Gravlax

Service was okay, they weren’t that in to explaining their menu when asked about the goods. We opted for beers and an appetizer as we began our night. Appetizer was forgettable, we ordered some appetizer sampler. I remember the dolmas being okay, but not great. The ambience of this place is fun and quaint, love the set up and furniture used, it’s pretty dark in there as well. I’d come back to this place for a pint if I lived close by, but not so much for the food.

Stopped by for new years eve. My group sat down at a table and while discussing what we wanted to order, a lady leans over the bar and yells, «there is no table service!» It came across rude as the place was busy but quiet at the time. The whole place turned to look at us like we did something wrong. Apparently, being yelled at from the barkeep gets negative attention, go figure.
We decided not to stay because I will not tolerate that sort of behavior. It has a very limited menu so unless you want a specific thing, go elsewhere. We walked down to the Alley Lounge and had a blast!

Very cool place! I went there with my bf, he tried herring for the first time and now he loves it. We ordered Gravlax and Herring plates plus couple shots of akvavit. Service is excellent!

In a town that mistakes preciousness for authenticity, Gravlax is a lifeboat. Refreshing counter programming to the pretentious mixology DJ culture that paints most new restaurants. This place is the real deal — with an intimate, genuine, ’90’s Lower East Side, Boheme European vibe that exists nowhere else in LA.
A very unique, friendly, special place, that serves a specific, simple, fresh, delicious «genre» of food and offers a solid wine list at an affordable price point. The place is a real manifestation of the owners’ personalities and they welcome you like family.
It’s funny to read the reviews that say «don’t come here hungry» and I have never left feeling unsatisfied. Sure, if you want a big steak or bird, go somewhere else, but the place is called «Gravlax» so clue in.

Gravlax is sexy. It feels like a sultry and exotic den subtly beckoning you in from the busy world outside. The lighting is dim and mysterious, the ambience is thick. You’re in good hands. (You feel like you’re NOT in LA… east village maybe?)
I see that a lot of passion went into this place. I love everything about it. There’s such a local vibe especially when the owners come out and greet their guests. Magnus is an exceptional chef. The menu is simple and understated yet delivers mouthwatering goodness. The twist on palates… it works. It really works! I’m a huge fan of their vinyl nights. It’s so easy to pop in, grab a drink at the bar (try the infused akvavit), talk to your friends, hear the conversation, all to really cool grooves.
Thank you for what you’ve brought to the hood, Gravlax. May you stick around for many many years!

Came here for a birthday party for a friend. Its a little too dark inside for my taste. My friends even brought their own candles for the tables so I can’t imagine how much darker it would have been without the candles. The food was ok. Everyone else seemed to enjoy the drinks. I didn’t have any alcohol. I was disappointed that they did not have much in the way of nonalcoholic beverages. The only thing they had was iced tea which was horrible. I don’t think I would go there of my own volition.

My new favorite place in my new hood! The lighting is perfect for a date. The tables are a piece of art in themselves. Such a cool vibe! They have a Dj spinning the classics on vinyl! The owners are for Norway and Sweden I think, so the menu is eclectic. We ordered 4 dishes, unsure what the names were but we tried the meat and cheese plate, the gravlax (salmon)
The smoked trout (which was our fave!) and the pickled herring. We had 2 bottles of wine. Our bill was $ 160, a little pricey, but this whole area of West LA is blowing up right now, so are the prices!

My home away from home. Magnus and Arda are so wonderful. The food is excellent (try the smoked trout and homemade gravlax), and always a great wine selection even for happy hour. Easily my favorite spot in the neighborhood.

Hidden gem in an up-​and-​coming area of West LA. Came for some drinks and appetizers with a few friends. Really great vibe, kind of a romantic, low-​lit atmosphere, good for a date or intimate conversation with friends. The beer and wine selection was pretty good, and the appetizers too! However, don’t expect to eat a full dinner here, it’s more of a bar snacks kind of feel. Definitely try the lobster appetizer (I forgot the exact name but they’re known for it), so delicious.
Ended up being a little pricey for what I felt was the quality of the food and drinks, but overall, a good experience. I would definitely come back!

