Group of 4. All of our dishes (tortellini and tagliolini) were bland and the presentation was bad. Basic table wine was a very small pour. The menu was overpriced with an additional 4% fee for”competitive industry compensation” that does not go to server.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 1
Mo Di
A nice place. Service was fine. Food was good. The atmosphere was lovely.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Bean Salad
Jonathan Grant
Expensively mediocre.
Honestly this place is fine, except you’re paying higher-tier prices for it.
There are many LA restaurants at the same price point with much better flavors and ambiance.
There are many places with similar food and quality for 2/3 to 1/2 the price.
Also, lol at their steak that’s 8 bites for $42.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Brenna Saturday
For us, Hippo is just an average restaurant. While the food was the best part of our experience, the menu was ambiguous regarding the restaurant set up and appropriate portion sizing. When we did place our order, our server stated that it was not enough food and encouraged us to add more. Personally, at the end of the meal, we felt we would have been just fine with the original dishes we ordered. As well as trying to upsell us, our server lacked emotion and basic conversation skills. Finally, the atmosphere was average. The tables were pretty close together, leading to servers squeeze between tables and awkwardly shimming past other patrons when making your way to the bathroom. Bathrooms were also confusing, including keys pads on the door, with the code posted, and a vacant/occupied lock on the outside door despite having multiple stalls inside.
And just an additional note for anyone who is sober, they will announce to the table when bringing your alcohol-free beverage. Some may be self conscious, but others will be thankful for the clarification. Personal preference!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
Manon Leire
Love this place. Everything is scrumptious. Flavours are unique and out of this world. Great ingredients. And everyone is so kind! Our favourite.
Was super happy with our dinner at Hippo. Every dish was delicious. The brussel sprouts and cauliflower starters had excellent flavors. All the pastas we tried had incredible depth of flavor without being overly heavy or greasy. The hippo rolls and table focaccia were excellent and the chicken thighs were to die for. Only thing that was lackluster was the passion fruit gelato. Fun vibe, lots of seating, and great service!
was so excited to go! food was good but not as amazing as i had thought it’d be. the space was really loud and felt half-finished. service was kinda rushed and incomplete. probably not goin back!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Hippo Rolls
Hazel Imogen
One of my favorite restaurants in Los
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hippo Rolls
Brendalyn “Bren” A
The food is fresh, beautiful, well presented and full of flavor. I love the way they blend the flavors like in the tandoori fish with tabouli. The food is amazing right down to dessert. Inside it's very loud as usually every table is full but if you want a more quiet experience ask to be seated outside. I recommend getting several small plates and sharing so you can try it all. We got the semolina bucatini and the fish mentioned above. For appetizers we ordered the prosciutto and the hamachi crudo which was the star of the show. Super casual atmosphere worth every bite, mid range prices too.
Great food , nice people. I enjoyed the pasta and desserts. My biggest issue aside from price is that they tried to give us a 4% surcharge, which I'm pretty sure is illegal. Claiming "it's for benefits". They removed it from my check. But please be wary. Otherwise great place
This is a Saturday evening review; perhaps conditions are different at other times. The restaurant consists of an inside and outside seating area. At 8 pm, the inside area was full and, owing to a lack of sound baffling decor, was just insanely loud. Three of us sat outside, where the acoustics were somewhat better. Our waitress was wonderfully cordial. We ordered a salad, bread, an appetizer, and entrees. In chic Southern California restaurants, bread has appeared on the menu as an item, which is to say that it is no longer free. The salad -- delicious, if dressed with a lot of dill -- came right away, as did the bread. As this salad was being split among three diners, I requested a second salad, which now arrived 15 minutes later. Thirty minutes after that, I asked the waitress to check on our still-missing entrees. Ten minutes later, a third salad (a kitchen error) was delivered. Our entrees came one hour after the salad, by which time, from waiting with bread and salad, I could not eat the entree, save for picking a few pieces. It was sea bass surrounded by a extremely complex ensemble of spices and vegetables - and dill - such that the sea bass flavor was compromised. It was also almost important to actually *see* the fish within this melange. Sea bass should never be hidden or upstaged on any plate.
As for the poor waitress with 9 tables, our compassion, but this also prevented her from seeing to our table timing, such that we felt it necessary to remind her to check about our delayed dinner.
The verdict is doubtlessly obvious: extremely loud and extremely slow in a way that no flavor, regardless how delicious, could justify. Any restaurant kitchen that takes one hour after salad to deliver main courses is not adequately managed. Finally, the restaurant is rather expensive - why force the patrons to type a code into a keypad in order to unlock the restroom doors? It's not ah gas station, folks.
No valet parking in this busy neighborhood; you'll have to walk a block or two to reach the front door.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Brendalyn “Bren” Aguirre
The food is fresh, beautiful, well presented and full of flavor. I love the way they blend the flavors like in the tandoori fish with tabouli. The food is amazing right down to dessert. Inside it's very loud as usually every table is full but if you want a more quiet experience ask to be seated outside. I recommend getting several small plates and sharing so you can try it all. We got the semolina bucatini and the fish mentioned above. For appetizers we ordered the prosciutto and the hamachi crudo which was the star of the show. Super casual atmosphere worth every bite, mid range prices too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Beth Lakretz
I was on my own and wanted an outdoor table. There were no open tables so they sat me at the bar. Hannah behind the bar was amazing! Great energy and SO knowledgeable about the food. I had the ocean trout and it was beautifully presented, light and so flavorful. The gluten free chocolate hazelnut cake was delicious. Highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jorge Galindo
Lovely place with amazing food in a very nice area. Our favorite was the green beans starter!
