The food was good but the service was a little hectic and slow. There was a private party that was at the restaurant when we booked our table. Was over crowded and the server mixed the food up. Also, it was a really loud and could t hear myself think.
Emanuele M.
had a reservation for Valentine's day. food was truly amazing and worth the bill but the place was seriously understaffed with long wait between dishes been served and some courses of the menu been out of stock by the time we were seated (we received a discount because of that). Also the choice of music was terrible for the occasion (mostly club music). not a good experiences and i felt really sorry for the staff..
Becca Fine
Took a GF out for her BD dinner. She wanted something different. The food was tasty and had wonderful unusual flavors. Loved the Chai cocktail, little gem salad and ravioli with cream cheese stuffing. When the ravioli was hot the cream cheese squirted out. Fun!
Chris Stevens
Excellent food! Pricey for sure but there wasn't a thing from the drink to the apitizers to the main course that wasn't excellent!
Antoine Robinson
To start was given this place by a friend and from reading the reviews I almost did not book a reservation here. To start the ambiance is really nice, like dimly lit and just has a feel of date night. The service was okay I would give it a B-, our server was kind of all over the place but extremely friendly and decently attentive.
Anh N.
I wanted to love this place, but alas, it was just okay. My husband and I went for V-day dinner, but not on the actual V-day. (Judging from the one-star reviews, it was probably best that we went later.) We got branzino, kurobuta pork chop, bolognese, and cauliflower. The cauliflower came out first. It was roasted in big chunks, so a lot of the flavor was lost due the small amount of surface area available to soak up the sauce. Branzini was seasoned well with nice and crispy skin. Our servers (one brought the dish out and another was our reg server) kept saying the sauce was so good, but like lemon broth did nothing for me. It made the dish more bland for me, so I stopped using it. I liked the greens that it came with, but couldn't spot the umeboshi. Kurobuta pork chop is always good. This one was a little pink on the inside. It was fatty and the protein had a satisfying bite to it. It was my favorite dish of the bunch that we got. The hamachi bolognese was just okay. Ours came out roughly the same time that it came out for the couple next to us, and I overheard the guy say, "What's Japanese about this dish?" echoing my thoughts. The hamachi was ground up and tasted like any other protein. I liked how thick the pasta was, and it was a satisfying, comfort type dish. We were decently full after this meal, but I didn't feel satisfied like, wow, I had a great meal.
Morgan M.
I came here for dinner with my boyfriend on February 13th for a pre-Valentine's dinner together since we both had to work the next night. We decided a few nights previous to make reservations somewhere, so I did some searching on yelp for a romantic restaurant and came across Blackship. The food & ambiance looked like the makings for a perfect night...boy, was I wrong. I'll break it down into my 3 important categories: ambiance, food/drinks, & service. Ambiance: Let's start with the only positive thing about this place--it's beautiful. We sat outside under the heat lamps, which kept us nice and toasty through the evening. The decor was lovely, with nice hanging plants and greenery. The lighting made for a romantic atmosphere and it was quiet enough to easily have a discussion across the table. Food/Drinks: I had high hopes for this place. I'm very much into scouring a menu before a nice dinner, and came in with my heart set on trying the carbonara ramen and the TKG arancini. I remembered at the restaurant that my boyfriend refuses to eat undercooked eggs, so instead we skipped to the drinks & entrees instead. I ordered a cocktail and he a beer--nothing memorable to say about either of those. Then the carbonara ramen--sad to say, I was disappointed. The broth was tepid and had a fishy taste. WAY too much nori in proportion to broth & noodles. My boyfriend ordered the branzino and raved about it, though. And he's not easily impressed by food so I'm sure it was good. Due to the terrible service, a woman who seemed to be the manager brought us and the table adjacent to us a comped TKG arancini. I was so thrilled I'd be able to try it! My joy was quickly dashed when I sliced into it and discovered the egg inside fully cooked, yolk and