The Edendale Grill

I’m writing this here so I don’t forget later — I came in tonight as the dining room was closing (I didn’t know!) and Iris, who I later discovered was the manager, graciously sat us anyway. Given that the kitchen was closed and they helped us out when it was quite clearly our mistake for not calling ahead — well, that’s just awesome.

Came here for a «girls’ brunch» because of the $ 20 bottomless mimosas brunch they have on Sundays. Yahoo!
Instant impressions:
Good breakfast food (menu is small, tho).
Strong coffee (damn strong!).
Cute outdoor seating area.

The drive to Silverlake takes me at least 45 minutes from the Westside, so when I arrived on Wednesday night, I was STARVING. I was meeting a group of friends on the back patio (which is nice for large gatherings). Thank god they had already ordered so I could scrounge off their cold fries. I promptly went to the bar, where the very friendly bartender let me order immediately.
«I’ll have the steak baguette sandwich.» Big Mistake. Not because of quality, but somehow, they ran out of steak. They notify me after I have been waiting about 25 minutes that they can’t make my order, so I politely change it to the chicken baguette sandwich. I guess they were waiting for the chicken to hatch because it took me an hour to get my food. And this is with followups with the waitstaff who promised me it would be right out.
Meanwhile, the group behind us, who ordered after me, had all received their food. And of course they had ordered the same damn sandwich and were enjoying it while I was clutching my stomach.
Sandwich was good, not $ 15 good and not 1 hour wait good.
The servers were really great and gave me a glass of syrah, but the night had already been ruined. Don’t think I’ll be going back ever.

Confused. I am confused. Usually I’m so self-​assured. I just don’t know WHAT to do with Edendale. Love? Hate? LoveHateLoveHateLove?
I have had probably 10 one-​night stands with Edendale, and the sex has varied from extraordinarily good, to neither of us, well, coming.
This is where I first met my ex-boyfriend’s wife for a sit-​down lunch to talk about rearing their child.
This is where I almost got hit by a car for the first and only time in my nearly 33 years.
This is where I had a first date with a man with whom I’d have a long love affair.
This is where I’d meet that same man’s live-​in girlfriend (a theme in my life, yes).
This is where I’d see John Cusack; this is overall a wonderful celebrity-​sighting spot. Sometimes when I come here, (which, after all the abuse I still do, a lot), people ask me if I’m «SOMEONE» too. «Haven’t I seen you in something?» they say. That’s because I get a little jaunty here. Gwen Stefani goes here. My friend AB (YOU!) saw a dude from a TV show on Stars Network (some dorky show she likes) just tonight.
If you sit on the back patio, by the photo booth (yes! Old school photo booth!), you can order outrageously overpriced food from the bar, and gorgeous servers will bring it to you. In two hours. And you, too, will be hip.
The management is excellent and very apologetic for the slowness of the food, which arrives as an incorrect rendition of what you ordered (in our case, the wrong dead animal, for they had run out of cow and gave us bird instead), and they will buy you a glass of wine. They also take reservations for large or small parties.
The $ 15 hamburger is worth about $ 8, just so you know.
The setting is freaking gorgeous. The people are freaking gorgeous. If you don’t get gorgeous before you go here, you’ll feel out of place and hideous when you run into Stan from the office, BAM, in front of the restrooms, like I did last week.
Ugh, Edendale! You have my heart, just like men who are already in relationships: you make excuses about how we can be together anyway. You should NOT have my heart. But you do. But you’re all wrong for me. You’re emotionally expensive, fiscally irresponsible, there’s nowhere safe to park my ass except for the $ 4.50 valet. And yet I keep coming back, more and more. I’m cracked out. I think you put something in that house Pinot Noir, arguably the best house Pinot in the City of Lost Angels.

$ 10.50 for a Crown and coke. Just sayin’.
It’s still such a beautiful, historic building. Great cocktails, just don’t expect them to be cheap, or even, vaguely affordable. Last night we saw some straight up ho-​types (you know, with tits the size and shape of an actual balcony) mingling with the more scruffy hipster folks. What gives? That’s odd.
Weekend brunch is quite lovely on the patio. They will serve you a bloody mary nearly the size of your skull here, but again — it won’t be affordable. Everything is simply a touch too pricey here but it’s perfect for «after dinner» drinks and not a place to take up residence for the entire night. It could affect your credit rating.

If you wanna see that Jewish actor dude who was in Saving Private Ryan… Dazed and Confused… and seems to always be on the panel of whatever Bill Maher is hosting, what’s his name?! oh yeah! Adam Goldberg, then go here. I swear, he is there every single time I get a craving for a Mojito. And Edendale has the best. But, be ready to pay $ 16 for one. to ease the tension that the aging hipsters exude, be ready to pay top dollar for everything on their menu.
The outside seating area is beautiful and at the earlier hour of the evening, relaxing. But no silver spoon up any trust fund baby’s butt is going to stop these snobs from raving! They actual get pretty rowdy around midnight.

