Leona

Salt Water Trout is the new Salmon (:! Leona is a good job on this fish and I would definitely get it again. I also shared a veggie plate is was good. The price for the fish was fair at $ 23 but the salad — Veggie plate was a bit pricey. We also had the candy bar dessert which was very tasty. Definitely on the loud side. Next time I will try and get a seat on the patio as it may be a bit quieter.

Awesome spot for brunch and/​or lunch. This place is located just outside of the heart of Venice with close proximity to the beach and a nice ambiance. The menu here is very eclectic but really intriguing. The food is delicious and the service is pretty solid. I will tell you that on the weekends, the wait is extremely long as this place is a tad bit on the small side. Long wait aside, the meal itself will make you leave full and with a smile.
Pros–
Great menu
Nice portions
Seasoned well
Ambiance
Friendly service
Location
Pet friendly patio
Cons–
LONG waits
Parking is TERRIBLE

Pretty space, well seasoned food & great service.
My Friend & I Had dinner here last week.
I had been wanting to try this Chefs food. Heard good things as well.
We started with Bacon & Eggs which is this Fried Potato Nest, Poached Egg, Bacon Broth, Lardons. It’s Heaven! Order this. Crispy, Crunchy Fried Potato, Creamy Poached Egg, Salty Bacon Broth & Crispy Salty Bacon Pieces. This dish made a Vegan want a taste. He loved it! Yaaassss!
Short Rib w/​Bone Marrow which was well seasoned, but chewy. It needed another hour or two. The bone marrow was perfect. Delicious fatty beef flavor!
My Vegan friend ordered the Curry Lentils & Broccolini. He enjoyed it.
We both had a glass of Rose, his bubbly.
Our waitress a friendly blonde was great with giving details regarding the menu.
I’ll be back for the House Made Cheese, Ceviche, Duck Confit & Frosted Flakes Dessert.

Leona had been on my list to check out for a little while. I’d heard it was especially good for brunch so when a friend suggested brunch for today, I thought «let’s try it!» Well, it was underwhelming. Let’s put it this way, the descriptions of the food on the menu sounded better than the food actually tasted.
But let me back up for a second and give props for the women working the hostess stand, as they were terrific. Very nice and very accommodating — we had a small dog with us (we’d called ahead to make sure they’d let him hang out with us in the patio seating). So, things were off to a good start after interacting with them. Then they went downhill. Our server was, let’s just say a little quirky. But not terrible.
Then the food — the pancakes sounded like they’d be terrific — they were not. The maui waui pizza with chorizo and eggs sounded so good — it was eh. And it had avocado chunks on it (not listed on the menu description) and those who read any of my reviews know — do not serve me avocado, especially without telling me! Anyway, it had plenty of chorizo and pineapple salsa on there but nowhere near enough scrambled eggs or cheese. The crust was pretty good.
I tried my friend’s Korean latke’s and they were mushy and eh. And word on the kitchen burrito was — eh.
And while not terribly expensive, definitely not inexpensive. Basically, it was good. Didn’t live up to expectations. Wouldn’t plan to go back. BUT, the atmosphere right near Venice beach is VERY NICE so if you are aiming for nice atmosphere, accommodating service, and a place near the beach where you can make a brunch reservation, it’s a good spot for that.

Leona is the new «hip» restaurant in the area. But we’re locals so we show up in our bike gears and lock our bikes up right in front of the restaurant! No matter what, they still treat you as if you’re on a dinner date. The service here is awesome. Lots of attention given. They space out your meals so can enjoy it. Our favorite of course is the trout! We ordered it twice! Our other favorite is the ceviche! I love that every dish has a freshness to it, either adds a salad or lettuce. It’s so californian but still fancy. I really like it here. I would definitely bike here again.

Such a lovely experience for a special celebration.
Ambiance:
*Bahama leaf themed on the patio + some inside
*Very knowledgeable and attentive service, although he did recommend the most expensive menu items ;-)
*Great play list /​music
Food:
*Meatballs: AMAZING! 2 came in the order, flavorful and delicious. I believe there is beef heart mixed into them.
*Cauliflower + mozzarella came as a side and looked like whipped mashed potatoes. So savory and yummy.
*Split Pea Risotto was a delight. Lovely texture and burratta.
*Cucumber ice cream: refreshing after a hearty meal.

While I’m giving the restaurant 3 stars, I would call out that our server was 4 – 5 stars. She was so pleasant and knowledgable about the menu.
We thought the food was good. But no super unique standouts. We had the quinoa salad, Latkes and Benedict. Good healthy salad with the quinoa. The latkes had good flavor, but missing the crispness you get when cooked at home. Benedict again good, but served on a more of a roll vs. an English muffin or super delicious bread.
Also it’s a nicer restaurant on Washington where there is zero parking. The restaurant should offer valet or at least validate parking for the public lot down the street.
Came here a second time, this time for dinner. The best thing we are was the appetizer ceviche. This actually did have great flavor. The other teams were okay. We had the bacon and egg appetizer. Broth was bland. Should also be served with bread. For dinner the short rib, which was fair.

