Westside Tavern. Keeping up with the Eastside.

Over the past few years we Angelinos have witnessed a resurgence of fine dining establishments and gastropubs in downtown Los Angeles, and it has this westside foodie a little envious. I’m especially intrigued by Rivera, Drago Centro, and Church & State, and I can assure you I will be visiting those difficult-to-get-into downtown hot spots before year’s end. Even casual downtown outposts like Bottega Louie and Nickel Diner have me itching to get on the 10 eastbound after work. Nonetheless, the west side--characterized by anything west of La Cienega or in my coworker’s opinion, west of the 405--has been establishing its own culinary stronghold with such offerings as Anisette, Craft, Tavern LA, Father’s Office 2, and as you're about to read, Westside Tavern.


Situated near the entrance of the Landmark Theaters on Pico and Westwood boulevards, Westside Tavern is helmed by executive chef Warren Schwartz, who was formerly the execute chef at Whist in Santa Monica’s swanky Viceroy Hotel. Prior to Whist, chef Schwartz led a successful stint at Saddle Peak Lodge in Calabasas, and I can tell you the nice folks in Calabasas are going to want him back after reading this review.

I realize that we are in a recession, but one would never know that by stepping into this bustling restaurant which was completely full when we arrived. They don’t take reservations and that's probably a smart move in an effort to help lure theater patrons who may have not planned their post-cinema dining destinations in advance (as no one likes to hear "do you have a reservation?"). Luckily our 50-minute wait passed quickly with a stopover at an adjacent Barnes and Noble, although being the foodies we are, we completely bypassed the reading materials and headed straight for the Starbucks on the second level for pastries and drinks. And, actually, while the rest of my group chowed down on the aforementioned pastries and drinks, I was on the phone coordinating my dinner plans for next weekend. This is tough work, you know.

I came here with a group of 5 which made for an ideal sharing of different plates and appetizers. The interior is beautifully designed with dark wood accents and deep, comfortable leather booths--I felt as if the entire room was furnished by Room and Board, which is a good thing. A gorgeous long bar runs across almost the entire length of the restaurant and was filled with a good mix of older and younger bar-goers enjoying many of Westside Tavern's fine drink offerings. Neat dish-towel cloth napkins round out the hip factor. Once seated, we perused the impressive looking drink menu and proceeded with our libation requests.


After hearing about a few recommendations from other bloggers, I picked the Moscow Mule, a vodka drink with pureed ginger, club soda, and lime juice:

The taste was very refreshing with a subtle ginger tone. It could use a little more Vodka but I generally like my drinks to be strong. Additional ginger at the bottom made for a wonderful after-mint style finish. Mark ordered a Smoked Stone Porter, pictured behind my - Mule.

Complimentary bread and salted butter:

Wonderful, fresh, crusty, and warm. The provided butter was creamy and slightly salty. I almost ate the entire loaf. Oh how I do love a good, crusty bread.


Westside Tavern's menu is mostly comprised of bistro-style offerings such as steaks, fresh seafood, hearty sandwiches, substantial salads, and a variety of market-driven sides.

We placed our orders and I should note that I made sure to pick something no else in our party would select so that my wonderful readers get to see a picture of a fifth entrée. The hard life of the foodie blogger. Now let's see what we ordered.

Spit-Roasted Lemon & Mustard Chicken:

Our server actually recommended this dish over the short rib, which I was leaning towards, and it ended up being a huge hit with the table. Incredibly moist, tender, and very flavorful pieces of breast meat and thigh needed little or none of the provided sauce to enhance the dish’s overall execution. A heaping mound of sautéed spinach was cooked and seasoned perfectly.


Grilled Prime Flat Iron Steak with Sea-Salted Fries:

Perfectly cooked to a medium-rare done-ness, the steak was very good on its own, but combined with a dab of the accompanying sauce made for an overall explosion of savoriness. Mark noted that the fries could have been crispier, but other than that this dish was well received.

Day boat scallops with corn and mashed potatoes:

One of the chalkboard specials, these beautifully presented and perfectly seared scallops had that fresh out-the-ocean taste. The creamed corn and spinach got high praises from Fonda.


Duck Confit with figs:

Another chalkboard special. The duck was maybe just a little too cooked for my palate but it tasted wonderfully and paired nicely with the figs. Cynthia left no trace of this bird on the plate.


Grilled All Natural Atlantic Salmon:

I did not have any of this dish, but Connie left nothing behind and had no complaints. She did say it was moist and not overcooked.


Heirloom tomatoes:

Yet another chalkboard item. Thick juicy slabs of tomato slices packed freshness and flavor reminiscent of tomatoes picked right from your garden. Fonda wasn’t particularly wowed by them, but I feel this side dish’s intent wasn’t to provoke excitement, but rather to showcase the beautiful color and unmasked freshness of these in-season heirloom tomatoes.

We had contemplated ordering the Warm Sticky Toffee Cake for dessert, but decided to save that for another visit as we had Connie's birthday cake waiting patiently for us at the house.


In short, Westside Tavern was a resounding success and it’s obvious as to why this place was packed when we arrived and packed when we departed. Although it’s only been open for about a year, chef Schwartz and his staff clearly have all the details nailed. The execution of such details was textbook: Our server was very knowledgeable and checked on us at all the right times, no items we asked about had already run out of supply, and all dishes arrived at once and were beautifully plated, perfectly cooked, and near-perfectly seasoned. You don’t appreciate this attention to detail until you visit a lesser restaurant where the staff and the kitchen are on separate pages, making for a forgettable night of dining.




Total price before tax and tip was about $30/person which is a bargain when you consider the quality and portions of food, and the service provided. Suffice it to say, we’ll be returning to Westside Tavern in short order, as I’m wanting to try another artisanal cocktail paired with one of their delicious-sounding sandwich offerings (i.e., BLT with soft fried egg), and then finally sink my teeth into that Warm Sticky Toffee Cake. Eastsiders have another good reason to get on the 10 West, and to the folks in Calabasas, perhaps chef Schwartz will open a second outpost in your area to heal any lingering wounds.


Westside Tavern
10850 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064