The Tar Pit

Really excellent service and food… just heard they are closed now due to lease issues. Sad to see them go.

Staff is awesome. Love the bartender and special cocktails. GM took very good care of us making sure our evening was special. Try the Steak Diane.

Well, I felt compelled today to finally write my review for the Tar Pit. I have lived in Los Angeles for a little over 2 years now and I consider this place my local watering hole. The staff there is truly amazing and in my opinion a great team. I can only imagine what it’s like to find a group of people in the service industry that really work well together! I go where the ambiance is welcoming, where the drinks are spectacular, the food is delicious and where the staff is a delight and Tar Pit hits high on the rating scale on all of these points for me.
The manager is amazing, the bar tenders are amazing, the wait staff is amazing and the chef is amazing!
The food mash up last Wednesday with Chef Mark Peel and Chef Roy Choi was honestly, the MOST «fun» food experience I have ever had.
This last weekend went out in a ball of flame!
Thank you Tar Pit for all the good memories…

I went to The Tar Pit for restaurant week. To sum up, I’d have to say this experience was «aite». Nothing amazing, but not terrible either.
The inside of the restaurant is gorgeous. The dim lighting, 20s décor and overall ambiance is breathtaking. The wait staff is friendly but kind of difficult to get a hold of~ and the food is Okay, but not spectacular.
Food:
Tar Pit Fries – good, like normal fries
Charred Octopus – soft, easy to eat, and came with DELICIOUS grits
Short Rib Mignon –Tender and like normal (again, nothing spectacular)
Opakapaka –Well Cooked, not much flavor, Crab Ravioli was a bit salty.
Bananas Foster – my FAV part of the night
Brandy Chocolate Cake – nothing unusual, just your typical dessert
Apple Tart Tatin –Chedder Ice cream was WEIRD… but the Tart was ok.
My friends and I all ordered Beer. I also ordered 1 cocktail with bourbon (forgot the name) and it was interesting.
I don’t think I’ll be going back, but I did enjoy my time there. This is a gorgeous, romantic date place~ but isn’t a venue I’d recommend to foodies out there.

Sleek and elegant.
Who knew this beautiful place existed?
Hubby & I were on a neighborhood Happy Hour crawl and decided to make a stop here. We walked in and were immediately impressed!
We sat at the bar and Shawn was our server/​bartender. He really knows his alcohol and made my husband an amazing gin martini which he really enjoyed. I stuck with wine of course!
Happy hour food seemed more upscale compared to other places.
Beet Salad — was amazing! Big chunks of beet were topped with arugula and crushed pistachios. Best part was the slice of brie drenched in some sort of fruit compote.
Mac And Cheese — Also very good! It comes in it’s own miniature skillet and it was covered in cheese that was nice and toasty. We gobbled it up.
Fish N Chips — Fries were good but the fish was a little too fishy for me.
Veggie platter — Now this was a winner. Half a roasted squash, asparagus, and zucchini. The squash practically melted in my bite and the asparagus were perfectly roasted. Delicious!
The best part of all this were the prices. I think all the dishes above were between $ 5 to $ 6.
HH is Sun-​Thursday from 6 – 7:30. Check it out if you’re in the area!

I came here on a beautiful fall evening for a first date. I love the feeling of nothing but potential as I walk up to the attractive guy waiting for me outside. Everything faded when we walked in and were met with an extremely strong pungent smell. I could best describe it as a faded stink bomb. Since it was a first date I didn’t want to say anything. Is that him that stinks? No, it must be the restaurant.
Our waiter was very attentive and helpful on ordering the drinks and food. Really, I have to eat while smelling this? I am not sure what a tar pit smells like but there was a point where I was positive they had the smell of natural hot springs coming through the vents — is this suppose to be atmosphere? After about 15 or 20 minutes I stopped noticing the smell. Thank goodness. The drinks were tasty, not the greatest thing I have ever had, but darn good.
When I was in the restroom washing my hands I started talking to a waitress. I asked her if she noticed a smell and she said she did. I guess something was wrong with the pipes and The Tar Pit has been super stinky lately. They were trying to get them fixed. While she was super nice about it, I don’t understand how they can function with that smell. If it hadn’t been a first date, I would have never stayed.
I might try the place again if the smell is gone.

