This place is wonderful. Killer food and amazing drinks. The atmosphere is gorgeous and chill. The staff are some of the kindest people you could meet. I can't wait to go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brandon Barney
**Update: there is no place I enjoy eating at for important meals than at HLAY. Food and drink are second to none. But, it's the staff and crew that really and it into the stratosphere. I couldn't ask for a better meal, all around, than here. Jonathan, the place is in good, capable hands. Rest in power and at ease, they got this covered for you.Find me a better restaurant in LA with a better staff, better curated menu with drinks, better ambiance and I'll fight you as you why you're wrong.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steak Tartare, Our Mai Tai Resurrection, Shishito Peppers, Half Duck Confit
Sil Tian (Silencious)
Food and service are really good. Portion is small for some dishes. A bit overpriced. Overall recommended but prob wont go
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Vail77
We were greeted by a friendly and accommodating hostess. The menu is limited and the food was underwhelming. The service was okay. The prices were quite overpriced for the portions and subpar food.
debP
First time coming to HLAY with my two cousins and IT WAS AMAZING! The customer service was 10/10, the food was delicious 1000/10 and the atmosphere was lively, fun and everyone was in their own world living, laughing and loving. I would come here again with my Fiance, my primas (cousin's in spanish lol), and other friends!! seriously amazing- a homey feel. GREAT food!! the STEAK WAS DEVINE!! and the peppers were WOW no words! I cannot wait to be back!! parking on the side valet. almost forgot ! the drinks were GREAT!!
Ryan
The flavor combos they continue to turn out here with unique ingredients is amazing (same goes for the cocktails). It really embodies L.A. with a mix of asian, latin and other cuisines, all executed with impeccable technique. Hadn't been in a long time and quickly remembered why I was so fond of HLAY the last time around. And don't sleep on the 8:30-10pm happy hour.
DanaO
Super friendly service, delicious food and cocktails, cute vibe - overall a great experience! I especially liked the oysters, the beets, the lamb, and the Last Call drink. Wish we had room to try dessert.
Warm vibes. Food cooked with care served impeccably. Excellent cocktails & outstanding Navy Grog. Seating the front was a hair tight. Gotta go back at happy hour for another tiki and a burger : )
Fahmida R.
You can never go wrong by going to this restaurant! The food is is always great, which changes seasonally. And the drinks are phenomenal! The mixologists are super friendly and very accommodating. The prices are high but you get what you pay for here. But they now have a happy hour menu that is more reasonably priced. I highly recommend having date nights here.
LaurenR
My partner and I celebrated Valentines Day with the Price Fixed Surf and Turf dinner menu at HLAY. The ambiance was lovely and the staff was charming and friendly. The food was mostly delicious but because it was a curated meal, there were parts of the dishes we didn't love but we understood that we were within the specific food selection from the Chef. I'd like to come back to experience the rest of the restaurants dishes to open up my mind more and palette.
I came here with my friend and her sister on a whim after her sister suggested we go here because we were having trouble deciding what to eat. I'm so glad that we decided on Here's Looking At You because the food was so delicious. They make great unique dishes with flavors I have not mixed before. They come out in a tapas style where you can share with your group. We ordered the beef tartare, cauliflower, frog legs, and shishito peppers. Beef tartare comes with bread Cauliflower with the goat cheese Shishito peppers with a sauce Frog legs with spicy pepper. It was my first time trying frog legs and it won't be my last!! The beer selection was very interesting too!! A lot of them were imported from Japan. I had the Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale; I was able to taste the rice and it was fruity. Very tasty and paired well with the food.
Cathy Q.
Celebrated a wonderful New Years Eve here with my husband for their 10 course menu! We've visited a few times before and decided to ring in the new year here. Per usual, the service was attentive and kind, and the menu was delightfully inventive. At the end of the meal, the staff led us in a toast of bubbly Prosecco that spoke to their values of generosity and community that I've often experienced here. Some highlights of the night were: Low Count Cocktail- ORDER THIS IF YOU CAN! This was a wonderfully grape-y, Coke-y, Cognac concoction, and we ended up ordering another round for the both of us. The New Potato, celery, caviar - this was a more elevated potato salad, and the caviar really brought it together The Nettle Monkey Bread- I still think about this dish because I first didn't know if I liked the flavor, then it reminded me of something I still can't place and then I couldn't stop eating it until it was gone. The 24 Carrot Crepe Cake - Even though I was stuffed, I couldn't stop eating this cake. The layers of crepe and creme had an amazing soft, tearable texture that contrasted with some of the crumbly brittle that sat on top. I hope they bring this into their regular rotation in the future.
L L.
My friends order came out 20 mins before mine, then when I finally get my first dish the Grilled Pork was served cold. Wasn't supposed to be cold so sent it back, 2nd round came back luke warm. Then the couple next to us had a whole meal which multiple dishes, including deserts, by the time my second dish finally came out. My 2nd dish was the pasta, and that was great but why did it take 40mins for a pasta dish to come out? Then I asked for butter or oil for a $3 side order of bread, said they couldn't accommodate. Then 10 mins later a couple next to us has aioli accompanying their bread side dish, that would have worked great, so why were we denied a spread for the bread? There's a snooty culinary atmosphere and no modifications to the food, so when the timing of the food is severely off and food that should be served warm comes out cold, that's an issue. Especially for the price point on things! Drinks were great but not enough for me to return.
