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American Farmhouse Tavern & Dining Hall
Categories: Restaurants Steakhouses Restaurants American (Traditional) Restaurants Breakfast & Brunch Steakhouses, American (Traditional), Breakfast & Brunch [Edit]
924 N Sepulveda BlvdManhattan Beach, CA 90266
Neighborhood: Manhattan Beach
(310) 376-8044
- Hours:
Tue-Fri 11 am - 2 pm
Tue-Thu, Sun 5 pm - 9 pm
Fri-Sat 5 pm - 10 pm
Sat-Sun 10 am - 2 pm
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
120 reviews for American Farmhouse Tavern & Dining Hall
Review Highlights
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"...the Santa Maria BBQ tri-tip sandwich which you get with..." In 3 reviews -
"I love their scoop of chocolate ice cream." In 8 reviews -
"The happy hour prices are good too." In 3 reviews
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120 reviews in English
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Review from Jenny V.
Torrance, CA
4/16/2012
Ask for Emile! He is an excellent server! I would say he is one of my favorite in the South Bay! Regarding the food, I can only speak to the orders I have made and so far everything has been delicious. Mashed potatoes are to die for, love the turkey burgers and the bacon wrapped shrimp and lastly the creamed cheese stacked toast which came with an egg that I ordered over medium and was so so good and the portugese sausage that came with it was out of this world. No, this wasn't all in one sitting!! I've been about 5 times in the last 3 months. The stew comes with most entree's I believe and is very good. My husband loved the "bowl of stuff" - yes that's what it's called. I have to be honest and say that some of the portions are small but then again some are larger than you expect.
I love the room in the back with the pool table and can't wait to have a party back there. I prefer to dine in the bar area for some reason.... maybe that cozy feeling appeals to me.
One suggestion would be that when traveling from south heading north on PCH... you might want to have the tree's trimmed a little to see your sign better.
Btw, I like the white shirts!! Nice change! -
Review from Judy A.
Redondo Beach, CA
5/13/2012
My son's took me to this restaurant for Mother's Day. None of us had heard of it and we like to try different restaurants.
We were seated into a very tight booth. The restaurant is small but real cute. I liked the music playing and the lighting was nice.
All of the meals come with a stew you make yourself, salad and dessert. I ordered the Sunday special. It was fried chicken. It came with mashed potatoes. The chicken was overcooked. Had it been cooked properly it would have been good. It came with mashed potatoes. They were ok. The white gravy wasn't good. It had the same spice that the stew had in it. I also waited 5 minutes after the rest of the food was delivered for my meal.
One son ordered the trip tip sandwich. He said the meat was like shoe leather. He ordered it with fettucini. He said that also had that same spice in it. It wasn't good. The sandwich came with nothing but meat on a french roll. He ordered aus jus and it came in a tiny little container.
Another son ordered the Angus burger. He said that the burger was fine but he ordered fries and they didn't have any. How can you be out of fries. Buy a bag of potatoes. So he ordered the sweet potato fries. They still charged him the extra $2.00. Since they were out of the regular fries they shouldn't have charged him more.
The last son ordered a turkey burger. He said the meat was fine but the bun was awful. He said it was a healthy bun and had to many seeds on it. It was also mushy.
A wedge salad comes with all meals. All our salads had the core of the lettuce and couldn't eat it. Lettuce is so cheap now I don't know why you would have to cut corners on this. Not enough dressing. I'm not sure what the stew was about. I didn't care for that at all. It had a funny taste and smell to it.
I think they should lower their prices and change several things. I won't be back and I won't recommend this restaurant. -
Review from Steph L.
Los Angeles, CA
5/1/2012
Yikes. You know, I'd give this place a generous review if it weren't for the fact that when I ordered a cast iron breakfast skillet with Portuguese Linguica sausage, they served one that was completely spoiled. At first I thought I had tricked myself, but no... not so much. The one I got had been sitting around for far too long and was completely sour; inedible. The one bite I took got me sick for the rest of the weekend.
Where do you even go from there. Even if the food and drinks were average, it is hard to get behind a kitchen that can't bother to check the expiration date on a main ingredient to one of their featured items. -
Review from Peter I.
4/24/2012
Average. Loved the little place, but one of the things we loved was the mustard sauce at the table. We asked for it and the waitress said, " nah, we don't do that anymore" huh... Oh well they really should. None of the 4 meals at our table really rocked. All just average. The bean stuff at the beginning was good and original, but not enough to bring me back again.
Too many good spots to go back to this one. -
Review from Julie B.
Redondo Beach, CA
5/20/2012
Excellent food, appropriate service and a parking lot. I love this restaurant and I will recommend to everyone!
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Review from Janis F.
Westchester, CA
5/9/2012
My company had their Christmas luncheon here last December and it was wonderful. The service was top notch and everyone seemed to enjoy the food. I've also had lunch here a couple of time and I've never been disappointed. Heading off for lunch there again tomorrow, will update if my opinion changes.
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Review from Dave S.