all. However, this allowed my boyfriend to enjoy it so at least it didn't go to waste. It's just disappointing that what was supposed to be one of their best dishes wasn't even prepared correctly. I'm glad we didn't order it in the beginning. Service: Far and away some of the worst service I've received in recent memory, especially considering the prices ($19 & $29 for entrees, $8 & $15 for drinks) and the fact that they automatically include a 20% tip, regardless of party size. Our server, Lizi, greeted us about 10 minutes after we were seated. English is my boyfriend's second language, so we needed a little more time discussing the menu and deciding what he wanted to eat. I anticipated her return promptly, at least to offer us drinks. I should have timed it, but I'm not exaggerating when I say it was a good 20 minutes before she came back. I watched her volley from table to table in front of ours, back to the kitchen, back to the other tables. Not once did she glance in our direction. It dawned on me that she might have forgotten about us. I've worked in an upscale restaurant before, so I do have a good amount of patience when it comes to things like this. Eventually I made eye contact with the woman who appeared to be the manager, indicating I wanted our server to come over. I saw her go whisper to Lizi, who then came over and said "sorry about that," or something similarly abrupt and nonchalant. I expected a more...polite apology, I guess? Considering it's now 30 minutes into our arrival and we haven't even ordered drinks, let alone our meals. I replied with "yes, it's been kind of a wait since we arrived..." I don't usually make comments like that, but I wanted her to be aware that we weren't satisfied with the level of service we'd been receiving so far. Like I said, having worked in a similar environment, I expected things to improve from here. They decidedly didn't. Lizi did not apologize again, or even take our order in a polite manner. She was visibly annoyed. And I get it--maybe she was having a rough night already, although the restaurant was far from crowded since it was a Thursday after 9pm. Part of being in the
Robert C.
Really busy spot along the Santa Monica strip before it turns into the endless facade of bars. Food is top notch albeit small portions but that's expected considering the dishes are meant to be shared. Hmm...now that I've said, I'm thinking how much that actually makes sense. Wouldn't dishes be larger if they're meant to be shared? Oh well. The food had incredible flavor so I'm not gonna complain. Here's the winners of the night: 1. Branzino - if you like fish, this is a MUST. It's incredibly savory and will light up all your taste buds. 2. Flank steak - I'm talking juicy, tender, and FLAVORFUL. Hands down one of the best steaks I've had. Beware it is served on the rare side so if that's a problem you'll want to have them cook it a bit more. 3. Bolognese - Just really freaking good.
Arielle W.
Okay from the top: Food - 9.5/10 Ambiance -9/10 Drinks -10/10 Service - 6/10 Ill start with the service first. Don't get me wrong, FOH staff was SO nice. From the hostess, to the busser, to our service. Everyone was really sweet and accommodating. However, speed of the dish turnaround was....a disappointment. We were literally the first reservation on the books for the night, on a Wednesday, there was no rush, it wasn't packed. There were maybe 5 other people in there with us. So I'm just confused about what happened. What we ordered-- We did happy hour, 3 drinks, 3 apps. (The HH deal is 3 for $21, drinks and apps intermixed) We received our apps before we got our wine. WINE. All you have to do is poor it. As a former bartender, Im shoving out wine and well drinks as fast as possible so I can work on the craft cocktails that are ordered. Idk. Seemed odd. Then we ordered an Uni pizza -- really good. for our final courses, we ordered the pork & a pasta dish. We got the pork first, and um, the agnolotti about 30 minutes later. We had to box everything up because we had a show to go to, needless to say dessert was out. My boyfriend and I shared bits of the pork because my pasta took so long, which we didn't mind...it was just frustrating. It was his birthday I wanted everything to be smooth. Our server brought us a comped glass of wine to help compensate for our time which was definitely appreciated. I really wanted to love this place, but believe the reviews when you read them. I spent a lot of money here given it was a birthday dinner, and I walked away really upset, it just fell flat. I wish I had gone elsewhere tbh.
Gia S.
