Smeraldi’s Restaurant

Good Eggs Benedict. Convenient. Nothing special. Priced for tourists as you would expect a fancy hotel.

This restaurant is located inside the Biltmore hotel for those searching for it (i know this could be a tip but figure people pay attention to reviews first). Anyways i have been here a few times actually and had held up on reviewing because the first time was a nightmare almost. Our food was late, then they forgot one entire dish, and finally a drink was dropped on one of our coworkers. However, mistakes happen and well we came during lunch hour and we know things get busy.
At the same time the other two times i have come here the service has been close to average each time. Even when not so busy they really almost forget about you. Then the food items are either missed or not cooked the best. I’ve only had a good experience one of the three total times i have been here.
The location is nice but also challenging if you are not already in the area or staying at the hotel.
The place doesn’t exactly get full and i can see why. I would recommend many other restaurants to eat at then here if in the area. Seems to be that the name itself is simply carrying the people to this place. As my reviews say, it is just A-​ok, nothing special.

We always come here for their seafood lunch buffet and it’s always nice and satisfying. So this year we decided to try their thanksgiving brunch and it was even more spectacular !! The whole set up is elaborate and storybook like… it’s like having a feast in a fairytale, turkey’s, Hams, king crab legs, jumbo shrimps, scallops, steaks, bottomless champagne… so many more plus tons of dessert selections. we’re overwhelmed with all these bountiful gourmet selections and felt really blessed to be able to take part in this feast. Service is top notch… A great kick start to the holiday season. Everyone in our party is so happy and festive and can’t stop talking about it many hours later. Great job Smeraldi !!

The Old Biltmore Hotel, embellished by the same artist who did the Vatican and the White House (although the Biltmore was his self-​proclaimed greatest achievement – and he fine-​tuned his work just before he died, so it was his final achievement as well!) is still a sight to behold and has the best crème brûlée I have ever tasted – better than my previous review – it is the same recipe that was served in 1923 at the hotel’s grand opening. The food is exquisite. The service good but sometimes lulled into complacency due to apparently sparse patronage early in the week. Timing seemed off all three times I ate here – with the check coming before I finished eating but waiting while my daughter put her head down on the table in exhaustion for our waiter to notice us earlier. (Maybe he was making up for the previous delay?). Anyway-​I ate here 3 times – and didn’t even try any neighboring restaurants – what does that tell you? The waiters were really old school-​and I liked that. I gave it 5 stars anyway, because a little more patronage seems to be all it needs!
Ps-​the buffet was also excellent-​beautifully cooked healthy California-​Style Cuisine

This place was amazing! We were staying at the Biltmore so we came here for lunch. The servers treat you like royalty! They are so kind to you! The food was good, but it took about 25 minutes to arrive and we were the only people there. Other than that, it was a pleasure to be there!

Was at the Biltmore for an event and this was the only reasonably priced restaurant in the hotel. We had reservations. The place was mostly empty when we arrived, but we still had to wait because they couldn’t find 4 menus… Really?
We waited more than a few minutes to have our order taken. Then we waited 50 minutes for pasta. Again, really? Had an issue getting drink refills, boxes and the check. The waiter didn’t seem to care… He didn’t ask about appetizers in the beginning, nor did he ask about desserts or coffee at the end. If you wanted us out quickly, you should have brought our food faster. There were 4 open 4-​tops, so no need for the bum’s rush.
Apparently we weren’t the only ones having issues, because the table behind us has the wrong order delivered twice. We had the wrong bill, and then had to have it corrected. More wasted time.
And don’t tell me that it was probably because the kitchen was busy… the restaurant was over half empty the entire time we were there… Talked to the manager, and he seemed to care even less than the waiter.
My cousin said the service had always been a bit slow, but it had never been this horrific. Two stars because it is convenient and the food itself wasn’t bad. Overall, I couldn’t care less if I ever go there again.

Wanted Italian but did not feel like venturing out into DTLA after a looong day of work. So went to the hotel restaurant. Service was awesome. Immediate seating, waiter there quickly taking my drink order and very attentive the rest of the night. A couple of good glasses of wine and bruschetta. Very nice. Pretty sure they were NOT heirlooms as the menu describes (I know my tomatoes), but flavor was good. I had the stuffed shells and I thoroughly enjoyed them. Yummy little herb rolls too. Topped it off with Crème brûlée, but that wasn’t very good. Not the least bit creamy and too much granulated sugar on top that was not caramelized. I was so surprised the food was this good considering how terrible the Bugis Street restaurant is. Last negative comment — waaaaaay overpriced glasses of wine. But what do you expect? It’s a DTLA restaurant attached to a hotel.

I’ve eaten here several times over the last few days and have enjoyed every meal. The service is really good and the atmosphere is pleasant.

Ordered Chicken and a Caesar salad for room service. Service was quick and kind. Food was decent, but nothing special for the high price.
Charged 3.25 for Room Service Delivery Charge and then an automatic Room Service 18% Service Charge. Would have enjoyed leaving a larger tip, but was not happy with the two separate charges for the same thing, though I understand this is normal for hotels RS.

