The Lodge--CLOSED

We have been to this restaurant a number of times with friends and we have loved it every time. The steak is great, we have visited almost all of the best steak houses in southern california and this one is the best. Sometimes people have a bad experience, sometimes people have good experiences ours were great every time! Try the bone in steak, it is prepared like no other steak house. Remember it is a STEAK HOUSE so try the steak, if not there is no reason to go to steak house to eat fish! Pros: Great steak! It is a STEAK HOUSE! Cons: Nothing! more

I'M A 1ST TIME USER OF THE SITE AND HAD TO SHARE MY GOOD EXPERIENCE AT THIS RESTAURANT. MOST PEOPLE ONLY SHARE, WHEN THEY HAVE BAD EXPERIENCES. MY HUSBAND AND I DINE OUT OFTEN AND WE BOTH AGREE THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST STEAK HOUSES IN THE CITY! NOT ONLY ARE THE STEAKS DELICIOUS BUT THE SEABASS AND CRAB CAKES ARE MY FAVORITE. THE STAFF IS VERY FRIENDLY AND ACCOMMODATING. WHEN THEY FOUND OUT IT WAS OUR ANNIVERSARY THEY COMP'D OUR DESSERT. WHEN WE TOOK OUR MOTHER'S THERE FOR MOTHER'S DAY THEY PRESENTED THE WOMEN WITH ROSES! WE RECOMMEND THIS PLACE TO MANY OF OUR FRIENDS AND BUSINESS ASSOCIATES AND THEY TOO HAVE HAD GREAT EXPERIENCES THERE. I MUST GET THEM TO WRITE A GREAT REVIEW, ALSO! DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT...GO CHECK THEM OUT FOR YOURSELF! Pros: BEAUTIFUL ATMOSPHERE, GREAT SERVICE Cons: NOT CHILD FRIENDLY, NO HIGH CHAIRS more

POOR!!! HUGE difference in food quality since LAST MARCH - must be some changes in management here. Dined at this restaurant just last March and had a great experience, place was lively and the food/steaks were fantastic - the kobe beef and foie gras was superb. Since then I guess the place is NOW AT IT WORST!!! Dined there on a Wed night - group of 8. WAITED ONE HOUR 1/2 for our food to arrive - mind you the PLACE WAS practically EMPTY. 4 of our Prime Ribs w. Foie Gras was DRY. 2 plates were returned - should have returned ALL 4. The other 2 Rib-Eyes were mediocre. NOT WORTH even spending $10 for a steak. Your chances of buying a nice cut from the market for $10 would be more satisfying. The manager took off a few foie gras - a whooping $30 bucks from our tab for the dry tasteless slivers of foie gras.(Such a shame the foie gras was cooked terrible - a waste) 4 desserts were comped but really not much compensation either - lava cake was the last to arrive and was COLD. Our bill totaled out to $1040+ with of course the 20% Gratuity included!!! If not for our good company and conversation and a great reliable bottle of wine this would go down as one of our wasteful experiences in LA - a definite write off on our LA dining recommendations. (My future learning curve for this ...Take notice in the future if a restaurant , once bustling, no longer fills at least 1/2 of the main dinning area at peak dinner hours and stick to the steak houses we know and trust.) - P.S. - I signed up on LA City Search just to add this feedback. It's worth letting you know to seriously consider another steak house but won't make up for the bad experience. Pros: Decor & Wine, Cons: Dry steaks, dry foie gras, long wait for food, poor prep quality of desserts more

I am a frequent diner at many restaurants in Los Angeles, and I think people should be warned about the awful experience we had at The Lodge When I dine out, I try to go to places that offer good service, good food and a fun atmosphere, sadly The Lodge was lacking in all 3 areas! Nine of us sat down for what should have been a delicious meal, we had a good reason to celebrate and we were looking forward to some steak! Rude waiter, made up own language, No water refills, Some dishes not appearing with no explanation/apology, Long wait between plates being cleared and the next course arriving, Waiter not available/ in sight when you needed him, Cold sides, Over-cooked steaks, One person's meal didnt appear until much later than everyone else's (a salad), Empty restaurant, no atmosphere, Bad management, Awful owner attitude. I made the booking after receiving a $100 off voucher via email. If you've been sent one of these, dont bother going, they won't honor it! When the bill came we asked about the voucher. As we didnt bring a printed out version, despite having the email on my blackberry, we couldnt claim it. The bill also had a 20% gratuity added on. 20% I willingly add for a good meal, but this one had been far from a pleasant experience. Surely a gratuity is something that you add to show your appreciation for the wonderful service/food etc. I complained to the manager about both of these matters and she was rude, condescending and completely unhelpful. Eventually she went to speak to the owner and his attitude was 'Well you ate it, didnt you?". The worst part was after I mentioned I had previously booked several large parties at The Lodge and the manager tried to hug me! Literally seconds after she was treating us like dirt. After 15 minutes trying to get a reasonable response out of the management we left in disgust. This was not my first time dining at The Lodge, but it will definitely be my last! Pros: Has seats Cons: Service, food, staff, cost, ambience, management attitude more

