Excellent, eclectic Asian food; quality drinks; lovely staff; and an inviting historic bar and interior. The Airliner is one of my favorite restaurant/bars in LA now for sure.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Regular
Adriana Rincon
It's as if it never closed but better. Can't wait till the summer and once happy hour returns!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Chris E.
I made a Resy reservation to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Street parking was accessible and convenient a few steps away from the location. Once we walked in, I was greeted by first name by the host behind the bar who directed us to follow Lisa, our server, to our table for two in the garden patio. Once seated, she asked if we'd like to turn on the heated lamp, which we appreciated. We ordered the Hunan BBQ Pork Ribs (so meaty and smoky), Chilled Sesame Peanut Noodles (which my wife commented would be an ideal dish during a warm summer night), Lemongrass Chicken Banh Mi (served on a toasted, pillowy brioche bun), paired with a side of the Shoestring Fries. Lastly we enjoyed an unexpected gift from the kitchen - Shanghai Triple Onion Noodles, which was a warm dish in contrast to the other cold noodles. As a thoughtful gesture, the bartender, offered us two glasses of champagne to acknowledge our occasion. To cap off our unforgettable meal, we ordered the Hochija Tres Leches and Honeymoon Bread Pudding. The perfect conclusion to a delicious and well-thought out dinner. For a location with a history dating back to the prohibition era (informed by Lisa), I'm glad to see it's continuing it's life as a bar with an innovative kitchen. As I mentioned last night, the dinner was great but the service was even better! Thank you for making our anniversary dinner memorable :)
Chris L.
Interesting. I wrote a review, but it disappeared. My pictures as well and I notice that a majority are from the owner. Huh. No worries, I still remember the meal because it was so disappointing. But probably because I had very high expectations based on other reviewers. The space is dark and nice to catch up with a friend or go on a date. This is what we ordered for two: Chicken Liver Pate (13) The best item of the night. Though, my auntie makes a pretty good version. It goes well with the pickles they provided. Wings (16) - The flavor didn't do it for me. No punch, no power, but thankfully I was able to ask the server for a lime to add the missing zest. It really changed the profile flavor and saved it. Each wing is $2.66 which is wild. Onion Noodles (12) - very comforting, and standard. It was a snack portion which is quite silly. Onion flavor was great, but feels like you can make it at home. Salmon Crispy Rice (18) delicious, but very expensive. Great for two people. Fries (9) - these were filler. Skip, nothing innovative. Black Sesame Rice Krispy (11) - Interesting dessert, but tastes as described. It's a dry rice krispy with black sesame flavor. It wasn't memorable, but sufficient sweetness to end the meal. It was honestly just an okay meal and pretty pricey. There were safe flavors, but nothing really to rave about. It's a great option for the neighborhood and a sophisticated bar, but definitely not worth a drive.
Lisa Tholen
Excellent food, interesting wine and cocktail list. Highly reccommend!Dietary restrictions: They clearly identify the vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free options. We especially appreciated the many dairy-free options.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chilled Sesame Peanut Noodles, Mushroom Crispy Rice, Japanese Style Potato Salad, Chicken Liver Pate with Seasonal Pickles and Brioche Toast, Citrus Salad
Jackie C.
The food was super bland and basic. Our waitress also ignored all most of the night. The ambiance is comforting but doesn't make up for the lack of service I received that night. But the bartenders were great!
Chris Kasych
Brandon and David were the best. We will be coming here often.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
William
Incredible cocktails. More of a chill spot to catch up though, atmosphere is pretty dead.
Sherry Wan
An amazing neighborhood bar with fantastic dishes suitable for most cravings. Wish it was closer to my neighborhood, I would most likely be there everyday!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mushroom Crispy Rice, Home Made Chicken Noodle Soup, Whipped Ricotta Chili Crisp with Corn Tostada Crispy Bits and Sprouts, Chicken Liver Pate with Seasonal Pickles and Brioche Toast
Luke Forsyth
****************- fun back patio -Great bites / Fantastic drinks****************New ownership doing a solid job bring the decadence and elegance back to the beauty of days of yore. Hip crowd and glorious room. It’s becoming a definite hang.*********
If you are looking for a bar restaurant that makes you feel welcome & appreciated, this is the place for you! We were welcomed by the owner & experienced the innovative menu of drinks & food! The salmon crispy rice, Japanese potato salad right to the Brown Butter Rice Crispie were delish!We want to return in warmer weather to have a seat in the backyard patio for sure! Put The Airliner on your Go To list!
