Son of a Gun

Definitely a great dining experience. Great service and excellent food. We ordered the Fried Chicken Sandwich, bowl for fries and a bowl of shrimp. I wish I could have eaten more, there were plenty of things on the menu that I wanted to try. I will definitely be going back.

Good food and great environment. A but on the pricey side but well worth it ! Recommend the fried chicken sandwich with the house beer u can thank me later lol

Chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo’s seafood based follow up to Animal really shines.
Unless you have been living under a rock somewhere in LA/​OC you have at least heard of Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo’s first Los Angeles restaurant; Animal, which focuses on the nose to tail cooking of land roaming mammals. Son of Gun is similar is style, execution and concept but with a seafaring twist. The service is warm and friendly, the environs are dressed down yet perfectly inviting and it feels like the perfect place to enjoy a great craft brew and artistic seafood in Mid City.
Start with their Lobster Roll (yes, they are $ 10.00 each). Stretching a mere three inches long, the Brioche bread holds beautiful chunks of lemon aioli-​dressed Maine Lobster. Finely chopped chives and potato chips provided the finishing touches in a delicate meets bold mash-​up for the ages. Yes, they are expensive but it is worth it.
The Lobster Roll is a great start and the Lemonfish Poke picks up perfectly where the Roll left off. You need to dive in shortly after the roll and you will curiously still be in the mood for chips and seafood. The Lemonfish Poke brings the ruckus. Sunchokes are crisped and placed on top of the citrus-​laden Poke, served with delicious Black Radish Escabeche. Again the play on soft/​sweet/​delicate versus bold/​strachy/​crunchy is self evident.
All of this is a warm up for the main attraction and it turns out the featured dish at Son of a Gun isn’t seafood at all. It’s the Fried Chicken Sandwich. The Chicken was impressively moist with a well-​seasoned coating, while the Bread and Butter Pickle Slaw was awesomely spicy thanks to sliced Jalapeño and a Sriracha Aioli. This number is a messy one, but everything from the complex flavor profile to the perfected mouthfeel thanks to the bun/​meat ratio completely lived up to expectation. This may be the best Chicken Sandwich I have ever had.
Just be sure to have your lunch orders in by 3pm sharp — the kitchen closes at 3:00, no exceptions.
I am a huge fan of Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo’s style of cuisine and Son of a Gun did not disappoint this Unilocaler in any way.

Went here on a Friday night with a reservation and arrived exactly on time. Had to wait 20 minutes before we actually got seated which was a little annoying. The bar area was tiny and I felt like I was blocking the way of everyone from waiters to people just going to the bathroom. I have to give it to the bar maiden because she definitely was a peach and mixed the cocktails amazingly. The service from the waiter and busboys were amazing and definitely added to the experience.
On to the food:
They only had one option for oysters which was sad.
The lobster roll was AMAZING. The buttery brioche just melted with every bite and the lobster mixture was flavorful. The one drawback was that it is the same size as a closed fist. Two bites and you look back at your had looking for more. Don’t even think about sharing this one.
We had a hamachi of some sort that was snowballed with crispy chips. Didn’t really taste much flavor with it. The Uni linguini with clams was a great choice and tasted well balanced.
We also got Brussels sprouts which smelled divine from my perch at the bar. When i actually tasted it I was pretty disappointed because it was DRENCHED in this salty sauce which made it kind of unappetizing. It left a bad aftertaste.
I was super excited about the collar because that is one of my favorite things to have other than branzino. I was soooo wrong. When I was ordering, I had skimmed the words chipotle Bbq for that item and thought maybe it was a glaze/​reduction that would bring out a sweetness in the fish. What came out was literally a collar with sub par chipotle barbecue sauce slathered on top. It looked so unappetizing when I first laid eyes on it. I gave it a shot though. The fish was really well cooked once you scraped off the bbq sauce.
Definitely would come back for the lobster roll and drinks.

The yellowfin tuna, leche de tigre, avocado, tortilla dish is excellent and highly recommended. I also really enjoyed the Fried chicken sandwich with spicy B&B pickle slaw and rooster aioli.
Both were excellent, although it is pricey it’s worth the price. I recently had the fried chicken at Plan Check which I like a lot and have often but this fried chicken burger was delicious and better. The pickles and sauce are perfect for this burger.
The yellow fin tuna was sashimi quality and the accompanying sauce is excellent. Light and fresh tasting.
Our waiter was friendly and attentive with good knowledge of the menu.
I’m definitely coming back. It’s hard to find good seafood spots in LA even if it is a unconventional seafood spot.

