One of Miami’s hottest restaurants has just opened a new outpost in Los Angeles. Mandolin Taverna, the sister restaurant to Mandolin Aegean Bistro, is a spacious destination for delicious Mediterranean eats. Located in DTLA’s Arts District next to the exclusive SoHo Warehouse members club, Mandolin Taverna boasts an al-fresco dining experience that could convince anyone that they were vacationing in the Greek islands.
My fiancé and I ate at the original location when we visited Miami (and the food was great!). I was super excited to learn that Mandolin Taverna opened in LA and luckily my birthday was a couple weeks after the grand opening, making it a great place for a dinner celebration.
After arriving at Mandolin Taverna and checking in with the host, we got seated at a table shaded by a large tree that was decorated with glowing string lights and lanterns. The outdoor patio space was huge, filled with a lot of plants and decorated with Greek inspired furniture, woven baskets, and even olive oil cans from home country. These little details created a really romantic dining experience.
Looking at the menu, many of Mandolin’s popular Greek-Turkish dishes made the cross-country trek from Miami. There were the Greek and Turkish samplers, which featured 3 small dishes to taste, and Grilled Octopus, a staple of any Greek restaurant. Our waiter was really nice and knowledgeable of dishes, giving us a very detailed run-down. Ultimately, we decided to go with the Beef Souvlaki and Chicken Kebabs. We also got some house cocktails.
When our entrees arrived, we were happily surprised. The portions were huge! The Beef Souvlaki came with house cut fries and grilled pita, while the Chicken Kebabs were accompanied by rice pilaf and maroulosalata (Greek lettuce salad). I felt like one dish could’ve fed the both of us. Both the beef and chicken were excellently cooked, with the meat being very tender and flavorful. All the sides were a perfect pairing with their respective main course, especially the pilaf which was fluffy and tasted great. Unsurprisingly, we eventually tapped out and didn’t finish our hearty meals (the leftovers were great the next day!).
The overall experience at Mandolin Taverna was great, living up the high benchmark set by its sister restaurant in Miami. The food was excellent, but the atmosphere was better. I definitely recommend Mandolin Taverna if you’re looking for a restaurant for date night or celebration or just craving some Mediterranean food.
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Mandolin Taverna
INFO
Address: 1000 S Santa Fe Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90021
Hours of Operation: Mon-Sun 11AM-11PM
Parking: Street parking, Valet
Website
DEEELIZIOUS TIPS
- Portions are good sized, so feel free to invite hungry friends
- They’ll be opening a on-site store called Mrs. Mandolin where a variety of goods will be sold, including homeware accessories, olive oil and spices, and designer apparel
- If you get cold, they provide blankets in evening!
