Gjelina

Went for brunch on a Saturday after being highly recommended. Looked busier from the outside but it was not really that busy. Had a res so was greeted and seated right away. Hostess was friendly and sat us upstairs inside by the window. Good seat since it was a sunny but cooler day. We ordered coffee and some other stuff. Coffee was warm, maybe a little more than room temperature, so that was a turn off. And when I got a refill, I realized why it was not hot, because the coffee sits in a thermos pitcher. Food was fine, nothing spectacular, but good enough to finish. As for service, let's just say we got served. Very AI impersonal and I guess when the 20% service charge is automatic, they don't have to try. On to the next...

Great food, service and ambience. Have been coming here for years (or a couple of decades?!). Loved it then, lived it even more for today's lunch!

Music is good and if I had a directional microphone I would be insta-famous blasting the "secret" conversations I could hear!

I think the included gratuity is very welcome given westside tipping nonsense. Pay your workers and include the tip and we're good.

BUT why am I paying tax on the tip?? On every $10 I spend you are charging me an additional $2 in taxes. C'mon.

So the food is decent but somewhat overpriced. Service was just okay and after taking your order, the waitress just disappeared until the very end. One of the issues I encountered was when asked if the take out has the same pizza pomodoro burrata next door at Gjelina to go (GTA), she said their pizza was different crust size, and they only have the gigantic size. I found out we were in fact misinformed after talking to GTA staff that the pizzas were actually the same. We ended up ordering it at the restaurant to go for a higher cost. I just wish the waitress would refrain from guessing and giving us misinformation. It's really not necessary and ended up costing more money for something that should've been bought at GTA.

As for the mandatory 20% tip, we didn't get great service. it's not a good model because it disincentivizes the workers from keeping a higher service level.

From Gjelina's grand opening to date, I can't understand the hype. Great location and atmosphere; friendly enough service; ok food; all of which are terribly overpriced and not worth the price tag.
I end up at this restaurant every time I have out of town guests who request it (for whatever reason). Perhpas next time, I will simply put my foot down and try other restaurants.
We ordered the tomato pizza which was basically bread, tomato sauce, basil and seasoning. Yes, that's right... no cheese(?) How could this even be called pizza?
The steak chimichurri was perhaps the worst tasting steak I have had in a long time. Poor quality cut and flavor, it really needed the sauce to be edible.
The lamb burger was ordered medium rare and was served medium. The flavor was good and perhahps the more edible of all three choices.
Good wine choices and bar.
Perhaps next time, I'll just have a drink if I had to dine here.

Saturday brunch at 11:30 am

- blueberry scone, Moroccan baked eggs, red little gem salad , crispy fingering potatoes

Service: friendly

Ambiance: modern, great vibe

Price: ok

Food quality: delicious, fresh and fabulous
5-stars straight!!!!

Highly recommend

What a lovely dinner spot! We were searching for a last minute girls night dinner location and decided to hop on over to Abbot Kinney in the hopes of landing a reservation. We ended up putting our name down at Gjelina and walking around the neighborhood for a bit before going back to wait, and were seated in approximately 35 minutes.

All of the food is phenomenal - our pomodoro pizza (with the optional burrata!), saffron spaghetti, wood roasted cauliflower and grilled broccolini... but the one dish I can't stop dreaming about is the wood roasted prawn, cooked in finger licking good black garlic chili butter, with a side of perfectly crusty bread to soak up all of the remaining sauce in the pan afterwards. Just writing this makes me want to make another trip right now!

Service was swift and professional, and while I'm not a wine expert, I really enjoyed the white that our waiter recommended to go with our dishes. Highly recommend!

Super trendy spot in a super trendy area. Still feels somewhat relatable and dressed down. Sat outside and people watched, lovely spot.

The pizza was delicious, each bite was complex and different. Each bite was its own experience. The service was very casual but really attentive and responsive. Eat here!

Food is excellent! The best California kitchen! Went back 3 consecutive times. But From the rude host to the service. Terrible.

The food is delicious. There are a lot of options and a good amount of vegetable options too. The pancakes were delicious as well as the Moroccan baked eggs. The baked eggs only come with one slice of bread, but you can always ask for extra.

Service is friendly and quick. They have a nice outdoor patio in the back as well as along the sidewalk. I would recommend the back patio for the shade.

There's street parking on residential streets as well as in front. There's also a valet parking lot, but why pay for parking when you could find something free?

We arrived just before opening for lunch service. There is a little bit of uncertainty over whether we could be seated or not. The interior is rustic, but modern, and after we sat, service was quick. We sat next to a group guys who seemed like old restauranteurs.

The pizza was so delicious with its bubbly crust.

If I could eat the sweet potatoes again, I would die happy. The salty crispy roasted sweet, covered in the jalapeño sauce, was perfection.

The salad was also wonderfully composed with all of the jam, lettuce, apple and cheese.