Love it here. The buffet selection isn’t vast, but I think I’m completely in love with the desserts, mostly the macarons. Hhaha. The made-​to-​order pasta is great. Try getting some seafood and adding it onto your pasta for them to cook. Salad and fruit is also fresh and they have a few hot dishes on the middle area of the buffet.
It may get busy during lunch time so it’s best to make reservations.

$ 59 three course Valentine’s Day dinner. The restaurant is inside the Biltmore hotel and you can enter directly from Olive Street. The restaurant is small, but cozy and the food is excellent. I really enjoyed the filet and both of the desserts. I was a little surprised that a 15% tip was included in the bill although my party consisted of 2 people.

The food was very good, but there’s a price premium for being in the hotel and the service was weak. My waiter ignored me the entire time.
If you need to eat in a hurry, this is a good place. But if you don’t mind exploring, you can find better options.

We stayed at the Millenium Biltmore hotel and came here for the breakfast brunch that came with our room. Pretty average. Buffet that included fresh fruit, pancakes, eggs, oatmeal, bacon/​sausage. Staff was attentive with the coffee.

Das Frühstück a la Carte war gut, aber die Bedienung lässt zu wünschen übrig. Eigentlich sollte man denken, dass ein Restaurant neben dem Biltmore besser wäre. Für s Interior gebe ich drei Sterne, für die Bedienung einen Stern, fürs Essen vier. Vielleicht ist man auch schon daran gewöhnt freundlich behandelt zu werden in den USA… Aber für diese Preisklasse erwarte ich Kompetenz… Möglicherweise ist man mit dem Buffet besser dran…

Well food was ok, but their event managers are knuckleheads!!! Do not have your venue here, I just attended a retirement luncheon here and the buffet and serving arrangement were terrible. They crammed As many people into this place as possible. The buffet line was long and twisted in and around other patrons seated that were lucky enough to get through the line. It took forever to get a plate of food from the made to order pasta counter Bad idea if you have that many patrons at one time. So darn noisy due to other venues going on at the same time. Restaurant managers you have to do a better JOB!!! Of planning. Quality over quantity !!!

Since the Club Floor at the LA Biltmore is currently not serving breakfast in the private lounge, we were given coupons for the breakfast buffet here. I like the Italian mural and the ceiling in the large restaurant area which was scattered with different buffet stations. The flow worke d well, with fresh fruit and breads in one area, hot meats, oatmeal and potatoes at another spot and an omelette station on its own. Service was friendly and they were right there when we sat down to get us tea or coffee. Interesting potatoes, everything fresh and we enjoyed our good start to a day in LA.

Incredible puglia style food with real Italian burrata. An wonderful dining experience.

Apart from a bland décor, this place turned out to be great. I had the surf and turf and it was one of the most perfectly prepared and presented meals that I have ever had.
I did not catch the names of the two gentlemen who waited on us, but I would definitely like to convey my appreciation to the chef and the staff for a perfect meal.

Since we stayed in the hotel, we decided to eat at the restaurant for breakfast both mornings. The buffet was well stocked. They offered a well stocked fruit and bread station. I especially loved the tiny croissants and the mini jars of jam and preserves.
The omlette station was very good! They offered hand many options including grains to be put into your eggs, I thought that was awesome. There was pancakes, bacon, sausage and potatoes.
And then there was the coffee and juices. They were delicious. At $ 21.00 it wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t the Holiday inn either.

Let me begin by saying ***** for the dinner. It was amazing.
Valentine’s Prefix Menu was excellent. The bread was warm, crusty on the outside and soft inside, so good! The starter soup was great. A concoction of carrot purée and orange. I couldn’t imagine melding those flavors but it was so delicious. The filet mignon and poached lobster tail were both well prepared and to my liking. The Four-​Play dessert was decadent and this coming from a man without a sweet tooth!
Now for the bad news… the ambiance. Wayyyy too bright for a romantic dinner. It would have been nice to dim the lights and have real candlelight instead of the candle shaped bulb. It’s Valentine’s Day, candlelight = romance. The walls were whitish and having the lights on full blast hurt the eyes. We were seated by the window so it kinda felt like we were on display.
Service was good, very attentive. The waiter kept the champagne flowing. A+ on my book.
This spot has so much potential. Great location and historic venue. A few tweaks to the lighting and boom, Smeraldi’s trending up.

Smeraldi’s is the in-​house restaurant for breakfast at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles. And of course — the hefty price tag for breakfast.
First day I ordered the Breakfast Buffet — $ 20. And I ordered a glass of Grapefruit juice. Turns out the juice is not part of the buffet — I was charged an additional fee for the juice.
Had the breakfast potatoes, a few slices of Applewood smoked bacon, and an Omelet with spinach, mushrooms, scallions, onions, and cheddar cheese — made fresh at the Omelet station. Omelet was pretty good, as was the delicious Applewood smoked bacon. The potatoes were rather ordinary.
The second day, I ordered their Corned Beef hash with two eggs over easy and an English Muffin, plus Grapefruit juice and coffee. Corned Beef hash was a fresher corned beef that most places offer — but I’ve had way better. Eggs were cooked over easy — just as I requested. When you request an English Muffin — beware, they brought me two (see pic). Again breakfast was around $ 20.
At those prices, I sure wish that there was a Denny’s or IHOP close by!
Service was good.