The food was deeply disappointing. Thanksgiving dinner pre- fixe was horrible. To start the plate was full of processed Turkey with no room to please any sides on your plate. Green bean casserole inedible with so much dried onion flakes. The stuffing was just bread, no flavor. Truly the worst stuffing of my 60 years. The bread was incredibly delicious but the only thing worth mentioning. I thought it was a gourmet restaurant but found this experience incredibly expensive and extremely BAD.
Greg
Second year in a row eating at Ardor for Thanksgiving dinner. This year, there was a special option to add a pumpkin pie. We were excited about this because it is our family tradition that we always eat Pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. The pie was spectacular. Everyone at our table could not believe how delicious it was and commented on the crust and the flavors of the piping around the edges. What was odd was that before our meal was served, the pie was brought to our table in a box and set to the side in "to go" fashion. We were all confused. When we finished our meal, I asked for plates so we could eat the pie, and wound up getting a visit from the manager telling us that it wasn't meant to be served at the table and was meant to be taken away. We had no idea. Things became uncomfortable with the manager and wait staff due to the misunderstanding, but in the end, she had it sliced and brought it back to us to eat. We could suddenly feel like our time was up. It was a bit strange for a bit, but they were kind enough to bring us fresh whipping cream and a requested vegan dessert. All of the food was delicious perfection.
lin wang
This was truly one of the best dessert experiences I’ve ever had. Even going in with sky-high expectations, I still wasn’t disappointed. Honestly, if you come here for your birthday, you probably won’t even need a separate birthday cake!
Strawberry The strawberries are fresh from the farm, dressed with a touch of balsamic and salt to highlight their sweetness. They were good, but still not as flavorful as the strawberries from back home.
Milk Bread Their Japanese milk bread is very popular. I think it’s decent—definitely better than typical American bread—but after having authentic Japanese shokupan, this one feels just okay. If you treat it simply as a sweet, soft Japanese-style bun, it’s much better.
Wild Lobster Tagliatelle Highly recommended by the server and rightfully so. The lobster itself was just average, but the sauce was fantastic. You might expect a rich white sauce from the appearance, but it actually leans toward a bright, slightly acidic red-sauce profile. (The secret hack: dip the milk bread into the pasta sauce—doubles the enjoyment!)
Grilled Branzino Beautiful presentation—it almost looks like an avocado toast at first glance. The branzino is used as the base, topped with green sauce, dandelion stems, and marigold petals. A gorgeous dish overall, with a flavor profile leaning more acidic.
Tempura Onion Rings Surprisingly delicious! It tastes exactly like the seasoning packet from childhood instant noodles. The plating is fun too—five different ring sizes stacked like a little onion-ring tower. Very nostalgic and very tasty.
Sweet Potato Curry A rich curry paired with sweet potato—something I don’t see often. It’s layered with mango and puffed rice, giving it a very Asian fusion vibe. Dipping the tempura onion rings into the curry is also amazing.
Gooseberry Phyllo Pizza The absolute star of the night and hands-down better than desserts from countless pastry shops. This is the dish I came for, and it exceeded every expectation. Ultra-thin, crispy, caramelized phyllo layered with a refreshing vanilla crème pâtissière—never heavy, never cloying. I could easily finish half of it myself (and would probably eat the whole thing if not for the calories).
Truffle To end the night, they serve a truffle chocolate. Except for the soft outer layer—which is smooth chocolate rather than a crisp shell—the layers inside remind me a lot of a Ferrero Rocher.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lin
One of the most impressive dining experiences I've had—especially the desserts. The savory dishes were all solid, with the Lobster Tagliatelle standing out for its bright, tangy sauce (amazing when paired with the milk bread). The Grilled Branzino was beautifully presented, the tempura onion rings were nostalgic and addictive, and the sweet potato curry was rich and fun with its Asian-inspired toppings. But the star of the night was the Gooseberry Phyllo Pizza—ultra-thin, crispy, fragrant, and perfectly balanced. Truly a next-level dessert that beats many pastry shops. A truffle chocolate at the end was a lovely touch.
Tony
Great ambiance. But food is underwhelming. Wine is weak. Service is amazing. Just wish the menu was better.
natalin
I celebrated my birthday at the Ardor and had a fantastic time! Our server knocked it out of the park and went out of his way to make me feel special. He raised the bar and this was my best experience here.
