The Lab Gastropub

My girlfriend and I came here after going to see ET-​39 parked at the California Science Center (we’re both huge space /​astronautics buffs), and were looking for a place to eat. She found «The Lab» on Google, and I remembered driving past that a few times. Since we’re huge science buffs, the name totally sold us on it.
The Lab is very heavily chemistry-​inspired — even the logo included a background of hexagons, which looked like a bunch of cyclic molecules, aromatic rings, or a bee hive. The hexagon motif carries into the inside as well. There was a variety of labware on display. There were chalkboards on the wall with chemicals (one was an ethanol molecule (lol, hey, it IS a bar, right?), and there was also what appeared to be the alchemical symbol for Sulfur. Nice. The communal tables had a very «lab table» feel to them. Lots of metal. I hear some drinks are served in beakers too, for a full science experience.
We ordered a few flights of beer each, and got to try out a few beers, including some that were specially brewed for USC (according to the beer list). They were all good. I ordered the Poutine, she ordered the pork belly bao buns. Now I’ve only had poutine once before, from Smoke’s Poutinerie in Hollywood, and this was pretty darn good. She’d never had it before, and quite enjoyed it. I will say that I was not impressed at all with the bao buns. The pork had a good flavor, but was a little too crispy on the outside. The buns themselves seemed dry. They were still delicious, though I probably wouldn’t order them again. I kept eyeballing someone’s burger from across the table. It really did look good. It was not HUGE, but it looked quality, and very well made.
Since this place is literally right across from USC, you’ll see a lot of students. Being a former
’SC student myself, I was amused, as food aside, it almost looked like people at the communal tables were in lab, studying.
Make sure you at least go pee while you are here — the bathrooms are interesting. The stalls almost look like you’re going into a teacher’s office for office hours or tutoring. The sink area was also neat — anyone that manages to functionally use chemistry ring stands as a functional bathroom decorations (soap and towel holder) gets props for creativity in my book.
Overall, I’m definitely gonna come back, when I’m in the area.

I had a great time having drinks and having lunch. The food was great but the drinks were even better! I would definitely recommend this place to anyone.

I don’t know if the waitress was being trained but it took her forever to come over to our table to bring my mother and I, menus. We were already very famished upon arrival. Wanted something to tie me down until I reached home but to split it with my mom as well.
After taking our order and explaining the fish and chips has one large piece of fish, she didn’t check back with me during the meal to see how I was doing. In fact, I had to ask for my own silverware to begin eating.
RIDICULOUS PORTION SIZES HERE! I got fish and chipS… I get one piece of fish, ONE! She said it’s large, it was not. Super greasy… my mom and I were supposed to split the dish (AT A WHOPPING $ 15! For just one piece of fish and a handful of fries) but when my Mom saw the size of the dish, which gets placed on an abnormally large ovular plate, she just told me, «I’m not hungry. Really… u go ahead…» As selfless mothers typically say towards their own children. I was appalled I paid nearly $ 20 for a single dish that had one piece of fried fish. Absolutely atrocious… USC, YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT, and SO CAN YOU LAB GASTROPUB! For all the ppl who frequent here and don’t return, or for those that shell out so much just to have drinks with a group of friends, you guys are literally offending our customers with the portion sizes… this isn’t Beverley Hills…
#ridiculous #wontrecommend #goelsewhere #highwayrobbery #poorservice

Brought my Dad to the USC vs Utah game last year for his birthday so we came here for a quick bite and a couple drinks before the game started. Granted, this was last season so this review is very late, and consequently will be short because I can’t recall too many details.
What I do recall, is that we were seated fairly quickly, the server was great, they had a good selection of beers and we both enjoyed our food. It was a great place to come before the game. They obviously have lots of TVS with all the games on, and people are enthusiastic about their teams, especially the Trojans (Fight On!). It’s a cool gastropub with a local college feel. I would definitely be open to making this a regular visit when I come for the games.