My boyfriend and I went to The Lodge for dinner. We were a little concerned about some of the reviews but we were told that it is now under new management. From the moment we arrived, the service was impeccable and all of the staff was very friendly and attentative. Our server David took great care of us and the sommelier Scott was very helpful. We loved the atmosphere, very cozy with great booths, dim lightning and a fireplace. Our filet Mignon was excellent and we enjoyed the mixed beets and sauteed mushrooms side dishes as well as a jumbo shrimp appetizer. It was all delicious and our bottle of wine was outstanding. We will definitely come back! more

I had the pleasure of dining at the Lodge this evening. Our server was attentive without being invasive. He suggested a great glass of wine which complemented the Cajun Bone in Ribeye incredibly well. My date a vegetarian who incidentally loves Steakhouses for their great sides put her faith in our server who recommended a plethora of great sides including the sweet potato fries, asparagus, and the mac and cheese. She had a fantastic salad for dinner with the sweetest balsamic vinagrette. Everything was delicious. David completely took care of us and steered us right at every turn. We'll be back. Kudos. KB more

Even after reading all the horrible reviews a friend and I decided to go out for a STEAK on Tuesday night. I have to admit I was a little nervous to check this place out but the menu looked good and we were hungry so we made reservations for 2 people . The place was pretty empty when we arrived and only a few people sitting at the bar and a few other's eating. We sat at a table behind the bar area and were greeted by 2 friendly wait staff that was very prompt and informative about the menu and such.. I ordered the bone in FILET which was great. It is a little pricey and not that easy to find at night if you have never been but I have to say I might go back. I don't think it is as bad as people think and the waitress informed us that it has just switched owner's so I would expect to see some change's in the future. more

My wife and I went with another couple. I was suspicious when we got a reservation at 8 pm on a Saturday night with the reservation made 2 hours earlier. My suspicions were confirmed. This place is horrible. One of the rudest servers ever. I order a drink and my wife orders Pellegrino. The server then pours the Pellegrino for me and then for our friends. None of us wanted it, which we told him so he wastes the bottle on us and doesn't bother to bring another for my wife. He never asked if we wanted a second drink and we had to flag him down. Mind you the restaurant is half empty. We literally had to yell repeatable to get his attention to get our bill, while he with his back to the dinign room goofing off with his co-workers. Now to the food: I had the filet (bone in)...the worst...fatty, way undercooked. I have nothing good to say, other than I can't wait until this place goes out of business and a real restaurant that understands that when we drop $400 we want decent service and great food. Having never posted before on any site, I was compelled to today as this place should do all of us a favor and close its doors Pros: It will hopefully shut down soon Cons: it is still open more

WE LUCKED UP ON THIS RESTURANT. IT WAS GREAT. THE BAR ARES THAT IS. THE REGULAR DINING AREA WAS TOO DARK. BUT AFTER WE MOVED IT WAS ON AND CRACKIN Pros: BAR AREA Cons: DINING AREA more

Here we go again... I read a couple of reviews and will defend the Lodge but will then give a description of my dinner. First of all if you are a party of 8 and order 2 app's a bunch of sides and bring multiple bottles from home then STAY HOME!!! A restaurant is a business not your living room where you feel you can order a side and an app. If you can't afford to eat out and enjoy a full dining experience then stay home. This has happened all too often when I was in the industry and its frustrating and obnoxious for people not to see that it is a business????!!!!!!! Anyway... My dining experience was horrendous. I was celebrating the retirement of a friend who is a professional athlete and brought a bottle of 1978 Penfold's Grange. If you know your wine you know this is an extremely expensive bottle. The server rolled his eyes when he saw this which was just plain rude. I asked him to decant the wine and again this was a major problem for him. I didn?t say anything because I never do hence why I am going to write reviews. When he returned he destroyed the cork and pushed it into the bottle!!!! As you could imagine I was now livid. I told him the bottle of wine was worth $800 and he didn't seem to care. The food was mediocre. The high light was my friends Filet Mignon which was the only highlight. The manager came over and asked how everything was and he could tell I was a little annoyed. I explained to him the server was rude and I wanted the wine to be filtered due to the cork floating in it. He said he would love to but had to deal with another issue. Guess what??? He didn't return. Dinner was $240 for two. The server was rude, the manager was dismissive and condescending No wonder they have employee lawsuits filed against them and its for sale!!!! Pros: Ambience Cons: Service, quality of food, staff are rude, rude management more