Updated - 2/11/2012 2 photos
Went today for breakfast. I had the traditional eggs benny and a side of pancakes. My usual routine to check out the hollandaise and pancakes. The service is friendly, but still a bit rookie'ish. Two of the servers tried to refill coffee by taking my cup to the pot. What happened to bringing the pot to the table. Maybe it's a lazy thing, but some customers prefer to keep their eyes on their coffee cups. If a customer wanted some ketchup, you wouldn't see the server take the plate to the ketchup bottle. It just looks unprofessional to take the cup.
The benny was good. The hollandaise sauce was very good and there was just the right amount of sauce to egg yolk ratio. The poached eggs were perfect. They serve it with some grilled smoked ham on toasted French bread which was a good change from the English Muffin. The potatoes were average. A bit more soft than crispy. The pancake was average too. They have a pancake breakfast on the menu for $12 with 1 egg and a meat. I don't think these pancakes are gourmet enough to charge $12. They are cakes you could get at a Denny's.2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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8/15/2011
Located in the fomer Schezwan restaurant location, you can tell they didn't change too much indoors… Read more »
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Review from Lisa L.
Redondo Beach, CA
4/18/2012
Love this place......The prices aren't cheap but considering you receive a starter plus a salad and a desert with your entree, its not a bad price for what you're getting......My fave is the ribeye steak. Its amazing and I absolutely adore the decor and ambience of this restaurant....
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Review from Rick B.
Woodland Hills, CA
1/19/2012
Wow, I read all the prior reviews and I definitely don't see this as a one, two or even a three-star place. Maybe I'm lucky, but I've been here several times and even brought a group here for lunch just before the holidays ... it has consistently been great! I may just be partial to the whole Santa Maria BBQ thing (you know, F. McLintocks, the Hitching Post, Far Western Tavern, etc.), but I really like the American Farmhouse and Tavern. I'm also a sucker for anything BBQ'd over oak, which is what they do in this restaurant.
Granted the portions are not what you'd find in Buellton, but this is Manhattan Beach, baby!
The owners are MB locals and really nice people, the service has always been great and the food is very good. I know this is a fairly new location for them, so maybe they just need some time to work things out. I'll keep going there and hoping for the best, as it is a long drive to Guadalupe!Comment from Nichole B. of American Farmhouse Tavern & Dining Hall 2/6/2012
We are glad to hear that you love our Santa Maria BBQ. Just… More » -
Review from stacy b.
Redondo Beach, CA
3/21/2012
Yuk, hated my meal , service and atmosphere . Some at our table did enjoy what they ordered so not a total disaster. Would not go back and if you are not into dining with kids around, this is not the place for you.
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Review from E. B.
Redondo Beach, CA
1/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
It will take a lot to get me back here again. The first time I went was a few months ago on a Monday night and the place was fairly quiet. The service was ok and the experience fine- nothing special. The atmosphere and decor are great!
We went tonight (Friday night) for dinner and I am hard-pressed to come up with many positives about the evening. The food was lacking in flavor, service was non-existent, and the prices way too high. The waitstaff lacked enthusiasm and personality- that is, when you could find them. We had to get up to get our salt and pepper from an empty table, had to flag someone down for every water refill, and waited 15 minutes for someone to come get our credit card after the bill had been given to us.
On the way out we asked the hostesses to see the manager and waited almost 4 minutes while one went looking for her/him...they couldn't find a manager!!! That pretty well says it all about this place.
Like others on Yelp- I really wanted to like this spot and make it a regular hang out. too bad they missed the mark completely. -
Review from Vivi T.
1/15/2012 1 Check-in Here
I'm not really sure where I stand on this restaurant - I don't want to give it 2 stars, but am not completely convinced with 3 ... so it's a solid 2.5.
First off, I love the decor - it reminds me a bit of Tin Roof Bistro in Manhattan Village, but definitely not as lively. The bartender was nice and he made a great martini - this is where the excellence ends.
The menu is confusing .... I love the "family style, farmouse" concept, but if you have to explain the menu to your customers then it's time to re-strategize. The shared "stew" at the beginning of the meal is pretty silly, considering you really only get a serving big enough for one.
Overall, the food isn't bad but it could definitely be better. It would help if the servers were a little more knowledgeable about the menu, to help guide customers towards the better dishes. -
Review from Jay I.
Los Angeles, CA
12/4/2011
I started out giving them 5 stars. I ate here twice then took my husband and a friend for dinner - all fabulous meals. The owner is a sweetheart and seemed to really care.
Then I took 4 friends there for our Christmas lunch last Friday. Oh my! I don't know what happened but it was awful. The only good meal was the beef stew. The lunch salmon was overcooked, dry. One person asked for veggies instead of the salad, and one asked if she could get anything else instead of salad. The waitress said "Oh sure, no problem". One of our party has severe health issues and can't have spice. When asked if the fish or chicken could be grilled plain, she was told "no, we put spice on it". Her holiday lunch...a glass of milk - they wouldn't serve anything unseasoned except for a bowl of lettuce for $5. And that glass of milk? Well, that was $3. Really?!