Located on Third street, just two blocks away from the Beverly Center, Son of a Gun truly is an amazing little eatery that pays homage to creative culinary concoctions and fresh seafood.
After weeks of fine dining during the December holidays, I decided to end our winter break on a casual dining note. Knowing my husband had such a good time the last time we went to «animal», so this time around we jumped ship and we landed on the tuna boat, «Son of a Gun.»
Just as I alluded, unlike «animal,”“Son of a Gun“focuses more on the seafood spectrum. And though my old ball and chain isn’t too crazy about seafood, I thought we can still play it safe by ordering shellfish, and boy, was I right. Here’s what we opted for:
— Lobster Roll: Yes, all the reviews on Unilocal are true. The lobster roll is that good, and also that tiny (for one person only). We had to order two of these babies for two grown men. I highly recommend squeezing the slice of lemon that comes with it, as to give it bit more of that kick of ascorbic acid.
— Shrimp Toast: Just like the lobster roll, the shrimp toast is another must try here at «Son of a Gun.» And thanks to the incorporation of hoisin and sriracha mayo, the shrimp in the center was sweet and sandwiched by the crunchy and buttery toasted breads, amazing!!!

— 1LB Steamed Clams: The clams were fresh and delicious, but the true star of this dish is the white creamy sauce. It was so orgasmic that my husband and I not only requested for more ciabatta, I really wanted to ask our waiter to just pack the sauce so I could bring it home and enjoy it with another meal!
— Fried Chicken Sandwich: According to my KFC-​loving husband (I know…,) this is the best fried chicken sandwich he’s ever eaten. What I really loved about this plate was the non-​salty pickle, and coleslaw was a delicate balance that really enhanced the fried chicken.
— Smoked Baby Back Ribs: I’m no fan of BBQ, but this dish takes the cake. The meat was so tender and juicy, it fell off the bone effortlessly when eaten by a fork, no mess was made at the table.
— Foie Gras: Ok, I can’t lie, though everyone’s raving about lobster roll and shrimp toast, foie gras was another reason why I wanted to visit «Son of a Gun.» The foie gras was seared to just the right point of buttery softness, set atop an apple tartine, chervil, and served with cider caramel sauce. It truly was sheer heaven.
— Banana Bread: The banana bread was soft, moist and not overly sweet, much like everything else on the menu, the portion remained «tapas style.»
Needless to say, my husband and I had a great time at «Son of a Gun,» our server Francis though courteous and kind, I suppose he was overworked on this particular sat night, we barely got to see him after the order was taken. Albeit I highly recommend this great eatery, I wouldn’t bother to come without a reservation. Seriously, they’re that good!

Son of a Gun is a cute, small restaurant that is a lovely setting for a date. It’s quiet enough where you’ll be able to hear the fascinating tales escaping your handsome date’s mouth, that’s for sure. But where do I even begin with the food and service here…
I’ll start with the food. This is what we ordered:
+ SHRIMP TOAST SAMMICH. This was my favorite thing that we ate. Mind you, it’s a tiny square of a sandwich, so don’t think this will be a good enough entrée. Everything was well melted and blended together, and it was like a dreamy grilled cheese sandwich of the sea.
+ CARAMELIZED ONION DIP. The potato chips are huge. And crispy. And good. But the dip was… and please don’t crucify me for saying this… but it tasted VERY similar to something I would buy at the supermarket in the chips section. Also, side gripe. The waitress asked us if we wanted more chips, and typically you would think she was doing you a solid by making sure none of the dip went to waste, but nope, she charged us an extra dollar for that later on. Wow.
+ BROADBENT’S HAM & HUSHPUPPIES. Really good ham. Can’t go wrong with this. And the hushpuppies were soft and that butter was so sweet and yummy. I liked this dish a lot.
+ LINGUINE & CLAMS. Holy shit, this dish was so acidic and salty. I felt like my tongue was bathing in ocean water that was boiling in more salt on top of lemon and — I can’t even explain. People were raving about this dish so I was excited to try it, but it was horrible. Maybe I went on an off-​day but wow, it ain’t a good sign if I’m wincing in pain after every bite.
Now on to the rest of the experience:
+ DRINKS. Waitress forgot my Gold Rush, and it ended up being mediocre. The bar at the back of the restaurant is really small and adorable, but I just wish the drink was better. And speaking of. WATER IS NOT FREE. I’m not going to cry over the water that cost about fifty cents, but it still made me sad that even still water is a bit of a luxury now.
+ SERVICE. They kept bringing the wrong dishes to our table. Our waitress was sweet though.
So! All in all, an OK experience.

