Ford’s Filling Station

Nicely located at JW Marriott on Olympic, restaurant is hip and vibrant
Menu is a little light on choices
Few appetizers small bites
Few choices on entrees
Signature Smoke Chop is nice
Filet is ok
Burger is better than your street corner burger stop — my kid said better than Five Guys and 2x the price
The Bacon Biscuit was the best thing here!
Because it’s hip, I’d come back

This is a wonderful restaurant. We dined once for brunch, once for breakfast and once for dinner while visiting LA. The staff was very friendly and knowledgable of the menu. My favorite item was the white cheddar bacon biscuit. We had it at brunch. It was so tasty. We also had a winter squash soup. It was so creamy and delicious. I had a cocktail at brunch, the Amelia (named for Chef’s wife.) It is a vodka based drink with St. Germain and blackberries. Very tasty. My husband had a gin based drink, the Pink Leader. Also very flavorful.

Hit this spot up before the Kings game last night… My friend that i was with had been before… Taquitos were probably the best i have ever had… the Duck Confit was SOOOO amazing, i had never had it before, but it was to die for. Will absolutely go back to this place next time i am in the DTLA area.

Aaron was a great server & offered great advice with food choices. The ambient was pretty amazing as well. We had the following for brunch:
Soft drink $ 5.25
Blue Maxx $ 20.00
Skirt Steak $ 27.00
Experience= priceless

Oddly enough, there were no nearby restaurants opened for breakfast. I’m not referring to Starbucks and the little shops that sell breakfast pastries. I’m referring to the real food, like scrambled eggs, fruit, omelettes, etc.
I either had to order from the hotel room service or eat here. Since room service is overpriced, and the restaurant is in an open area in the lobby, I chose to try this place instead.
You have the option of ordering a la carte from their breakfast menu or choose their breakfast buffet ($ 28). The nerd in me calculated that it would be cheaper to choose the breakfast buffet than order what I would want to order from their menu.
The buffet consisted of
— omelette bar (choose your toppings and the chef will make it for you)
— fruit (raspberries, blackberries, watermelon, strawberries, apples, grapes, oranges, bananas)
— pastries (croissants, danishes, muffins)
— cereal bar
— ham
— bagels
— scrambled eggs
— bacon
— roasted potatoes
— waffles, pancakes (need to order from your waiter since they’re freshly made)
— coffee, tea, juices
— yogurt
I ate here both days when I was in town. The waiter on the first day was very thoughtful and nice. She offered to give me a cup of hot water so I can take my hot tea with me when I leave. The waiter on the second day seemed miserable, but he was still nice — just didn’t seem genuine at times.
Overall, it’s a good place for breakfast. It’s pricey, but all the options around me were as well so might as well spend it by going somewhere with more variety!

Neat little breakfast/​brunch spot located right inside the Ritz/​JW hotel in DTLA. This place has awesome décor and a pretty good but pricey menu. The Benedict is rather solid and their overall setup isn’t too bad. The service is nice and attentive and the people watching is absolutely fantastic. Overall, the filling station wouldn’t exactly be my first choice for dining but if staying at the JW or Ritz, it isn’t a bad option.
Pros–
Location
Menu
Appeal
Décor
People watching
Cons–
Pricey
Average taste
Average service
Sometimes a wait

Went here with some friends before catching a concert at Staples in December. The food is divine! I was early and the first of my friends to arrive and they were friendly and accommodating and still sat me at the table.
We had a great server who suggested some delicious drinks to start with. Unfortunately I can’t remember his name. I highly recommend the grilled lamb meatballs and bacon wrapped dates to start. Because there were a few of us I was able to try a number of things on the menu and they were all delicious. My favorite however was the charred skirt steak which was cooked to perfection thanks to our server’s suggestion.
Definitely a place I’d go back to!