Oh, and remember those 2 changes on the lunch plates? $2 each. If a change is going to cost extra, shouldn't the patron be told?
None of my friends will be back - and I may not be either. Too bad...I really liked the new menu. -
Review from Dave B.
Redondo Beach, CA
3/25/2012
I've been to the Farmhouse a few times for lunch and dinner and have become a big fan of the place. The service is always really friendly and knowledgeable and the prices are a great value for the quality and quantity of the food. They have really good cocktails and a solid beer selection (drinks aren't cheap though).
My wife and I are vegetarians and the first few times we went there we loved the veggie burger (our favorite veggie burger in south bay - get it with the cranberry aoli). Last time we went there though, the veggie burger was different and we really didn't care for it (we thought it was a processed turkey burger, but were assured it was a veggie burger). It was different from their original ones, we hope they bring them back.Comment from Nichole B. of American Farmhouse Tavern & Dining Hall 3/26/2012
Hi Dave. I am glad you guys are regulars. I am sorry to hear… More » -
Review from Patrick O.
Redondo Beach, CA
10/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
I really really hate to write this review but here it goes.
I had never been to the previous location but, after hearing that they moved to a bigger place down the street I was intrigued. Yes, I had been peeping the website multiple times over the past year or so and when I learned that business was so good they expanded I finally bit the bullet with a buddy of mine and came in today for lunch.
Oh and plus I knew they had the almighty Santa Maria tri-tip, getting to that in a few.
5 stars for the decor, very charming and clean lines all over, again this was lunch but I found the vibe to be very relaxing and sophisticated all at the same time.
5 stars for the service, the waitress was polite, prompt and very courtious.
1 star for the food. Now, keep in mind it was 2pm and we were one of the last tables seated (which MIGHT have had something to do with it). I can't believe I have to give them 1 star on the food, it just DOESN'T make sense, I firmly believe we just had a bad experience so here's my take.
Me and fellow buddy both ordered a couple sodas and the tri-tip sandwich with a salad for lunch.
What we were served however was a little... okay.... (REALLY) disappointing.
First off, the sandwich came out with the salsa already on top, therefore soaking the bread ruining it by making it watery and soggy (don't understand why they didn't put it on the side). Second, the tri-tip was sliced in about 4 inch long slabs that were almost a 1/4 in thick, (tri-tip can get a little interesting if though it's not cooked or cut properly), meaning our meat was a little rare for BOTH of us guys who usually order a steak "moo-in", and by rare I mean we had to disassemble our sandwiches and gnaw on the strips by using our fingers (not fun) and when I say gnaw, I mean it,**chew chew chew chew chew chew BITE chew chew chew chew*** it was pretty fatty and gross.
Finally, the salad was a salad, but lacked any dressing.
Did I mention this to our waitress? No - we already came in late to lunch so we just force fed ourselves, tipped accordingly and left.
So, with that being said it ruined our experience and hence the 2 stars, I hope you have a better experience than me.
UPDATE: Text message from buddy at 3:25pm "Great, I gots the ru*s".
Replace star with correct letter. -
Review from Ruth A.
San Pedro, CA
9/18/2011
Start to finish, an enjoyable experience here ! Without reservations on a Saturday night, we still got seated in a reasonable time, where we asked to be, and were offered a temporary table to order appetizers or drinks while we waited.
Everyone was friendly, hospitable and helpful. The Jazz Trio "Then and Now" provided a good mood, mellow sounds & atmosphere, and a variety of jazz classics to enjoy throughout our stay.
Appetizers: Sweet Potato Fries were perfectly cooked, crispy outside yet soft & tender inside, and were served with an apricot preserves - unusual, but very tasty. Onion Rings were lightly breaded, hot, crispy and wonderfully aromatic. They had a chipotle ranch dip, but I found them just as good with just a sprinkling of salt.
First Courses included with the dinners:
All four in our party seemed to enjoy combining the "Vegetable Stew" the Beans, and the homemade Salsa into a sort of Vegetable Pepper Pot Soup. So enjoyable, we ordered another round for the table ( no extra charge. )
Salad of Butter Lettuce Wedge, Carrot Curls, Cucumber Slices, Baby Beet, Black Olive and other greens was great with the dressings I tried: Ranch and Cabernet Vinaigrette.
We enjoyed splitting and sharing some entrees and sides: Grilled Chicken Salad, Portugese Sausage Sandwich, Santa Maria Tri Tip Sandwich, Angus Burger, Grilled Vegetable Kabobs, and Fettucini Alfredo.
The Tri Tip and the Burger were both cooked medium rare as requested and were very tasty and tender. The Portugese Sausage was BBQ grilled and delicious, albeit a bit salty ( sharing was perfect, as a full order would have been a bit too salty for my taste. ) The Focaccia and Grilled sandwich rolls were great as well.