After trying Petit Trois I had to come to Son of a Gun and I’m really glad I did. Atmosphere was nice and casual and we were able to get a reservation right away. Anyway here’s what we had:
–Yellowfin tuna appetizer: amazing. So so good. The Leche de tigre juice was on point. Definitely recommend it!
–fried Chicken sandwich: holy crap. Unexpectedly good. A must try!
–octopus salad: it was just ok. I love octopus and wanted to love this but I just didn’t. It just lacked flavor in general.
–French fries: tasty and they come with this malt vinegar aioli sauce that’s oh so good!
–mezcal cocktail: not on the menu (at the time anyway) but the server suggested it after I told her what I liked to drink and it was delicious. It had rose water or something and it was really refreshing and delicious.
–tepache drink: amazing & delicious! I’m craving it just thinking about it. Definitely recommend it!
Overall I really liked most of what I ate and the service was nice and attentive so I’ll definitely be back for more!

Love the food here, but it’s a bit dark/​crowded/​loud/​expensive. The food is good enough that it’s definitely still worth coming here (if you are a fan of seafood, as I am). They do some really inventive things with the seafood that really bring out the natural flavor of the seafood. Son of a Gun is to seafood what Animal is to meat.
Oysters — very fresh, a great way to start the meal if you are a fan of oysters (we paired it with a glass of sparkling wine).
Lobster Roll — super small so you won’t want (or be able) to share it, so get one for each person that wants one (should be everyone at your table). It’s up there with the best that I’ve had, so I definitely recommend it. The bread is just buttery enough and the lobster to bread ratio is just right and it’s just great. The presentation is also very nice.
Linguini and Clams — a bit rich but I was totally into it. You’ll either love it or hate it, and I loved it.
Hamachi Collar — really inventive, with great flavor and I loved the crispy skin. It’s served whole, and there’s a fair amount of meat on the bone.
I do recommend reservations, although we were lucky enough to show up on a Friday night without reservations and get a table right away.

Kennebec French Fries, Malt Vinegar Aioli
Todays Oysters (kushi)
Broadbent’s Country Ham honey butter, hush puppy
Braised Octopus Salad mirepoix, chili
All tis made for a great lunch, and the service and hostess where great.

Ok. Now I get all the hype. When I initially looked at the menu, I didn’t find anything that was very appealing. In addition, given that this is a small plates restaurant, meaning that each person needs to order at least two to three items, I thought that it was WAY overpriced. All of that is before I actually ate the food.
After having eaten the food, I I was very surprised to report that this place has hands down the best fried chicken sandwich I have ever had in Los Angeles. The fried chicken sandwich out of this world. It is slightly sweet and spicy, a perfect combination that works so well with fried chicken. Besides the fried chicken, everything else we tried on the menu was outstanding. The grilled octopus was great, the chilled shrimp was amazing, even though I’m not a huge fan of chilled shrimp to begin with. The shrimp toast was absolutely to die for. Very small portion. But again melt in your mouth delicious. The blackened cod Mexican flair item was also very good. Probably not my favorite given that everything else was just so amazing. And finally, we absolutely loved the Italian hamburger dessert. It was decadent yet refreshing.
So to summarize it all, while this place is pricey, and the portion sizes are very small, the food is absolutely insane. Everything on the menu is also very creative, the combinations the sauces and the selection is quite different than a lot of things that you find another similarly situated restaurants. As such, I really think that you should give this place a try if you’re looking for delicious, decadent and creative out-​of-​the-​box cuisine.
The ambiance was okay, slightly too crowded for my liking and dark. I would also mention that the wine menu is very limited and finally as for parking valet is your best bet unless you’re lucky enough to find street parking.