If I were the ghost of a dead Hollywood starlet from the 1940’s, I’d TOTALLY haunt this place! It’s very elegant with its sleek Art deco design and Old Hollywood feel. Even the menu has a few throwbacks like Steak Diane and fried oysters. They do dinner, cocktails and late night bites.
We had a few beers and munched on:
Fries– lemon salt, aioli ($ 6) good, nothing special
Pickled Deviled Eggs w/​bacon, chicory ($ 6) bad decision. Pass.
Mac & Cheese– gruyère, cheddar, mozz, bread crumbs ($ 14) TINY! Dry! Bleh!
Duck Confit sliders– orange, duck skin cracklings ($ 15) good flavor, but dry
Pork & Garlic Sausage Flatbread– Salami, Feta, mozzarella, provolone, red onion, pepperoncini ($ 15) basically a pizza. SO BOMB! Everything about it was perfect, from the dough to ingredients.
Some prices *seem* reasonable, but once you see the baby portions they give you, it turns out it’s actually kinda steep and overall, the food was disappointing. Service suffered, as our server was in the weeds big time, and had way more tables than he should have. Thankfully the front of the house manager (?) stepped in.
Good for a drink ( Unilocal has a check-​in special!) and snack on a flatbread but that’s about it. And you don’t have to be dolled up here to experience that Old Hollywood glamour.

WOW!

Damn. A little disappointed. Was here last night with a couple of friends. Went for happy hour. Drinks and appetizers for the three of us and dessert was nearly $ 200! We stayed past happy hour so all of it wasn’t priced out at that but still, not worth it.
I also have a couple of complaints from this visit. Duck sliders: the bread was WAY soggy. Please drain before you make them. Fries: Were WAY too salty. Wine glasses: for reds, they give a VERY small glass. I don’t have a big nose and I can’t even comfortably drink from the glass. My friend (see photo) is a man and has a bigger nose.
The wine glasses were made for ant eaters. Tarpit, I will be back because I like this place overall, but PLEASE invest in some proper wine glasses for your reds. Also check out what Cabrea serves as their happy hour wine. Theirs is $ 5, yours is $ 8 and theirs is about 5 times better quality.

Strong cocktails.
Interesting gin based drinks.
Good food. I liked the Steak Diane best.
The servers were hard to get a hold of though…
We were looking forward to the duck sliders, but when they came, they were missing an ingredient. The crispy parts? I’m not sure. Never had it before. We asked the waiter why they were missing and apparently their vendor wasn’t in business that day (it was a holiday weekend)
The manager comped us a drink, but we wished they’d told us about the missing ingredients when we’d ordered instead of serving us the sliders maybe hoping we wouldn’t notice.

As a thank you for dog sitting, my good friend and his girlfriend took my wife and I out for dinner to this swank, trendy spot.
And they spoiled us. Appetizers, entrees and dessert. It was truly one of the more decadent meals I’ve had — my wife and I, dealing with a tight budget, rarely get to go out to meals like this. It was quite a treat.
For appetizers we had their famous french fries and garlic aioli. Delicious. Crisp and salty with a hint of lemon. Very tasty. The brussel sprouts with bacon were awesome. And the steamed mussels with tomato, garlic and italian sausage were good too.
For drinks, I enjoyed a couple of Old Fashioneds. They were good. Nothing great. But good.
For dinner I got the Steak Diane with more of those delicious fries. My buddy got it with mashed potatoes. We both loved it. Keep in mind that Steak Diane is made with skirt steak, so although it was cooked and seasoned perfectly, the meat is a little tougher than a traditional filet or steak. Still, very tasty.
For dessert we split three. The cookies and ice cream, figs and ice cream and the bananas foster. Bananas foster stole the show. That toasted marshmallow? Delicious.
A few service issues, but we were at times confusing when we ordered more drinks or more drinks. My wife got a cocktail she didn’t want (a second of the first one she ordered). And my buddy was served a Scotch that wasn’t a Scotch he had ordered. And then the bartender and waiter had a hard time determining if they had any Macallan. They said they did, but they didn’t. And he had to settle for Crown on the rocks. If the dive bar in Culver City has Macallan 18, you’d think the Tar Pit would have a Macallan 12.
Regardless… the meal was delicious and although the service had a few moments of confusion, my wife and I both had a great time, happy to have been given such a wonderful «thank you» for dog sitting.

