Cicada Restaurant

My wife, son and his female friend attended the Cicada Club on Friday 1−29−16. The occasion was to introduce our son and his friend (in their 30’s) to an experience in Dance Clubs from the 1930s. We made the reservation from the website
and did not notice the change in costs. The last time we attended 1 year ago the price was complete $ 69.00 per person 3-​course Dinner and Show.
When we arrived at the entrance, a staff member met us outside and asked if we already paid our $ 30 per person for the show. It would be necessary to stay past 9:00 pm. I paid the fee for 4 people $ 120 and we went in and were sat at a nice table. The Waiter was very knowledgeable of the history of the restaurant and the neighborhood. He was able to provide all of the Chef’s specials for our table.
We were given menus for the 3-​course meal and must say as a Vegetarian, I was disappointed in the Vegetarian options. For $ 69 I was offered a salad with fruit, nuts, and lettuce. For the entrée Spaghetti and squash was the only option. My wife and son had Lobster, Shrimp, Fish, or Short ribs for their entrees. The deserts were the normal cheesecakes, tiramisu, ice cream and cakes.
The show that I had to pay extra was a Band Leader named Johnny Crawford who has been playing there for years. Unfortunately that night, he was not on his game. He came out with a Lasso rope and could not get it to swing over his head. The music selection between songs took 2 minutes or more. He had 3 Ladies (very Andrew Sisters-​like) who sang a few songs and that was pleasant.
The Dance floor was another reason that we came because we love Ballroom and Swing dancing. Unfortunately they re-​surfaced the floor and did not buff it out properly — it made you feel like walking on Fly Paper. So dancing was unpleasant.
We left after the first set. Most bands will play ten or fifteen songs — they played maybe 6 or 7 songs. Not work the price of admission.

My husband and I just had our wedding here and it was AMAZING. From the very start, we were impressed — Cicada showed us a contract and a price list up front — something other venues tip-​toed around us as they tried to convince us to spend more and more. They were able to accommodate our budget with a Friday wedding of about 75 guests. Everything was perfect and we could not have been more pleased. Our guests raved about the venue — it’s beautiful, the staff is as professional as can be, and their glasses were never empty. Oh, and not to mention the food — fantastic! This place will always hold a special place in my heart. I cannot thank Adelmo, Richard, and Jeffery enough for making our wedding day the best day of my life. I would highly recommend Cicada to anyone looking for a wedding or event venue!

Two stars! Almost 3 but horrible service. I’m in the customer service industry so I’m pretty chill when I go out and I always over tip.
I don’t expect A+ service, just don’t give me shit service. I understand it’s a job and some times people get busy and overwhelmed but that doesn’t give you the right to treat me and my party of 10 like crap.
We went Saturday night the 16^th for my gf’s bachelorett party. Reservations were made in advance for 10 people and confirmed earlier the same day 10 people. When we arrived there was 3 tables put together for 18 people. They told us that we needed 3 more people to join in for our group for dinner or we have to move because there’s a table minium charge. Lies!
The restaurant was told from the begin 10 people and there’s nothing about table minimums posted anywhere on the website or restaurant. I suggested that they take the extra tables away.
We were able to stay at our table after we spoke with the manager. However, the server and her assistance quickly removed all the plates and glasses all while reaching in between all over us, over our heads, in between our faces. They dropped the plates, napkins, glass and knives because they were such in a rush. No one said excuse me or anything .
They also told us if we were caught picking off each other plates they would charge us extra because there’s no sharing allowed. So they kept monitoring us. My 3^rd cocktail, which was taken away on accident was still full. I told the server about it and she asked me twice looking at me like I was a fool. «ummmm are you sure you didn’t finish it because we wouldn’t do that around here?» Really? ???
I would’ve known if I finished my newly ordered drink. Which I didn’t even touch yet. Mistakes happen all the time. No one is perfect but don’t talk down to me. Rude!
We were polite, well dressed, happy and having a nice time celebrating a special occasion. No need for shit service and no need to belittle us.
The venue was amazing! !! 4 stars! Service gets 2 stars.
Dinner is over priced for the type of service you get with the food. Valet was only 7 bucks.
Maybe we’ll go back… not sure yet.