Our server kept blowing us off and we had to ask other people repeatedly to find our server as they couldn’t help us :/​. Not cool, and it took forever to get drinks.

I enjoyed what they were doing with their concept — felt a lot like a Yard House to me! I got a very delicious hefe and the crispy skin salmon salad which was good but overpriced for what it was, especially considering it was doused in dressing and stale tortilla strips. My friend got the nachos which were OK but I don’t know what kind of cheese was on them. looked and melted in your mouth like ballpark nacho cheese. And the French dip sandwich didn’t come with cheese?! Our waitress was very nice — until my friend explained her food allergy and she got a little grumpy — but it took way too long to get our food and there was no one even in the restaurant at 3PM on a Saturday! Conveniently located near campus and a good spot for drinks and apps pre– post– or mid-​event

Um why haven’t I been here more often?! I stopped by with friends during Springfest for a quick snack and tried a couple of things — the dish that rocked my world was the spinach artichoke dip. JUST GET IT. It comes with this crispy, fried flatbread that is out of this world. The Galbi short ribs were really fatty and the fries w cotija and guac were ok so just stick with the artichoke dip. BOMBBB

Terrible food. Beer selection that is laughable for a «gastropub». Terrible service. I travel to LA on occasion for work and often stay at the hotel nearby. There are not a lot of options walking distance, so I have had the misfortune of having an awful experience followed up by an awful experience. I won’t be back. Worth the price to take a cab elsewhere.

The beau and I were looking for a spot called Cogi but we gave up and stumbled, hungrily into The Lab. Later, I was told it was a food truck. Sooo… Anywho.
The environment was top notch. There was a very cool outdoor area and a splendid indoor area. The place was packed with college kids and family members (some sort of campus celebration must have been afoot).
Our wait was about ten minutes.
This place gets 5 stars because my salmon salad was the best thing that I’ve had in a very loooooong time. Seriously. The salmon was the most perfectly cooked and seasoned salmon that I have ever had in life. Period. Amen. It was amazing!!!

I came here twice the other day. The first time I set foot here, my crew and I got some beers. The bartender was pretty cool, he was quick to serve us, and I tipped him well for it. We sipped on our beers, took in the environment (which was pretty crowded), and left. The one downside to this was the lack of seating for those hopping in here for only drinks. But not a big deal.
After my crew and I went across the street for Springfest, we came back here for food. Being the picky eater that I am, I ordered a chicken sandwich with sweet potato fries. The fries were awesome, the sandwich was not. They totally skimped out on the chicken portions. In fact, it was about ¹⁄₃ of the amount of chicken that Carl’s Jr puts in their chicken sandwiches. I brought this up with the manager, and gave her an FYI. After arguing with her a bit, she decided to discount my bill by half. I actually wanted more chicken for my sandwich, and was willing to pay more. But this is a close second.
The manager and the waitress had pretty bad attitudes.
Two stars, because the bartender was awesome. Three off because of everything else.

Got on the list for a party of 8 waited for over an hour and half when we were told 25 minutes. The hostess was choosing who she sat. We asked to be seated at some empty tables and said the waitress couldn’t handle 8 people but sat a party of 6 there. Makes no sense. Then seated a six people at a table that sat nine.
The host was rude to my friends and to other guest…
The host was rude to my company

This is a great hang out spot if you’re near usc. The food is pretty good & they have a decent selection of drinks.

Disclaimer: If you are a USC student or visiting the USC campus, this is an awesome place to go to. If you are not located close to the lab and would need to drive to get 10+ minutes to get there, I would not recommend it to you.
I’m a USC student, so for me the lab is conveniently located just across campus whenever I want a snack or want to work on a project with class mates over beers. Additionally, one of the main USC parking lots is directly in front of the lab which makes it easier to get home after a long day of class and a visit to the lab.
The food at the lab is ok. The beer selection is decent. Again, nothing amazing about this place other than it’s convenient location.
As a USC student you can always find other class mates and familiar faces at the lab. Additionally, they have an outside patio area that patrons can also enjoy.