The décor is beautiful, plenty of cozy areas to sit — comfy chairs with little tables, kind of like you are in someone’s living room. The bar is inviting with warm colors and super comfy bar stools. The bartender that we had was very knowledgable about the drinks and was able to match your personality to a drink. She did an excellent job picking out my husband’s drink. I ordered the Hitachino Japanese Beer b/​c I love that beer and I don’t do hard liquor anymore. The drink menu sounded very interesting though. My friend ordered a drink with jalapeño flavored tequila but at first sip you could see in his expression that it was not what he had hoped for. He said it was way too overpowering. The bartender could tell he didn’t like it and offered to make him something else at no additional charge. I have to say she was very accommodating.
The woman sitting next to us, possibly the manager recommended some cherry drink made with vodka. He ordered that next. It was a lovely looking drink but tasted like Robutussin. I took a sip and couldn’t even swallow it. It was horrible. Again, the bartender offered to make him something else. He felt bad b/​c 2 drinks were already wasted but she said she would rather him walk away happy with a good drink than tasting something he didn’t like. So he ordered a simple grapefruit and vodka drink. That was good for him.
Then it got weird b/​c he offered some feedback and they didn’t seem to appreciate that, AT ALL! I understand he is no «mixologist» but he drinks cocktails and knows what tastes good. They explained that they designed their drink menu to reflect the 20’s décor and ambiance. So they make «classic» drinks. And that is a nice concept but you can update a classic by replacing syrupy grenadine with pomegranate juice and sugar and by using fresh squeezed juices. And maybe this place does that, but that drink didn’t taste that way.
Its a shame this place has a wonderful bar and great ambiance but can’t update the classic drinks to reflect a more natural take on what was a classic.

I absolutely love the tar pit! I must say I agree with 80% of the food and drink suggestions on Unilocal.Some dishes have mixed reviews but I was pretty happy that I did my research before I went to the Tar Pit. We ordered:
Duck Sliders: Absolutely amazing!
Mac and Cheese: Not one of the best I’ve eaten but it was really good :)
Escargot nocci: Pretty good~ very interesting. Never had anything like it.
Fries: OMG didn’t expect them to be so good! The garlic aioli sauce was awesome too!
Deviled eggs: I TOLD THEM NOT TO GET IT because of the bad reviews on them. As described. The eggs were super rubbery…
I can’t remember what drinks I ordered since I ordered quite a few. But there was one with ginger in it and it was really good :)
Not so busy on a Tuesday night. Will definitely come back here for happy hour (after 9pm to closing) I heard they have some good deals!

Can I rate a restaurant on their mixed drinks? I don’t know but, I’m going to anyways. :P
I had my first Aviation ever. It is so good, considered a gin sour, a pre-​prohibtion drink. Slightly blue in color to resemble the sky back when Amelia Earhart was alive. Made with gin, lemon juice, maraschino, crème de violette. Floral but not sweet.
This is my new favorite drink, now I just have to find a bar in OC that will make it. :P

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that the reason the ratings for The Tar Pit aren’t as high as you would expect for a Mark Peel place is maybe because people didn’t know what to expect.
After watching an episode of Top Chef Just Desserts that was filmed at The Tar Pit, I knew it was more a bar-​type lounge-​y restaurant with smaller dishes and an «intimate» environment. Although there were a lot of people in the lounge area just chilling on drinks, Jessica Y. and I were quickly seated at a table on a Wednesday night and although the service was a little slow, our server was soooo sweet and so excited about the food that she really made our experience positive!
The drinks were a little expensive but very intriguing — definitely the work of a mixologist and worth a try. We ordered:
–Goat cheese: delish!
–Escargot gnocchi: SO GOOD! The escargot flavor was very interesting and the chewiness of the escargot contrasted really well with the softness of the gnocchi
–Pork Terrine: only thing I thought that was meh
–Lamb Sliders: as bomb as everyone says they are! A must order!!!
–Bananas Foster: we got one free since it was my friend’s birthday! Personally I’m not a fan of sweets and I hate bananas so I’m just going to go ahead and abstain on reviewing this one… I will say that Jessica Y. loved it though!
At the end of the meal, the bill was about $ 75 but thanks to a 30% coupon from BlackboardEats the total ended up to be ~$ 50! For full price I’m not sure that it’s completely worth it, but with the discount it turned out to be a very affordable and satisfying meal =)
All in all, keep in mind that it’s not necessarily a 5-​star RESTAURANT restaurant but definitely an awesome LOUNGE restaurant!