It is a very good restaurant but not a everyday dining restaurant. Making the reservation is not easy but once you are on the list, they will call you and remind you the detail of the dress code and reservation date and time. We got the table at the mezzanine area which you can see the people dancing and eating from the second level. It is a very good experience to try out this kind of restaurant once a while.
The interior of the restaurant is not that big but the decoration are very nice. We were there for the night of the 10^th anniversary. They only have a 3 course prefix menu. The food is good and the services was very good, server was giving us a detail of the day chef’s special.

Wow!!! This place blew my mind! It looks legit! Once you walk in you feel as you’re from the 1920’s. It’s not none of this costume parties. It’s legit! Everyone is so kind and the music is fantastic! The elevator is vintage! Similar to the one in the movie titanic lol great experience and friendly service.

These people seem to have issues with reservations. They just canceled our dinner reservation for the party the night before New Years. Last year they messed up and put a party of 12 at a four top. Don’t know why we keep coming back here.

ok, let me first start off by saying how i love this place. Makes me feel I am in whole new magical world. I wanted to do my birthday here, but unfortunately was not working out so I postponed my plans to December 6, with Richard Halperns Hollywood Cavalcade.
Samantha, the person who helped me with all my questions and concerns was amazing. She was patient, professional and helpful. I will definitely go back to the Cicada Club because of the great service I had received that day. Thank you soo much Samantha that was a very special day for me! and i have to thank you alot! I hope you see this :)
The waiter that day was fantastic. He brought everything in a timely manner, and our food was delicious and warm. He made sure all our questions were answered.
I order the Lobster ravioli, and let me say nothing was left. The Molten Chocolate Cake is to die for!!!
The entertainment itself is the reason to go to the Cicada Club. I brought my whole family, and we all cant wait to go again!!!
Thank you soo much for the Cicada Club or keeping its originality, I love how different and classic it is. I would definitely recommend everyone to go.

(LAte review). My husband and i came here for valentines earlier this year and sadly were underwhelmed.
I booked a reservation 1 month in advanced. To make sure everything was cool, i Called a week ahead to confirm our reservation. The dudes was like «yes, we sent you a confirmation and everthing». Excellent, MONEY to my ears, everythings gonna be cool.
My husband and i got all blinged out, walked up all fancy to the receptionist, im thinkn we $$MONEY$$, table for 2 under (name), «theres no reservation, under that
name». WTF! How they managed to screw that up i have no clue.
Either way they said they had room and we got in. :/​
The room ! the band! all the fellas and the dames dressed to the T, its like i stepped back in time. That was awesome, and the other hand…
The food took 4EVERRRRRR. And it was like… Norms quality wtf? Annd youd get better service at the dmv.
N e ways it was a RIP FOR DINE IN, all in all we had a good time thanks to the band!
We’ll be back, but only for the the band and dancing i think its like $ 20 bux non seating.

We come here about every three months or for celebrations. It’s my favorite place. To celebrate my boyfriend’s birthday and to celebrate graduating from nursing school, we decided to come here for Halloween. We got tickets for the event, and I reserved a table at 8pm for dinner.
We got all dressed up for the occasion, but were about 20 min late. We called to inform them we would be late and they stated that «it would be no problem.» When we arrived we were informed that it would be a bit of a wait for us. So we got cocktails upstairs. I checked back two times and was informed they overbooked for the evening by nearly 100 people! It was nearly 9:40pm before we were sat! And what made it worse was they sat us at a table next to the stairway! No view. Constant movement brushing past me. This was just not acceptable so we got up and left. I felt so bad because that was supposed to be a celebration– but instead it was a disaster. They should have made mention of this before we got there (perfect opportunity was when I called to say we would be late) so we could have had an option to eat elsewhere but instead we didn’t get to eat at all. They didn’t do anything to comp us for this issue either, like «here are two free drink tickets at the bar we are so sorry and value you.» Nothing. I still give it 4 stars because I love the venue itself and the magic in it– but whomever is running that place is ruining it for a lot of people and it’s so unfortunate. I’m not sure we will ever go back on a holiday, if we go back at all.