Lunch on a weekday after a beautiful beach walk. I have heard good things about Leona’s, especially the brunch so I am excited to see what the fuss is all about …
Okay. I get it. The food we had was AMAZING.
Smoked salmon pizza. The menu descriptions do not do it justice. And I appreciate that — I prefer to be surprised by the food, not disappointed because the menu adjectives oversell it. And surprised I was. The crust was prepared like an «everything bagel.» WHAT? Why didn’t I think of that? And it was HUGE. More than enough for 2 people, which helps justify the prices. And did I mention how BEAUTIFUL it was? And ultimately, TASTY — with a good balance of silky smoked salmon, chopped eggs, watercress, a potpourri of herbs and crème fraîche. I didn’t think you could make this dish original after all of these years, but Nyesha does it. BRAVO.
We also had the principal — which was a fresh, grilled fish sandwich. The bread is chewy and the doughy center is smartly pulled out and the grilled fish (sea bass, I believe?) is nestled inside. Arugula adds freshness and the pesto spread is made primarily from broccolini. Interesting, right? Homemade chips and pickles accompany.
Everything related to the food is well-​thought out and it shows. The only room for improvement that I noticed on my visit was the hostess service was a tad surly … never a good thing. And sitting on the patio, though nice — there was a slant to the patio floor so everything seemed to lean a little downhill, including us and our food. A detail but a little distracting. Otherwise — a great experience that I would definitely try again.

I opted to go to Leona for a casual Tuesday evening dinner, not realizing that the entrees are priced between $ 25 & $ 30 per plate. I would have waited for a Friday night date or even waited for a birthday, to splurge on dinner here had I known the cost beforehand. I want to get the cost out of the way because the food itself is distinctive.
The server did a good job of providing context for the menu by staying upfront that the menu draws from all of Chef Nyesha Arrington’s culinary traditions. For example there is the renowned Bulgolgi Braised short-​rib linked to her experiences cooking with her Korean grandmother. The menu is focused on farm fresh vegetables that are local and seasonal.
We opted to try the pea «risotto» which was made with burrata, quinoa, and topped with tender pea shoots. We also ordered the crispy duck confit served with a vegetable focused kumquat and cherry tomato chutney. The chutney really shone when contrasted with the rich duck.
The atmosphere is cheery and casual… one reason I was surprised at the cost of each plate. It was fairly busy for a Tuesday night down on Washington Blvd. Glad I checked it out.
Jonathan Gold and his staff have some articles you can review before going

3.5 stars might be more accurate. I’ve had brunch here twice, and while no experience has been bad, I haven’t been that impressed.
The service is always wonderful, I will give them that.
Items I’ve tried:
Brown Butter Pancake– loved, but I love pancakes. Really enjoyed this one.
Eggs Benedict– A safe choice, which tasted fine, but like your usual Eggs Benedict. I would order it again if I was craving it, but wouldn’t be my go-​to here.
Korean Latka– I really enjoyed this, I wish they were a little spicier, but overall enjoyed the flavor. I had this as my main meal during one visit when I wasn’t particularly hungry, so the portion size was fine, but it’s definitely more of a side item.
Fries– Delicious. We dumped out the bottom of the can and couldn’t stop eating the salty kale bits. Yum.
I do wish they offered a few more protein rich side items to mix and match for a meal vs being stuck with one entrée. Most of the side items are pretty carby (which makes them delicious, but I don’t enjoy leaving brunch feeling heavy and weighed down).
I’ve also had the sparkling rose, which was pretty tasty and rounded out the meals nicely.
Again, the place is good, but no mind blowing entrees. It has a nice atmosphere and I’ll go back if other people want to go, but it probably wouldn’t be my first pickl

I came here for lunch with a friend and was really unimpressed. The food was mediocre. I got the Asian chicken salad which was like any other Asian chicken salad. Not what I expected. My friend got a fish entrée and didn’t even finish her dish because of how bland it was.

I’m obsessed with brunch and Leona made me very happy. My main purpose of coming in was so I can get my hands on the California Benedict as the orange hollandaise sauce looked amazing! Sadly, it’s currently not on the menu and I had to «settle» for the yummy dishes below.
Coctel Mixto with local seafood, radish, cilantro and crispy rice paper. Very light and refreshing. It was nice having it cut through some of the heavier items.
Brown Butter Pancakes with whipped coconut and sea salt-​vanilla butter — awesome pancakes, especially if you like coconut. I almost always choose savory over sweet when I brunch but I would not complain if this was put down in front of me.
Grilled Farmhouse Bacon — well, it’s bacon. But it’s delicious bacon!
Smoked Salmon Flatbread with sauce gribiche, watercress, lemon zest and «everything crust» — I was loving the «everything crust» as it had a great chewy consistency and I felt like I was eating an everything bagel!
Service rocked and this place is super cute too. I loved sitting outside as it has a great vibe. Put good food in front of me on a nice patio and I am a happy gal.

