Brownstone Bistro

Me and my husband went to brownstone for brunch yesterday and I must say the food was excellent. I ate so fast I was too full to get a 2^nd plate. The customer service was excellent! Thanks to chef and the staff for the wonderful experience

Their chicken sandwiches are to DIE for!
Its about 12 bucks normally but like 6 bucks during happy hour.
They also have Sunday brunch and murder mystery dinners every so often. Think a guy name Howie coordinates that! My husband works at the attached radio station in the back (RMC On Air) and we’ve been trying to go to the murder mystery but missed the last one.
This place is such a gem!
I feel like if your simple chicken sandwich is good, then all the other food must be equivalent!

First I must say the food is great, service is ok. We had a party of 20 at their Sunday Brunch, they told us we would be upstairs, that did not happen, they call me several times, but they never disclosed the change, until we arrived. Even though it’s a brunch they had servers serving and monitoring portions, smart idea if you want to prevent a lot of wasteful decisions. However, I was disappointed that NO one informed us until we paid at the end, they add an 18% gratuity to the brunch. I have never heard of a gratuity at a brunch, we stood in a loooong line to get our own food. When we arrived, they told us the cost per person with tax was $ 26.70 and when we checked out that price went to $ 30.50. They did not have our reserved table set for 20, it was for 16 and our party did not sit together, we asked for water several times. We where having a Christmas party luncheon, people interrupted the Resturant several times to introduce different Congress people to speak about their district and we were told to be quiet and listen. I’m not from LA, so it was awkward for me, we just wanted to celebrate our event. Again the food was good, however the way they handle business is below standard!

Do I love this place? No. Would I return again? Very likely. I liked the ambiance food and location. But there is something about the place that would prompt me to give a full 4 – 5 stars. Nothing in particular though. The servers did not come around enough for my liking with more pours and I believe they can use a band and/​or music. Again the food was very good and service wasn’t awful so I can stand to return to see its progress.

The food was ok, the service needs some assistance. They ran out of champagne for a Sunday Champagne brunch. I was not happy and plus it was extremely hot! And it wasn’t a lot of people in the venue. They really need to work on their customer service. They had workers standing around not catering to any other tables but a large party. Tip: have better customer service, keep boxes of champagne make sure everyone feels welcome in your venue.

Excellent gumbo! Huge bowl. So sad it’s a special served only on Friday nights. Loved the demographic of the crowd.

My father has been talking about this restaurant for months. He loves the ambiance and Gumbo. I went during happy hour on a Friday night with some friends.
We started with appetizers: quesadillas, jerk & fried chicken wings. One friend had the gumbo and she liked it. All of the appetizers were flavorful and good. I had a good rum punch which really quenched my thirst.
For dinner I had the grilled salmon with squash, carrots, spinach, & mashed potatoes. The portions were decent. The fish was fresh and cooked just right. One friend had an Angus Burger and another had the Blackened Tilapia. They allowed her to have her fish with Jerk Sauce instead of the Chipotle Sauce. We all really enjoyed our meals.
The young man who served us was nice; however, he needs to be more well versed in what types of liquor the restaurant has. One of my friends had to go to the bar to inquire about Tequila. The server stated they didn’t have any when we could see the bottles displayed on the bar shelf. Other than that he was attentive and very nice.
Will definitely come back.

Very nice sunday buffet champagne brunch. The food is very tasty and they have really good service. Street parking (free on sunday). Very nice ambiance

The jerk chicken wings are stellar. The mojitos were mintily perfect. The conversation and ambiance were nothing but a pleasure. We’ll be back.

The food was delish but there website states there brunch is $ 20 and when receiving the bill it came to 24. We got the bottomless mimosas and every time we had to ask for a refill. It was a tad annoying. So after addressing our waiter and explained the brunch states 20. He came back with the iPad and said he will charge us the $ 20 but in reality when we signed for a bill it was still the $ 24 + $ 6.99 for endless mimosas. In reality I don’t mind paying $ 24 but being lied to twice did irritate me. It’s the principle of the thing, if you say something you need to honor it!