Here is my experience about this place. Food was good. I think the portions are pretty reasonable and the prices are reasonable too. I took one star off of it because I dont think it is reasonable to charge 20% service fee regardless of anything. They say tipping is not accepted but they charge 20% on the final bill. If they go by Japanese culture, they dont charge fee or tip at all since it is considered disrespectful. It is honestly ridiculous to charge $10 for valet that only takes cash and 20% for service fee for your food. I would strongly suggest to take cards as payment method for valet and not charge 20% fee.
Amazing service. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming. Definitely don't realize you're in the middle of the craziness that can be Weho. The food is amazing and great spot to come with friends or for a date night.
Gapo D.
Worst place to go if you want food. The waiter said everything is FAMILY PORTION but everything we ordered were the SMALLEST PORTIONS EVER. I came hungry. Left hungrier. How can this place stay in business??? I give them end of the year before they close down. Places like this should be ashamed of themselves.
Darryl W.
Small portions however excellent food. Menu is very different and worth it. Happy hour is from 6-7 pm. The fish and the gnocchi dishes were excellent along with our appetizer. Great atmosphere and staff.
Joe M.
Re: Valentine's night disaster: Everyone else has already said it all. This was literally like a "Valentines Day Disaster" episode of one of Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen. restaurant horror reality TV show. We would not have been surprised to see him running out of the kitchen with a meat cleaver, cursing and chasing after the supposed manager. Luckily we had a 6:15 reservation, so the train wreck was not in full action yet. I pity those with late reservations as I saw the trouble slowly brewing to what must have been a meltdown situation... No excuses for this at $200. a couple when it is a simple set menu! I'll give a second star as kudos to the front of house staff who tried their best to deal with whatever fiasco was happening with management and the kitchen. I bet there are lots of resumes going out to other restaurants today...
Gary S.
I booked the Blackship for Valentines dinner several weeks ago based on a recommendation. At the time of booking there was no mention of a fixed menu for that night but so be it . I went with my Girlfriend and her 8 year old son. We arrived at sat down at 6.50. We were offered water on 4 occasions but nothing else , Eventually after asking twice a server came to the table. We ordered drinks and then food from the set menu . ( I should point out that of the 4 main courses two of them came with a surcharge of $12.00 so that felt like a con straight away). The drinks arrived minus one which took a further 10 minutes . After 30 minutes no food had arrived so I complained ( much like most of the people around me ) I would remind you that this was a fixed menu with limited choices so tough to mess it up ) The waiter , who was doing his best told me that they had staff shortages , worse excuse you can ever give a customer. How could they not deal with this on a night like this , did they not realize the damage that they would be doing to the reputation of the restaurant? If you can't provide a good service the don't open the restaurant but no , Lose all that money and hope no one notices , Crazy . After 40 minutes the food did arrive , (even though a waiter had already taken it to the wrong table and it took me telling them before they fixed it). The waiter also brought out some pasta for my Girlfriends son who was starving and losing patience as we were. Apologies were forthcoming every time he passed by the table but that didn't prevent another 20 minute wait for the next of the 4 courses which although tasty was not hot . I would have sent it back but just having food at this point was a blessing . Free soft drinks followed to keep us happy but it was another 30 minutes until the main course arrived which again was warm at best. Our table was near the kitchen and I noticed that as food came out the waiters were all huddled around a table with all of the orders written on notes. They seemed to have no idea what dish went to which table . It was a complete shambles of mismanagement and chaos. By now we had been there two hours and we were still waiting on dessert . There was no sign of it coming so we gave up and asked for the bill. Even that was a drama as they got it wrong and I had to speak with the manager. She was very nice but clearly frazzled by the evenings events as by now everyone was complaining . She did tell me however that they had run out of certain dishes and that they had staff problems , none of which you ever want to hear from a restaurant. The only reason I gave them 2 stars was , one the food was tasty if not hot and 2 the waiter did try his best in a ridiculous situation. In summary I would never go back again and shame on the management and owners to allow what was without doubt one of the worst experiences we have ever had in a restaurant anywhere in the world , I hope they made a lot of money last night because they will be lucky to survive the debacle they inflicted on to there guests
The food was good but the service was a little hectic and slow. There was a private party that was at the restaurant when we booked our table. Was over crowded and the server mixed the food up. Also, it was a really loud and could t hear myself think.
had a reservation for Valentine's day. food was truly amazing and worth the bill but the place was seriously understaffed with long wait between dishes been served and some courses of the menu been out of stock by the time we were seated (we received a discount because of that). Also the choice of music was terrible for the occasion (mostly club music). not a good experiences and i felt really sorry for the staff..