Came in for live music and was pleasantly surprised by healthy, tasty, unique Scandinavian food.
Beware I moved from northern Europe a couple of years ago. So when I see pickled fish on the menu I get super excited!!!
Gravlax is situated in a corner building, with a huge bar and plenty little tables to talk and eat. We ordered three dishes to share. The gravlax of course :) Beautiful plating and yummy. We also shared the meze plate. The yogurt dip was awesome, other items were ok. Last and maybe best item was the lobster roll. No it’s not sushi, it’s a soft toasted bread roll with perfectly flavoured lobster salad. Nomnomnom.
Owners are nice and inviting!

Great service, great drinks, fantastic food.
Really a simple menu of scandinavian and turkish-​style tapas and mezzes. We had the gravlax (of course) ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would eat again. The toast skagen was exactly what you’d expect it to be, simple and very fresh tasting. ⁸⁄₁₀ would order again. The mezze plate was alright, the highlight of it was certainly the Dolmas and the Garlic Yogurt, but everything else was not as interesting… Really wish they would serve the Dolmas by themselves. Lastly we had the kofte which was a combination of red lentils and bulghur with herbs. Delicious.
As far as drinks go, the Rosé they have on their current menu is perfect with the meal. It is dry and pairs beautifully with the various cured fishes they have there.
Ambiance was really nice, could be great for a romantic evening, or also just a nice place for friends to catch up. There was a guy playing records, and the variety of music he chose was just right for the evening.

Well this place was a total surprise. It’s basically Scandinavian/​Turkish fusion food and it’s awesome! The smoked trout spread is to die for and the gravlax is really good too. Really great flavors and it’s not too crowded. Good date spot.
Funky décor, super sweet owners, and great selection of beers on tap. They don’t have a full liquor license and I wasn’t a huge fan of their soju flavors, but those are minor complaints. This food is great and a totally unique experience.

Overall a 3.5 stars. Fun, funky décor as you walk into this place. Owners are super friendly and we were seated right away. Good variety of beers available. I had the ginger beer which was a bit tart but smooth.
The menu is small but full of goodies. We got the mezze plate, toast skagen, and the kofte. The meze plate had fresh salami, pieces of pita, and various dips. A good starter selection. The Toast skagen was the winner. the shrimp was fresh and the dill sauce complimented it perfectly. The kofte was ok. I like the idea of wrapping it up in the lettuce leaf.
Overall the food is very fresh and tasty. However the portions are quite small and a little pricy for the amount you are getting. This place is great for nibbles and a few drinks.

Not quite sure what to make of this place. I think the final verdict is, it’s a bar that happens to serve food, and it’s an interesting menu that’s basically 60% Scandinavian and 40% Turkish.
Since we all knew Turkish food but were unfamiliar with Scandinavian, we went for the toast skagen, 4-​pepper smoked rainbow trout, gravlax, OST & ET with duck prosciutto, I forget what else. Being all smoked fish or similar type things, usually with several varieties of cracker, they were all pretty good, although to be honest we have little experience with this kind of food.
I do say, pink herring was a bit odd to look at, the toast skagen was friggin’ delicious, and the gravlax was excellent. Pickled veggies were a little different than the ones I’m used to, no real spice aside from the pickling process itself. Finally the OST & ET plate’s little slices of cheese and meats, while tasty enough (and reasonably priced for prosciutto), didn’t quite seem satisfying.
Drink selection was pretty decent, but not as much regional flair as I was expecting. And service was somewhat inconsistent– to be fair this whole place seems more like a labor of love by the owners than a business aiming for top ratings on social media…

Sarah G hit the nail on the head — come here for a drink and appetizers, because this will not fill you up!
We had the toast skagen (which got a thumbs up from my Swedish boyfriend), the smoked salmon (about what you’d expect for smoked salmon), and the herring plate (delicious, though since it was my first time having herring, I had nothing to compare to).
Our sever said that these were among the ‘larger’ selections on the menu, and that 3 items should fill us up. Well, maybe we’re little piglets, but we were still pretty hungry after finishing.
The damage? $ 50 for a Mexican Coke and 3 small plates. And empty tummies.
I won’t say it wasn’t tasty, but now that I know better, I’d just stop here for one drink and one small plate during happy hour.

Good good, beer good, service good. Nice place for a date or with co-​workers. We got the Lobster Roll, Ost &Et, and coffee IPA. Sightly on the pricier side but no other complaints.

