Hatchet Hall

Looking for a chic night out in LA with the cool crowd? Look no further! But the hostess staff sure does like to treat you like you’re not quite lucky enough to be there… severely misquoting wait times with an attitude that deters many from waiting around. Pro tip: if they say 45 min to an hour, that really means 15-30 minutes, so be strong! It’s a big restaurant with lotsss of tables. And if you’re in a hurry, try your luck at the bar. Once we got past the host staff, our server certainly turned things around. But the real star of Hatchet Hall is the food. Inventive and unique dishes from the mind of a mad chef with talent pouring from their hands. The menu changes constantly which makes each visit a bit different from the last.

Fresh, local California cuisine with a hidden whiskey bar (Old Man Bar). Unfortunately the whiskey bar was closed for a private event, but we enjoyed a delightful meal in the restaurant. Note that they’ll only accepted reservations for large groups, so it’s walk-in only. There’s indoor and heated outdoor patio seating. You don’t get seated until the entire party is present, but you can hang out at the bar until then. For the four of us, we split five dishes plus dessert. There were vegetarian options. I was told by multiple people to get the cornbread, but we opted for the ricotta toast instead (you can get ham on the side). Note that the food comes out as it’s ready. The wedge salad is like a grown up Cobb salad, with delectable bits of lardons interspersed the leaves. It was quite drenched in ranch dressing, so be mindful of that. The Brussel sprouts were amazing and had a great flavor. The lentil stuffed red pepper was alright, I would skip it. The Branzino was tender and came as a whole fish - the server who brought it out kindly filleted it for us. We ended with the sticky toffee pudding cake, which I would highly recommend. The ambiance was laidback and the patio was really pretty. It’s a good spot for a date or a small group catch up. Credit cards accepted. There’s restrooms available behind the bar to the right. There was a small parking lot that used to be valet-only pre-Covid, but I didn’t see anyone there when I went. Otherwise, street parking. Overall, it’s a pricey but tasty experience.

Dinner was fantastic and service was also great. Had the tomato, burrata, pesto salad, the watermelon & feta salad (which was one of my favorites), the mussels, the squash casserole, and the arugula salad (least favorite of them all but still good!). Somewhat pricey but the food feels like it’s right off the farmers market so it’s also understandable. 20% gratuity included

Great experience. Fresh, inventive, delicious food. Good service. Nice space. Loud music. Definitely recommend!