Heartbeet Kitchen
We had a large group here for business and everything was outstanding. Inventive vegetable dishes, terrific steak and fish. Everything seasoned perfectly. Service was also great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Aida
Last night was our wedding anniversary. The atmosphere was absolutely beautiful, peaceful, and elegant — everything was spotless and stylish. The staff who helped us were very professional and friendly, and the food was delicious and high-quality. Overall, you made it such a wonderful night for us. Thank you so much — we'll definitely be back again!
Monica
The farm to table freshness of food was unexpected. the staff very courtieous. What a great place to celebrate
Nick K.
Pretty expensive for what it is. Food is okay. Some dishes were very good somewhere not. I would recommend giving it a try but it's not something I'd be craving again..
We had an amazing anniversary celebration! From the moment we arrived, everything was perfect. A special thank you to our server, Andrew, who was incredibly attentive, kind, and professional — he truly made the evening extra special. The entire staff was warm and welcoming, the service was top-notch, and the food was absolutely delicious. We were especially touched by the thoughtful note from the staff — such a sweet way to acknowledge our anniversary. We were so impressed by the overall experience. Thank you for making our night so memorable!
Jenny
I almost never try new restaurants for special occasions, but I'm so glad that I chose Ardor for my birthday dinner. It's listed in the Michelin Guide for a reason. Can we talk about the outdoor dining area? It is like having dinner in a private garden. I am still dreaming about the carrot appetizer. Also, a major thank you for having a celiac friendly dessert on the menu! That never happens. Honestly, thank you for making it such a special evening.
David Oh
Had a lovely time here for anniversary dinner! great vibe, interior design, and service. We had a long dinner for dineLA with 3 courses, and they allowed us to take a break to go to the rooftop to see the sunset and come back as well to finish our last courses. had roasted carrots, tomato milk bun, and skirt steak, spanish octopus, lobster tagliatelle, and espresso chocolate cake. everything was delicious. service was impeccable. would definitely come back
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Paul
We had a wonderful evening. The appetizers were scrumptious; octopus, tandoor carrots with humus, tuna crudo and onion rings. The Milk Bread was delicious. Our waiter Gedion was beyond fantastic, he was exceptional. Our main course was branzino and the crab tagliatelle. 4 hours flew by like it was 2 hours. Gedion contributed so much to the evening's success.
bridget
Our server Miranda was on her game.....just the right amount of attentiveness. She recommended the both milk bread and king crab app.....both amazing. We would go back ....... Very good.
The food was deeply disappointing. Thanksgiving dinner pre- fixe was horrible. To start the plate was full of processed Turkey with no room to please any sides on your plate. Green bean casserole inedible with so much dried onion flakes. The stuffing was just bread, no flavor. Truly the worst stuffing of my 60 years. The bread was incredibly delicious but the only thing worth mentioning. I thought it was a gourmet restaurant but found this experience incredibly expensive and extremely BAD.
Second year in a row eating at Ardor for Thanksgiving dinner. This year, there was a special option to add a pumpkin pie. We were excited about this because it is our family tradition that we always eat Pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. The pie was spectacular. Everyone at our table could not believe how delicious it was and commented on the crust and the flavors of the piping around the edges. What was odd was that before our meal was served, the pie was brought to our table in a box and set to the side in "to go" fashion. We were all confused. When we finished our meal, I asked for plates so we could eat the pie, and wound up getting a visit from the manager telling us that it wasn't meant to be served at the table and was meant to be taken away. We had no idea. Things became uncomfortable with the manager and wait staff due to the misunderstanding, but in the end, she had it sliced and brought it back to us to eat. We could suddenly feel like our time was up. It was a bit strange for a bit, but they were kind enough to bring us fresh whipping cream and a requested vegan dessert. All of the food was delicious perfection.
This was truly one of the best dessert experiences I’ve ever had. Even going in with sky-high expectations, I still wasn’t disappointed. Honestly, if you come here for your birthday, you probably won’t even need a separate birthday cake!
Strawberry
The strawberries are fresh from the farm, dressed with a touch of balsamic and salt to highlight their sweetness. They were good, but still not as flavorful as the strawberries from back home.
Milk Bread
Their Japanese milk bread is very popular. I think it’s decent—definitely better than typical American bread—but after having authentic Japanese shokupan, this one feels just okay. If you treat it simply as a sweet, soft Japanese-style bun, it’s much better.
Wild Lobster Tagliatelle
Highly recommended by the server and rightfully so. The lobster itself was just average, but the sauce was fantastic. You might expect a rich white sauce from the appearance, but it actually leans toward a bright, slightly acidic red-sauce profile. (The secret hack: dip the milk bread into the pasta sauce—doubles the enjoyment!)
