Phlight

Eh. I’ve had better of each item we tried, we tried 6 tapas plates. The problem was more with the service, can around at first then disappeared. Didn’t ask if we wanted more wine and just brought the check without asking if we wanted to order dessert or anything else. Odd considering it was a Monday and mostly empty. Paella was a 5 out of 10 on flavor. Spiced nuts were good, fried potatoes weren’t crispy or anything other than breakfast potatoes. Would only go back out of convenience as a good meeting spot but other than that, no.

We ended up here fortunately because Crepes and Grapes was closed on a Sunday afternoon. We didn’t have reservations so we sat at the bar it was 4 of us but it was ok we all sat next to each other. We Order different things from the menu and everything was so tasty. The mac and cheese is excellent best i have tried in a long time. The steak with chimichurri was juicy and cooked to perfection. We had the pitcher of Sangria, if you like to sangria this one is good and you get a lot of it in the pitcher. My cousin had the fried chicken with kale and it was good, the best part of the chicken is the gravy it comes with. I would say definitely make a reservation. Cant wait for a second visit.

Kind of pricey imo… And have a B food rating… food however was really good. Was disappointed w/​fish tacos which people told me were really good. Until they have an A I will not give business. I would give a 4 star review if they had an A rating.
My favorite things i tried on the menu were.
1. Albondigas (amazing)
2. Endrijoldas (very good)
3.empinadas (very good)
4. Brusle sprouts (good)
5. Fish taco disappointed

We recently come out to downtown Whittier once in a while cause we go to a nail salon nearby, It’s great that there are many nice restaurants and bars around.
A tapas and wine bar style restaurant. Very cozy and relaxing place, décor is cute and inviting. Menu is fairly big for tapas, but most items are meat and poultry. Started off with a small bottle of San Pellegrino, glass of red Sangria and glass of Chardonnay, they were refreshing and tasty.
Tapas we sampled:
Sauteed kale: kale was soft and easy to chew on, the melted cheese was a bit too overwhelming.
Crab cakes with shredded cabbage and capers: flavorful crab cakes with generous amount of crab meat in there, very delicious.
Spicy potatoes with dipping sauce: very spicy with rich flavors, didn’t like the creamy sauce too much.
Double fried chicken: hubby decided to go for healthier white meat! He loved the chicken, golden crispy skin outside with tender flavorful meat inside, so good!
Duck confit: again it was so yummy with amazing flavors, meat was so tender and juicy.
Everything was so rich and flavorful, we asked for some homemade hot sauce, it was bomb, we had to ask some to go! Portions were huge for tapas, prices were great. The service was very friendly and attentive.
A great tapa and wine bar if you love meats and poultry with rich flavors.

This place had so many 5 stars, that I had to try it out in my home town.
It is a very nice place, not too big but designed great, with bar area seating right in front of where the food is being made.
There is a good amount of food to choose from, they also have a selection of red and white wines. Everything on the menu comes as is (no sides). We ordered the mac and cheese, the chorizo y papas, the empanadas, and the beef and pickle tacos. I recommend ordering more than one thing, the food is made to share.
I really wanted to try the burger, after seeing all the pictures, but to find out, they ran out of meat!!! Really, on Sunday evening! the service was good, but I hate to say that with all the reviews, I expected the food to be better. It wasn’t bad, but wasn’t fantastic, just my opinion. Might come back to see if the burger is any good.

A hidden gem in uptown whittier. I love coming to this place. I strongly recommend this restuarant for its food and wine selection, sangria and ambiance. A great spot reconnect with friends and loved ones.
Best time to come is during the evening and stay through the night. There is always a waiting list so plan accordingly.
The ambiance is my favorite. Once they dim the lights is takes me back to Madrid, Spain with a modern american twist to spanish cuisine.
Check it out. :)

I enjoy tapas places when I’m out with the girls… that way we get to try more things. Phight is cool little place in Whittier. I couldn’t help but get a real Portland feel from the place. It felt just like many of the places I love in Portland. This is a wine bar and they had a nice selection of wines for the evening.
The waiter was helpful and patient. No matter what the girls wanted, he was quick to please. After we tasted the diablo sauce, we pretty much put that sh*t on everything. Even if it doesn’t come with whatever you ordered… ask for some. You won’t regret it.
We ordered lengua tacos and pork tacos. The lengua was incredibly tender and practically melted in my mouth. We had the mac’n cheese, which had a really salty taste. We weren’t sure if they added too much salt or if the capers were just not the right ingredient to add to this dish. Crostini was pretty good, Bacon wrapped dates were ok. We were really disappointed in the empanadas (dry and bland) and the lamb chops (not tender at all).
It was a nice evening. They do have specialty items that often change with the day, so it’s worth coming back to try new things and repeat some of our favorites.