Kyle Wong
Very tasty and nice atmosphere! Love the restaurant-related names of the cocktails.
This place is wonderful. Killer food and amazing drinks. The atmosphere is gorgeous and chill. The staff are some of the kindest people you could meet. I can't wait to go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
**Update: there is no place I enjoy eating at for important meals than at HLAY. Food and drink are second to none. But, it's the staff and crew that really and it into the stratosphere. I couldn't ask for a better meal, all around, than here. Jonathan, the place is in good, capable hands. Rest in power and at ease, they got this covered for you.Find me a better restaurant in LA with a better staff, better curated menu with drinks, better ambiance and I'll fight you as you why you're wrong.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steak Tartare, Our Mai Tai Resurrection, Shishito Peppers, Half Duck Confit
Food and service are really good. Portion is small for some dishes. A bit overpriced. Overall recommended but prob wont go
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
We were greeted by a friendly and accommodating hostess. The menu is limited and the food was underwhelming. The service was okay. The prices were quite overpriced for the portions and subpar food.
First time coming to HLAY with my two cousins and IT WAS AMAZING! The customer service was 10/10, the food was delicious 1000/10 and the atmosphere was lively, fun and everyone was in their own world living, laughing and loving. I would come here again with my Fiance, my primas (cousin's in spanish lol), and other friends!! seriously amazing- a homey feel. GREAT food!! the STEAK WAS DEVINE!! and the peppers were WOW no words! I cannot wait to be back!! parking on the side valet. almost forgot ! the drinks were GREAT!!
The flavor combos they continue to turn out here with unique ingredients is amazing (same goes for the cocktails). It really embodies L.A. with a mix of asian, latin and other cuisines, all executed with impeccable technique. Hadn't been in a long time and quickly remembered why I was so fond of HLAY the last time around. And don't sleep on the 8:30-10pm happy hour.
Super friendly service, delicious food and cocktails, cute vibe - overall a great experience! I especially liked the oysters, the beets, the lamb, and the Last Call drink. Wish we had room to try dessert.
Warm vibes. Food cooked with care served impeccably. Excellent cocktails & outstanding Navy Grog. Seating the front was a hair tight. Gotta go back at happy hour for another tiki and a burger : )
You can never go wrong by going to this restaurant! The food is is always great, which changes seasonally. And the drinks are phenomenal! The mixologists are super friendly and very accommodating. The prices are high but you get what you pay for here. But they now have a happy hour menu that is more reasonably priced. I highly recommend having date nights here.
My partner and I celebrated Valentines Day with the Price Fixed Surf and Turf dinner menu at HLAY. The ambiance was lovely and the staff was charming and friendly. The food was mostly delicious but because it was a curated meal, there were parts of the dishes we didn't love but we understood that we were within the specific food selection from the Chef. I'd like to come back to experience the rest of the restaurants dishes to open up my mind more and palette.
Restaurantji Recommends
I came here with my friend and her sister on a whim after her sister suggested we go here because we were having trouble deciding what to eat. I'm so glad that we decided on Here's Looking At You because the food was so delicious. They make great unique dishes with flavors I have not mixed before. They come out in a tapas style where you can share with your group. We ordered the beef tartare, cauliflower, frog legs, and shishito peppers. Beef tartare comes with bread Cauliflower with the goat cheese Shishito peppers with a sauce Frog legs with spicy pepper. It was my first time trying frog legs and it won't be my last!! The beer selection was very interesting too!! A lot of them were imported from Japan. I had the Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale; I was able to taste the rice and it was fruity. Very tasty and paired well with the food.
Celebrated a wonderful New Years Eve here with my husband for their 10 course menu! We've visited a few times before and decided to ring in the new year here. Per usual, the service was attentive and kind, and the menu was delightfully inventive. At the end of the meal, the staff led us in a toast of bubbly Prosecco that spoke to their values of generosity and community that I've often experienced here. Some highlights of the night were: Low Count Cocktail- ORDER THIS IF YOU CAN! This was a wonderfully grape-y, Coke-y, Cognac concoction, and we ended up ordering another round for the both of us. The New Potato, celery, caviar - this was a more elevated potato salad, and the caviar really brought it together The Nettle Monkey Bread- I still think about this dish because I first didn't know if I liked the flavor, then it reminded me of something I still can't place and then I couldn't stop eating it until it was gone. The 24 Carrot Crepe Cake - Even though I was stuffed, I couldn't stop eating this cake. The layers of crepe and creme had an amazing soft, tearable texture that contrasted with some of the crumbly brittle that sat on top. I hope they bring this into their regular rotation in the future.
My friends order came out 20 mins before mine, then when I finally get my first dish the Grilled Pork was served cold. Wasn't supposed to be cold so sent it back, 2nd round came back luke warm. Then the couple next to us had a whole meal which multiple dishes, including deserts, by the time my second dish finally came out. My 2nd dish was the pasta, and that was great but why did it take 40mins for a pasta dish to come out? Then I asked for butter or oil for a $3 side order of bread, said they couldn't accommodate. Then 10 mins later a couple next to us has aioli accompanying their bread side dish, that would have worked great, so why were we denied a spread for the bread? There's a snooty culinary atmosphere and no modifications to the food, so when the timing of the food is severely off and food that should be served warm comes out cold, that's an issue. Especially for the price point on things! Drinks were great but not enough for me to return.
Very tasty and nice atmosphere! Love the restaurant-related names of the cocktails.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very friendly staff and delicious meals.