Double date dinner with friends and we had a great time! Everything was soo good!
Food– HAMACHI with Galbi vinaigrette: light and tasty. Heirloom tomatoes salad: juicy and light. LOBSTER ROLLS (look how tiny+cute): was really really good! Broadbent’s COUNTRY HAM & HUSH PUPPIES with honey butter: hush puppies were crispy and corney! SHRIMP TOAST SANDWICH: amazzzing! I was so impressed, the texture of the bread omg! Definitely a must-​try! Grilled OCTOPUS salad: tasty, but probably my least favorite item. FRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH: sooo good! It was chicken breast and light, didn’t feel like it was too rich at all. LINGUINE & CLAMS: very oceany and a bit salty but tasted wonderful. Italian hamburger: amazing dessert! The bread is a bit salty and the filling was not that sweet at all. Yummmy!
Ambiance/​Décor– very cute and decorated with ocean/​nautical type décor. The interior is not what you expect from looking from the outside. Lighting started to dim after our meal started and it got very dimly lit, hence the photos I took didn’t come out that well. But the ambiance was still nice and relaxing.
Staff/​Service: incredible staff that are friendly and awesome. Out waiter took our large order accurately without having to write anything down! That’s pro! He came by to check on us a few times throughout our meal to make sure we have everything we need and if the food tasted well. The food came out quickly, much quicker than I expected so out whole meal ended in less than two hours even though we took our time to take photos of food, cut food into sharing portions, eat, and chat after dinner while slowly enjoying out desserts. Other waitstaff also pointed me to the restroom when they saw me probably with a clueless look on my face looking for he restroom. I hate searching for the restroom in restaurants! Restaurants with now restroom signs are pet peeves of mine unless there is staff available to point me to it!
Overall, I was super impressed by everything about this restaurant! All of us had a great time and we’re talking about the food afterwards. There is also valet parking available. Restaurant usually won’t seat people until the entire party has arrived, but they seated the ¾ of us since our reservation was quite early.

I thought this place was just okay and kind of overpriced. I came here last weekend with some friends and don’t even really remember what I ate. I do remember I got the fried chicken sandwich and thought it was overrated. The sauce was tasty but the chicken wasn’t even hot. It was way too expensive for what we got. The lobster roll was really good, but tiny! The shrimp toast was unique, flavorful and fun to try, but so so small. we also got the fries, which we shared. They were good and came with a sauce that tasted like fancy ranch. The portions were decent but they should be for the price we paid.
Anyways, I’d definitely rate this place higher if they gave bigger portions or lowered their prices. But considering there are better options in the area for less, I would give this place 3 stars and probably would not come back.

Sometimes you have to base the review of a place based on one item only, and that can be good or bad for the restaurant/​bakery/​establishment. In the case of Son of a Gun, I came for the fried chicken sandwich, which I am a sucker for. I’ve been woefully underwhelmed before, but was amazed by this one. Sure, they don’t let you modify anything on the menu, so I couldn’t have some of the slaw on the side. But it fell off the sandwich when I tried to bite into it anyway, so it was a win.
Basically, it’s an amazing sandwich. The fried chicken by itself is great, the brioche bun is buttered and toasty, and the spicy pickle slaw is quite amazing. I left a very happy camper.

My gosh!!! Seafood tapas heaven!!! I am such a fan of this place now and I can’t wait to go back and try some other plates. So hubby came here for dinner on Sunday at 6pm right when it opens. Make reservations because it gets packed real quick. We heard of this place from when we went to Animal and they told us we would love this place, so we finally came.
For drinks, w we started off with our amaaaazing drinks that I just wanted to keep on drinking. We ordered the 5 alive and the coco collins… omgggg!!! drink heaven!
For their food options they do change their menu daily except their popular items. We ordered the following:
–The lemonfish poke-​Super delicious and fresh, honestly was just perfect.
–The Lobster roll — super small but full of flavor that makes every bite dreamy! I’ve had a couple of lobster rolls but omg this one was just my favorite!
–The linguine & clams — just perfect in flavor. The right amount of garlic.
–Soft shell crab — it had cauliflower in it, just different combinations but it all went well together.
–Grilled octopus salad– also very fresh and it had a nice little kick to it.
For dessert we ordered the banana bread with coffee ice cream. Simply delicious!
I can’t wait to come back, got great service, food and drinks. Just loved the experience!

FINALLY!
I am beginning with, FINALLY, because I had been saying (my wife and I) that we were going to visit this place and we kept putting it off. What a mistake on our part. Finally came here yesterday and this place was as good and maybe a tad bit better than one of the sister restaurants, ANIMAL, that we have also visited.
Food– Ok, everything here was amazing, tasty, well cooked, made to order and like heaven. We tried the lobster roll, linguini with clams, octopus salad, soft shell crab, and for desert the banana bread with coffee ice cream and caramelized nuts. Everything was just so good, all tapas style but portions were good.
Location– Very cool «Sea» décor and plenty of seats. Yes you have to make reservations if you wish to eat here, but its worth the wait. If you walk in, it may be a while to get seated. More of a «hip» location with music and lighting not as dim and attire isn’t as dressy as ANIMAL.
Staff– Let me say, we got amazing service, the waiter gave us great tips and suggestion as to what to get and we were happy with everything. Came around when we needed him and didn’t feel like he came too often to where I couldn’t even eat my meal (at times waitresses or waiters come too often at some places).
Bottom line, if you have not come here before, you should. I will be back asap! I enjoyed every minute!