Ron F.
Great to see the Airliner open again! A gorgeous space when it was first redone a few years ago, it's recently reopened under new ownership. I haven't seen any changes to the physical space -- the bar looks as nice as it was and the patio out back still looks fine. Not sure about the second floor space, where I've seen some good bands play in the past. The food menu has changed, it's taken on more Asian influences. Vin Nguyen now runs the kitchen, and the dishes are great! The chilled sesame peanut noodles were excellent, especially on a hot summer day, and the Chong Qing Chicken Wings and Hunan BBQ Pork Ribs are divine. Very good chicken liver pâté. The food has definitely improved here. The cocktails are swell. The Missed Connections and the Fly Mamacita are excellent drinks. The bartenders know their stuff, although I miss some of the crew working here under previous ownership. Great to see this cocktail lounge has reopened in Lincoln Heights, best wishes going forward!
Liz T.
A gem in the area! Food is creative and zesty and hits the spot. Ambiance is quite nice too. Pricing is reallllly affordable. This combo is hard to come by in LA!
Andrea Hernandez
Love this place, it has a nice and chill ambiance. Good for a date night or to catch up with friends. The staff is friendly, and attentive. The food is delicious, and the desserts are to die for. They also have good drinks. My husband and I have been here twice already and plan on going back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tiffany C.
I really wanted the drinks to be delicious but they didn't hit the mark for us. The tamarind one was undrinkable for the fiancé but it was alright with food. The plum one was alright. Maybe we need to try the goats milk one? However! Some solid food to go with the moody vibe in there. Chong Qing wings are a must if you like super crispy but juicy wings reminiscent of Chinese salt and pepper wings. The onion noodles are a favorite for a reason, but the portion is small. Mix those noodles in the Chonq Qing oil for some extra fun. The beef rendang roll was tender, but I would skip next time and the surprisingly addictive whipped ricotta with chili crisp was an absolute winner. I'm gonna make that at home for sure. Stay longer for the desserts because the hojicha tres leches was the blend of growing up in an area of Latino and Asian culture that I didn't know I needed. Come just for this and get the bread pudding too! It's delicious in its own right but when compared against the tres leches.. oof you can't beat it. Staff was friendly and attentive for a Saturday evening dinner even as it got more busy. Everyone was sitting at the bar.
Excellent, eclectic Asian food; quality drinks; lovely staff; and an inviting historic bar and interior. The Airliner is one of my favorite restaurant/bars in LA now for sure.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Regular
It's as if it never closed but better. Can't wait till the summer and once happy hour returns!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I made a Resy reservation to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Street parking was accessible and convenient a few steps away from the location. Once we walked in, I was greeted by first name by the host behind the bar who directed us to follow Lisa, our server, to our table for two in the garden patio. Once seated, she asked if we'd like to turn on the heated lamp, which we appreciated. We ordered the Hunan BBQ Pork Ribs (so meaty and smoky), Chilled Sesame Peanut Noodles (which my wife commented would be an ideal dish during a warm summer night), Lemongrass Chicken Banh Mi (served on a toasted, pillowy brioche bun), paired with a side of the Shoestring Fries. Lastly we enjoyed an unexpected gift from the kitchen - Shanghai Triple Onion Noodles, which was a warm dish in contrast to the other cold noodles. As a thoughtful gesture, the bartender, offered us two glasses of champagne to acknowledge our occasion. To cap off our unforgettable meal, we ordered the Hochija Tres Leches and Honeymoon Bread Pudding. The perfect conclusion to a delicious and well-thought out dinner. For a location with a history dating back to the prohibition era (informed by Lisa), I'm glad to see it's continuing it's life as a bar with an innovative kitchen. As I mentioned last night, the dinner was great but the service was even better! Thank you for making our anniversary dinner memorable :)
Interesting. I wrote a review, but it disappeared. My pictures as well and I notice that a majority are from the owner. Huh. No worries, I still remember the meal because it was so disappointing. But probably because I had very high expectations based on other reviewers. The space is dark and nice to catch up with a friend or go on a date. This is what we ordered for two: Chicken Liver Pate (13) The best item of the night. Though, my auntie makes a pretty good version. It goes well with the pickles they provided. Wings (16) - The flavor didn't do it for me. No punch, no power, but thankfully I was able to ask the server for a lime to add the missing zest. It really changed the profile flavor and saved it. Each wing is $2.66 which is wild. Onion Noodles (12) - very comforting, and standard. It was a snack portion which is quite silly. Onion flavor was great, but feels like you can make it at home. Salmon Crispy Rice (18) delicious, but very expensive. Great for two people. Fries (9) - these were filler. Skip, nothing innovative. Black Sesame Rice Krispy (11) - Interesting dessert, but tastes as described. It's a dry rice krispy with black sesame flavor. It wasn't memorable, but sufficient sweetness to end the meal. It was honestly just an okay meal and pretty pricey. There were safe flavors, but nothing really to rave about. It's a great option for the neighborhood and a sophisticated bar, but definitely not worth a drive.