Located in the lobby of the Ritz and JW Marriott and was needing a quick breakfast before the Kings game across the street at Staples Center.
The hostess seated me quickly. I would recommend the buffet but I only had ten minutes before they transitioned to the lunch menu. Damn you Kings Cove for being so accommodating with Stella the night before! :)
Andrew, my server, was great knowing I was in a rush to get a quick meal and letting me know my options. I ordered the Breakfast Burrito — Scrambled eggs, avocado, jack (replaced with cheddar) & chorizo and rojo salsa. It was very tasty and easy to eat. I accompanied it with Cranberry juice and a thick slice of bacon. Man, that was a thick piece of bacon.
I’m not a breakfast eater but this was a good choice. The Unilocal app hooked me up once again.

Just a tad pricey. And I hate it when people say that. But really, you can get a good, reasonably priced breakfast downtown. Just not anywhere within walking distance of the JW on a super hot day (with the exception of the Pantry, but you’ll have to wait in line an hour). It’s just so damn convenient to eat at the hotel. I had the huevos rancheros and it was delicious. I ate every last bite. The bacon cheddar biscuit (free with Unilocal check-​in) is sinfully good. Service is great. Check it out, but don’t be alarmed by the prices.
Cheers!

The following rating is based on their breakfast buffet:
I was expecting more.
This place is inside a very impressive hotel and the morning breakfast buffet just didn’t match that. The best thing I got had to be ordered (waffles).
Selection:
The selection is pretty sad. I expected more. The eggs didn’t have much flavour, the sausage had a strange texture, but everything else tasted ok. The berries and fruit tasted really good so I had more of that.
I recommend ordering something instead of getting it from the buffet if you want it to taste good.
Service:
The service was also just ok. Our waiter was nice, I guess. I don’t know really. At times I got the sense that he didn’t want to serve us. It was weird. We were there for a conference so maybe that’s why we were treated differently. Who knows.
Overall:
I recommend having breakfast somewhere else. There are several other restaurant options around.

ENVIRONMENT
Massive restaurant within be JW Marriot at LA Live. Both indoor and outdoor seating. Very open with Windows and lights. Lots of seating for the waiting area.
The coffee and orange juice is flowing here.
MENU
If you come by 10am, there’s both the breakfast and brunch menu available — Including a buffet for $ 26.
Buffet — lots of options. Eggs, fruits, meats, including; salmon, bacon, sausage, lunch meats and cheese, cereals EVERYTHING! Also, your choice of waffles or pancakes and am omelette bar!
Fitness Breakfast — mixed fruit and a parfait with the best tasting granola ever!

Located in the JW marriot lobby at LA Live, this was a convenient find since there are NO ice cream places anywhere within walking distance of the hotel except Red Mango (which is fro yo not ice cream)
the menu offers 2 ice cream desserts, one with 3 scoops of ice cream OR a cappucino sundae
—3 scoops of ice cream: we ordered 2 scoops of cappucino ice cream and 1 scoop of chocolate but some how our to-​GO container contained the ice cream plus whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and spice cookies? WAY too much whipped cream, i think we would have been fine with just the yummy ice cream
don’t know if they were trying to be nice & make our dessert special or they messed up our order!

We stopped in recently before attending an event at the Grammy Museum. The food here only warrants 3 stars, but our server — Haipha — warrants 10 stars! So, I’m giving them one bonus star in her honor. She was fantastic. Super cheerful and friendly and helpful with the menu and really on top of things even with what appeared to be a slow-​ish kitchen as we got there just as they opened at 5:30.
As for the food. We were super excited to get comp bacon cheddar biscuits for checking in on Unilocal!They were good but not spectacular. Those of you who follow my reviews know the best places in town for biscuits — see MB Post! — and Ford’s is not in the top tier. We then got some bacon-​wrapped dates — another of my favorite items to order. I will say, I thought they were very good.
Then we ordered the peach and burrata salad that the three of us were going to share. Haipha being Haipha showed up with the salad already split into 3 bowls — super helpful! The salad was, sadly, underwhelming at best. Just hard, not quite ripe peaches, some romaine lettuce and a glob of burrata. Nothing spectacular in the dressing. I could definitely do better myself.
Then we split the albondigas. I liked the spice on them. My friend was unimpressed. And I thought they were a tad overprices for four little meatballs.
We also shared the grape and gorgonzola flatbread pizza. I thought the crust was good and the pesto on it had good flavor, but overall it was underwhelming.
Finally, the hand cut pasta, which was very fresh and cooked really well and had some nice veggies tossed in there. But, again, not really up to some of the terrific homemade pastas you can get in LA. Basically, we had a LOVELY experience, thanks to the spacious and peaceful vibe of the place — in the lobby of the JW Marriott — and our excellent server, but the food is definitely not fit for foodies.