Phlight is hands down my favorite restaurant in Whittier. Not only do I love the food and drinks, but the ambiance is perfect too. Plus my husband and I had our rehearsal dinner at Phlight, so it’ll always have a special place with me.
There are so many tapas to choose from, but my faves include: patatas bravas, bacon wrapped dates, pork belly tacos, crap cakes, ahi tuna tostadas. Actually, I’ve never met a tapa from phlight that I did not like and I usually end up ordering more than I can eat.
The flights of wine are delicious and the waiters/​waitresses are really knowledgeable about their selections. My husband loves the beer selection too.
This place gets pretty crowded on the weekend, and I learned the hard way that a reservation is a must.
If you’re in the Whittier area and need a place for dinner… Phlight is the spot.

Flat iron steak with chimichurri sauce cooked to perfection? Check. Glass of Sangria? Check.
Bread pudding? Check!
This places has so many checks!!! I wish the bread budding had ice cream instead of butter, And I wish the sangria didn’t have so much ice as to not get watered down a bit. Overall, this place was fantastic as usual. The steak was so tender and the sauce was so flavorful. I couldn’t finish it fast enough!
Some people deserve special recognition so I will tell you who they are and how wonderful they are;
1. Alex, this is one dedicated worker, very kind, polite and quick to remove dishes.
2. Vito, very smiley, polite and works well under pressure.
3. Jason, very caring for his restaurant and customers. Listens to what you have to say, good or bad.
One person who does not deserve recognition is Steven, the bartender. He may mix drinks very well but he knows very little about customer service. We did have a seating issue, along with other issues that we discussed with Jason, and Steven was sent to us as the current floor supervisor because Jason wasn’t in yet. Steven, couldn’t have cared less about how we felt or what we had to say. He did not apologize for the hosts behavior, he simply became very defensive. It later came to light that the host is actually the owners daughter, it could have been Obama’s daughter and I still would have felt the same and the seating issue would still be bad. I felt that Steven couldn’t have given a crap because the person we complained about was the daughter and I believe this to be wrong. My uncle owns three restaurants, my other uncle owns a taco shop and my third uncle owns a 5 star restaurant where celebrities often dine at… so I grew up around the restaurant business and this was horrible. In the end, we gave the daughter a pass because we heard she is still in high school and this is her first job and I made many mistakes at my first job too.
Steven, on the other hand has no excuse and he should have known better.
Cheers to Alex, Vito and Jason!!!

Never disappointed!
Perfect place for a date night or girls night. Unique tapas style dishes and flights of wine make it great for sharing!
My go-​to dishes are the arugula salad, patatas bravas, and the fish tacos. If there’s room, I’ve been known to order the Mexican chocolate soufflé
Due to its popularity, especially among the locals, the place can get busy and wait times can be long. But in my eyes it’s worth it.

Talk about raising prices!!! Give me a frikin break. I already let the portion size slide bc of decent price. I’m astonished at the increases. Gtfoh!

1.22.2016
Came with my fiancé for dinner, was told 45 – 50 min wait. We said ok because we heard good things. After 50 min I asked what’s going on with our table I was told rudly maybe about 30 min. .
We came to eat, through a recommendation and never got seated, we will never go back. They will never have a second chance for a first impression.

Had an excellent dinner tonight at Phlight. I love the open feel of the restaurant. Lots of seating including a bar area, and tables are far enough apart that there is still an element of privacy. We ordered several tapas, the Phlight Burger, a beer (Dale’s Pale Ale) and sangria.
Our favorite tapas were the tempura tomato and the bacon wrapped dates. The tempura tomato was a whole tomato with a breaded exterior similar to a mozzarella stick. The wow factor is that the tomato is stuffed with cheese, pesto sauce, and mushrooms. Plus the tomatoes come with two suttle but flavorful sauces. Now for the bacon wrapped dates… BACON wrapped anything is delicious, but bacon wrapped dates on a bed of a unique honey tamarind sauce is AMAZING!!! Dont think twice. try this tapa. this is my top tapa vote.
The empanadas were good but not much different than other empanadas I’ve tried.
Skip the pork belly tacos as they were quite bland. The tacos were certainly missing onions and/​or a spicier sauce.
We also tried the Phlight Burger. The hamburger patty was thick, juicy, full of flavor and topped with sauteed onions and CRISPY BACON… need I say more? Highly recommend.
Overall, we enjoyed our dinner experience at Phlight. The food was excellent, the service was top notch, and the ambiance was nice. I highly recommend for couples and large groups alike. We look forward to returning to Phlight soon.

