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MAde a pit stop here after riding dirty down Montana.
Service was a little slow, but I was with very picky people and waiting for 2 to top it off so she took her time.
I had the blackened chicken sombrero (whole wheat pita with salad in it and blackened chicken on top) with some sweet potato fries.
The chicken was seasoned very well but the salad was a bit too heavy on the onions. I love sweet potato fries.
It was a but pricey for the size and overall quality but altogether enjoyed my meal and it was on to the next ride.
My friend and i went here for brunch this morning. I thought the prices were a little high (brunch for 2 plus mimosas = $40) but the food was very good. I had the pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes and my friend had the spanish omlette. We were both extremely happy and full when we left. Our waiter was also very good and attentive.
I will definitely go back.
I don't get how this place maintains a following. The food is overpriced and the service is simply odd.
I have been here twice. The first time, ok sandwich with a waiter who kept forgetting to check back and the second, and grand finale, for dessert with my husband. Not only was my dessert so stale it needed dentures, but my replacement left a hue that reminded me of a mortuary. Furthermore, there were only about four other tables in the restaurant and a full staff who were running around like crazy people doing everything but attending to tables. Every single table had a problem. In fact, we all bonded through facial expressions and shrugs.
This place is on my block and I am someone who gets routine cookie cravings. Never will I set foot in there again. I promise, it was that bad.
Some of the best fresh fish dishes in town! Really flavorful. Service can be slow but is generally friendly. the giant cakes are wonderful.
For my third date, my date said "I know this place down the street, I went there before and I liked it." I didn't know what to say, I mean I trust the guy and he did pick a good restaurant our first date so I said okay. But I mean what was I going to say no I'm not hungry? Negative!
Anyway, as we walked up to this place I noticed two things: the outdoor/indoor seating and the Lichtenstein Prints along the wall. I was kinda excited to see the prints because I studied pop art for a bit in college until I realized that a BA in Art History just meant never leaving school because finding a job would be beyond difficult. Funny how little things remind you of the past! But yeah I like when places remind you of something. Moving on...
I ordered the chinese chicken salad. Yeah of all the exotic sounding things on the menu I ordered a salad...I know. But you don't understand, MOST restaurants fuck up this simple recipe & I love C.C.S!! Well this place DID NOT screw it up. I was really impressed with Babalu's rendition of this dish--they incorporated more vegetables: green peppers, cucumbers, tomato's, other things I can't remember and created a dressing that somewhat followed the usual sesame oil/seed recipe--but made it BETTER! So good-- can't wait to come here again.
Negative: The service was kinda slow which might bother some but I was with good company so I was in no hurry & seating is tight so I do not recommend a huge group.
Just like Ricky Ricardo... I love Babalu.
The menu here has lots to choose from: crab cakes, crab enchiliadas, turkey loaf, seafood, ribs, burgers, etc. Now other reviewers have complained that they don't really offer Caribbean food like they advertise, but I have seen the restaurant claim they do. Not even on their website do they. So I say if the food is good, why complain? Now on to the review...
Babalu is a great little restaurant with good food and good service. I got the Short Ribs and they were delicious. They were very meaty, came with a GREAT sauce, and fell off the bone. It was served with:
-mashed potatoes (okay but could have use a tid bit more cream or butter)
-cole slaw (a small portion, but tasty.)
-roasted vegetables (excellent, my favorite thing on the plate other than the meat)
-a carrot/tomato ?stew? - I'm not sure how to describe it but it was good
The price was $21 which is the most expensive thing on the menu, but there are many things that are much cheaper.
They serve wine and beer and offer a nice selection.
I really wanted to try one of their desserts because they have received awards for having the best desserts, but I was beyond stuffed so that will have to be next time.
They also offer outdoor seating. It's not really a patio, just a few tables placed along the side of the restaurant. We chose to sit outside, but at one point the waiting crowd outside became a bit annoying to my friend but that only lasted maybe 5-10 minutes.
Babalu is definitely a good find!
Coconut praline pie. That's all you need to know. Haha. Ok, I've had a few dishes here, and it's quite good. Small place, some times a wait during the weekends. Hit it up for lunch--easier to get in. But seriously, if you like coconut, a piece of their coconut praline pie will make you think you died and went to Hawaii or coconut heaven.
No woman no cry...
Cinnamon Toast crunch is what they call it...
This may be the best French toast I have ever had. A cinnamon granola coating prior to cooking gave an amazing texture add that with the one blueberry per bite made it complete. 8/10 on the flavor profile game. I do wish the coffee was a bit bigger. It wasn't awful but for a shop focusing on the Caribbean I was hoping for a Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee.
Did I mention the super cute girl working there...no? Well she's there alright. If only she had waited on me :(
I'll be back. My buddy had an amazing looking omelet.