Dessert: the dinners include a choice of a liquor such as Amaretto or Frangelico or Ice Cream or Sherbet. If you decide to combine them or have both, be sure to specify you want to order the Ice Cream as an additional item, otherwise they bill $6 for the small liquor drink.
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Recession Fighting Tips:
Several Happy Hour times are listed ( where drinks and appetizers are only $4 ) but we happened to be there during other hours in order to hear the band play. Check their website for specifics and Special deals.
They have a two for one coupon in the Entertainment Book for a lunch or dinner up to $10. This is not enough to completely cover the price of a dinner entree, but it still helps save you some bucks.
You can share a ( quite generous ) dinner entree and order an "extra plate" for $10 which is not just a splitting charge, but includes all the dinner accompaniments: soup ( veg stew, beans, salsa ) salad, side dish of your choice and dessert or after dinner liquor.Listed in: Restaurants, South Bay, LA
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Review from Crystal B.
Pacifica, CA
10/3/2011
I went here two weeks ago with my fiancé and my soon to be mother in law. We were starving and excited to enjoy a wonderful dinner together.
We started with soup which was good, then came out salad.... There was hair in my salad... YUCK!!!!! I was horrified and didn't want to cause a scene in front of my soon to be mother in law that I hardly see. But I felt like I had to say something so I informed the waitress and all she said was o ok, well do you want another salad? And of course I said no.
Nothing else was done. Dinner was too expensive to have found hair in my food.
Will never go back!!!! -
Review from Nancy N.
Orange County, CA
10/16/2011
Most of the negative reviews I saw were for lunch/brunch(?). I've only been there twice and both were for dinners and I have to say I've enjoy both meals here! I went in the past month.
I love the theme, I think the idea is very cute and quaint.
What really stands out about this place is their vegetable stew that they start you off with before your entree. It's beans, salsa, and broth. They bring them out separately so you can mix and match as you wish. It's very good considering 1) I'm not a fan of beans and 2) I don't like runny salsa. But it works well together!
I've had their fish, I believe it was halibut the first time (it was one of their specials for the evening). The second time I had the lobster and my boyfriend had their pork-chop. We were very happy with our choices. Their pork chop and juicy good!!
And you get dessert with your meal! I love their scoop of chocolate ice cream ! Reminds me of being a kid all over again! Every now and then it's so refreshing just to be served simple sweets! =) -
Review from diana d.
Manhattan Beach, CA
3/4/2012
I went here this past weekend with 3 of my friends as we read the reviews on yelp and wanted to try something new. Well, we tried something new alright! Turkey Nuts!! Yep, the staff was raving about this beer battered appetizer since the moment we walked in so we decided to give them a try but were thoroughly unimpressed. They just tasted like soggy deep fried liver...sort of. We were then served with soup and salad. The salad was good and fresh but the soup came in a TINY tin pot that holds maybe 2 1/2 cups and there wasn't enough for all of us. We were going to ask if we could ask for more but our entrees came out so we decided not to.
for our main course we had:
14 oz. ribeye $26...super tender, flavorful, and a good sized portion.
Lobster and Saffron Pasta $23: lobster was tough and the portion was small
Black hills gold $38: bacon wrapped filet mignon was good and the portion was large, but look at the price!
lamb chops $25: 2 of the Tiniest lamb chops I've ever seen. No bigger than the size of a half dollar, but tender and well seasoned. just wish i had more of it!
The food was decent. However, the service was not so much. They have a "signature" method of refilling your glass with water in which they leave your glass on the table and pour from a pitcher, holding it above your head. The goal is to aim perfectly into the glass without spilling a single drop. That was not the case. After having water poured on our table, napkins, food, clothes and my cell phone which apparently was in the "splash zone," we had to kindly ask the waiter to please just pour the water in a way that doesn't cause water to go everywhere. Shortly after we received an apology from the manager.
Overall, the OK food did not make up for the lack of experience. If i have to spend well over $100 on a meal, I'll probably go elsewhere. Maybe somewhere that doesn't leave me and my friends soaked my the end of the night. -
Review from Richard P.
Alhambra, CA
10/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
Went to American Farmhouse Tavern with some co-workers who wanted for the dineLA Lunch Menu. I haven't heard about this place, but since it was near work I decided to join them.
Value: The food is decently priced. The dineLA menu was $16 which included soup, an entree, and pie. However after taking a look at the menu most entrees were about $10-12. So basically the dineLA menu essentially gets you a free dessert. I decided to order off the normal menu because they had a better selection of entrees. I ended up with the Ribeye Sandwich (comes with fries or salad). Which I think is reasonably priced at $12.
Food: The food was decent. The ribeye sandwich was good. It was served with au jus and steak fries. It was quite tasty.
Service: So far everything seems great, right -- good value and decent food. The service is why this place gets 2 stars. For starters a coworkers order was messed up. He ordered fries well done and got the exact opposite (barley cooked potatoes). The wait staff was very inexperienced. We constantly needed to request drink refills and it took them awhile (probably about 5 mins), to bring horseradish sauce that I requested --which according to the menu came with the sandwich. In addition to the unsatisfactory service, the restaurant ran out of pie. Keep in mind we were one of the first parties of the day AND the pie was listed as part of the dineLA menu. How can you be so unprepared?!?! To be fair they replaced the pie with ice cream and offered an additional discount.
