Michelin rated sister restaurant of Melisse which is located in the bottom level. Came here to celebrate my parents’ anniversary and they had a little printed sign congratulating them. The ambiance is darkly lit with modern decor. Tasting menu is $165 as of March 2024 and includes four plates with the option for up charges. Everyone at the table must order the pre-fixe. Credit cards accepted. Valet parking available or you can opt for metered street parking. There were young kids in the restaurant. Service was alright - our waiter forgot that we told him that we only needed two wine glasses and instead brought out four in addition to some other minor complaints, so I took a star off for lack of attention to detail that other Michelin places have. Otherwise, the food was good, with my favorite being the dessert course. Some thoughts on what we tried below:Asparagus panna cotta - the amuse bouche was fun to eat and incorporated both asparagus and white asparagus. It was creamy and cool.Basil brioche - this came with French butter from Normandy. You could choose this or the French roll. The bread wasn’t warm but the flavor was unique, if the color a bit too on the leprechaun green sideLobster bolognese - this is a molded pasta with butter foam on top (not your traditional pasta). Our waiter recommended just cutting into it like a bar, and it was fun to eat, if a bit cold.Egg caviar kit - my dad absolutely loved this. It’s $25 extra but the caviar carefully placed into an egg shell was such a novel conceptWhite asparagus - another upcharge, but also worth it if you like morels. The brown buttery sauce on the bottom was umami and delicious.Scallops - both my sister and mom opted for this. It was tasty and very tender.Crudo - this came with a generous amount of five pieces. It had some foliage on top which looked very aesthetic.Red mullet - my mom got this and the fish was cooked perfectly. The skin was crispy while the meat was flaky - she liked this a lot.Lamb - this is recommended to be cooked medium rare, and I agree with that assessment. It was very tender with the right amount of fat for a juicy burst of flavor and salt.Duo of beef - this comes with beef cheek and another cut. My sister preferred the lamb over the beef, which I agreed with.Cherimoya - both my parents got this since they prefer a lighter dessert. It’s a tropical flavor and the restaurant added little candles for them to blow out.Chocolate cake - this had a chocolate filling and came with ice cream on the side. I love the combination of hot and cold in a dessert, and felt like it was the right level of sweetness.
Fabianohsnap
Beautiful atmosphere, lovely food,
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rubin Salandra
Very good (not exceptional) food, excellent wine list, and hard-working busboys. However, surprisingly, for a Michelin restaurant, the sommelier and waiter provided very poor service. The waiter was inattentive and rarely came around after taking the initial order, except with a big smile when it was time to bring the check. Sommelier never checked on the wine after the first taste and initial pour. We were left to pour wine for ourselves after the wine glasses remained empty for a long time with no attention from the waiter or sommelier. Food seemed to take an eternity between dishes. Not what you expect after spending $200 per person. $15 valet parking.The owner responded to my post, see below, and asked me to write to him to provide feedback. I wrote to him but he never responded. So, seems like the invitation was for show so that readers believe they care.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Lobster Bolognese
Outstanding, beyond expectations, and terrific service from GM Fabian and Wine Director Kaitlyn, who together arranged a fabulous tasting menu experience for our special family occasion. Innovative dishes and fantastic flavor profiles. Already planning next visit. Thank you again for a wonderful night.
StevenC
Once you've dined here you'll understand why they have a Michelin star. It's a relaxed atmosphere with a local vibe, and the food is extraordinary! If you've never dined at a Michelin star restaurant, this is the perfect place to get your feet wet. It is not stuffy or pretentious, rather it's a wonderful neighborhood hang with food that will delight all foodies.
Ellie
The food here is amazing, but the service did not live up to the quality of the food. We ordered the vegetarian pasta and specifically asked if it was vegetarian and was told it was. They brought over the lobster pasta and we told them we did not order that. A man, who I assume was the manager, came to our table and started questioning us about the order. Finally they brought the vegetarian pasta that we ordered. We did not feel like welcome guests. This is not acceptable for a restaurant of this quality.
GraceH
Such wonderful food and excellent service at this one Michelin eatery...just the right combo of fussing over you and leaving you alone. So accommodating and generally good w my dietary restrictions. The chicken is outstanding!!