This is one of the best somewhat hidden bars in LA. Seriously. If you’re over 30, cough-​cough, this is one of those rare Silverlake bars that doesn’t make you feel old. I realize that must make me sound really old! :) But hopefully you know what I mean. It feels like NYC or Chicago or Paris, not LA.
The bar resides in a beautifully restored building that used to be the fire station, so it’s got tall ceilings and a really great long bar. The best thing however is the back patio — with the water fountain, twinkling lights and the black and white photo booth. It’s quiet because it’s so far from the street, and actually reminds me of being on vacation in Italy. Except for the fact that when done drinking I get to stumble back to my comfy house up the hill!
Edendale is the perfect place for a birthday party, drinks after work with co-​workers or a romantic date. And the bartenders are fantastic — they’ve made me custom drinks many times ‘just to try it’, which is awesome. Oh, and they have a KILLER all you can drink champagne brunch. Hiccup!

So like multiple hand claps straight off the bat for the amazing building that houses this adorable restaurant/​bar. I love me a well renovated old venue, such as this old fire station. It’s lovely inside. The attention to the details, such as the amazing stained glass window panel over the kitchen entrance, really helps add to your whole dinning/​barring experience. I believe it’s that ambiance thing, whatever.
The food was great. You gatta love a menu thats simple, but still makes you send the waiter, (more on him in a moment) away a few times because you cant quite decide what yummy food combination you will indeed be putting in your belly. I ended up opting for the soup of the day and a salad, and lemme tell you, as somebody who is very picky about her brothy endeavors, this was good ass soup.
So, mr-​surly-​waiter-​man, had a tude on him like you wouldn’t believe. (i mean this as a compliment). He busted our balls, and we busted back. I respect that in a server, makes things much more fun.
After we stuffed ourselves my lady friends and I sauntered over to the bar for more drinks. I guess its that ambiance thing again, but I felt very comfortable all evening. The lighting, the mix of people, it was all kind of calming, and not at all what usual saturday nights in this town are like.
5 stars for a lovely evening, and a brush with red-​haired, red lipped perfection. epic night indeed.

Alright so I’ve only been Edendale Grill one time but I live pretty close and definitely plan on making it a regular stop. We went for dinner, around 9 pm, and ended up closing the place down. I’m not sure if you need reservations on a weeknight, but I know they recommend it for weekends. Went on a Saturday, and called around 8:00pm and made a reservation for 9 pm for a party of 3, and when we got there we only had to wait like 10 minutes even though it was packed.
Anyways, we started with an old fashioned which was pretty tasty and well made right down to the muddled cherry and orange with a sugar cube. I got the vegetable pot pie with a side salad. The side salad was alright, it had a lot of the spring mix sort of lettuce, which is good but it was a really light salad, what I mean by that is it was almost all lettuce and sometimes that spring mix makes me feel like I’m eating leaves straight up off a tree, but it also helped cut the richness of the pot pie. The pot pie, was amazing… it had a cheddar cheese biscuit crust and a lot of great veggies with a gravy kind of sauce inside. It’s a 20 minute wait time for it, but it was totally worth it. My friends also loved their meals, the steak sandwich and soup of the day. All of the cocktails we got were great, they have a decent beer and wine selection and a full bar.
A lot of people talk about the lighting, the bar is pretty dark, but the dining room seemed normal to me. A little dimly lit, but not more-​so than anywhere else. And this is an old firehouse… you have no idea how excited I am about this. One thing was a little odd, it was like 75% guys. I’m not sure if this is normal here, but just an observation. Annnd if you watch Madmen, I don’t but the friends do, you would be excited to see Christina Hendricks there. I didn’t notice her but it like made my friends’ night.
The only crappy thing is you probably won’t find street parking, so pay the $ 4.50 for valet, but that’s pretty normal anyways. If you’re thinking about trying this place, do it! Eat here, drink here, use the photo booth, and get pushed out at 2 am… good times.

