Our dinner experience at Charcoal left a lot to be desired. We ordered the char-grilled cabbage, the calamari, a bison ribeye, a prime beef ribeye and steak fries . The cabbage arrived 2 minutes after being ordered and the calamari about 5 minutes later. Then we waited, and waited, and waited, and waited--for 45 minutes--for the steaks and fries to arrive. Numerous times we inquired about the status of the order, only to be assured that it would be out "in two minutes". The quality of the food is ok-to-good. --The char-grilled cabbage is unusual, but good. --The calamari was ordinary at best. --The two steaks were ok, certainly not worth the price and definitely not worth the 45 minutes wait. --The steak fries were ordinary. --The chocolate peanut butter cake was the best dish of the meal. The restaurant is either badly understaffed or very disorganized. There seemed to be only one waiter for the entire patio. Other tables joined us in vying for his attention. One group of diners brought two dogs, one of which barked throughout the meal, while its owners and the restaurant management did nothing. Charcoal wants to be an upscale steakhouse. The only thing upscale about it are its prices, which are not justified by the quality of the food or the service.
Five star food and service. Went there twice in one week during a recent visit to Southern California. A wide variety of entrees and sides superbly prepared.
Delicious food , Fabulous atmosphere Great staff
Service was only outdone by the food. Bring your appetite because the servings are huge.
The set up was great.. Outside was comfy and private. The Filet was perfect. Those Brussels Sprouts we on another level..The broccoli and mushrooms were cooked and seasoned to perfection. I will return ....
The food quality was really good, the innovation in the menu was not apparent. The service was spotty at best. The order came out wrong and was brought back to the table on a side plate (it should have been re-plated correctly). There was a Kitchen Appreciation Fee - had that removed since the kitchen did not do its job, nor did it seem to care as seen in how it was delivered. For the supposed inventive cuisine - dunno where it went - the flavors were muddled. The wine was mediocre at best. The server tried to be interested in our welfare but since we had to flag him down clearly he was waiting too many tables. We ended up spending over two hours for a good (not great) meal that was quite expensive for what it was. Not worth the trek to Venice when better options exist.
If I could give zero stars I would. This pandemic is hard on everyone and I’m just trying to do my part. Restaurant allowed wrong driver to take my food (so I was told). I spent $50+ dollars, and have no food after waiting for 2 hours. Extremely disappointed.
The food was excellent with the exception of the chopped salad, which was boring. Sides and drinks were good. The other negative was the street noise while dining outside. There really isn't a patio as advertised.
Perhaps your dine in service is more welcoming? Perhaps your otter entrees are more tasty? The girl at the walk up window was not very welcoming and appears to lack people skills. She treated me as if I was bothering her. Do you train your staff on sharpening their interpersonal skills? You should, for future reference.
No bad restaurant. But little things can ruin the impression. Poor quality napkins, the old and washed. They leave a lot of fibers and dust on the clothes.