Delicious! I had a great brunch here, and we ordered pretty much everything on the menu.
We were planning to go to Jon & Vinny’s, but after hearing about their fire, we ended up here instead. Definitely no regrets!
Some stand out items:
— Shrimp toast: DELICIOUS but super tiny :(
— Fried chicken sandwich: Wow. A must try!
— Lobster BLT: Yum.
— Uni pasta: Creamy and so flavorful. A little small but worth trying.
— French fries: Aioli dipping sauce was amazing.
Not so great:
— Seasonal salad was not bad, but it was nothing special.
— Another seasonal item that had corn, miso and tomatoes… so unmemorable that I can’t even recall what was in the dish.
Service was great, location was convenient, parking sucked :(That’s to be expected though in this part of town. Mainly meters, easy street parking Mon-​Fri 8 – 6 PM but coming on a weekend threw me in for a loop.
The food took me by surprise as I liked almost everything I tried, and I’m not a huge seafood person. Definitely would recommend Son of a Gun as a great brunch /​dinner option!

Cocktails, seafood and good ambiance. Yep. I dig. And I dig it hard!
I tried almost the whole menu and everything was great. Small, but great. It is not cheap by any means but it’s worth it (much more than animal IMHO)
Must order:
The linguini is just amazing. Perfect texture and very saucy. Not too fishy not too strong. 10 points.
The leche de Tigre: even though this it NOT remotely the same as the Peruvian way it is totally worth it. Lots of fish, flavor and sauces. Oh man it was soooo good.
The lobster rolls were good but tiny. At 9 dollars I expected them to be a little bigger.
The cocktails were great! Cool names and great flavor. Very refreshing.
The banana bread was too strong. My party liked it but I think it was too much coffee on it.
I def recommend you to stop by. Oh and remember it’s on 3^rd which means you better über, valet or walk.

One of my lawyers favorite spots. We stopped in for a bite after an annoying meeting with opposing counsel. We sat at a table by the window which was very nice.
I had a lovely little salad and split fries with Brent. He had a couple of other things that looked good. Everything was delicious, the service was great and we had a fine lunch.
DOS 0211 2015

I am obsessed with everything about this place. The food is unmatched, especially due to the creativity of the dishes. The ambience was well thought out as it felt like I was in a traditional east-​coast seafood restaurant, and the service was wonderful, too!
I was able to get a Saturday night reservation and came here with a few friends. We knew going in to the dinner that our goal was to try as many dishes as possible since the plates are pretty small. Thinking back on this, I am so happy we approached Son of a Gun this way because it made the meal all the more incredible, so I would definitely suggest coming with at least 3 or 4 people and ordering a variety of items!
So, now for the dinner…
We started off with a few cocktails. They were quite petite, but they definitely all packed a punch! I would recommend the Sexy Beast and HJ Lemonade. For starters, we got the Hamachi and Yellowfin Tuna, which were both incredible. The pieces of hamachi melt in your mouth! The preparation of the yellowfin was also very unique, as the tuna was stretched over a lump of fresh avocado and crispy tortilla pieces. I loved the tuna, and thought it had excellent flavor.
We then tried the Lobster Roll and Shrimp Toast Sandwich. Trust me when I say you are seriously doing something wrong here if you do not order the shrimp toast sandwich! It was perfectly crunchy and warm. The lobster roll was also great, although it was very small and I wish there had been more lobster meat.
For our main course, we all split the Linguine & Clams, Crispy Brussels Sprouts, and Kennebec French Fries. My foodie friend Jeff raved about the linguine & clams, and he was right… this dish really was cooked to perfection. The sauce was amazingly creamy with just the right amount of spice. The brussels sprouts were excellent, and the balsamic flavor wasn’t too overpowering which I find to be a problem at most restaurants. I was surprised with how generous the serving of brussels sprouts and fries were considering the small portions of everything else, but this definitely made us happy we hadn’t ordered any more as we were all incredibly full after trying these last few menu items!
Overall, I loved this restaurant so much because every dish we tried was unique, and the ingredients just tasted so fresh. Our server was ready and willing to recommend cocktails and dishes from all sections of the menu so that made the experience even better! It was also nice that the restaurant was pretty small, but it did not feel cramped even though there wasn’t an empty seat in the whole place. I cannot wait to come back here in the future, as it was certainly hard to choose among all of the menu items since so many other dishes sounded wonderful, too.