A really badly lit restaurant, dark to the point of being kinda creepy… serving good food? Can’t be true! Usually when they make it so you can’t make out the contours of what’s on your plate, there’s a reason, and you should avoid, avoid, avoid. But everything I tried here was solidly great!
Dan had a cheeseburger, which had no frills or decoration, but was tasty and fresh, with clearly high-​quality meat. The fries were crispy, herbed and topped with parmesan. My Cobb salad was lightly covered in blue cheese dressing, but not quite enough to be tiresome by the end of the meal. The crispy chicken, prosciutto, egg, avocado, and candied walnut were all wonderful and neither over– nor underwhelming. No complaints whatsoever about the food. I couldn’t see it — so it could have been blue and squirming for all I knew — but that possibly blue and squirming food sure tasted good.
They’re a little weird about substitutions — the waiter seemed to really not want to allow them. He wouldn’t come out and refuse, but he would ‘strongly suggest’ that whichever guest not substitute for whatever reason. I mean, he told my 95 year old grandma not to substitute mashed potatoes for fries because the fries were meant for dipping in the mussel sauce. He said he couldn’t put arugula on my aunt’s grilled shrimp because it was more like cioppino. Does the chef get murderously offended if someone doesn’t worship his exact style, or what? I don’t get it.
Yes, the Edendale chefs know their flavor combinations and if you like every kind of food then you’d probably do well to shut up and trust them. But if you like to ‘tweak’ your orders, beware.

got together here around 8 on a tuesday night for a friends birthday. i don’t smoke, but he and all his friends do, so it was nice to be able to sit outside and have a meal together without someone leaving the table every 5 minutes. but i can certainly see how this would suck for others who like to sit outdoors without smokers. oh well.
only had beers here so i can’t attest to the strength or quality of the mixed drinks. however i did order crab cakes which turned out to be pretty good. no idea why i ordered them since i usually don’t like crab anything! dishes came out fairly quickly and service was good.

A group of 10 of us descended upon The Edendale this past Sunday at noon to enjoy the sunny 70 degree weather on the front patio and (more importantly) the bottomless champagne brunch. A dozen+ bottles of champagne later, it was 3pm and we (mercifully) were cut off. Luckily I have a memory like a vice and recall enough about the experience to write a coherent review.
We were seated promptly (nobody awakens before noon in Silver Lake apparently, the outdoor section in front did not fill up until at least 1:30) and our friendly waitress cheerfully took our complicated orders (only one person ordered something without omissions/​substitutions/​additions) and true to her word, kept the champagne flowing. This was probably a good thing, as it took FOREVER for us to get our food, so at least we had plenty of bubbly (and trips to the photo booth in the back patio) to keep us busy.
The food arrived and to the staff’s credit, all the 9 of the complicated orders came back correctly prepared, and right about at the same time. My Bacon/​Lettuce/​Avocado/​Tomato sandwich (with an added fried egg over medium) and side salad were done just right, and although everything I saw and tasted was good, I felt slightly underwhelmed at the ambition of the brunch menu, as all the scrambles and breakfast sandwiches that I saw around me were things that I might whip up during a weekday morning.
I would still recommend The Edendale for their solid, well-​prepared brunch, their awesome photo booth, good service, and lovely patio areas.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD avoid this place like the plague that seems to have infected its sickly-​looking emo patrons. Unless of course you:
(a) have a hankering for Hollywood douchebaggery, minus the glamorous Hollywood part
(b) are scouting talent for the latest sequel to from Dusk ’til Dawn
© spend most of your day carefully avoiding sunlight/​garlic
(d) are a California smoker, hunting down the rest of your dying breed
(e) you have some personal beef with me and want to burn the bridge as effortlessly as possible.
Luckily, the horror at eye-​level guarantees ample time spent gazing at the antique tin ceiling tiles. Pretty.

This place is beautiful!
5 stars for strong drinks, great appetizers and an amazing atmosphere. I’d love to come back for brunch– keep your eyes out for an update with more details…

Its a Solid Three Stars!
Ive been coming here off and on for about the last four years now, but it is ALWAYS for a birthday party or get together of some kind. The restaurant itself isnt very big, but they have a lot of outdoor seating in the front and back patios.
The bar has a decent wine list and strong cocktails. I have never eaten here but the food looks average and from friends opinions, its decent if you are really hungry.
This is a good place to get in with no hassles and have a drink with friends. Thats about it.
My favorite part is the photo booth in the back. I have some great memories with friends at this place.

If you haven’t given up nicotine yet, run don’t walk to Edendale.
I’ve always liked Edendale for its bar but never went out of my way for the restaurant… until now. I went this weekend and was very satisfied with my tuna tartare appetizer and pork loin braised with a spicy hot bbq glaze. The service was spot on, as well. Specialty drinks were small and expensive but delicious. A+ so far.
The space is a converted firehouse (great revovation). The bar is a great place to meet friends for drinks. The wood paneled bar area opens up to the outside seating area. The indoor dining always seems sparse since most diners prefer to eat al frescoe.
Disappointment # 1: I love outdoor eating in SoCal’s temperate weather and Edendale has 2 lovely seating areas. However, the dining patio is off of Rowena Avenue and the traffic can be deafening even though it is screened by shrubs. Also, the outdoor space brings up another negative…
Disappointment # 2: I was appalled and disgusted by all the hard-​core smokers around me which certainly did diminish the overall experience of the meal. I say hard-​core because instead of breathing, they were sucking on their cigs as if there were no tomorrow! The establishment does nothing to curb the smoking since I notice every table had an ashtray. Can’t we keep the smokers away from the food? It’s not fare that I have to enhale smokers’ pre– or post-​meal smoke while I am trying to enjoy my entrée!
It’s a shame I’ll have to sit indoors if I return to Edendale Grill.
$ 115.00 Dinner for 2: Appetizers, Entrees, 2 drinks each.