Five stars for our amazing server – Haipha. She was quite possibly one of the best servers I’ve ever encountered.
Another five stars for the hand cut squash pasta. We had a vegetarian in the group, and she ordered that, and honestly, I felt a little sorry for her, because the dish sounded boring, but it wound up being the best thing on the table.
As for the rest of the stuff we ordered… it was all kind of meh. When you check in on Unilocal,you get an order of cheddar bacon biscuits with maple butter. Sounded amazeballs, but we didn’t even finish because… I don’t know, they just weren’t that compelling. The butter wasn’t maple-​y enough, and the biscuits weren’t super flavorful. Nothing like the Manhattan Beach Post biscuits, which are kind of the best thing ever.
We got the bacon-​wrapped dates which were fine – pretty standard. 4 in the order. Haipha brought them out as a treat for our table, so we were super grateful.
The peach salad sounded really promising, but turned out to be shockingly bland…
We also order the appetizer lamb albondigas. A little spicier than I expected, and wasn’t super into them. They were in a red sauce and covered with cheese – also unexpected. Maybe I didn’t read the menu carefully enough…
And finally, got the grape and gorgonzola flatbread. It was good, but not great. Maybe too much gorgonzola?
Overall, it’s an attractive space, and we loved the service, but at that price point, and given how few dishes I was excited about, I probably wouldn’t return.

While vacationing in the L A Live entertainment district in downtown Los Angeles, we visited about 7 or 8 restaurants in the vicinity of our hotel. Dining in a restaurant within a hotel (JW Marriott) wasn’t at the top of our list… HOWEVER… Ford’s Filling Station was a wonderful surprise. The food was amazing and the service was exceptional. I loved the divine bacon-​wrapped dates and grape/​gorgonzola flatbread pizza… the unique flavors were absolutely addictive. Our booth was really comfy in a cool & relaxed atmosphere.
We will definitely return when in the area and highly recommend Ford’s.
Interesting & cool note: Just discovered Chef Ben Ford is executive chef and owner of Ford’s Filling Station… he’s also a cookbook author with remarkably inspiring food philosophies.

4.5
Ford’s Filling Station sits right in the center lobby of the JW Marriott and this place packs ‘em in during peak times. Ford’s focuses on upscale American bar food made fresh seasonal ingredients. We couldn’t have asked for better service. We had the pleasure of being served by Haipa. She is such a sweet, genuine and hard-​working lady.
The Bacon-​Wrapped Dates (stuffed with goat cheese and mozzarella) were a perfect marriage of sweet and savory and creamy and crispy. Be sure to check-​in on Unilocal for your free White Cheddar & Bacon Biscuit. How can you go wrong with free savory biscuits with smoky bacon and white cheddar cheese?!
The Roasted Grape & Gorgonzola Flatbread Pizza was one of the best pizzas I’ve had probably all year. The flavors really popI was afraid the gorgonzola might upset the balance but everything perfectly syncs. The grapes are a sweet contrast to the tangy gorgonzola and pistachio pesto lends a bright, earthy fresh flavor.
The Roasted Beet Salad butter lettuce tossed with beets, goat cheese, avocado, pickled onions and candied pecans is a stunning summer salad. The zippy vinegarette ties all the fresh seasonal flavors together. Fantastic salad!
The ginger ale was so refreshing. I think they added something extra to it as it had hints of mint and ginger. Be prepared for soft drink bar pricing as our ginger ale and cokes were $ 5 each. I didn’t dare ask for a refill as I’m sure they were $ 5.
We were both extremely pleased with our dinner at Ford’s Filling Station. Seasonally-​focused fare, tantalizing flavors and warm friendly service make this a must stop.