KellyS
I went with an open mind and traveled with my 78 year old Mother and sister. Small town country girls ready to have an experience with food. To our delight, our service Nathan was a gem and added to our dining experience with his knowledge, kindness, and humilty that made us feel comfortable to ask questions and relax. We LOVED our experience there. The food was amazing. My favorite was the truffle risotto. I would highly recommend and will go again if given the opportunity. Communication via open table was engaging and the confirmations were well organized.
houstonfoodie
The food was very good and the presentation also very good. Our server was engaging but his knowledge of the wine list was limited. Kitchen cadence slow at times. The somm never showed up to our table. after 1.5 hrs, we finally settled on a bottle of wine ourselves. The wine list is good and reasonably priced. We only needed a minute of her time. Probably could have up sold us on a seller bottle. Sad, we were in town for La Paulee and had somewhat higher hopes for the restaurant.
It was a special night for my cousins as they recently got engaged. Both of them are vegan so I called ahead and made sure they could accommodate them when we went to order they had nothing they could eat and I was upset because I would have picked a restaurant elsewhere if they would or could not take care of them. I was pretty upset unfortunately but the waiter then told the chef the issue and he made them some special dishes that they really enjoyed. The menu was truffle heavy and being that I don't love truffles there were some hard choices to make. The pea soup was magical and the drinks excellent but I had hope for a bit better when you're serving appetizers that cost 125 dollars. . Ultimately we were happy. The meal was very expensive but I left satisfied but not blown away. That's the truth
Amazing date night. We told the restaurant we were coming for our anniversary and a belated valentines. Service was amazing and the food was delicious. For a Michelin starred restaurant, prices were super reasonable. At the end of the night they surprised us with an A5 wagyu to go! I'm a customer for life now.
Ryan Zhang
I visited Citrin on February 14th, looking forward to a special Valentine's Day dining experience. Despite my understanding and acceptance of seating at the patio due to a 30-minute late arrival, the service level was far below expectations.From the beginning, there was a noticeable lack of communication from our server, particularly when setting the table and throughout the service. Confusion regarding our cocktail order was apparent, as it seemed to be offered to multiple other patrons before finally being served to us.A significant issue was the delay in serving a bottle of wine we ordered. Our glasses remained empty for nearly half an hour without any acknowledgment or apology for the wait. Additionally, despite being the first guests seated at the patio, we watched other diners who arrived after us enjoy their courses, while an hour into our seating, we had not been served our first dish.When we brought these concerns to the manager, the response was dismissive, suggesting the problems were due to kitchen communication and subtly implying our tardiness as a factor. The decision to leave was met with no apology; instead, the manager mentioned I could use his personal number for any complaints.Having dined at more than 15 Michelin-starred restaurants worldwide, I found the service and professionalism at Citrin that evening lacking, especially compared to my experience at Melisse four months prior.I hope this feedback prompts Citrin to review and improve their staff training and management to avoid similar experiences for future guests.
Service: 1
JohnA
Amazing Service, Food superb! Ambiance elegant, this is a Michelin * star restaurant. Hard to find anything Michelin in LA! Highly recommend for couples or just a group of friends. Its not cheap but in my opinion well worth it! I will be back again and again!
Andoni
What an amazing dinner. Cirtrin was the best dining experience I've had in LA so far. The tasting menu was thoughtful yet elevated. The coursing was perfect, both in portion size and flavor profiles. They used a lot of truffle, but beautifully balanced instead of overpowering. And they even created a special dessert for my girlfriend for her birthday that was an exquisite take on key lime pie. 10/10 would recommend.