such a disappoinment...... i commend the quality of the meat and accurate temperature but i will never return to this place nor would i recommend it to any of my friends. my friends hosted a suprise birthday for me here and from the moment we walked in there was non-stop harrassment about "keeping the policy". from limiting us to the # of our own wine bottles we could open, to keeping the minimum per person, to insisting we buy a bottle from their wine selection and forcing us to open the bottle when no one wanted anymore wine.... the manager whom i felt to be more like a dungeon master could not get over "keeping the policy". since he was so intent on "keeping the policy", i wanted to recommend to them that the policy of any restaurant should always be "customers first" not "minimum dollar amount spent per party". for a party of 8, we ordered 2 dozen oysters, salad, we EACH ordered our OWN entrees mainly steaks w/ foie gras, and additional 8 sides. seriously, it's not like we were TRYING to be on a budget... we just couldn't eat anymore! (6 ladies, 2 men)... but the manager kept insisting we meet the minimum dollar amount per person stated in the contract. douche. if you're looking for great steak, great service and no ridiculous policies... drive two blocks down to mastro's more

This place has the worst service ever. I was there this weekend to clebrate my sister's 26th Birthday and we had a party of 8 people. We brought 2 bottles of red wine and a bottle of champagne, Insignia , Opus One and Cristal. So the manger comes by and tell us that we open our own wine if we paid $30 for corkage. Fine, that's pretty standard. However, then he tells us that we can only open a TOTAL of 2 bottles of wine unless we purchase a bottle from them. WHAT is that??? Ok, so I purchased a random $128 bottle of sirah from their list. I told the waiter to hold off opening the bottle because we had two bottles opened already. By the end of the night we all had enought wine so I asked the manger not to open the last bottle of Sirah instead we wanted to take it home. The manger then told me he couldn't do that that he had to open the wine even if we didn't drink it. WHAT??? Why would anyone open wine if i weren't going to drink it!! He said is was POLICY!! what kind of screwed up POLICY is that?? FInally, the last thing that made furious was that the manager told us that we could open our Champagne, because we didn't have that THIRD Bottle of Wine. THE WORST EXPERIENCE EVER!! THE FOOD?? ehhh. The expereince made it horrible. NEVER AGAIN WILL I go to this place or recommend it to anyone. Mastros, much much better....screw this the lodge!! Cons: Worst Manager Ever. Does not know how to treat their customers; No much at the bar either. more

Came here for dinner and had a wonderful time -- from the moment we were seated, the service was great. The sommelier was very informative and helpful, even though neither of us drinks much wine (good reisling) and the food was delicious. I was told the steak was great and the fish was flavorful as were the sides. They also serve an unsual sparkling water ( I forgot the brand), which was very good. This is the kind of place that is good for the holidays or a romantic dinner on a special occasion. Pros: Fireplace, service, setting Cons: Can get really crowded, especially at night more

I went to the Lodge to take a friend for his birthday. He has been several times before and has raved about it. I'm not a huge fan of steakhouses but when it comes from a friend's referral, then I figure it must be worth it. WRONG. First, when I was thinking about having a glass of wine with my steak when it arrived, I was told to get the Syrah as it was excellent and for the price, you couldn't beat it. On the menu, it says $8. When I looked at my receipt, it said $15. I called the restaurant the next day and told her what happened, and she said "oh that price is for a taste." That would've been good to know before! We ordered a special greek salad to start and it was one of the worst I've ever had. I am Greek and this was a pathetic excuse for a salad. There were few olives, tomatoes and cucumbers and ALL ICEBERG LETTUCE. It reminded me of something I've had at Denny's. I orderd my filet mignon and it was nice and brown on the outside, and completely pink all the way through on the inside. I asked to send it back for a little more of the "medium rare" that I asked for, and the shade only slightly darkened. The one positive is that they gave us a desert of chocolake cake and ice cream for my friend's birthday on the house. And that was very tasty. But that good last feeling of the restaurant was taken away when the bill total, after tip, was adjusted (as seen on my credit card statement) by the server when adjusted at the restaurant. Though it was only a few dollars, it's illegal to do that and it enrages me that someone can think that that is OK. For spending over $200, I feel ripped off compared to when I go to restaurants spending a fraction of that and everything from the the ambiance, to the food, to the service is five stars. Never again! It's boring clientele and overpriced food have no place in any of my recommedations. more