Cicada. Cicada. Cicada.
I really wanted to love ya.
OK, well I did. The interior is BEAUTIFUL and the ambience is very classy. I came here for the Halloween event and we were seated on the second floor with quite a view to the dance floor.
That I’ll give 5 stars.
I was very excited to be here, BUT the wait for our food was inexcusable. It was obvious that they were understaffed that night. Upon arrival, we got our appetizer fairly quickly but for the main course it took over an hour to get our food and it was basically cold upon arrival. I know our waitress tried to do the best she could so I won’t blame her… even our cocktails took about 25 minutes.
MANAGEMENT IF YOU KNOW YOU OVERBOOKED… HIGHER MORE PEOPLE TO WORK THAT NIGHT.

Had Halloween reservations for dinner, got all dressed up. Our reservations were for 9pm and 20 minutes later, still no table. There only response…“I don’t have any tables… we overbooked”, RIDICULOUS!!! Whoever is in charge of booking, and management here are complete morons… what a waste of time.

I really have nothing bad to say about my experience here. It’s a quiet Italian restaurant with a beautiful setting of the 1920’s. The service is on point and the pasta was delicious.

My friend had her wedding here and it was amazing. This wedding venue is great for the Great Gatsby kind of thing. It’s absolutely beautiful.
AMBIANCE:
This place is gorgeous, but it can get really hot on the bottom floor. The second floor is super cool but the bottom floor never cooled down. So dancing on the dance floor was extremely hot.
The first and second floor is amazing for a wedding. My friend got married in the cicada and then they constructed it while we had cocktails on the second floor. It’s not really wheelchair accessible.
Bridal suite: There is NO bridal suite. Keep that in mind when you need to change.
Parking: it is downtown la… It sucks, but you can hire valet to park cars for a discount.
Price: It’s not cheap. I don’t know about their price because I was just a guest.
OVERALL: It’s a beautiful place to get married.

My husband and I went for our anniversary dinner. I fell in love the minute I walked into this place. It was as if I went back in time to the 1920’s era. The entire place was filled with people dressed in 1920s dresses/​tux. There was a live jazz band playing which fit perfect with the theme. The food was delicious. I highly recommend this place to those who love history & jazz.

Years, years ago, not to long ago, Los Angeles was filled with vintage gems and old streetcars that roamed the area. Most were lost or abandoned with time. But a nice thing this city can truly appreciate are treasures that keep going and this spot is one of them.
The majority of the interior is kept in its origin form when first opened. This little joint even still has one of the oldest elevators still working.
Although I have never eaten here, I have come to enjoy several live American bands jam. The swing music vibrates perfectly at any place inside. Keep note that the dress attire is strict. But do go in your coolest threads and feel the beat from those the old days… Swingin years.
There is an upstairs bar with a large lounge for those that do not dine. Great way to experience something cool and different. Tickets can be bought ahead but never had the need to buy online, usually was able to buy at the door. If you had to go Swingin, great spot to check out.

Came here for a wedding and was fairly impressed by the service and ambiance. The carpet needs to be replaced but there is a feel that this place has seen many decades of parties and events.
The food was well presented and tasty. The salmon was cooked to perfection, the ravioli was just right but the macaroons were to sticky and sweet.
Will return if the opportunity presents itself.

I have been to the Cicada Club twice this year with my husband and both times we had excellent service. I recommend showing up as early as possible as that seems to have worked for us. Both times all our dinner courses arrived at just the right time. For the food, I recommend the caprese salad, the lobster ravioli and the chocolate molten cake. Has always worked for me.
But the real reason to go to the Cicada Club is for the show. For me the restaurant experience is secondary because you can eat out at a million places and pay way more money for it, but no where else can you get the experience that the Cicada Club offers. Where else can you feel like you’ve stepped back in time with other patrons who have put on their best vintage and retro fashions for an evening of amazing 20s, 30s, 40s, or 50s music and dance the night way in an elegant 1920s ballroom? The entertainment and opportunity to dance the night way to such beautiful music is a unique experience and one for which I am eternally grateful to have experienced.
The entertainment cannot be beat. I personally prefer mid century music myself (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, etc.) so last night I had the ultimate time of my life as the Wise Guys Big Band played all my favorites. So whatever era you are into, check out the Cicada Club calendar to see which band works best for you. And bring your dancing shoes. It’s a one-​of-​a-​kind elegant and exciting dining and dancing experience which I highly recommend.