One of the restaurants located in JW Marriott at LA Live. Came here for breakfast before I headed out for work-​plus I had a $ 50 credit hehe. Breakfast is served here from 630AM-​11AM. They also serve lunch and dinner here too but I haven’t tried that… YET. :) Being inside the JW Marriott, the restaurant is pretty fancy. There’s also a bar you can go to. Lots of tables everywhere and plenty of space and pretty fancy décor.
I ordered the omelette which had mushroom, peppers, spinach, onion, bacon, ham, sausage, cheddar, swiss, and jack. It also came with a side of roasted potatoes and your choice of toast. It is a bit pricey here (this one was $ 18) and the other breakfast choices all ranged around $ 15-​$ 25. I also ordered the orange juice which was DELICIOUS! Like freshly squeezed. The portion is pretty big-​I couldn’t finish all of it.
The service here was spectacular! The hostess was very nice and we were seated right away. Our waitress was so nice and checked on us constantly and refilled our OJ numerous times. She even asked if we would have liked some OJ to go!

Honestly, I felt like this place was just ok.
I checked the menu out online and had my heart set on the beef cheeks with a solid back up of the shrimp and grits and when we arrived at the restaurant the menu was completely different. So just a heads up — they clearly don’t keep it up to date on the website. With that said, the menu is short, sweet and small. They have 3 pages of drinks and liquor to choose from but one page of food items to choose from. Seemed so disproportionate. This is obviously better off as a hotel lobby bar then a real foodie joint.
When you check in you get the option of a free pullmans loaf or white cheddar bacon biscuit — we went with the biscuits. My husband commented that he felt like it was slightly undercooked. I didn’t find it as a bad thing — better than it being dry. I tasted plenty of bacon and got a hint of that maple in their peppered butter but none of the white cheddar. Overall tasty though.
I ordered the burger and it was actually hard/​messy to eat. Some of the onion wasn’t even edible. It tasted like some of that top layer paper piece of onion that should have been peeled back. It was cooked well and juicy but kind of lacked any real flavor. The fries were hot and tasted good — but i mean they are fries.
My husband got the skirt steak and asked for it cooked medium and it came out to him more on the well side. Service was kind of ho hum. Just overall okay. For what your getting its definitely overpriced and not worth the visit. I feel like you can find far better places in DTLA.

Alright. The food was average, nothing to write home about. We went for LA Live’s «Dark Nights». All the restaurants were running $ 5 drink and food specials. Luckily I made us a reservation. When we arrived (via metro train… true urbanite here) the wait was over an hour. We were seated immediately. Side note: I got an email from Opentable saying I missed my reservation so clearly the hostess didn’t properly check us in but it was super busy.
We only ordered from the $ 5 special menu:
Beef taquitos — Eh. Shredded beef in a fried tortilla. Mexican food is clearly not their specialty.
Ceviche — The flavors were nice. I found the fried tortilla they served it on a little on the greasy side.
Deviled eggs — Mine are better. Seriously these were just average deviled eggs.
Burger — They were nice to split if for us and they split the fries too. But like the eggs this was just an average burger.
Mac & queso — Good. Not a lot of cheese or sauce on the pasta. I thought this was going to lead it to be bland but it was not.
Bacon wrapped dates — The best of what we tried. But it’s literally just bacon around a date so I have to imagine I can make this too.
In short, average restaurant. With so many other food options downtown I won’t go out of my way to go here again. 2.5 stars

Beef cheeks, pork chops, shrimp and grits… Ford’s Filling Station is a solid new addition to JW Marriott, LA Live.
I have not yet dined in the restaurant but have had food to go. It was well packed, service courteous, and more importantly the food was yummy. So far we’ve had beef cheeks, pork chops, and shrimp and grits. All solid choices and flavorful. My favorite dish of all was the beef cheeks.
I’d say many of the dinner entrees are stick to your ribs all-​American comfort food. While nothing we’ve had so far can be considered extraordinary, Ford’s Filling Station food is classic and dependable. And I’m happy with that!