PCHDrive
I don't take any pleasure in leaving a bad review, but when you pay a lot of your hard-earned money toward a meal I think it's OK to have high expectations. Let me start with the good: the front-of-house was excellent! They attended to everything we could possibly need and we never had to ask for anything! Now for the not-so-good: the food. Look, I'm not a food snob. It doesn't take much to impress me. But in this case of Citrin I was very disappointed with the food. We both ordered the tasting menu and nothing was particularly good. In fact, one course in particular (the rockfish) kind of tasted rancid. It was a Wednesday, however, so maybe the best people in the kitchen weren't working? Either way though, I expected a better meal and I'm sorry to say I won't be going back
Michelin rated sister restaurant of Melisse which is located in the bottom level. Came here to celebrate my parents’ anniversary and they had a little printed sign congratulating them. The ambiance is darkly lit with modern decor. Tasting menu is $165 as of March 2024 and includes four plates with the option for up charges. Everyone at the table must order the pre-fixe. Credit cards accepted. Valet parking available or you can opt for metered street parking. There were young kids in the restaurant. Service was alright - our waiter forgot that we told him that we only needed two wine glasses and instead brought out four in addition to some other minor complaints, so I took a star off for lack of attention to detail that other Michelin places have. Otherwise, the food was good, with my favorite being the dessert course. Some thoughts on what we tried below:Asparagus panna cotta - the amuse bouche was fun to eat and incorporated both asparagus and white asparagus. It was creamy and cool.Basil brioche - this came with French butter from Normandy. You could choose this or the French roll. The bread wasn’t warm but the flavor was unique, if the color a bit too on the leprechaun green sideLobster bolognese - this is a molded pasta with butter foam on top (not your traditional pasta). Our waiter recommended just cutting into it like a bar, and it was fun to eat, if a bit cold.Egg caviar kit - my dad absolutely loved this. It’s $25 extra but the caviar carefully placed into an egg shell was such a novel conceptWhite asparagus - another upcharge, but also worth it if you like morels. The brown buttery sauce on the bottom was umami and delicious.Scallops - both my sister and mom opted for this. It was tasty and very tender.Crudo - this came with a generous amount of five pieces. It had some foliage on top which looked very aesthetic.Red mullet - my mom got this and the fish was cooked perfectly. The skin was crispy while the meat was flaky - she liked this a lot.Lamb - this is recommended to be cooked medium rare, and I agree with that assessment. It was very tender with the right amount of fat for a juicy burst of flavor and salt.Duo of beef - this comes with beef cheek and another cut. My sister preferred the lamb over the beef, which I agreed with.Cherimoya - both my parents got this since they prefer a lighter dessert. It’s a tropical flavor and the restaurant added little candles for them to blow out.Chocolate cake - this had a chocolate filling and came with ice cream on the side. I love the combination of hot and cold in a dessert, and felt like it was the right level of sweetness.
Beautiful atmosphere, lovely food,
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very good (not exceptional) food, excellent wine list, and hard-working busboys. However, surprisingly, for a Michelin restaurant, the sommelier and waiter provided very poor service. The waiter was inattentive and rarely came around after taking the initial order, except with a big smile when it was time to bring the check. Sommelier never checked on the wine after the first taste and initial pour. We were left to pour wine for ourselves after the wine glasses remained empty for a long time with no attention from the waiter or sommelier. Food seemed to take an eternity between dishes. Not what you expect after spending $200 per person. $15 valet parking.The owner responded to my post, see below, and asked me to write to him to provide feedback. I wrote to him but he never responded. So, seems like the invitation was for show so that readers believe they care.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Lobster Bolognese
Outstanding, beyond expectations, and terrific service from GM Fabian and Wine Director Kaitlyn, who together arranged a fabulous tasting menu experience for our special family occasion. Innovative dishes and fantastic flavor profiles. Already planning next visit. Thank you again for a wonderful night.
Once you've dined here you'll understand why they have a Michelin star. It's a relaxed atmosphere with a local vibe, and the food is extraordinary! If you've never dined at a Michelin star restaurant, this is the perfect place to get your feet wet. It is not stuffy or pretentious, rather it's a wonderful neighborhood hang with food that will delight all foodies.
The food here is amazing, but the service did not live up to the quality of the food. We ordered the vegetarian pasta and specifically asked if it was vegetarian and was told it was. They brought over the lobster pasta and we told them we did not order that. A man, who I assume was the manager, came to our table and started questioning us about the order. Finally they brought the vegetarian pasta that we ordered. We did not feel like welcome guests. This is not acceptable for a restaurant of this quality.
Such wonderful food and excellent service at this one Michelin eatery...just the right combo of fussing over you and leaving you alone. So accommodating and generally good w my dietary restrictions. The chicken is outstanding!!