This place is hidden with no signs since it would defy historical monument rules.
Iris, the restaurant manager, is such a sweetheart, great to talk to. She showed us around the restaurant which used to be a firestation. Old school décor. There’s a front and rear patio. Cool bar where the fire truck used to park.
Food was great, service even better. Had a steak sandwich and my friend had a burger.
Chocolate molten cake was great. A must try. I need to come here for drinks one day. Seems like a nice spot to chill.

Went here with a large group of friends for a farewell dinner, the location is gorgeous– we sat in the very romantic courtyard, among the twinkle-​strung vines and sappy trees.
I as usual ordered too much food, but givin there was mac and cheese on the menu, a girl can’t be blamed for her cravings.
Food we partook on:
House salad
Chicken Pot Pie — had yummy mushrooms in it
Tofu Veggie Plate — the couscous was nice and fluffy and was accompanied by really yummy eggplant crisps.
Blue Cheese fries– watch out, if you order these, you’ll defiantly be sharing them with everyone within an arms distance
Mac & cheese– perfection!
Grilled Chicken Sandwich
Everything was delicious, filling, and I’m looking forward to grabbing some mac & cheese soon!
About the bar: seemed to be commandeered by young hipsters, sipping on rum & cokes, waiting for the local clubs to open up. By the time we left, after taking some photos in the old-​school photo booth, the sun was setting on another lovely l.a. summer night and casting a lovely sunset over the patio.

Woot Woot! Another great hang out by my (sorta) new hood.
Despite my exhausting schedule and empty wallet, I couldn’t say no to my favorite poon. We arrived post-​birthday-​dinner and found the restaurant was still pretty crowded, though not in a sardine can kind of way. I initially attempted to warm myself at the bar, but since smoking is Joe-​Camel-​cool and only allowed outdoors, I was forced to endure a frostbitten right nostril and left ear. The things we do for charred lungs and sex with the Marlboro man…
I liked the place a lot, with its lax vibe and classy feel. There is both a front and back patio, adorned with Christmas lights and bistro tables. I don’t know exactly how much drinks cost, but I do remember them at least being fairly potent. Although it wasn’t my birthday, I admittedly pulled the brat card on generous friends to get drinks. Look… if you’ve got a working vag, learn to use it. Nuff said.

hmm… where do I start. This was so horrible! I mean a horrible experience.
I came with the Queen of Unilocal herself. We have lovely dinners on a regular basis. And folks, there was a huge amount of disrespect here.
Let’s start at the beginning. We asked for suggestions on wine choices. We asked specifically for a full bodied spicy selection. And our server suggested a Zinfandel. After he opened the bottle for us, it was soooooo sweet practically a dessert wine. Please Sir Server, be honest with us and yourself, you don’t know shit about wine. It was so horrible. Politely, we informed him this wasn’t spicy at all, but quite sweet. So he brought over another choice, then another, and we were like, okay give us the cab please. We ordered a bottle and it was much better.
From that point on, it got terrible. He didn’t have patience with us… we ordered a pork chop and a filet. Oh and mussels to start. It wasn’t as if we didn’t have money to spend. This wasn’t a cheap meal folks. My poor dates filet still had the rope around it, and my pork chop was awfully dry. We didn’t complain at all. So we were just waiting to get our check and he took forever… he walked by with out making eye contact and dropped the dessert menu.
What the hell was that? So we were done at that point. We decided to talk to the manager and see if she could give us a reason why this place is worth returning to. We called her over, introed Unilocal and who we were… she asked how the service was, we said, just okay. She was really unkind and judgmental. Just one of those people that judge by appearance.
Later we find out that she complained about two gals who came from Unilocal to her husband and his friends… as if we were rude and unprofessional. My dear! ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? This server was awful and we were far from bitchy. The table next to us got there first and ordered before us and we finished every course of our meal and even paid, then this server realized he forgot to put their order in. Yikes. Sucks to be stupid.
So Edendale, dinner here will never happen again. I will try out this bar again and maybe chill with cool peeps.