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Brentwood Restaurant & Lounge

Does anyone have any experience, good or bad, with Brentwood Restaurant & Lounge (located at 148 S. Barrington Ave in Brentwood)? We are moving to the neighborhood and looking for a laid-back spot for comfort food with good beer, wine, and drinks... (and possibly an ambiance to compliment). How is the food, or is there anywhere else better in the area that you all would suggest?


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  1. Too dark, too mediocre, too overpriced.

    1. There may be those who disagree, but for an inexpensive meal with wine right in that area I would try San Gennaro's. Certainly their Italian fare is nothing cutting edge, but they have a very extensive menu with salads, pastas, mains, sandwiches, and pizzas. (There also is often a 2-for-1 coupon in the back pages of the L.A. Times or some of the coupon mailings.) For years they advertised a $10/bottle wine list. It is definitely not high-end, but very pleasant and may be what you are looking for right there. Even if you end up unimpressed, you won't feel ripped off.

      1 Reply
      1. re: nosh

        Riunite on ice, Riunite so nice...Riunite!

      2. I love Brentwood, it's an old standby. I always have a great meal there.

        I should add that Brentwood is filled with great places, San Vicente Blvd.has about 8 fantastic restaurants, from Vincenti to Toscana to Katsuya to Osteria Latini. And there's Literati, and also Santa Monica is right there, with more great restaurants.

        1. So loud when the music is playing. Feels very stilted to me, like the place you take your mistress when you don't want to get caught. Food is uninspired and service is apathetic.

          1 Reply
          1. I think Bandera might fit the bill in terms of what I'm interpreting from your needs ... the one bad thing is that it doesn't take reservations.

            But it does hit on all of your points (laid-back-ish, comfort/classic food, great drinks and an ambiance that skews slightly older but is still great).

            My perennial standby, Nook, is a little farther south but if you still consider it part of your "neighborhood" I'd get yourselves over there pronto! It's basically exactly what you need.


            Nook Bistro
            11628 Santa Monica Blvd Ste 9, Los Angeles, CA 90025

            11704 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

            8 Replies
            1. re: donnival

              The Brentwood is perfect if you want to spend $120.00 + for a couple of martinis, and a couple of burgers . The fries are good and come with the $18.00 burger. They used to have a great maitre'd . Alas, he's gone and everything has gone downhill (except the prices) since his departure. The current staff is woefully inept and the prices now border on the insane. I used to like the wines the former maitre'd recommended. No-one knows squat about wines there anymore. There are better choices in the neighborhood. I've given up on the Brentwood and I used to go there often. Now I go to Pizzicotto, Toscana, Osteria Latini or Houston's (if looking for a full bar).

              1. re: maudies5

                The maitre'd is gone, the big guy with the curly hair who used to choose all the music? (I think his name is David.) That sucks!

                1. re: AlabasterDisaster

                  I like the place! Make sure you make reservations!

              2. re: donnival

                Actually, I've made reservations at Bandera a couple of times, party of 5 each time. I think they take a limited number of reservations for each time slot. In fact I made a reservation there for Mother's Day this year.

                1. re: Debbie W

                  Ah, I didn't know that! Maybe they only take reservations for parties for five and larger? The last time I tried they said they had a no reservations policy ...

                  1. re: donnival

                    Emme, each time I've eaten at the Brentwood, I had a vague sense that something was different about it and you phrased it exactly - a place to take a secret mistress. Most of the tables did seem to be made up of that demographic. I also agree that David was largely responsible for the personal touch that the restaurant possessed. Sorry to hear he's gone.

                    1. re: Bria Silbert

                      It has an inherently seedy feel; I've always attributed it to the lighting and the way the booths and tables are set up, as well as the partitions to the space. It feels like the one restaurant along the highway next to the one motel off of that interstate in the middle of nowhere, but with big city prices.

                      Last time I was there, they screwed up a baked potato. I asked for the potato dry with the toppings on the side... The potato came charred (not just crisped) on the outside, and I kid you not, raw at the center. Then, the waiter had the nerve to tell me that that's what happens when you "change the preparation of the dish" by ordering items on the side. I looked back at him dumbfounded, and though there were many other choice phrases that my brain was sending down to my lips as possible responses, I elected simply to say, "Well perhaps I'll give it a shot and let the kitchen try again." He shrugged back at me, "Well just be forewarned that it may come back just the same." I was tempted to just have them take the 6 dollar tuber off the bill, but it came out uniformly mealy and at least somewhat edible, so I just cut my losses.

                      1. re: Emme

                        Oh, I'm so glad you reminded me of West - we ate there once last year and thought it was an excellent value and enjoyed every dish the four of us had. Good suggestion.....