In short even though the food was decent I will likely not return. I didn't appreciate the sub-par service. Lunch took WAY too long. A two hour lunch on a weekday, for a sparsely filled restaurant is unacceptable. -
Review from Cookie V.
10/2/2011
This is a little place with a farm house theme. I liked the decor of the restaurant.
Most of the entrees come with a stew, salad, side, and dessert (ice cream or pay extra for pie).
The stew is just a vegetable stew that you mix with beans and salsa. The put everything on the table separately, and then you mix in how much stew you want, how much beans, and how much salsa you want. The stew was ok, nothing special.
The salad is a wedge salad (butter lettuce) with your choice of dressing. I got the balsamic vinaigrette. The salad was ok, nothing special.
I had the turkey burger for my entree. It had a very smoky flavor to it, which I don't prefer. It comes on ciabatta bread with cranberry aioli, which was really good.
We had two pies for dessert. The peach pie was alright, and the mixed berry (more like a mixed fruit pie), was pretty good.
I did not like that the waitress did not tell us when we ordered the pie that it would cost $4 extra per pie. I think that any time you order something in a restaurant and it costs extra, they should tell you that. Granted, it was on the menu, but I wasn't paying attention to desserts when I was looking at the menu. So when the waitress verbally listed our choices, she should say that pie costs extra. I'm not a cheap person, and I often will be willing to pay extra for whatever it is, but they should tell you so there are no surprises when the bill comes.
All in all, it was an ok experience. I don't think I will go back if I'm picking the restaurant. -
Review from Rosanna S.
Manhattan Beach, CA
2/29/2012
My salad was good but nothing original. I would check it out again but I didn't leave looking forward to my next meal there.
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Review from Matthew B.
Manhattan Beach, CA
8/30/2011
I have been here several times and had a great experience every time.
I like the Santa Maria BBQ tri-tip sandwich which you get with Santa Maria Beans and a salad as well as a generous portion of your pick of five sides.
For the amount of food you get it's a good value. I have a feeling these Southbay families don't remember what it's like to eat at true family style restaurant. I think if you stick to the middle of the road fare you'll have a great time.
Executive Summary: Every time I have been here for dinner it's been great. -
Review from bart s.
Redondo Beach, CA
4/9/2012
Friendly, but expensive. Tiny portions - eat sandwich in car before going.
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Review from Rebecca S.
Redondo Beach, CA
8/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
This review is for HAPPY HOUR only
Its friday night and we just want some place to relax, talk, and drink. While other nearby bars in the dt. Manhattan and Hermosa areas are fun, they're just too loud for conversation. We got sick of yelling "What?!", so we headed to the Farmhouse to partake in their happy hour, offering $4 well drinks from (I think) 9:30 till close.
Apart from some local dives, its not easy finding $4 drinks. I only wish they didn't measure the shots out; sometimes that rubs me the wrong way, hence why I'm not one to grab drinks at a chain restaurant like Fridays or Chilis. Just let the liquor flow!
Never the less, it was still a good experience. I liked the decor that the fact that it was in line with the name "American Farmhouse". Some bar stools were tractor seats, funky artwork throughout the restaurant that was 'farm-esque' yet trendy and not overbearing; Ex: wagon wheels, brightly painted metal work chickens (or at least one that I liked near the entrance, which stood out with the pop pf color and modern design).
I have a feeling this caters to 40 somethings, but it doesn't matter. Us 20 somethings can enjoy a place like this just as well.
Having enjoyed late night happy hour, I'm definitely interested in sampling some of their food. -
Review from Duchess T.
Hancock Park, CA
7/31/2011
This place was a little confusing to me. I ordered the lobster pasta with saffron cream sauce. The sauce was great! It was perfectly infused with a hint of saffron and lobster. Unfortunately, the lobster looked like a big shrimp, not a plump lobster and it was overcooked... felt like I was eating shrimp crackers... anyways, one small piece of lobster seemed like not enough protein. For the price, I wonder if that's the reality, but I was saddened none the less.
My husband ordered the cornish game hen and was bummed that he only got half... well, I actually thought it was a little bit less than half and more like a leg and some additional meat. It would've been nice if the menu mentioned that it was a not a full hen. Again, for the price, I wonder, but it was still a bummer.
OK, I guess my problem was that the menu did not describe the actual food well.
I do, however, like the fact that the food comes with soup and dessert. That's a nice touch.
Since I don't live by MB, I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here again. -
Review from Richard K.
Manhattan Beach, CA
Updated - 7/26/2011
Actually - 3.5 stars.
We loved the previous location, and had a great breakfast there. So went here expecting the same. We knew this location, as we had been to the previous restaurant before.
