JiRaffe Restaurant

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502 Santa Monica Blvd (at Corner of 5th St, Santa Monica and the Beaches)
Santa Monica, CA 90401

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(310) 917-6671
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JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
JiRaffe Restaurant - Santa Monica, CA
Reviews
( 28 )
( 10 )
( 7 )
( 7 )
( 7 )

Best

Jiraffe is a great place to go for several occasions. I have had the most amazing food there and have enjoyed different, yet all pleasurable dining experiences. The ambiance is re...

Worst

To begin, the garnish in my apertif looked three days old and was brown do to its exposure to the elements. The bread arrived and was one step above WonderBread...a complete diss...

Fabulous food, even more amazing desserts! 3/6/2005

The food here is amazing. I've gone back twice in 3 weeks and each time have been impressed. Definitely recommend the lamb or the steak. Every dish was very flavorful. The atmosphere is great as well. You find people in jeans and people very dressed up so wear what you want and be prepared for an amazing meal. The desserts are even more amazing and I would absolutely recommend the lemon souffle - this is to die for! Pros: Lemon Souffle, Service Cons: Long Wait more
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Great Food - Steep Prices 3/1/2005

I went for the Valentines Day with my girlfriend, the food, service and ambience were excellent. I did not expereince any snootyness or unattentiveness from the wait-staff. They were a tad unexperienced with the wine aspect of the evening, but it did not detract from the evening. What was slightly disconcerting was the price - nearly $90 a person for a three course meal. It seemed a little high, but in line with typical Valentines Day price-gouging. I am looking forward to returning! Pros: Food, Ambience Cons: Prices more
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JiRaffe pleases 12/22/2004

I went to JiRaffe once for dinner and was pleasantly surprised. I did not experience rude service by anyone. Our waiter was friendly and professional. The hostsess was a bit indifferent but seated us promptly upon disclosing our reservation (the place was empty at 6:30 but full by 8:30). Food was delicious, although I would not guess this is a French restaurant from the menu. Seems more like a Cal-French ""fusion"" type menu. Afterall, this is LA. The appetizer was tiny but, alas, to be expected in a pricey restaurant. I was satiated after the steak entree which was generous in portion, and quite tasty!! Go on a Monday night and take advantage of the prix fixe menu, a bargain at $24. Note: a large potted plant fell off the shelf encircling the main dining area. Nobody was hit, but I would avoid sitting near the windows after that sight. Pros: Excellent food Cons: , Pricey more
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Expensive but magnificient dishes. 10/10/2004

I ate here on a sunday in a party of six to say goodbye to a friend returning to law school. We had no trouble being seated, as the dining room was only about 40% full. I started with the pear salad, which was magnificient; other stars at our table were a delicious gnocci with seafood ragout and the ravioli appetizer. Two of us ordered the osso bucco special, which was magnificient and fall off the bone tender; also, the halibut and ahi received very high marks. We finished the dinner with the chocolate brownie dessert. The best meal I have had in a long time! Pros: Ambience, Marrying of cuisines Cons: , Price more
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Save your money!!! 12/31/2003

My husband and I just got back from eating at Jiraffe. I will admit, the food was excellent, but it was the absolute WORST service I have recieved in my entire life. I would go so far as to say I've recieved far better service at Denny's. It took half an hour to get my second drink, an hour and a half to get appetizers, and OVER TWO HOURS to get our entrees!!! I wish I was exaggerating, but I'm not! Worse yet, our oblivious waiter barely even apoligized! I'm not sure where he goes out for dinner on special occasions such as New Years Eve; 2+ hours for an entree is appalling. Also, we were told there would be a Moulin Rouge themed burlesque show, included with the $175 per person dinner. What we got was a 5 minute show that was not even the slightest bit impressive. Pros: great food, great location, beautiful atmosphere Cons: terrible service, overpriced more
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Romantic, quaint, delicious! 11/18/2003

We always have an enjoyable meal at this restaurants. The service is friendly and enjoyable. A very good wine cellar too. Pros: Great food, Great location more
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Perfection 10/25/2003

we have been to jiraffe four times in the past few months and every time our experience has been nothing short of perfect. the mojitos, vegetables and seafood are especially good. their use of organic vegetables take freshness to a new level.the servers take pride in the establishment. jiraffe is, in short, incredible. Pros: incredible food, service, cocktails Cons: pricey more
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Disappointed 10/9/2003

To begin, the garnish in my apertif looked three days old and was brown do to its exposure to the elements. The bread arrived and was one step above WonderBread...a complete disservice to the ""culinary legacy"" of this restaurant. While the food was dutifully prepared, the overuse of salt in all their dishes was apparent. This smacks of a once-esteemed restaurant resting on their now unwarranted reputation. Pros: Ambience, Valet parking Cons: Food oversalted, Lazy preparation, Indifferent service more
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Terrible Service 8/25/2003