Took a GF out for her BD dinner. She wanted something different. The food was tasty and had wonderful unusual flavors. Loved the Chai cocktail, little gem salad and ravioli with cream cheese stuffing. When the ravioli was hot the cream cheese squirted out. Fun!
Excellent food! Pricey for sure but there wasn't a thing from the drink to the apitizers to the main course that wasn't excellent!
To start was given this place by a friend and from reading the reviews I almost did not book a reservation here. To start the ambiance is really nice, like dimly lit and just has a feel of date night. The service was okay I would give it a B-, our server was kind of all over the place but extremely friendly and decently attentive.
I wanted to love this place, but alas, it was just okay. My husband and I went for V-day dinner, but not on the actual V-day. (Judging from the one-star reviews, it was probably best that we went later.) We got branzino, kurobuta pork chop, bolognese, and cauliflower. The cauliflower came out first. It was roasted in big chunks, so a lot of the flavor was lost due the small amount of surface area available to soak up the sauce. Branzini was seasoned well with nice and crispy skin. Our servers (one brought the dish out and another was our reg server) kept saying the sauce was so good, but like lemon broth did nothing for me. It made the dish more bland for me, so I stopped using it. I liked the greens that it came with, but couldn't spot the umeboshi. Kurobuta pork chop is always good. This one was a little pink on the inside. It was fatty and the protein had a satisfying bite to it. It was my favorite dish of the bunch that we got. The hamachi bolognese was just okay. Ours came out roughly the same time that it came out for the couple next to us, and I overheard the guy say, "What's Japanese about this dish?" echoing my thoughts. The hamachi was ground up and tasted like any other protein. I liked how thick the pasta was, and it was a satisfying, comfort type dish. We were decently full after this meal, but I didn't feel satisfied like, wow, I had a great meal.
I came here for dinner with my boyfriend on February 13th for a pre-Valentine's dinner together since we both had to work the next night. We decided a few nights previous to make reservations somewhere, so I did some searching on yelp for a romantic restaurant and came across Blackship. The food & ambiance looked like the makings for a perfect night...boy, was I wrong. I'll break it down into my 3 important categories: ambiance, food/drinks, & service. Ambiance: Let's start with the only positive thing about this place--it's beautiful. We sat outside under the heat lamps, which kept us nice and toasty through the evening. The decor was lovely, with nice hanging plants and greenery. The lighting made for a romantic atmosphere and it was quiet enough to easily have a discussion across the table. Food/Drinks: I had high hopes for this place. I'm very much into scouring a menu before a nice dinner, and came in with my heart set on trying the carbonara ramen and the TKG arancini. I remembered at the restaurant that my boyfriend refuses to eat undercooked eggs, so instead we skipped to the drinks & entrees instead. I ordered a cocktail and he a beer--nothing memorable to say about either of those. Then the carbonara ramen--sad to say, I was disappointed. The broth was tepid and had a fishy taste. WAY too much nori in proportion to broth & noodles. My boyfriend ordered the branzino and raved about it, though. And he's not easily impressed by food so I'm sure it was good. Due to the terrible service, a woman who seemed to be the manager brought us and the table adjacent to us a comped TKG arancini. I was so thrilled I'd be able to try it! My joy was quickly dashed when I sliced into it and discovered the egg inside fully cooked, yolk and all. However, this allowed my boyfriend to enjoy it so at least it didn't go to waste. It's just disappointing that what was supposed to be one of their best dishes wasn't even prepared correctly. I'm glad we didn't order it in the beginning. Service: Far and away some of the worst service I've received in recent memory, especially considering the prices ($19 & $29 