-s
Before you start this review go on youtube or myspace and turn on the song "Daylight" by Matt and Kim. Ready? steady? read.
I laid in bed awoken by the Sunday morning light peaking its nosey eyeball through my thin curtains. After a night in Los Angeles' inner Los Feliz and Hollywood guts, I wanted to recharge somewhere that would resonate this beautifully sunny day. Babalu would be perfect.
Straight up, the food is only 3 Stars worthy. The fried plantains lacked flavor and needed to be sprinkled with some packets of table sugar. My ahi tuna sandwich was better. The wasabi mayonnaise wasn't over bearing. The protein was well seared with a rich magenta center (is that the right color? I'm horrible at colors. I was poor and only had the 8 crayola crayon pack growing up). The 4 Star score comes from Babalu's character. A small cozy space with mellow patrons. It's a nice place to have brunch with that someone. Take a seat by one of the large windows and admire the portrait of the gorgeous (albeit a bit sunburned and overly BOLD) gal sitting across from you as she is framed against a beautiful Sunday.
Note: To those readers who are familiar with my reviews. . EFF you! yes I know this post has too much emo in it, but I'm in a good mood so deal with it.
PS. I'll be back to my sarcastic cynical in the next review promise.
From my several visits to Babalu, here is how I distribute my three stars:
1) It's two blocks from my apartment. Nice but casual.
2) The Cashkabud Um June (aka eggplant dip with walnuts), served warm with pita bread, is seriously delicious and worth the trip alone.
3) The menu has a wide variety of options, from pasta to sandwiches to salads to quesadillas to pretty awesome desserts, so you can find something you're in the mood for.
What I wish Babalu offered to bump up it's star rating:
1) Hello, this place is hardly Caribbean. There may be some spicy items with pineapple, but that does not a Caribbean restaurant make.
2) Affordability - seriously! Given the good (not great) food quality and what they serve, this place is too pricey. My salad with chicken should not cost $17.
3) Quicker service. While always nice and friendly, they always seem to be a bit on the slow side.
Good for a quick bite and for taking out desserts, but nothing special here.
I ordered from Babalu for delivery through LaBite. The food was fine, nothing too special. I'd order again but not very often.
Not having had Caribbean food before, I was very excited about Babalu.
We got the Cashkabud Um June (eggplant dip), Mango Shrimp salad, and Chicken Tacos. The chicken tacos are medium sized, wrapped in a very thin tortilla -- this plate included coconut rice on the side that was really good! I enjoyed the eggplant dip as well, but it may not be for everyone. It was a little bland, but I liked the overall flavor. I don't recommend the mango shrimp though. It's basically 5 shrimp, a few green leaves, and some shreds of mango. Though the salad came with a creamy coconut salad dressing that was very interesting, the shrimp was dried up and chewy, and the mango shreds were not substantial enough to get the mango flavor.
BEST DESSERT SPOT IN SANTA MONICA!
The food overall is good, not great and way overpriced for what it is. However, the dessert selection and quality is insane! That's why we never come for dinner, but are here for dessert all the time...usually just order take out and eat it at home. Everything from the berry crumble to the banana brownie cake to the carrot cake are fantastic! The cookies are the only thing I don't love...they're a little dry.
YUMMMM!!!!!!
Add to my yummy list:
1. Salmon salad (sub out the salad dressing with the ponzu sauce that comes with the pot stickers.)
On my not so yummy list:
1. The ahi tuna sandwhich. Too crusted with sesame, and then it was on wheat bread with a wasabi ailoi type spread. Just strange. So funny, my BF woke up this morning and told me (unsolicited) "the sandwhiches at Babalu just aren't that good." So there you go.
We love this place. It's a perfect, weeknight meal. The ambiance is casual and the food is always… Read more »
I have been here many times, but I usually order the same thing:
* crab enchiladas - they have somehow accomplished a meal that is both light and rich at the same time, its decadent but you don't feel gross afterwards
* baked halibut (which is wrapped in a banana leaf) - this is probably more my go-to dish. FLAVORRRR! the rice is also devine - it's coconut sticky rice. yummy.
restaurant is small, it's cozy and it smells great. there is usually a wait but it's pretty fast. this is a restaurant everyone will like
Another example that perhaps Socal's collective taste buds are left wanting. I went because of solid reviews from friends and on Yelp. Bottom line? One of the worst places I've eaten at in 4 years since moving to L.A.