AGAIN a place I was REALLY looking forward to trying… and then I tried it and went… «Meh.»
I should’ve taken the giant ‘B’ SIGN on the wall as a sign LOL. We came here for drinks one night (after seeing an improv show at the Groundings theater a few blocks down on Melrose) hoping to sit at the bar, but the bar was PACKED @ 11:30 on a thursday night «/​
So we were seated at the ‘lounge area’ i guess, oversized plush chairs (which happened to look really stained and had crumbs from previous customer eek!) and tiny tables in comparison to the seats… odd.
AAnyway, our server was really helpful with recommending drinks that we normally wouldn’t have ordered but ended up LOVING (somthin with gin, cucummber and mint! mmm). She was super attentive and kept coming back every 10 mins asking us if we wanted another drink, to the point we felt like we had to or else she wouldn’t leave us alone loll… not knowing they were like 14 bux a pop!
3 drinks, 1 appetizer & 1 dessert later… our $ 70 bill arrived. no joke.
So, I mean, all & all the quality of the food/​drinks were good, service was alright, place is kinda gimmicky and not very clean (HAS a ‘B’), I definitely wouldn’t be causally stopping by again anytime soon «/​

I’m sort of surprised of the 3-​star average, because I really liked this place. Great food, great ambiance and great service. A little too loud to be called «intimate» but definitely works as a date place. Works for either dinner or for after-​dinner drinks. Ok, any more and they’ll have to start paying me for advertising. Suffice to say, I liked it.
For food, the gnocchi and escargot was amazing. Perhaps some of the best I’ve ever tasted. As a main course… I think I got the steak, but for some reason I’m blanking (and their website doesn’t seem to have the main menu). I remember liking it though.
In terms of drinks I tried the «In the Pines» and the «Copper Penny.» Both are scotch based, so know what you’re getting into before you order. However, both were unique and very good.
The only negative is its a bit too loud for have a decent conversation without getting way too close (or maybe that’s a positive) and the price is higher than I’d prefer to pay (especially for drinks).
Make sure to get reservations.

Wow. Crazy. I walked in expecting everyone else to be dressed as I was – a summery skirt I bought in Thailand last summer and a t-​shirt and flip flops. NOT the case. Don’t let the name fool you. The crowd here may be fancier than at Peel’s Campanile, and older than the hipsters who usually inhabit the area. Maybe a more Hancock Park-​y crowd. No problem, though, I can deal with that. The décor is richly done. Real flowers, thick napkins in the bathroom. Chairs have leather, everything’s dimly lit. The staff is extremely attentive, but not snobby. Much like the Varnish, this bar prides itself on old-​timey drinks, made right. The ice is perfectly cubed, each two inch square as glassy as the next. Even the food is old timey, with Steak Diane, chicken, a la king…
For appetizers we had the duck sliders and the deviled eggs. Both were fanTAStic, but the duck sliders won. The buns were brioche-​y and buttered, the duck was braised (I think), and there was a little crispy piece of fried, crispy duck skin on top, which was a GORGEOUS chicharron-​like thing, and an adorable, nouveau playful mix of the huge slider craze and the gorgeous Peking tradition. The eggs were lovely as well, and lightly pickled.
We couldn’t for the life of us figure out why dinner prices (ie. the dishes that weren’t on the bar menu) were so inexpensive. Then we ordered the Chicken A La King (this was the original reason we came, because I suggested a few places, and my friend saw this on the menu and it reminded him of the dish his father loved) and the Steak Diane. Both were modernized, delicious versions, but neither big, nor with sides. Hence the lowish prices. Ah, well.
The bill was about $ 100 before tax/​tip for 4 cocktails, 2 appetizers, two «mains». The friend who took me thought it was cheap. It’s not. But there you go. Last note is that the cartoons on the menu are adorable.