I was appalled at the poor service we experienced, and at the unapologetic response by the hostess and chef. We didn't get the table we requested, the server wanted nothing to do with us once we told him we were not ordering wine, and later he decided to lecture me (a chef) about how to order lamb in a restaurant. He also yelled at the busboy in from of us. The food turned out mostly fine, but I will NEVER return. If you're looking for great food and kind service, head ANYWHERE ELSE. Vote with your dollars! Cons: Miserable service, Ineffectual mgmt more
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The Best Restaurant In LA 8/20/2003

As many of you know, I am a large woman. I have been to hundreds of restaurants in LA, and up to now, none have compared to the finest eateries in San Francisco, New York, or Dallas. But I can tell you, this is the best restaurant I've been to in LA. The food is unbelievably delicious and creative. The service was more than good. We were taken such good care of, I wondered if we were the only table in our section. From appetizers to desert, amazing is the only word that comes to mind. Top picks...the swordfish, the beet salad, the chocolate souffle. If you complain about LA food, you haven't been to Jiraffe. more
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Superb 7/25/2003

My girlfriend and I went here for Valentine's Day. I must say it was my most memorable dinner ever. The atmosphere was perfect (thanks to the upstairs table). Our waiter was very charming and attentive. He kind of looks like the Sprite commercial guy. All four courses were spectacular, topped by Chef Raphael making his rounds to each table. I have never been here other than this night, so I can't speak for a normal dining experience. A must go.. more
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Very good 5/23/2003

If you want good food, privacy and some romance, this is the place for you. The bar selection is not not the best. For a restaurant this good, the selection of Grappa was mediocre. Pros: food, service Cons: bar selection more
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good food, bad service 3/8/2003

Beet salad!!!! excellent. so was my steak...ordered it well done and it came out perfect. salty and crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. the other people i was with didn't like their steak that much...they ordered medium-rare...they said it wasn't crispy on the outside. anyways, the server was not that good...she was attentive, but slow and did not know how to pour wine...kept spilling some in my water or on the table. otherwise, she was friendly. we sat upstairs...excellent seating. i've been to Melisse and JiRaffe is much better. the owners of each restaurants are supposedly best friends. Pros: seating Cons: service more
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grand 2/23/2003

we went here on friday, there was five of us, the food was delightful, the atmosphere was okay.. (it was more of a dating/30+ groups), the service was great. the night went smooth. Pros: good food Cons: kinda noisy. more
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Disappointed 2/14/2003

I had read and heard a lot of very good things about JiRaffe, therfore my expectations were high. The salads were very good, the beet especially flavorful. But it was downhill after that. The tuna that I ordered as well as the salmon that my wife had were overcooked and dry, even though we ordered them rare. Unfortunately, the dryness distracted from the otherwise very good aspects of the entrees: the sauces, flavors, and presentation were nicely done. The server was pleasant, but disappeared after delivering our entrees; she never checked on our meals. Finally dessert. My fuji apple crumble was a dry, tasteless, muffin-like cake. However, the warm chocolate cake was excellent. Overall, though, a less than stellar experience. Pros: Atmosphere, Diverse menu, Nice presentation Cons: Overcooked fish, Poor value, Neglectful service more
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Fabulous 2/6/2003

I can't wait to go back. The food was phenomenal. It seems like it can get loud, so try to get an upstairs table if you can. Pros: amazing food Cons: noise more
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Makes your mouth water! 1/17/2003

When it comes to memorable meals, Jiraffe is at the top of our list. We have been several times and every dish we have tried has been excellent and unique. Staff members were very polite and helpful, and most even spend the time to have a conversation with you. Pros: Savory food, Great service Cons: Small more
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just about perfect 1/5/2003

extremely enjoyable night out...food was fantastic, atmosphere romantic but not at all snobby, service was charming. more
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Terrible service 12/10/2002

That a restaurant of this type has such miserable, inattentive service reflects poor management. Our server wnated nothing to do with us. After ignoring repeated requests, she came to the table, but, alas, it was only to wave at some freinds accross the street that she spotted through the window. more
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excellent service, pretentious food 9/26/2002

The service was great, but the food took a leap of faith and an overly pretentious palette to really appreciate. I found myself convinving myself that I liked the food just so that my date wouldn't feel so bad about the amount of money he spent on our meal. Still, the service was great - not pretentious at all and there were elements of the meal that were quite enjoyable -- a scallop appetizer and a very rich chocolate souffle. Overall, it was a nice experience. more
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Menu for JiRaffe Restaurant


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Editorial

  • The Scene
    Think stately chateau dining room--but with more tables--all done up in crystal chandeliers, dark woods and velvet tapestries. An equally done-up crowd of coolly fashionable...

  • 7/15/2004 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Monday: 6:00pm - 9:00pm Tuesday - Saturday: 6:00pm - 10:30pm
  • Payments: American Express, Master Card, Visa
  • Neighborhoods: Downtown, West LA, Mid-City
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