Grilled Branzino
Beautiful presentation—it almost looks like an avocado toast at first glance. The branzino is used as the base, topped with green sauce, dandelion stems, and marigold petals. A gorgeous dish overall, with a flavor profile leaning more acidic.
Tempura Onion Rings
Surprisingly delicious! It tastes exactly like the seasoning packet from childhood instant noodles. The plating is fun too—five different ring sizes stacked like a little onion-ring tower. Very nostalgic and very tasty.
Sweet Potato Curry
A rich curry paired with sweet potato—something I don’t see often. It’s layered with mango and puffed rice, giving it a very Asian fusion vibe. Dipping the tempura onion rings into the curry is also amazing.
Gooseberry Phyllo Pizza
The absolute star of the night and hands-down better than desserts from countless pastry shops. This is the dish I came for, and it exceeded every expectation. Ultra-thin, crispy, caramelized phyllo layered with a refreshing vanilla crème pâtissière—never heavy, never cloying. I could easily finish half of it myself (and would probably eat the whole thing if not for the calories).
Truffle
To end the night, they serve a truffle chocolate. Except for the soft outer layer—which is smooth chocolate rather than a crisp shell—the layers inside remind me a lot of a Ferrero Rocher.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
One of the most impressive dining experiences I've had—especially the desserts. The savory dishes were all solid, with the Lobster Tagliatelle standing out for its bright, tangy sauce (amazing when paired with the milk bread). The Grilled Branzino was beautifully presented, the tempura onion rings were nostalgic and addictive, and the sweet potato curry was rich and fun with its Asian-inspired toppings. But the star of the night was the Gooseberry Phyllo Pizza—ultra-thin, crispy, fragrant, and perfectly balanced. Truly a next-level dessert that beats many pastry shops. A truffle chocolate at the end was a lovely touch.
Great ambiance. But food is underwhelming. Wine is weak. Service is amazing. Just wish the menu was better.
I celebrated my birthday at the Ardor and had a fantastic time! Our server knocked it out of the park and went out of his way to make me feel special. He raised the bar and this was my best experience here.
We had a large group here for business and everything was outstanding. Inventive vegetable dishes, terrific steak and fish. Everything seasoned perfectly. Service was also great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Last night was our wedding anniversary. The atmosphere was absolutely beautiful, peaceful, and elegant — everything was spotless and stylish. The staff who helped us were very professional and friendly, and the food was delicious and high-quality. Overall, you made it such a wonderful night for us. Thank you so much — we'll definitely be back again!
The farm to table freshness of food was unexpected. the staff very courtieous. What a great place to celebrate
Pretty expensive for what it is. Food is okay. Some dishes were very good somewhere not. I would recommend giving it a try but it's not something I'd be craving again..
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
We had an amazing anniversary celebration! From the moment we arrived, everything was perfect. A special thank you to our server, Andrew, who was incredibly attentive, kind, and professional — he truly made the evening extra special. The entire staff was warm and welcoming, the service was top-notch, and the food was absolutely delicious. We were especially touched by the thoughtful note from the staff — such a sweet way to acknowledge our anniversary. We were so impressed by the overall experience. Thank you for making our night so memorable!
I almost never try new restaurants for special occasions, but I'm so glad that I chose Ardor for my birthday dinner. It's listed in the Michelin Guide for a reason. Can we talk about the outdoor dining area? It is like having dinner in a private garden. I am still dreaming about the carrot appetizer. Also, a major thank you for having a celiac friendly dessert on the menu! That never happens. Honestly, thank you for making it such a special evening.
Had a lovely time here for anniversary dinner! great vibe, interior design, and service. We had a long dinner for dineLA with 3 courses, and they allowed us to take a break to go to the rooftop to see the sunset and come back as well to finish our last courses. had roasted carrots, tomato milk bun, and skirt steak, spanish octopus, lobster tagliatelle, and espresso chocolate cake. everything was delicious. service was impeccable. would definitely come back
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had a wonderful evening. The appetizers were scrumptious; octopus, tandoor carrots with humus, tuna crudo and onion rings. The Milk Bread was delicious. Our waiter Gedion was beyond fantastic, he was exceptional. Our main course was branzino and the crab tagliatelle. 4 hours flew by like it was 2 hours. Gedion contributed so much to the evening's success.
Our server Miranda was on her game.....just the right amount of attentiveness. She recommended the both milk bread and king crab app.....both amazing. We would go back ....... Very good.
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