Excellent food, interesting wine and cocktail list. Highly reccommend!Dietary restrictions: They clearly identify the vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free options. We especially appreciated the many dairy-free options.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chilled Sesame Peanut Noodles, Mushroom Crispy Rice, Japanese Style Potato Salad, Chicken Liver Pate with Seasonal Pickles and Brioche Toast, Citrus Salad
The food was super bland and basic. Our waitress also ignored all most of the night. The ambiance is comforting but doesn't make up for the lack of service I received that night. But the bartenders were great!
Brandon and David were the best. We will be coming here often.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Incredible cocktails. More of a chill spot to catch up though, atmosphere is pretty dead.
An amazing neighborhood bar with fantastic dishes suitable for most cravings. Wish it was closer to my neighborhood, I would most likely be there everyday!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Mushroom Crispy Rice, Home Made Chicken Noodle Soup, Whipped Ricotta Chili Crisp with Corn Tostada Crispy Bits and Sprouts, Chicken Liver Pate with Seasonal Pickles and Brioche Toast
****************- fun back patio -Great bites / Fantastic drinks****************New ownership doing a solid job bring the decadence and elegance back to the beauty of days of yore. Hip crowd and glorious room. It’s becoming a definite hang.*********
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
If you are looking for a bar restaurant that makes you feel welcome & appreciated, this is the place for you! We were welcomed by the owner & experienced the innovative menu of drinks & food! The salmon crispy rice, Japanese potato salad right to the Brown Butter Rice Crispie were delish!We want to return in warmer weather to have a seat in the backyard patio for sure! Put The Airliner on your Go To list!
Great to see the Airliner open again! A gorgeous space when it was first redone a few years ago, it's recently reopened under new ownership. I haven't seen any changes to the physical space -- the bar looks as nice as it was and the patio out back still looks fine. Not sure about the second floor space, where I've seen some good bands play in the past. The food menu has changed, it's taken on more Asian influences. Vin Nguyen now runs the kitchen, and the dishes are great! The chilled sesame peanut noodles were excellent, especially on a hot summer day, and the Chong Qing Chicken Wings and Hunan BBQ Pork Ribs are divine. Very good chicken liver pâté. The food has definitely improved here. The cocktails are swell. The Missed Connections and the Fly Mamacita are excellent drinks. The bartenders know their stuff, although I miss some of the crew working here under previous ownership. Great to see this cocktail lounge has reopened in Lincoln Heights, best wishes going forward!
A gem in the area! Food is creative and zesty and hits the spot. Ambiance is quite nice too. Pricing is reallllly affordable. This combo is hard to come by in LA!
Love this place, it has a nice and chill ambiance. Good for a date night or to catch up with friends. The staff is friendly, and attentive. The food is delicious, and the desserts are to die for. They also have good drinks. My husband and I have been here twice already and plan on going back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I really wanted the drinks to be delicious but they didn't hit the mark for us. The tamarind one was undrinkable for the fiancé but it was alright with food. The plum one was alright. Maybe we need to try the goats milk one? However! Some solid food to go with the moody vibe in there. Chong Qing wings are a must if you like super crispy but juicy wings reminiscent of Chinese salt and pepper wings. The onion noodles are a favorite for a reason, but the portion is small. Mix those noodles in the Chonq Qing oil for some extra fun. The beef rendang roll was tender, but I would skip next time and the surprisingly addictive whipped ricotta with chili crisp was an absolute winner. I'm gonna make that at home for sure. Stay longer for the desserts because the hojicha tres leches was the blend of growing up in an area of Latino and Asian culture that I didn't know I needed. Come just for this and get the bread pudding too! It's delicious in its own right but when compared against the tres leches.. oof you can't beat it. Staff was friendly and attentive for a Saturday evening dinner even as it got more busy. Everyone was sitting at the bar.