I went with an open mind and traveled with my 78 year old Mother and sister. Small town country girls ready to have an experience with food. To our delight, our service Nathan was a gem and added to our dining experience with his knowledge, kindness, and humilty that made us feel comfortable to ask questions and relax. We LOVED our experience there. The food was amazing. My favorite was the truffle risotto. I would highly recommend and will go again if given the opportunity. Communication via open table was engaging and the confirmations were well organized.
The food was very good and the presentation also very good. Our server was engaging but his knowledge of the wine list was limited. Kitchen cadence slow at times. The somm never showed up to our table. after 1.5 hrs, we finally settled on a bottle of wine ourselves. The wine list is good and reasonably priced. We only needed a minute of her time. Probably could have up sold us on a seller bottle. Sad, we were in town for La Paulee and had somewhat higher hopes for the restaurant.
It was a special night for my cousins as they recently got engaged. Both of them are vegan so I called ahead and made sure they could accommodate them when we went to order they had nothing they could eat and I was upset because I would have picked a restaurant elsewhere if they would or could not take care of them. I was pretty upset unfortunately but the waiter then told the chef the issue and he made them some special dishes that they really enjoyed. The menu was truffle heavy and being that I don't love truffles there were some hard choices to make. The pea soup was magical and the drinks excellent but I had hope for a bit better when you're serving appetizers that cost 125 dollars. . Ultimately we were happy. The meal was very expensive but I left satisfied but not blown away. That's the truth
Restaurantji Recommends
Amazing date night. We told the restaurant we were coming for our anniversary and a belated valentines. Service was amazing and the food was delicious. For a Michelin starred restaurant, prices were super reasonable. At the end of the night they surprised us with an A5 wagyu to go! I'm a customer for life now.
I visited Citrin on February 14th, looking forward to a special Valentine's Day dining experience. Despite my understanding and acceptance of seating at the patio due to a 30-minute late arrival, the service level was far below expectations.From the beginning, there was a noticeable lack of communication from our server, particularly when setting the table and throughout the service. Confusion regarding our cocktail order was apparent, as it seemed to be offered to multiple other patrons before finally being served to us.A significant issue was the delay in serving a bottle of wine we ordered. Our glasses remained empty for nearly half an hour without any acknowledgment or apology for the wait. Additionally, despite being the first guests seated at the patio, we watched other diners who arrived after us enjoy their courses, while an hour into our seating, we had not been served our first dish.When we brought these concerns to the manager, the response was dismissive, suggesting the problems were due to kitchen communication and subtly implying our tardiness as a factor. The decision to leave was met with no apology; instead, the manager mentioned I could use his personal number for any complaints.Having dined at more than 15 Michelin-starred restaurants worldwide, I found the service and professionalism at Citrin that evening lacking, especially compared to my experience at Melisse four months prior.I hope this feedback prompts Citrin to review and improve their staff training and management to avoid similar experiences for future guests.
Service: 1
Amazing Service, Food superb! Ambiance elegant, this is a Michelin * star restaurant. Hard to find anything Michelin in LA! Highly recommend for couples or just a group of friends. Its not cheap but in my opinion well worth it! I will be back again and again!
What an amazing dinner. Cirtrin was the best dining experience I've had in LA so far. The tasting menu was thoughtful yet elevated. The coursing was perfect, both in portion size and flavor profiles. They used a lot of truffle, but beautifully balanced instead of overpowering. And they even created a special dessert for my girlfriend for her birthday that was an exquisite take on key lime pie. 10/10 would recommend.
I don't take any pleasure in leaving a bad review, but when you pay a lot of your hard-earned money toward a meal I think it's OK to have high expectations. Let me start with the good: the front-of-house was excellent! They attended to everything we could possibly need and we never had to ask for anything! Now for the not-so-good: the food. Look, I'm not a food snob. It doesn't take much to impress me. But in this case of Citrin I was very disappointed with the food. We both ordered the tasting menu and nothing was particularly good. In fact, one course in particular (the rockfish) kind of tasted rancid. It was a Wednesday, however, so maybe the best people in the kitchen weren't working? Either way though, I expected a better meal and I'm sorry to say I won't be going back