First went here for a company dinner and have been back twice on my own. I love the look of this place, it's dark and cozy. The hostesses and waiters and bartenders have always been very friendly and helpful. The food is delicious. Tender, juicy steak along with a choice of some great sides... the four cheese macaroini will knock your socks off as well as the sweet potato fries. I've come across some food snobs that wern't as impressed, but I liked it and I'll go back. Give it a shot. Pros: great looking place, great food, good for large groups or two person dining. Cons: the bar area could be bigger, call to see if you need to make reservations more

We had a great time at the Lodge on Saturday night. My husband and I went for dinner and enjoyed talking to the bartenders, the people watching and the warm, friendly atmosphere. We were enjoying ourselves so much at the bar that we asked if we could have an additional half an hour before we were seated for dinner and they accomodated us. On top of that the food was surprisingly good. My husband's steak was tender and juicy, and prepared just as he asked. My salmon was flaky and really flavorful. The side of mashed potatoes was great too!! We were leary after some reviews for bad service, but that is not what we experienced and we will definitely return. Pros: ambience, friendly service Cons: pricey night out more

Let me start by saying, "I do not recommend" the Lodge steakhouse! Upon a suggestion, my guest & I made rsvp for a cozy romantic dinner. Even with reso at 8pm, we were NOT seated until 8:45pm, even with specific request of a cozy quiet table, we were seated in the noisy BAR area, and after alerting the "manager" about our long wait, he didn't even bother to accommodate us. The hostesses were good but their attitude towards our requests were poor. The scenary is so-so not much to comment about, just an average bar with bad(staffs) attitude! If you LOVE fish, don't go there. The fish dishes were HORRIBLE! It was so salty, over cooked and the fish were swimming in an unsavory looking dark sauces(Halibut & Sea Bass). Three of their waiters(men) have long hair swinging around while serving the guests, not acceptable. If you are hungry and looking forward to your meal in a resonable time, don't come there. We waited 45 mintues and asked the our waiter twice before our lukewarm dishes arrived. We were VERY disappointed with our experience! Our suggestion,...CHANGE management and read the customer reviews. One good experience, the VALET guy were pleasant and even remember our vehicle. more

This place offered the worst dining experience I've had in years. After having requested a booth and making reservations a week in advance, my friends and I were seated at the worst table on all of La Cienega, a not -so-cozy nook next to the bar, a table clearly that should have been assigned to walk-ins only. It was loud, obnoxious and exhausting. My filet was mediocre and overcooked. Our waitress was lovely though. The people in the "dining room" on the other side of the glass looked miserable as well. Stay away! Pros: None Cons: Ambience more

1st time visit was good... small filet mignon was good, service was good. Just went back, and was thoroughly disappointed. Our waitress was still excellent (same one from last visit). But the hostesses at the front... they are the kind that do not know what they are doing. We had an early reservation (6:00pm), and when we got there, the restaurant was only about 25% full. They tried to give us the worst table in the corner, and would not seat us at a booth because they were expecting large parties. They kept trying to give that table to subsequent customers. By the time we left about 1 1/2 hours later almost all of the booths were still empty. In fact, almost all of the nicer tables were still empty, and we had gotten stuck with one of the worst tables. Our meat was overdone, and definitely not as good as last time. In short, will never go back again. Must be all or nothing with this place, depending on when you go. Definitely, the dumb, wannabe model hostesses at the front need to go. Pros: Wait staff is friendly. Cons: Hostesses have god-complexes more

The drinks are delish, especially the tangerine martini. There is a great wine list, with fantastic wines in a wide range of prices. The staff is extremely helpful and friendly. Also, the sommelier Caitlyn is top notch. The atmosphere is cozy, warm, and pretty at the same time. Overall a fantastic experience, even if just going for drinks. more