for entrees, $8 & $15 for drinks) and the fact that they automatically include a 20% tip, regardless of party size. Our server, Lizi, greeted us about 10 minutes after we were seated. English is my boyfriend's second language, so we needed a little more time discussing the menu and deciding what he wanted to eat. I anticipated her return promptly, at least to offer us drinks. I should have timed it, but I'm not exaggerating when I say it was a good 20 minutes before she came back. I watched her volley from table to table in front of ours, back to the kitchen, back to the other tables. Not once did she glance in our direction. It dawned on me that she might have forgotten about us. I've worked in an upscale restaurant before, so I do have a good amount of patience when it comes to things like this. Eventually I made eye contact with the woman who appeared to be the manager, indicating I wanted our server to come over. I saw her go whisper to Lizi, who then came over and said "sorry about that," or something similarly abrupt and nonchalant. I expected a more...polite apology, I guess? Considering it's now 30 minutes into our arrival and we haven't even ordered drinks, let alone our meals. I replied with "yes, it's been kind of a wait since we arrived..." I don't usually make comments like that, but I wanted her to be aware that we weren't satisfied with the level of service we'd been receiving so far. Like I said, having worked in a similar environment, I expected things to improve from here. They decidedly didn't. Lizi did not apologize again, or even take our order in a polite manner. She was visibly annoyed. And I get it--maybe she was having a rough night already, although the restaurant was far from crowded since it was a Thursday after 9pm. Part of being in the
Really busy spot along the Santa Monica strip before it turns into the endless facade of bars. Food is top notch albeit small portions but that's expected considering the dishes are meant to be shared. Hmm...now that I've said, I'm thinking how much that actually makes sense. Wouldn't dishes be larger if they're meant to be shared? Oh well. The food had incredible flavor so I'm not gonna complain. Here's the winners of the night: 1. Branzino - if you like fish, this is a MUST. It's incredibly savory and will light up all your taste buds. 2. Flank steak - I'm talking juicy, tender, and FLAVORFUL. Hands down one of the best steaks I've had. Beware it is served on the rare side so if that's a problem you'll want to have them cook it a bit more. 3. Bolognese - Just really freaking good.
Okay from the top: Food - 9.5/10 Ambiance -9/10 Drinks -10/10 Service - 6/10 Ill start with the service first. Don't get me wrong, FOH staff was SO nice. From the hostess, to the busser, to our service. Everyone was really sweet and accommodating. However, speed of the dish turnaround was....a disappointment. We were literally the first reservation on the books for the night, on a Wednesday, there was no rush, it wasn't packed. There were maybe 5 other people in there with us. So I'm just confused about what happened. What we ordered-- We did happy hour, 3 drinks, 3 apps. (The HH deal is 3 for $21, drinks and apps intermixed) We received our apps before we got our wine. WINE. All you have to do is poor it. As a former bartender, Im shoving out wine and well drinks as fast as possible so I can work on the craft cocktails that are ordered. Idk. Seemed odd. Then we ordered an Uni pizza -- really good. for our final courses, we ordered the pork & a pasta dish. We got the pork first, and um, the agnolotti about 30 minutes later. We had to box everything up because we had a show to go to, needless to say dessert was out. My boyfriend and I shared bits of the pork because my pasta took so long, which we didn't mind...it was just frustrating. It was his birthday I wanted everything to be smooth. Our server brought us a comped glass of wine to help compensate for our time which was definitely appreciated. I really wanted to love this place, but believe the reviews when you read them. I spent a lot of money here given it was a birthday dinner, and I walked away really upset, it just fell flat. I wish I had gone elsewhere tbh.