We had an event to attend but we blew it off to come here instead bc some events/​peeps just aren’t worthy of our time! This option was 10x better, IMHO. Yummy food, yummy drinks, cool vibe and awesome company! More than content and worth the 20+ mile drive out of OC!
Tapa of the day — crostini, liked it a lot
Lengua tacos — liked these a lot too
Spinach croquettes — ok
Pork belly tacos — dry
Mac n cheese — bland, couldn’t even taste the cheese
Bacon wrapped dates — too sweet, needs more savory flavor
Empanadas — forgettable
Lamb chops — forgettable
Liked the wine and service. Jason was sweet and attentive.
Thnx, C, for showing us the way!

A solid 4 ½ stars for a tapas and wine bar. Why not 5? If only the noise level was a wee bit quieter, I’d be happier. But I know its part of Phlight’s ambiance, an open kitchen right at the bar/​counter area so that everyone can smell the amazing aroma to keep ya salivating!
I just read my last review and I gave them a 3 star due to the limited choices of dessert items and because their tamarind glazed baby back ribs was dry. Ok. Got that. But I totally do adore this little spot in Uptown Whittier and glad we agreed to dine here tonight. And I am changing my rating today. Here’s why.
Our charming server, Jason I believe, greeted us with a smile and without hesitation offered us the menu. He quickly inquired about my wine preference since I mentioned to him that I will be dranking wine tonight. I like that alot! :)
I asked to sample Keenan Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa. Omg. The smell was aromatic and the flavors of red cherry, tobacco, and mint was just beautiful. So Chel had two glasses=)
Onto the grub–
Fish tacos — chunks of juicy and soft fish dressed with shredded cabbage, caramelized onions, garlic buddied with their uhmazing «kick @$$» sauce, diablo and sour cream on corn tortillas was delicious, as always! Definitely one of my favorite dishes here.
Lengua tacos — super tender and flavorful beef lengua was perfectly paired with just shredded cabbage on corn tortillas. Totally so happy I ordered this. It’s friggin awesome! Anything more wouldve distracted my desire to enjoy the lengua alone. Chipotle sauce was available.
Albondigas-​is completely different from the usual albondigas I would order at a Mexican restaurant. Here is their homemade meatballs with dijon cream sauce, capers, on a toasted bread. WOW! Order it. It’s good!
And we ordered their special tonight– Enfrijoladas which had shredded chicken, beans, romaine lettuce, and queso fresco. This was ok. It didn’t really wow me.
I won’t focus on dessert here because now there are so many other dessert spots elsewhere that Unilocaling a good one is just an app away! =)
But overall, all the flavors tonight was awesome. Timing of everything was impeccable. And service was great.
I love the dim lighting. Very casual yet romantic setting since there’s a lot of red on the wall and candles light up the dining tables. Love the music in the background. And totally love the friendly and attentive staff. Street parking or you can park across the parking structure.
Definitely one of my choice places to go for a nice evening out.
#thankful #always

First time in Phlight. We came 30 mons before closing. Seated right away.
Tonight’s menu:
Double-​dipped fried chicken (kale was too salty)
Brown sugar & ginger short ribs (yum)
Sweet potato fries with garlic aoli (say no to aoli) order honey on the side… much better.
All in all: minimal lighting for a nice intimate setting. Although, people can be drunk around you at the bar as a dude was leaning over his lady, while his lady occupied two bar seats… lol…kinda creepy but ok.
Expensive but worth the pay. Our server Carlo was superb and attentive.