We got there on a Sunday for brunch, excited to try this new location. The place was full of families with very young children - but not with the kind of child rearing that would teach them to use "inside voices" and not encourage them to scream loudly. At one point, we almost got our food to go.
Like others, the food service was slow. This past Sunday, they gave out Complimentary Mimosas (this honestly made me wonder what was up with this place).
I ordered the Eggs Benedict with Steak, and then asked for fruit instead of potatoes. It arrived with potatoes ... then the bus boy arrived with a side of fruit. We also got a Salmon scramble that was quite good.
The food was quite good, but appears this is intended to be a "family oriented spot". So we will pass from going here again.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/21/2010
I finally make it here last weekend!! It was quite good!
The selection on the menu was great, and… Read more »
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Review from Kimberly J.
Manhattan Beach, CA
9/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
This was the addition to our little (East Manhattan) neighborhood that we so desperately needed! Plenty of parking, easy seating (much bigger than the old location) diverse menu and lots of little treats to please the kids!
Everyone starts with the vegetable stew. It's really a clear broth with potatoes, cabbage, and carrots, but once you add the Santa Maria beans and salsa, WOW, it becomes great! My picky kids loved the beans and were asking for more. Take it easy on the salsa though... I love spicy food, but a little too much salsa will send you begging for water!
The butter wedge salad comes with most dinners, which was very nice, but slightly over-dressed, in my opinion. Next time I'll order my dressing on the side. I also had the Lamb Chops, with the basil marscapone pesto - LOVED this! My lamb was only slightly overdone from medium - which is how I ordered it, but it was still quite nice. My husband ordered the Grilled Chicken & Artichoke Pasta, recommended by our server. The pasta was completely overdone, but the flavors seemed nice.
Overall the kids & I were happy - scoops of ice cream & sherbet were enjoyed at the end of the meal as well as a little toy to take home. I would definitely go back! -
Review from Jim K.
Long Beach, CA
8/2/2011
I met a group of friends there for dinner. We had a reservation, so we were seated promptly. About 10 minutes earlier, some of us met in front of the door, waiting for the rest of our group to arrive. We watched as groups of people walked in the door and then came out a few minutes later in order to go to the restaurant next door. We guessed that they didn't have reservations and tried their luck.
The interior is nicely decorated, but it seems a bit too much in some places. The ramp to our seating area was a bit steep, but I needed the workout (I was in a wheelchair).
Instead of bread, the restaurant serves containers of vegetable stew, cattleman's beans, and Santa Maria-style salsa, and you are encouraged to combine them into bowls at each place setting in a combination that is personally preferable to you.
All entrees included a buttercrunch wedge salad with a choice of dressing. Everyone who ordered ranch got bleu cheese, while everyone who ordered bleu cheese got ranch. Fortunately, I was the only one who ordered the honey mustard.
The entrees arrived in a timely manner. I had the Atlantic salmon, which was moist, lightly roasted, and flavorful. A friend had the Ribeye, which is supposed to be the most flavorful cut of meat. It wasn't. I've had Ribeye at many other restaurants, but this one was just like sirloin. Another friend had the Cornish Game Hen. He expected something larger as his "hen" had just one leg.
I also had the Sweet Potato Fries, which were good, and the sherbet, which was also good.
Soda (Coke, Diet Coke, root beer, etc.) is listed as "bottomless", but you have to ask for a refill each time, so it really isn't "bottomless".
The bill came. Because we had a group of 8, the gratuity was pre-calculated. Unfortunately, the gratuity was calculated on the food AND the tax. Very sneaky.
I thought that I might try something else the next time, but after reading the other reviews, I'm not sure there's going to be a "next time". -
Review from Willy W.
Swung by the other day for lunch out of curiosity with a co-worker. The name just sounded interesting and we decided to check it out. Farmhouse is located directly next door to (and shares parking with) Down Home in Lahaina. So that makes for two home-y, cozy places to eat.
Farmhouse really takes their name pretty seriously. It feels like an old school house albeit with a ton of tables + bar area. They have a ton of knick-knacks around, pictures on the walls and other items that makes the decor feel like an old farmhouse.
The clientele for lunch on this day was, uh, older. We were by far the youngest that day. But our waitress said that dinner & weekends are generally much more diverse with families coming in and other business folks strolled in before we left.
Food was pretty good overall. We each ordered a sandwich (ribeye & tri-tip). They're reasonably price at around $11/each and come with fries or salad. The fries were also pretty good, and they're thick, chunky fries unlike McD and others, which I like... good for dipping! =P
They also serve some fresh veggies (carrots, olives and celery) at the beginning of your meal instead of bread. Oddly enough (to me) it didn't come with ranch dressing or anything. We asked for it, but it was a little runny.
All in all, service was pretty good and the food came out relatively quickly. They are still pretty brand new (2-3 weeks since they opened when I stopped by) and are probably still working out some kinks here and there. I can see this place being very nice for brunch on weekends and a cozy dinner. Overall it's A-OK for me. -
Review from Mar R.