Honestly, I’m a bit conflicted about Leona. I want it to succeed as I live right around the corner… but no matter what meal I come here for, there is inevitably something that lets both the restaurant and me down.
Dinner — I honestly can say the trout I had here was one of the most delicious plates I have had recently at any restaurant. That being said, the side dishes were polarizing, over spiced IMO with Korean and Japanese flavors. Having had them before we told them to go easy on the spice and the side veggies ended up being dry and even more uninspired. Wife’s short rib — which she has had twice — was one time over salty and once a bit too dry. Love that they serve the marrow though on the side.
Brunch — LOVE the coconut pancake. Writing about it makes me salivate. Rest of the brunch menu a bit ho-​hum. Not many veggie options and the salad cheese on uninspired basic salad look like it came from Kraft and a bit tasteless. Love the fries… but the burger was a bit of a cheesy mess.
Lunch — this is the second day of lunch service. Felt the turkey sandwich was a bit dry. It was not explained well on the menu at all and no mention of cheese. For $ 16 you get some over spiced potato chips? gjelina makes a great turkey sandwich for $ 13 — try that and this one and let me know which you prefer. Pastrami wrap was ok. Similar veggie options available from brunch. Was hoping for additional veggie options.
So summing up we want to love this place and want it to succeed but it needs to take the temperature of what’s happening around — i.e. The turkey sandwich — to get a feel of where they should be or what their competitors are doing.
Not too kid friendly or suitable for large groups. Waitstaff is friendly.
Three and a half stars at this moment in all honesty. Probably some growing pains but every time we go there are improvements.

This is the best brunch I’ve had in a while! Recently remodeled, the restaurant itself is very modern and classy, with a pretty front patio that offers ample sunlight.
Dish after dish wowed me! The brown butter pancakes — if you love coconut like me, this is the dish for you. The pancakes are topped with whipped Coconut and sea salt-​Vanilla Butter. Absolutely delicious even though I prefer savory over sweet when it comes to breakfast and brunch.
The coctel mixto was excellent, with fresh seafood such as shrimp and scallops, in a tomato watermelon sauce and topped with seasoned crispy rice paper… yum.
THE KOREAN LATKA — definite crowd pleaser and one of my favorites on the menu. Uniquely flavored with a delicious Crème Fraiche.
The market omelette was made with local burratta cheese that was melt-​in-​your-​mouth amazing.
The sunflower seed toast was served warm with a delicious uniquely flavored butter, which I believe was squash butter.
Finally, the BACON!!! Oh my god, I would not consider myself an avid bacon lover, but this bacon was insane. So thickly cut and grilled to absolute perfection.
We tried all of the mimosas — prickly pear, peach, and passion fruit. Each was light and refreshing.
I’ve heard that their dinner menu is even better than their brunch, which doesn’t seem possible, but I’ll definitely be back to try it!

This is your new go-​to trendy-​delicious brunch place that everyone, even your parents, will love. Brunch with my mother on Saturday was a resounding success thanks to the wonderful attentive service of Eva and the absolutely fabulous food.
1.) Mimosa — orange juice. Mom surprised me by ordering this walk on the wild side. She let me have a sip (as she has since I was about six, which should explain a lot) and it was tart and orangey and strong.
2.) Coffee — perfect. And free refills provided right on time.
3.) Sunflower seed toast with house-​made cultured butter: thick slabs of dense bread accompanied by a large ball of delicious butter
4.) Coctel mixto: absolutely fresh local seafood, perfectly seasoned, and fantastic.
5.) Dutch style fries: topped with kale and amazingly good.
6.) Hamburger: my mother’s discerning palate was impressed with the flavor and gigantic portion size.
Prices are reasonable given the quality and portion sizes. There are a few Leona-​designated parking spots in the back of the building, free street parking if you’re lucky and metered parking on Washington. Reservations encouraged.

Came out here for brunch on a Saturday afternoon with the ladies…
This is solely for me… I think gals loved the food… I wasn’t a fan. BUT completely willing to try it out again… I think?
We got seated at the very entrance of the place… that was odd for me since I don’t really like sitting by the entrance in general… what can I do – we’re a big group.
Service was phenomenal! Really friendly… on top of our server who was a guy (forgot his name) but he managed to satisfy 9 women so… props!
Food… I forgot what the ladies had… but I had the yogurt… fancy toast… bacon (really huge piece that I think one of bestfriends up in SF would completely love when or if she visits)… I just wanted some simple brunch menu stuff… so that’s why it’s 3 stars… simplicity goes a long way, especially in brunch food.
Alcohol wise… the girls ordered a couple bottles of champagne… I opted not to drink since it was going to be a long day for yours truly… light weight!
Overall… everything was good… just my food … not a fan. Until the next time?