First visited this place 10 years ago with a group of girlfriends and loved the art deco, so decided to take my husband on a Sunday night.
Certain nights are designated, Cicada Club, which has a band and everyone dresses up like its the 1930’s. Awesome and EVERYONE tries dressing up.
We made reservations same day (we called and left a message and they called us back later in the day). Dinner reservation at 7pm, show started at 8:30pm.
We valeted the car right in front of the place ($ 7).
As I remembered, incredible art deco and we were seated within minutes to a table with a clear view of the stage.
Started with cocktails of Singapore Sling (good) and a Moscow Mule (not good).
Next, wine menu said they had 2 different types of Duckhorn Merlot, but they were out of both. We ended up settling for a Chianti (which we did like).
Its a prix fixe menu.
I had:
«Cocoanut Grove» Caprese-​great; good quality mozzarella
«Louise Brook’s» Lobster Ravioli-​good
«Broadway» Berry Martini (berries in martini glass)-meh blackberries were the freshest compared to blueberries and raspberries
Husband had:
«Sid Caesar» salad-​good, big pieces of Parmesean
«Maxwell’s Special» Braised Short Ribs-​good (I only got one bit, because he inhaled so quickly
Cicada Club Chocolate Molten Cake-​he said it was excellent; gone before I could try a bite.
Also, great service from waiter and when I was chitchatting about all the movies that had been made here, he brought me a sheet with a full list of all the movies and tv shows that had been filmed there. Cool. (Pretty Woman, Great Gatsby, Wallstreet, etc)
Band started and they were excellent (The Rolling Figs Jazz Orchestra); when band took a break, other singers took the stage. People were dancing and it was a fantastic experience. You definitely feel like you stepped back in time; reminded me of Midnight in Paris. Definitely, plan on going back and bringing friends.

We came here to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Since we love theme parties, we decide to give this retro Hollywood restaurant a try. The dressing up part was fun but we were not impressed with the Johnny Holiday Show. He was actually boring to watch. The retro burlesque show was more entertaining that Johnny was.
We purchased the three course meal. The salmon was ehhh & the risotto was not great at all. It’s quiet expensive so we thought it would be worth it. But we were disappointed.
2 stars for the experience.
When you make reservations, specifically request for a ground table.

We came here on Memorial Day weekend so reservation was required. For $ 70, you get a 3-​course prefix meal. They start you off with some bread and butter, then we ordered scallops each for appetizers which were nicely cooked and seasoned, lobster ravioli and prime rib for entrees, which were super flavorful (a little on the tough side for both but it could be due to the weekend madness), and green tea crème brûlée and chocolate fudge cake with vanilla ice cream for dessert. We were pleasantly surprised on how good they all turned out.
The specialty drinks, including well drinks like vodka tonic, are all $ 14 each. I don’t particularly like fruity drinks and refuse to pay more than what a generic vodka tonic should be, so I ordered a house Pinot for $ 9. They have a wide, wide selection of wine, specifically expensive french wines like Boudreaux that came in bottles but only a small, small selection of wine in a glass (mostly house). Despite the limited choices, I’m glad that I stuck with wine because the Pinot surprisingly paired well with either of the entrees.
Although $ 70 seems objectively pricey, there is a $ 20 cover charge if you skip dinner and only come to this place for the show, which is a live band playing music from the 20s to the 40s. If you reserve, you also get first digs on the second floor seating, which I highly recommend because you get a clear view of the people dancing while you eat. The sound of music seems to be much clearer and louder as well. If you do decide to skip dinner, then be prepare to stand throughout the night.
This is a 1920s-​1940s themed restaurant so people do dress up to blend with the era. It’s not required but it is a classy/​dressy place so you might as well conform for a fun-​filled experience.