely. The cocktails were heavenly especially the old fashioned. Rob C. treated us like family and the staff was extremely professional, courteous and generous with their time and efforts. We enjoyed the delectable duck, the tender octopus, scallops, mussels...everything was wonderful and cooked to perfection. There was easy street parking on Lankershim and valet as well. The restaurant and bar is perfect for dates as well as dining alone because the entire staff makes you feel special. Book now before you can't get a reservation! read more

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Great food and ambiance! Service is excellent, they're friendly and attentive. It has a really nice L.A. vibe! Location is good too, near the 134 fwy. read more

This is a new level of restaurant for Noho. Lucky us! We went on a non-music night but excited to hear the sound system, which we were told is calibrated using over twenty microphones located throughout the dinning room. This restaurant is connected to the music studio next door so they can record live shows. Say whuuua. We had (not the official names btw): Cheese spoons (a perfect bite) Sourdough bread (butter is amazing) Octopus (hot plate) Amberjack crudo Pumpkin risotto (with pork belly cooked perfectly) Wagyu (melt in yo mouth and not a bad price for Australian wagyu) Dark/white Chocolate dessert (feels rich but tastes just right) Expresso martini (with real expresso) Michelin quality food. Beautiful interior. Comfortable seats. Impeccable service. Perfectly mixed drinks (Smokey old fashion; a must -- very good with casa amigos anejo which is how I prefer my old fashions). If you're looking for a legit high end restaurant in the valley, not only are there no other options, but this is better or on par with the Beverly Hills and Hollywood restaurants of this caliber (and fairer pricing). *Valet available but you can probably find street parking, at least until this place blows up -- which won't be long. read more

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Be prepared to drop a pretty penny, aside from that everything is quite delicious and you can't go wrong . Staff is great and food is better . read more

Verse - Espresso martinis delicious ....blue drink wasn't my favorite . - Seafood Near Me - Toluca Lake, California