This place made me like USC all that much more. The staff were so incredibly friendly. Like seriously, it felt like the type of place where, if I lived nearby, I’d want to become a regular and get to know the bartenders. The food was good, really nice variety of stuff on tap.
Only downside, I don’t eat meat and there were very few options for me to eat.

I ate at The Lab Gastropub in Los Angeles, CA on 12/​13/​2015. I’ve been there several times before. This time I got the Pub Salad $ 10.00 plus $ 4.00 added chicken and a bowl of red chile soup $ 7.00. Trevian, my server, did a fine job as well. Plus, I took photos.

Came in for dinner one day with my friends and I think I’ve experienced better quality food near-​by in downtown LA.
Food: I’ve been here two times. First time I got the burger and the second time I got Kalbi Short Ribs. The burger was decent but a bit overpriced meanwhile the short ribs tasted like burnt/​charred slabs of meat. Not good. Go to Koreatown instead if you want short ribs. ¹⁄₅
Ambiance: The ambiance does not radiate the quality of food. The ambiance is very comfortable but trendy at the same time. It is a nice establishment for USC students to dwell upon after a long day of studying/​work. ³⁄₅
Service: Nothing special about the service. The server was very kind, made sure there was water filled. ³⁄₅

OMG the students these days have NO idea how lucky they are to have a place like this right across from campus! Had this been here, instead of the Sizzler, then I may have tried harder to get a fake ID when I was younger!
I came here the other day before a big game to tailgate with some friends in town that I hadn’t seen for a few years. It essentially cost me $ 33 dollars to have a beer. Game day parking cost me $ 25. Then the beer cost me $ 7 and change (with tip). They did have a lot of drink selections and the food sounded (and looked) amazing, but I didn’t eat any this time. I hope to return sometime when it’s not game day.
There needs to be a better system in place for the parking though so if I just come to «tailgate» without staying all day for the game, my parking should be less.

Smart to open one of these places right across from USC … too bad I didn’t think about it 10 yrs ago.
It’s a pretty simple gastropub, I would recommend the Nachos!

Came here for cocktails before a concert at the Shrine. It was easy to walk to after I’d parked. It was a Tuesday night and the Lab was abuzz but there was plenty of seating on the patio. We had to order food and drink at the bar and food was delivered to your table. Drink options were all pretty standard stuff, but the names had been changed to USC themed names. Cute, I guess. I tried 3 cocktails and they were all VERY Sweet. Even when we asked for no simple syrup they were still really sweet… I guess this is what college girls like to drink?
Bartenders were nice and servers were attentive. The food was good for bar food. I especially enjoyed the hummus and deep fried pita bread (YUM) and the chipotle nachos.
If you’re in the area and need a place to chill or meet up, this is a decent option. Not anything I’d go out of my way for though.

Solid place. Seems like a lot of people give it 4 stars since it’s in close proximity to USC. They have a good selection of beer, the food is good, and I do like the setup. It’s a good place if you’re in the area and want some bar food and beer, but it’s not anything different than say, YardHouse
+ HORCHATA ICE CREAM SANDWICH: Definitely the most visually appealing and tasty thing we ordered. I think it tasted even better because it was such a hot day. The portion is huge and the cookie is very delicious. The ice cream itself isn’t overpoweringly sweet and the horchata taste really comes through.
+ ONION RINGS: Had a good crisp, came out a bit greasier than I usually like, but you can’t go wrong with onion rings and a cold beer
+ NACHOS: The portions for this dish are HUGE! They pack their nachos with corn, guacamole, and cheese. I wish the cheese had a bit more flavor, overall the dish was a bit bland taste-​wise. Otherwise, it’s a very visually appealing dish that’s great to share.
+ GUAC FRIES: Another dish that’s great to share. It is exactly what it says it is… fries topped with guacamole.