Friends and I went there last night for the Thusday Night Buffet, my doodness the food was just great: collard greens, steamed veggies, yams, plantains, jerk chicken and my oh my… the oxtails. Service was wonderful and the wait staff are wonderful as well.
I have seen some of the reviews about slow service and wanted to weigh in on this. I have eaten here on several occasions over the past eight months. I have been so impressed with the food and service that I brought my club members there and we had a wonderful experience. I am not sure how may folks are in thei kitchen but, it makes sense to me that an unexpected large group, could slow things down. So, make it easy on yourselves and let staff know in advance if you are bringing a large group to ensure a smooth dining experience.

I made reservations a month ago for Mothers Day. I got there and checked in. Everyone after me was seated before — 2pm came around and nothing. They are horrible at managing their reservations and wait list.
I then decided to check the food to see if it was worth staying. By 2 they had run out of many things. For Mother’s Day the selection was mediocre… Baked chicken, salad, paella, nothing really worth being there for. My party of 8 and I went down the street to My Two Cents and had a blast.
I don’t see it being worth my time to return here.

So I’m all down for the neighborhood spots but this place is subpar. Upon arriving my dad and I waited at least 5 minutes before anyone acknowledged our presence. After acknowledging us we were seated.
This is my first time at this establishment. There was no one who came and gave us an overview on how the place worked or welcomed us. Once were given the options and pricing by the hostess she then walked away.
I have a few questions… Does this place have servers? Or a wait staff period? I had to ask for my father and I to have silverware and water. To top it all of, I ordered bottomless mimosas and after having to ask for the 2^nd and then the third the guy I asked insinuated that I would be drunk off of 3 drinks.
Ok so 1^st, I paid $ 6.99. So if you tell me bottomless I expect more than 2 drinks. And while $ 6.99 is on the lower end of the price scale it’s bottomless so I expect your staff to know what that means.
Lastly, the food was cold. I mean for $ 24.95 I expect hot food. Actually let me rephrase that, if I go to a restaurant I expect hot food.
The staff was too busy watching the game to pay attention and too busy socializing with some tables over others to provide a full service to us. Needless to say we were disappointed. It would be hard to get me to go back.

Arrived for an early bird dinner, and discovered we were in plenty of time for their happy hour, weekdays 4 – 7. Tall draught pours of Guinness, Newcastle, Stella, Blue Moon & others only $ 3 on HH.
Ordered entirely from the «small bites» menu (1 required purchase from small bites to get the happy hour prices on drinks) and amazingly received enough food to feed an army. I brought 2 boxes of leftovers home after a finger-​lickin-​good meal. We ordered: the small bites salad ($ 8), the angus burger ($ 8), jerk chicken wings ($ 6 – 7) and truffle parmesan fries ($ 3).
SALAD: Comes on a plate the size of a tray, all spinach and other dark leafy greens, which are my preference, and topped with delectable things like bacon, bleu cheese crumbles, apple shavings, and walnuts. Served with a creamy house dressing. Shared by 2 people and still there was leftovers. Very delicious salad, even if you’re not a salad lover!
ANGUS BURGER: This should not be $ 8. What came out was the portion you’d see at Slaters ⁵⁰⁄₅₀. Thick juicy patty of beef about 2 fingers thick, prepared hot pink in the middle and then all the other items that go into a burger, onion, tomato, cheese, lettuce, somehow stuffed between two pieces of bun. It was a TALL order my friends and splitting it in half, we each felt we ate the whole thing.
JERK CHICKEN: My server told me at the outset this would take an extra 20 minutes to make, and although I did not mind the wait I cursed my full belly by the time the wings arrived. I packed them to go but still had to try one on the spot. Juicy doesn’t cut it… these wings were succulent. These wings had a crispy skin with just the right amount of spice that sandpapers your lips ever so slightly, some spicy heat that doesn’t make an appearance until you swallow, tender white meat chicken that will have you sucking off the bones… Jerk chicken is an experience! Men don’t need strip clubs when they’re eating good jerk chicken. For real, this is the best jerk I’ve had since I moved to SoCal from the Bible Belt in 2009.
PARM FRIES: Two stars. Sorry to end on a sour note, especially after the high praise I just gave, but these fries did not speak my language. They were just fries, topped with a small mountain of shaved Parmesan and parsley. We didn’t miss them and they didn’t detract from our experience. Ate a few, sent the rest back, stuffed ourself with burger.
SERVICE: The service was awfully slow considering there were only 2 – 3 tables of customers besides the full bar of what looked like regulars/​friends of the owner. Besides that, I think our waiter was shy. I’m a pretty gregarious person but I wasn’t getting any menu suggestions out of this kid, he took my order and zipped away, sidled back to deliver food and took off again. It didn’t really bother me and it certainly didn’t detract from why I was there: to feed (+drinks) 2 people under $ 40 and have next-​day lunches with leftovers.
All told, after 2 beers, one glass of cab, and all that food, our bill was only $ 37. I will return!