Group of 4. All of our dishes (tortellini and tagliolini) were bland and the presentation was bad. Basic table wine was a very small pour. The menu was overpriced with an additional 4% fee for”competitive industry compensation” that does not go to server.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 1
A nice place. Service was fine. Food was good. The atmosphere was lovely.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Bean Salad
Expensively mediocre.
Honestly this place is fine, except you’re paying higher-tier prices for it.
There are many LA restaurants at the same price point with much better flavors and ambiance.
There are many places with similar food and quality for 2/3 to 1/2 the price.
Also, lol at their steak that’s 8 bites for $42.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
For us, Hippo is just an average restaurant. While the food was the best part of our experience, the menu was ambiguous regarding the restaurant set up and appropriate portion sizing. When we did place our order, our server stated that it was not enough food and encouraged us to add more. Personally, at the end of the meal, we felt we would have been just fine with the original dishes we ordered. As well as trying to upsell us, our server lacked emotion and basic conversation skills. Finally, the atmosphere was average. The tables were pretty close together, leading to servers squeeze between tables and awkwardly shimming past other patrons when making your way to the bathroom. Bathrooms were also confusing, including keys pads on the door, with the code posted, and a vacant/occupied lock on the outside door despite having multiple stalls inside.
And just an additional note for anyone who is sober, they will announce to the table when bringing your alcohol-free beverage. Some may be self conscious, but others will be thankful for the clarification. Personal preference!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
Love this place. Everything is scrumptious. Flavours are unique and out of this world. Great ingredients. And everyone is so kind! Our favourite.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Cauliflower, Shaved Brussels Sprouts, Butternut Squash Cappellacci Browned Butter Sage Amaretti
Was super happy with our dinner at Hippo. Every dish was delicious. The brussel sprouts and cauliflower starters had excellent flavors. All the pastas we tried had incredible depth of flavor without being overly heavy or greasy. The hippo rolls and table focaccia were excellent and the chicken thighs were to die for. Only thing that was lackluster was the passion fruit gelato. Fun vibe, lots of seating, and great service!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Cauliflower, Shaved Brussels Sprouts, Hippo Rolls, Butternut Squash Cappellacci Browned Butter Sage Amaretti
Such a cute place with great food
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
was so excited to go! food was good but not as amazing as i had thought it’d be. the space was really loud and felt half-finished. service was kinda rushed and incomplete. probably not goin back!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 2
Recommended dishes: Hippo Rolls
One of my favorite restaurants in Los
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Hippo Rolls
The food is fresh, beautiful, well presented and full of flavor. I love the way they blend the flavors like in the tandoori fish with tabouli. The food is amazing right down to dessert. Inside it's very loud as usually every table is full but if you want a more quiet experience ask to be seated outside. I recommend getting several small plates and sharing so you can try it all. We got the semolina bucatini and the fish mentioned above. For appetizers we ordered the prosciutto and the hamachi crudo which was the star of the show. Super casual atmosphere worth every bite, mid range prices too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Great food , nice people. I enjoyed the pasta and desserts. My biggest issue aside from price is that they tried to give us a 4% surcharge, which I'm pretty sure is illegal. Claiming "it's for benefits". They removed it from my check. But please be wary. Otherwise great place
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Butterscotch Budino, Hippo Rolls
This is a Saturday evening review; perhaps conditions are different at other times. The restaurant consists of an inside and outside seating area. At 8 pm, the inside area was full and, owing to a lack of sound baffling decor, was just insanely loud. Three of us sat outside, where the acoustics were somewhat better. Our waitress was wonderfully cordial. We ordered a salad, bread, an appetizer, and entrees. In chic Southern California restaurants, bread has appeared on the menu as an item, which is to say that it is no longer free. The salad -- delicious, if dressed with a lot of dill -- came right away, as did the bread. As this salad was being split among three diners, I requested a second salad, which now arrived 15 minutes later. Thirty minutes after that, I asked the waitress to check on our still-missing entrees. Ten minutes later, a third salad (a kitchen error) was delivered. Our entrees came one hour after the salad, by which time, from waiting with bread and salad, I could not eat the entree, save for picking a few pieces. It was sea bass surrounded by a extremely complex ensemble of spices and vegetables - and dill - such that the sea bass flavor was compromised. It was also almost important to actually *see* the fish within this melange. Sea bass should never be hidden or upstaged on any plate.
As for the poor waitress with 9 tables, our compassion, but this also prevented her from seeing to our table timing, such that we felt it necessary to remind her to check about our delayed dinner.
The verdict is doubtlessly obvious: extremely loud and extremely slow in a way that no flavor, regardless how delicious, could justify. Any restaurant kitchen that takes one hour after salad to deliver main courses is not adequately managed. Finally, the restaurant is rather expensive - why force the patrons to type a code into a keypad in order to unlock the restroom doors? It's not ah gas station, folks.
No valet parking in this busy neighborhood; you'll have to walk a block or two to reach the front door.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
The food is fresh, beautiful, well presented and full of flavor. I love the way they blend the flavors like in the tandoori fish with tabouli. The food is amazing right down to dessert. Inside it's very loud as usually every table is full but if you want a more quiet experience ask to be seated outside. I recommend getting several small plates and sharing so you can try it all. We got the semolina bucatini and the fish mentioned above. For appetizers we ordered the prosciutto and the hamachi crudo which was the star of the show. Super casual atmosphere worth every bite, mid range prices too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I was on my own and wanted an outdoor table. There were no open tables so they sat me at the bar. Hannah behind the bar was amazing! Great energy and SO knowledgeable about the food. I had the ocean trout and it was beautifully presented, light and so flavorful. The gluten free chocolate hazelnut cake was delicious. Highly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lovely place with amazing food in a very nice area. Our favorite was the green beans starter!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Celery Root Triangoli With, Shaved Brussels Sprouts, Bean Salad
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