I’m reviewing late night evening time only, since that’s when I was there tonight. A large group of us were going for a friend’s birthday. The four of us arrived, with no idea ho many more to expect; and since it was a bit more classy than expected, we were unsure what to do. We sat down at a small table with four large chairs and hesitated on what to do next. Someone from the group finagled for a larger table near the side, which allowed us 10+ people in the end as we squeezed in.
The host of the bar/​restaurant was helpful in assisting with drink picks. I ended up with a Brown Derby, which I liked; others didn’t fare as well as I did, not liking what they had received — but I’d put it more on their description and unwillingness to be specific enough to describe what they really wanted. By the end of the night, I ended up tasting a variety of drinks across the table: a roadie (?) — non alcoholic sweet drink with ginger, Bees Knees — gin, honey, and lemon, an alcoholic drink with lemon, a crushed cherry gin and tonic… and I couldn’t really specify or distinguish the rest.
The atmosphere is great. I’d chalk this place up for more of a date night, swanky after work drinks /​small plates, drinks with intimate friends type of place. Regardless, it worked out well; and as I read on Unilocal,the Happy Hour sounds superb. I’d be willing to give it another go and try some of the food next time.
Oh, and a few problems with the bill, but the waitress helped us resolve them. Slightly accommodating.

By the diligent (aka borderline stalking) efforts of a friend, we were able to check out opening night of The Tar Pit. The anticipated date was 12÷18÷09 and our party of four arrived promptly at 8pm. Despite not having made any reservations, we found it surprisingly easy to be seated in one of their cozy booths. The space is on the smaller side, but the seating is designed in a way to maximize accommodations yet still offer plenty of personal space in both the dining and lounge areas. Since it is a more intimate setting (booths and small tables seat four), comfortably seating a party of more than 6 might be a challenge. The place is dimly lit and the interior is furnished in a 1940’s art deco design. As for background music, they played a variety of genres, not limited to the era, which I appreciated so the vintage atmosphere did not feel overwhelming.
Food:
White Bean & Pecorino Salad — Black Pepper, Parsley, Black Cabbage
Oysters on the Half Shell w/​Fino Sherry Mignonette (Hama Hama)
Artichokes Trastevere — Cynar Aioli, Deep-​Fried Lemon
Steak & Kidney Pie — Stewed with Irish Whiskey & served with Yorkshire Pudding
Coq au Vin Blanc — Pearl Onions, Wild Mushrooms
Profiteroles — Espresso Ice Cream, Nocino Chocolate Sauce
For the quality and price, the portions of each dish were perfect. We shared six items including one dessert and were pleasantly full. There is a note in the bar menu which states the dishes have been «designed with cocktail pairings in mind.» I am not sure how applicable it is because I felt some of the dishes were underwhelming anyway. They sound great on paper; unfortunately I just couldn’t help but possess the feeling that «there’s something missing.»
For example, I was looking forward to trying the «cynar aioli, deep fried lemon» (cynar — an artichoke based bitter, which is known to have a bitter and strong taste) but was dismayed to find it so mild. Though they frequently used bits of bacon in the meat dishes, I found the coq au vin and steak & kidney pie slightly underseasoned for my taste. Also, the profiteroles were unexpectedly chewy and dry. We were told they had ran out of the shaved octopus salad, lobster & scallop newberg, and duck sliders that evening. I don’t know how you can run out of items that quickly, but hopefully they will be available on the next visit.
Cocktails:
Juniperitivo
Palm Frond
Lemon Thyme Daiquiri
Jamaican Firefly
Aperol Sunset
Trident
The expertise of the bartenders/​mixologists are proven in their cocktails. Gin, tequila, and rum appear to be the spirits of choice in this establishment. The drinks are not very strong, nevertheless they are still very well-​balanced and smooth. It is apparent that a lot of thought was placed into the cocktail menu, as you can taste each ingredient, starting from the first sip through to the finish.
My favorite was the Trident. It tasted similar to a Manhattan, due to the bitters, but was more mellow with the absence of whiskey. I found the cocktail well constructed and quite enjoyable. Although a bit girly, the Aperol Sunset was an interesting surprise. Blending the sweet, sour, and bitter aspects of the ingredients it was a respectable and complex drink as well. The Tar Pit has clearly affirmed the art of cocktail making as a craft that cannot be done by just anyone.

In regards to the service, I was impressed by the professionalism and lack of pretense. The host and staff were welcoming and cordial throughout the evening. It was obvious that they worked hard to ensure their first, real evening operated smoothly with a minimal amount of kinks. The chef also made his rounds through the dining area asking if everything was fine. Hopefully the level of service experienced was not merely because it was opening night and continues to be this consistent.
Breakdown:
Food — 3.5 stars
Cocktails — 4.5 stars
Service — 4.5 stars
Location/​Ambiance — 4.5 stars