I wouldn’t say this is a restaurant more like a bar with a couple cold appetizers on the menu.
I had the Toast Skagen and my husband had the lobster roll, both were ok but nothing more.
For dessert we had Oscar’s torta and Budapest. Oscar’s Torta was good (if you like reddi whip on the side) but the Budapest was frozen. Waiter told me to wait a little so it would thaw out… Really?
I decided to get it to go so I could eat it at home but now it’s all mushy…
The only «normal» non alcoholic beverage they have is Mexican Coke, no diet coke, no sprite, no root beer, you get the picture…
So, $ 70 plus tip for one coke, one beer and a couple appetizers…
VARNING TILL SVENSKAR! Längtar du efter svensk mat är detta inte stället för dig! Bättre gå till Shoops på main street eller Olsons Deli på Pico!

What you should expect when you come to Gravlax? Do not come here expecting a full restaurant. Or if you do, please make sure you ate something before, or eat really tiny portions.
IMO, Gravlax is a bar that has some appetizers that you should pair with their plates. Most of the food are pretty small portions and probably a little over-​priced. I realize it’s probably super high quality ingredients but they don’t spend enough time teaching you that it’s expensive, so you think it’s over-​priced.
They have a pretty good beer selection so I can’t complain about that.
On to the food:
Ost & Et (Cheese & Cured Meat Board) (³⁄₅)
For $ 20, what we got was a little light. 7 slices of pepperoni, 6 small bow-​ties of prosciutto, maybe a dozen crackers, 3 cornichons, 1 pickled something, hand ful of walnuts, pickled cabbage, 2 types of cheese and some preserves…
Prosciutto was nice, cheese was nice. Pepperoni didn’t pair well with anything else on the board. Pickled cabbage was surprisingly awesome. It wasn’t bad but it just wasn’t very good either.
Gravlax (⁴⁄₅)
It was the namesake so we felt like we had to get it. I thoroughly enjoyed the smoked salmon. The dill and cream are great with it. I could eat this all day. Salmon tasted super fresh and not salty at all. Reminded me a Scandinavian Poke.
I really like this spot but don’t know what you’re getting when you come here. Come for snacks and a drink and walk away happey.

Yay! A Turkish/​Scandinavian resto in a sea of new American and Asian fusion restaurants!
This neighborhood gem features a unique and approachable menu. We ordered their namesake gravlax which consists of cured salmon on top of toasted bread, the meze plate with a flavorful feta and red pepper dip, yogurt dip, dolma, pickles and olives, and a tuna dish that i cant remember the name! Im not a big fish person but i can say that the gravlax folks have me hooked!
We just the happy hour and i believe they have different menu items so will definitely go back for that.
The atmosphere is dark and cozy. Service is friendly. Street parking only which might be a pain but its close to residential streets that dont require permits.
Update ⁴⁄₂₀₁₅:
Food is still awesome here. Went to happy hour on a Monday. Plenty of seats.
Took my visiting aunt here before heading back to LAX for her flight. Neither of us drink so we didn’t order anything from the bar. But we ordered almost everything off the food happy hour menu.
My fave was the cured meat and pickles dish. Salty and sour.
Eggplant salad, hummus and pink herring (herring of the day) were also yummy. Prices can be steep for their small portions but the happy hour prices make the wallet hurt a little less.
I took it from 5 stars to 4 because the lady who was serving us was not the warmest of servers. In fact, when I asked what herring was she was pretty condescending in her short answer (it’s pickled fish, in case you didn’t know).

Had such high expectations for this place (based off menu and fellow Unilocal reviews) but was very sadly let down after trying it :(
Came in for happy hour. Ordered the house white. Drink prices during happy hour are fine but what we came for was the smoked salmon! We of course ordered one of the gravlax and the happy hour meat and cheese plate.
Gravlax came on toast with lots of dill on top, I eat lots of smoked salmon and I must say this was nothing special. Tiny portion for $ 10 and the dill was way too overpowering.
The happy hour meat and cheese plate was very sad looking… small, not much cheese, gross crackers… I love my cheese plates and this was very unfortunate. They brought out some more crackers for us but they were different from the previous ones that came out. Pick one and keep it consistent!
The bar itself was very unique with wood tables and cool art on the walls. They actually had a short film festival going on when we got there which was neat and different.
If I come back I would just go for a drink but with so many good places in the area I probably won’t be back.