Redondo Beach, CA
Updated - 8/11/2011
I am very sad to write this update but I have to be honest. My updates usually reflect an improvement but not this one. I think they deserve 2.5 stars. If you read my previous review, I really had a wonderful first experience. I could not have been happier. A week after my review, I just had to go again. Boy did things change! We waited 45 minutes to be seated (had a reservation), waited 20 minutes to place an order, waited FOREVER for our food to arrive, food was really bad (I never decline to box my leftovers, but I did!) and our dinner arrived before my starter and the complimentary salad, soup, beans and salsa. The shrimp were severely overcooked (charred), pasta was dry and I think they forgot to add the mascapone and seasonings. Still, I figured that I would give them another try. I still had love in my heart (and belly) for them.
Last night I decided to let them redeem themselves but they didn't. I sincerely wanted to be "wowed" again. A friend ordered lamb chops and they were "anorexic" and bland. We were all disappointed with our meal. The portions were smaller. They got it right one of three tries. I don't think I will be back for a while. So sad:-(1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/21/2011
Tired of going to the same restaurants, a friend suggested that we try the Farmhouse. Prior to… Read more »
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Review from Jocelyn M.
Long Beach, CA
10/12/2011
Went here for my birthday lunch with co workers. I had the Dine LA deal and it tasted pretty damn good.
The beef stew, with salsa on top, had a lot of flavor and was actually pretty filling. It was chunky, but not overly so, reminded me more of a chili consistancy. I had the salmon pasta for an entree which was pretty good. It had seemed like the plate had been sititng for a while, but could have been to our group of 6, not sure. But the flavor was good and enjoyed it. Then I had a mixed berry rhubarb pie, Mmm... delcious, they warmed it up for you.
Overall I enjoyed the food and would probably go back. They have a lunch happy hour, so I would like to try that out next time I go. -
Review from Flora H.
8/17/2011
I went with 3 girlfriends for brunch and they made mistakes on 3 out of 4 of our dishes.
One friend ordered her eggs over easy and they came out scrambled, and her dish was supposed to come with portugese sausage but it did not. They did, however, fix both things when pointed out to them.
Two friends ordered steak that they said was overcooked.
I ordered the french toast with scrambled eggs, which actually came out correct and tasted fine, but it's a pretty simple order that you can't really get wrong. It did take quite a while for me to get my diet coke after I ordered it, and I had to ask for a refill rather than having it refilled when they noticed my glass was empty.
Also, you can't order anything except breakfast until noon... so it's not really "brunch" but just breakfast.
Inside it's pretty cute, but you would never think so from the outside.
Thumbs up for a free parking lot.. but they share it with Back Home in LaHaina, which is absolutely delicious, so I recommend going there instead.Listed in: The Bubble (South Bay)
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Review from Evelyn G.
Los Angeles, CA
7/25/2011
Our family came in for breakfast at 11:00. We didn't get our food until 11:45. it wasn't busy at all. The waiter thought he was funny, but he wasn't. We had to ask for our food, when it came out, it was wrong. Pricey for what you get. How hard is scrambled eggs and bacon. The bacon was horrible. Fatty and greasy. I wouldn't let me son eat it.
We were not the only ones who were annoyed.
I will stay at the local diners for breakfast. And no one seemed to care if the customers were happy.
So we won't be going back. -
Review from Heather H.
Manhattan Beach, CA
7/24/2011
This place is currently open. They just moved location. In moving locations they did change a few things about their menu as well. Most importantly it is no longer a BYOB!
Having said that this place was very good. I had the chicken and artichoke pasta and my husband had the sausage sandwich. You are definitely not in danger of leaving this place hungry. You are started with a vegetable soup with beans, and salsa to mix together. Not mention a salad, side, and dessert are included in your meal! -
Review from Christina N.
Hermosa Beach, CA
8/22/2011
I'm really surprised by my previous reviewers considering what a great experience my fiance and I had. We were doing our usual Sunday morning errands when hunger struck. We had enjoyed the smaller Farmhouse before SO MUCH so took a chance on it's big sister.
I do have to agree with others that the decor is a confused (and kind of hokey) attempt at "country". While the mason jar light fixture of the bar rings the coolness of gastropubs and vintage flair, the tin reproduction signs adorning the chicken wire just look like a Home Goods clearance section. I would like to think the quilt wall hangings are something sentimental, but just jazz 'em up a bit with a frame to make it more purposefull.
On to the food - he ordered the Rancher omelette, I the Salmon Benedict. The grilled bread mine came on was OUT OF THIS WORLD and the salmon was perfectly cooked. Sure, everything's made better with holandaise, but the addition of sauteed red onion and capers took it over the top. I also ordered the potatoes "well done" and the seasoning on them was perfect. My fiance's Rancher was taken down with few words, the sign of a truly good meal in my book.
Enjoyed the complimentary mimosa (why is that a weird thing? It's BRUNCH people!) and he had a bloody mary from the bar that I was told was our of this world. A bloody mary to me is one of the benchmarks of a good bar - like the crabcake at a seafood restaurant...