Here is my experience about this place. Food was good. I think the portions are pretty reasonable and the prices are reasonable too. I took one star off of it because I dont think it is reasonable to charge 20% service fee regardless of anything. They say tipping is not accepted but they charge 20% on the final bill. If they go by Japanese culture, they dont charge fee or tip at all since it is considered disrespectful. It is honestly ridiculous to charge $10 for valet that only takes cash and 20% for service fee for your food. I would strongly suggest to take cards as payment method for valet and not charge 20% fee.
Restaurantji Recommends
Amazing service. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming. Definitely don't realize you're in the middle of the craziness that can be Weho. The food is amazing and great spot to come with friends or for a date night.
Worst place to go if you want food. The waiter said everything is FAMILY PORTION but everything we ordered were the SMALLEST PORTIONS EVER. I came hungry. Left hungrier. How can this place stay in business??? I give them end of the year before they close down. Places like this should be ashamed of themselves.
Small portions however excellent food. Menu is very different and worth it. Happy hour is from 6-7 pm. The fish and the gnocchi dishes were excellent along with our appetizer. Great atmosphere and staff.
Re: Valentine's night disaster: Everyone else has already said it all. This was literally like a "Valentines Day Disaster" episode of one of Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen. restaurant horror reality TV show. We would not have been surprised to see him running out of the kitchen with a meat cleaver, cursing and chasing after the supposed manager. Luckily we had a 6:15 reservation, so the train wreck was not in full action yet. I pity those with late reservations as I saw the trouble slowly brewing to what must have been a meltdown situation... No excuses for this at $200. a couple when it is a simple set menu! I'll give a second star as kudos to the front of house staff who tried their best to deal with whatever fiasco was happening with management and the kitchen. I bet there are lots of resumes going out to other restaurants today...
I booked the Blackship for Valentines dinner several weeks ago based on a recommendation. At the time of booking there was no mention of a fixed menu for that night but so be it . I went with my Girlfriend and her 8 year old son. We arrived at sat down at 6.50. We were offered water on 4 occasions but nothing else , Eventually after asking twice a server came to the table. We ordered drinks and then food from the set menu . ( I should point out that of the 4 main courses two of them came with a surcharge of $12.00 so that felt like a con straight away). The drinks arrived minus one which took a further 10 minutes . After 30 minutes no food had arrived so I complained ( much like most of the people around me ) I would remind you that this was a fixed menu with limited choices so tough to mess it up ) The waiter , who was doing his best told me that they had staff shortages , worse excuse you can ever give a customer. How could they not deal with this on a night like this , did they not realize the damage that they would be doing to the reputation of the restaurant? If you can't provide a good service the don't open the restaurant but no , Lose all that money and hope no one notices , Crazy . After 40 minutes the food did arrive , (even though a waiter had already taken it to the wrong table and it took me telling them before they fixed it). The waiter also brought out some pasta for my Girlfriends son who was starving and losing patience as we were. Apologies were forthcoming every time he passed by the table but that didn't prevent another 20 minute wait for the next of the 4 courses which although tasty was not hot . I would have sent it back but just having food at this point was a blessing . Free soft drinks followed to keep us happy but it was another 30 minutes until the main course arrived which again was warm at best. Our table was near the kitchen and I noticed that as food came out the waiters were all huddled around a table with all of the orders written on notes. They seemed to have no idea what dish went to which table . It was a complete shambles of mismanagement and chaos. By now we had been there two hours and we were still waiting on dessert . There was no sign of it coming so we gave up and asked for the bill. Even that was a drama as they got it wrong and I had to speak with the manager. She was very nice but clearly frazzled by the evenings events as by now everyone was complaining . She did tell me however that they had run out of certain dishes and that they had staff problems , none of which you ever want to hear from a restaurant. The only reason I gave them 2 stars was , one the food was tasty if not hot and 2 the waiter did try his best in a ridiculous situation. In summary I would never go back again and shame on the management and owners to allow what was without doubt one of the worst experiences we have ever had in a restaurant anywhere in the world , I hope they made a lot of money last night because they will be lucky to survive the debacle they inflicted on to there guests