I have to say I’m really liking the mix of flavors Phlight has going with their dishes. Stopped in tonight to grab some quick plates. Tapas are what their known for so I was surprised that I left pretty full from three plates and yes… the plates are pretty filling.
First up were the bacon wrapped dates. Nothing ground breaking with this dish but the cheese used with it was delicious. After having this dish at other places, I’ve come to learn that the flavor of dates will override any and everything you add to it making it tough for all other ingredients to stand out.
Next were the tomato tempura. Now this was fried tomatoes done right with cheese, shiitake mushrooms and squash all cooked within the tempura together. The pesto sauce provided with it was some of the best I’ve had with a flavor that was more on the sharp side.
Last of course is the winner of the night which was the double-​dipped fried chicken. Awesome dish! Nice portions of flavorful chicken stacked on top of one another over a bed of grilled kale and chorizo gravy. CHORIZO GRAVY!!! Imagine the good taste of chorizo in a nice creamy gravy minus all the grease… this is what you’ll get here and it mixed all so good with the chicken and kale. Hmm Hmmmm Delicious!!!
The restaurant itself is dim lighted with staff who are friendly and stays on top of everything. This is another great restaurant I’ve experienced in Uptown Whittier and I’m looking forward to coming again.
Dinner 9÷20÷2015

I came with my husband after he played in a fb game at Whittier College and we LOVED it! It’s a Saturday night so it was packed. Wait time was 15min. Not so bad we sat outside on the couches in front of the hair salon.
Hubby ordered the phlight burger, I ordered the hanger steak and chorizo mash potatoes. If I could spell delicious in every language I WOULD! We loved the ambiance and the cute preteen hostess! She’s adorable and professional. Since we had a ball with dinner, I ordered a bread pudding to go! Give this place a try!

Phlight is a spacious, red-​paint-​and-​brick-​wall kind of place – décor not typical of your usual cozy tapas bar. Came in almost close to closing and the restaurant was still bustling. The MENU is a PAGE LONG with a GOOD VARIETY of meaty, veggie, starchy, and seafood-​y choices. There wasn’t anything that spoke to me in particular but they do offer the COMMON TAPAS dishes. FYI, the dishes are HUGE for «tapas” – you can probably SHARE amongst 2 – 3 ppl, maybe 4 if you want to stretch it.
PAELLA – The first bite of rice was full of flavor but with time, this dish TURNED SOUR for me. The rice pellets were a bit big and there was NO SEAR. The bowl that it comes in is quite small so it’s NOT OPTIMAL FOR MIXING the seafood and meats, even though the rice was semi-​wet. The SHRIMPS were HUGE and the MUSSELS and CLAMS were SMALL but bc it was hard to mix them with the rice, they eventually TURNED DRY and pretty TASTELESS towards the end of our meal. The SAUSAGE was TASTY but the CHICKEN bits were BLAND.
SPICY ADOBO CHICKEN WINGS – Wings were SUPER DRY, to the point of crispness and the black sauce added only a SALTY flavor. There was NO SPICE whatsoever.
BACON WRAPPED DATES – Probably one of my BETTER experiences with bacon wrapped dates. The bacon and dates were SOFT and the flavors meshed well. PRESENTATION SUCKED though. Sorry, I know it’s almost closing but I am still eating with my eyes first.
LENGUA TACOS – Bf really ENJOYED these and said that the lengua was cooked differently than what he’s usually used to. The RED SAUCE was quite NEUTRAL and DIDN’T ADD much to the dish.
PATATAS BRAVAS – the ONE thing Phlight GOT RIGHT and how can a tapas bar mess up on such a staple? Seasoning on point.
BRUSSEL SPROUTS – Sprouts were SOGGY and the BEETS added a TART SPRINGY TWIST but we weren’t a fan of the flavor bc we ended up with a beet bush at the end of our meal.
**Overall, I probably wouldn’t come back. The dishes were sub-​par for me and there wasn’t anything special for the long drive out to Whittier.

BEST TAPAS BAR i’ve tried yet in LA (or at least on the east side) and who would’ve thought it would be located in Whittier. I honestly wish it were located in a more accessible city (but I’m glad it’s still somewhat of a hidden secret so that there’s no wait)
Every dish we ordered was delicious and reasonably priced PLUS great wine selection
—bacon wrapped dates: some of the best I’ve had! The bacon was caramelized mmm
—lengua tacos (2 per order): TENDER flavorful meat served with a chipotle like sauce! Loved how thin the tortillas were! SO GOOD
—short ribs: the meat was so «fall off the bone» good except they were served with bones, juicy, get it
—Mac n cheese: good but one of the that didn’t live up to the rest
—Brussels sprouts: interestingly served with beets, I would be interested in trying a diff veggie dish next time
The Malbec was really good here! Waiter was so pleasant, can’t wait to come back