Well what can I say about the brownstone Bistro it’s a very busy restaurant in Mid City Los Angeles CA 5047 w. Pico Blvd .The food might take a while to come out but, understand your not at Mc Donald’s getting a cheese burger, from the microwave!.. There making sure your food is well cooked and % customer satisfaction. «I’m pretty sure you don’t want some raw food that has no taste» The jamaican Rum Punch is a must try, happy hour is between 4pm –7pm Tues-​Friday

My dad invited me to attend Brownstone Bistro for Sunday Brunch, so about 6 of us got together and went. We made a reservation for 1:30 pm. The reservation was not available when we arrived, so we had to wait. When we arrived, we were seated at a nice table with nice linen. The vibe was nice. Music played throughout the restaurant and it was cozy. When we sat down… nothing! No one came to us and gave us instructions and we did not have a waiter. Finally, a few of us got up and walked to the buffet and could not find a plate. We asked a worker where the plates were and he said «they will bring them to you.» I was confused, so we went back to our seats and waited. After a while, we tried to flag down a waiter. Two did not hear us and the third waiter finally came over. We asked her for instructions on how to eat and she said «it is a buffet.» I asked her how do we get plates and she looked over at the buffet and then said «Oh, I will be back.» So, a few of us just walked to the buffet and waited until finally someone brought out plates. The plates were different sizes and shapes. It was weird.
The buffet is all you can eat, but you are served by servers. The servers were young and served the flood real sloppy on my plate. I had mac and cheese and meatballs. The meatballs were fantastic. Loved them. The mac and cheese was decent, but not great. It was also smashed on my plate by the young server (who was friendly). They had other stuff like peas and carrots, roasted veggies, grits and mashed potatoes and shrimp in a pink sauce. They ran out of shrimp and it was over an hour before more shrimp came out. No biggie for me because I do not eat seafood, but my peeps were irritated. In the middle of the buffet was one salad choice. On the second half was jerk chicken and some other type of chicken, which were really good. The also had cornbread muffins. On the side was a beverage station with luke-​warm juice (it was not cold at all). They also had some random fruit, cookies, brownies and pies, but nothing special.
They then had a waffle and omelet station and a meat carving station. They also had like an egg quiche with salmon in it. The meat was good. I think it was pot roast or roast beef. The waffles were good, but they ran out of cream (which was in a spray can) and butter, which was packaged.
My first plate was great. Two types of children, beef, mac and cheese, meatballs. It was great. I had some pineapples and the egg quiche (I picked out the salmon). I enjoyed my first plate. Well… that was it. I went back for my second plate and they had nothing. It was only 2:00 pm (the buffet was open for 2 more hours). They ran out of chicken, ran out of shrimp. When I went to eat mac and cheese, the guy told me that this was all the mac they had left and when the pan was gone, they had no more. So, I made him give me two extra scoops. Soon, they started rationing out the food: giving half scoops, one meatball, small portion as if they were trying to save the food. At many points during brunch, they ran out of plates and people waiting. At some points, the servers disappeared and people were self-​serving themselves. They ran out of pancake batter as well. I ordered a Coke and received it 15 minutes later. My dad ordered a Coke too and it took even longer. I cannot tell you who my waiter was because everyone was all over the place (for that reason, we did not leave a tip because we did not know who to leave it to).
By 3:30, there was still hardly any food on the buffet. They brought out some catfish, which was good, but it was gone as quick as it came because people were hungry. Oh, and don’t loose your fork, because that is your same fork for the entire meal. Also, be prepared to eat around old plates, because it took forever for them to collect the dirty plates. This was really unorganized. I am Black and grew up in the neighborhood (dad lived in Baldwin Hills Adjacent). I support black business but we have to do better. Golden Corral or El Torito’s buffets are more professional. The owners mom was very sweet and tried to explain everything, but my peeps were not having it and were very upset that we did not have food to eat for what seemed like an hour (but was more like 40 minutes). At one point, the server was just standing at the buffet to tell folks that we were out of food and it was coming at some point.
I am not sure if I will be back. The food was not bad, but the experience was not that good. For $ 20, I expected more. But, then again, some of the best brunches I have been to have been around 40 – 50 bucks, so maybe this was okay. I think they need to charge more because the food is good, but they cannot cover there cost, which is why the are running with limited staff. They need more staff.