In terms of service we were attended to consistently. Our server, Sara(h), though she did not have too much information on the old restaurant, was eager to learn when I talked about their famous "Bowl o' Stuff" (which for fans out there I'm told will soon be added back to the menu!) She as well as another member of the waitstaff were attentive and friendly.
At $13 (salmon) and $11 (Rancher) I'd say that was a pretty good value. You can't get out of brunch in SoCal fur under $40 together so I'll take it and I'LL BE BACK! -
Review from Alicia B.
West Jordan, UT
1/20/2012
De-Lish!! I have been twice for work dinners and it is one of my favorties. The pasta is hand made, entrees come with a salad and dessert (go for the liquor over ice cream-you have to ask). For dinner, go for the butternut squash pasta- amazing! Can't wait to head back to LA and have a casual yet delicious dinner at American Farmhouse!
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Review from Stacie D.
San Diego, CA
1/9/2012 5 photos
As the local farm to table movement continues to gain steam, restaurants like American Farmhouse are popping up all over. AF boasts a creative, all organic menu, specializing in local SoCal flavors and Santa Maria style cooking.
Call me shallow, but I think the atmosphere of a restaurant is almost as important as the food, and I was just not impressed with American Farm in this arena. The bar was cute, but the main dining room was wholly lacking the type of flair I expect from LA-area restaurants. The undecorated tables were set up haphazardly in the center of a large room, and the open-top booths around the edge reminded me of something you'd find at Denny's. Some of the individual components, like the Mason jar chandelier and the chicken wire screens, were really nice, but were too few and far between to impart much of a vibe. Also, about halfway through the meal, a trio of musicians started to play. I know some people enjoy this, but to me it was really annoying. They played well, and would have been pleasant in another setting, but in a closed area with uncovered walls and hardwood floors, it was just too loud. Once they started playing, I found myself having to shout just to talk to my friends at a small 4-top near the back of the room. I can't imagine how it must have been for the tables that were right up front.
American Farm serves its meals as an all-in-one package, rather than having to order a la carte, which I really liked. Each entrée comes with soup (more on that later!), a salad, a choice of side, and a choice of dessert or cordial, setting everyone up for a lengthy multi-course meal. I loved the feel of the multiple courses, and for the amount/quality of food, the prices were very reasonable (Most entrees came in around $25). However, although I loved the style of the meal, the menus were VERY confusing. It seems like the waitress could have saved everyone a lot of time by just explaining the menu when she dropped them off.
The food itself was good, but a overall a bit underseasoned. The highlight of the meal (for me) was the Farmhouse Vegetable Stew, the "appetizer" which really serves as kind of an amuse-bouche for the restaurant. Served family style in an ADORABLE little bucket, the stew consists of a basic vegetable soup, pinto beans, and Santa Maria style salsa that you mix all together in your bowl. The stew not only tasted great (it was the salsa, I think, that really made it zing!), but I love foods that are interactive. That said, the entrees were also tasty, although without the wow factor that the stew had. The two pasta dishes were underseasoned, and had sauces that were way too runny. In contrast, the two meat dishes were perfectly cooked two different temperatures, (something that many restaurants do very poorly at for some reason), and seasoned beautifully. Finally, being served a cordial at the end of the meal was a classy little twist to dessert.
Overall review: Good local food, reasonable prices, boring space. Get the meat, not the pasta.Comment from Nichole B. of American Farmhouse Tavern & Dining Hall 2/6/2012
Thank you for your valued input and we are glad you enjoyed… More » -
Review from Aryf H.
2/27/2011 3 photos
I like it.
I was debating whether to rate it three or four stars but my overall experience leaned toward four.
The atmosphere: Quaint, cute, definitely homestyle. It's like a tiny dinner one might find in middle America. The 'America' part is definitely played up, from the decor to the music (very American big-band 40s era, blues/jazz [the only true original American music genre, many say]) to the classic movies playing on the TV screen.
The food: Tasty. We had the omelet. It was cooked perfectly (the inside ever so slightly runny), with generous amounts of cheese and filling (bacon, vegetables). Served with yummy potatoes and toast. Their Stash teas were also good (many places have cheaper brands).
The service: Good. Our waitress was attentive, but as one reviewer wrote, 'didn't do anything to make you feel welcome'; in other words, she was cordial, but not warm and smiling.
You have to trek two doors over and up a flight of stairs for the restrooms. -
Review from Matt F.
Redondo Beach, CA
7/24/2011
I will never dine at this restaurant again. Ordered a Filet medium rare and it wad delivered well done. Normally, I will not say anything, but they killed the cut. When I did send it back, the waitress came told me that the new chef mentioned that was medium rare.?.
We got the bill, I had to ask for mine to be removed. When the waitress returned after speaking with the manager, they still wanted to charge me for the salad which wad included with the entree. They eventually removed the last 5 bucks. Hard to believe they would still charge me especially with a party of 6 and a bill over 200.
The manager wad no where to be found when we left. They definitely won't get repeat business from 3 couples.