I came here for dinner last night with my family and we all enjoyed our meal. I called ahead of time for a reservation at 7:15 for a party of 3 and the host told me they were «fully booked until 8:30». It was a cold night, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to try so I came in anyways. Luckily, we were able to take a seat at the bar which was nice and had good lighting.
FOOD:
We ordered the hamachi to share for the table. Three thin pieces of fish was presented beautifully with pomegranates and a light dressing. The fish was extremely fresh and not overly fish. I liked the dressing which added sweetness to the appetizer. It was delicious but so tiny.
For my main entrée, I got the beautiful short rib with bone marrow. OMFG so good. The short rib was so tender and literally broke up apart with the touch of my fork. And it was accompanied with some potatoes which were still soft and went wonderfully with the sauce from the short ribs. The bone marrow though made the difference of the dish. I literally scraped every bit out and it had a light sprinkling of salt which gave it that additional saltiness to the fatty goodness. I tried to eat each bite of the short rib with the marrow which was so freaking DELICIOUS! Super flavorful, not too fatty, and rich. This was the table favorite! ⁵⁄₅ You have to try this when you go here.
My parents got the duck and cod. Both were good dishes and had excellent presentation but it just couldn’t compare to the short rib.
For dessert, we got their lavender chocolate bar — delicious. A small chocolate bar with sea salt on top. Sweet and savory flavors are always a plus for me. But what really surprised me was how much lavender flavor was in the dish but it was just the right amount!
What I really enjoyed about the menu was the fact that it was simple. It changes often due, so it makes it even more enticing to come back and see what else they have to offer. Their brunch pictures look great too.
DRINKS:
Strictly beer and wine. I was hoping for a cocktail but they don’t offer them here :(We did however get a delicious bottle of french wine for a reasonable price.
PARKING:
They have valet for $ 9.
SERVICE:
Everyone was super nice and friendly!

Last night was my second visit to Leona and given the hype the reservations were easy to make each time.
The space is very pretty and I like the two bar options they offer. While they are both still in the dining room, I enjoyed being able to wait for my friend there. One seems to be a serving area/​communal situation and the second is an actual bar to grab your beer or wine. I was expecting to enjoy a cocktail, but none are on the menu.
On my first visit, I enjoyed the seasonal pizza with summer squash which was so good! As a side we devoured the dutch fries with kale. Strange combo, but oh so good.
Last night we had the short rib with bone marrow. This dish is an absolute must and the portion was more than enough for two. I even had leftovers to take home.
We had the wedge salad and fries again and I would highly recommend both.
Street parking is available and free at some meters after 6pm if you snag the right spot.
I’m excited to try out their brunch.
Enjoy!

After reading so many negative reviews, I nearly pulled the plug and changed restaurants for our date night. Wow – I’m glad I didn’t.
Our waiter was friendly, attentive and prompt with our dishes. We sat outside on the patio and I must say, their chairs are super comfy. They have these plush pillows as back rests which is a nice departure from the typical restaurant set-​up.
Onto the food… everything we ordered was amazing. My only minor complaint is for the broccolini – it had a heavy dose of seasoning which stood out. Still edible and cooked perfectly, but pretty strong flavor nonetheless. Paired with our two mains, it was over powering.
We started with the «bacon & eggs» as it sounded like a really unique dish. Definitely not something I would ever attempt at home. It’s big enough to share and came beautifully presented. For sure order this dish – it leaves you wanting more.
Next up we had the cod (phenomenal) and the short ribs (slightly stringy – we’ve had short ribs before that just melted in your mouth. Not sure if it was the cut of meat we had but if you’re a picky foodie, perhaps you can only give this dish an 8 out of 10 stars. It was still a phenomenal dish – great flavor – make no mistakes, we loved it and ate every last bite).
Last, we splurged and got the beloved chocolate lavender bar that everyone recommends. So glad we did! It’s worth all the accolades and more.

Saturday brunch was pretty packed at Leona.
Unfortunately I didn’t love my experience here like I was expecting.
We sat at the bar and watched them prepare the food. The downside was that there were several flys flying around the kitchen.
They don’t serve regular lattes or coffee here only cold brew shot or coffee drink with coconut milk which wasn’t what I was looking for.
We didn’t order too much just the granola and yogurt, brown butter pancakes and seeded bread.
The food was average-​pancakes were a little burnt on the brown side and soggy snd the seeded bread wasn’t that appetizing.
The plating on most other dishes were pretty but the taste didn’t live up to it.
Maybe it’s a better place for dinner?