My husband and I went for dinner and ordered the jerk chicken for and appetizer which was really delicious!
Then we ordered tilapia and lamb chops for dinner which were both made with really delicious creole sources.
The restaurant had a nice overall a ambiance with a full bar and tables with nice tablecloths. Will definitely come back again!
Parking is easily found on the street! Service was really good and the food was exquisite! I generally don’t like mashed potatoes but I really liked theirs. Will definitely be coming back :)

Went in to enjoy the game (they have big screens in the bar area) and assess this restaurant.
Enjoyed superb food and service at the bar. Chose the Jerk Chicken wings and the Gumbo soup which was a special of the evening.
The Gumbo was superb. The ingredients were perfectly matched, the taste was pure perfection.
Attentive and non intrusive service was another highlight. A real pleasure to find Creole and Island cuisine so perfectly blended together.
It’s a great pity that this restaurant isn’t better patronized or recognized by its target market.
A real gem in the Mid-​City area.
I definitely intend to be back on a regular basis.

I really love this place. A great big bar in a great big dining area. The staff is very accommodating and kind. I think this is a going to be my hang out spot!
We held our staff Christmas party here. Brownstone worked with us to get the numbers within our budget. Our expectations were exceeded as we took our first bite of fresh spinach salad with pecans, blue cheese, bacon and julienned cucumbers. Next we were served a combination of well seasoned grilled salmon and chicken that was tender and cooked to perfection over mashed potatoes and al dente fresh veggies. We ended with our choice of either key lime pie – yummy – or a chocolate cupcake. This solidly delicious dinner included a soft drink as well.
Alcoholic drinks were not included but were tasty and potent. The rum punch is a winner. Did I mention the rum punch?
Parking on Pico has a 2 hour limit. Watch the permit only signs on the side streets too. Just know parking enforcement is on it. The good news is Valet Parking is just $ 3 with validation. Just tell them you’re there for Brownstone, not the collective next door. ;)

Went with TWO Living Social vouchers for an all you can eat Sunday brunch and unlimited mimosas. Turns out, you can only use ONE voucher per table. Read the fine print.
That’s OK… we’ll happily be back! Maybe even next weekend!
The voucher says to make reservations and that isn’t a bad idea. The place isn’t really large and there is a good crowd — so just to be safe I’d make a reservation.
The room is large, bright and airy with a well designed bar taking up one section along with three large screen TV’s (which I very much appreciated as it’s Football season now!).
The buffet isn’t your typical restaurant buffet in that the servers (and in some cases the owner) serve you from chafing dishes. It’s a little more elegant… like wedding service. I had an egg casserole, shrimp and grits (delicious — don’t miss these!!), some mac n cheese (some of the best I’ve had in LA — another MUST), and a small piece of NY Steak carved on request (delicious). And yes, the mimosas were flowing. In fact, they just place an entire bottle of champagne and a carafe of OJ on your table and let you go nuts. Deal.
Things I didn’t try included corned beef hash, waffles (they looked and smelled amazing), red beans and rice, salmon, chicken (two kinds) and potatoes (scalloped maybe? they looked really good). There are also some mixed veggies that looked quite good and fresh, a couple of large salads and platters of marinated vegetables. Also by the carving station, they’ll make eggs to order and omelettes made to order. I did try an omelette and it was just OK. Better was the sweet and soft corn bread. With a hunk of soft butter, that would have been blissful.
There is also a small dessert table with delicious looking cakes and pies… We were so tempted (pecan pie makes my southern soul ache!), but we were simply too full to partake.
Service here is spot on… Everyone is so friendly and helpful. And it’s good value. With our Living Social deal, it worked out to $ 31.50 for all that food and drink for the two of us.
This is a great place to go for a different Sunday brunch… different because the food is actually GOOD and not an after-​thought after the bottomless booze that is used to get people in the door for sub-​par food. I’m already looking forward to going back.
Oh — one thing… it gets really warm in the room with all the chafing dishes… maybe we can work on adjusting the AC especially when we’re in the middle of a heat wave? Or that could have been the mimosas keeping me warm…