I ordered an omelet. It was severely overcooked, rubbery, watery and bland. Mushrooms that tasted like they were straight from a can dumped into a slate of eggs so plastic we could have thrown it back and forth in the park. Potatoes were cold. No refills on coffee--the waitress never even asked. Also, the most egregious sin: she said NOTHING when she collected my plate, despite the fact that I had taken maybe 4 to 5 bites. The plate was full and she couldn't have cared less. I'm not one to make a scene and like a chump, I paid the bill when I should have sent the low-grade Army chow back.
Memo to the "cooks" at Babalu: I know you're busy and perhaps overwhelmed. But when you crank the pans to the highest heat possible and dump eggs into it, you produce something that would make Michelin proud. Proper eggs are cooked at medium heat and brought up to temperature more deliberately, especially when making omelets. You have to decide whether you're in the mass production business or the high-end food business. Given that you're on Montana Ave and charging through the nose, you're aspiring to the latter so you should abandon the assembly line approach forthwith.
Awful. And severely overpriced. Your neighborhood diner will serve you better. Avoid like the plague. I mean, if you can't do an omelet, what are the chances anything else on that menu will be worthwhile?
This place wouldn't last the weekend back East.
The jerk burger was outstanding. I ordered it medium rare and it came out juicy and flavorful. It came on a ciabatta roll with a spiced mayo and a side of yams (sweet potato) fries and onion rings.
I went back to Babalu after watching a movie at the Aero Theater on Montana and had a nice glass of wine and a piece of heavenly tres leches cake. Wow! I was in pig heaven, of course.
I only had to take one star off since the place needed a little of cleaning in the front. But this is a little, tiny thing because the food inside if just delicious!
Everybody ought to try Babalu's desserts! They made Cuban-style: rich and flavorful and the portions… Read more »
after stuffing ourselves all weekend, we came here to get some lighter fare before hopping on a plane.
all the salads are good - the lettuce is crispy and the ingredients are fresh. portions are good for an entree.
what i don't get is the eggplant dip that everyone was raving about. it was nothing like babaganoush. it was like a mush version of french onion soup and much too sweet. there were four of us and we couldn't finish it.
service was efficient, bathrooms were clean. i probably give them a 2.75.
Went there this morning and it was delicious! We were gonna to go Father's Office but didn't like the looks of the place so we went here instead... Glad we did. We loved it! Will definitely be going back! Can't give 5 stars because we have only eaten one meal there..
Humm.... I wanted to try out this place because I am latin so I wanted to taste any kind of latin dish since this place is claimed to carry caribbean food, BUT it is just not true.
The only caribbean thing they make or at least have on their menu is "plantain" for a $5.00 as appetizer
I also had a horrible stomach ache after trying chicken ravioli with pesto and artichoke - Those were $25.00 thrown in the garbage and a horrible stomach ache in return and boring food.
The rest of their menu is most likely mexican food that has also nothing to do with caribbean food at all.
Good food, Heavenly pies and cakes, but poor service!!! Very busy on the weekends, we waited 35 minutes for a table for 5 and it took another 30 minutes for our food to arrive. We had 3 different people serving us and it would take a while to get a hold of a server. Definitely try the Banana brownie cream pie!! 3 credit card splits only, and they serve mimosas and bellinis.
I enjoyed another great lunch here today. The Blackened Chicken Sombrero is my new favorite: chicken caesar salad with fresh herbs stuffed in a pita and served with cous cous and yam fries. (I'm not a huge caesar salad fan, so if I liked it, it MUST be good).
To end a tasty meal, order the carrot cake. Wow!!! The best in town. A thick multi-layer slice of cake and cream cheese frosting. Oh my.
Service is friendly, but slow. The pretty lunch crowd starts to pack in around 12:45. Go a tad earlier if you can.
I like this place. The food is good, but the dessert is probably the best in the city (no joke)! Service is very friendly, however this is not a place to go if you are in a hurry. Seating is uncomfortable.
OK so it's pricey.
But honestly?
They have the best banana cream and coconut cream pies I've ever experienced.
Some of their meals, too, do wonders for your taste buds.
And they've got the best Jambalaya on Montana Avenue.
Ha.
Haha.
I think it costs around $20 or $25, though.
Yeah you kinda have to pay through the nose for anything remotely ethnic on this street. It's an unwritten code.
But Babalu makes your mouth feel like it's worth it.
Parking can be difficult.
OK so here's the deal: the food here is good, it really is. Iv been here a few times and will continue to come back. But I cant even give it 4 stars bc of the price to portion size ratio. Im 5-10 and a buck fifty which is pretty thin and after tiny $12 crab cakes, yam fries and a whopping $17 tuna salad I was still ready to order a real meal. service was ok as others mentioned and the vibe is very nice with their large open windows.
The most redeeming qualities of this place are their desserts. The banana cream pie is great as well as the german chocolate cake.
I can only recommend having dessert here after you have had some real food.
Staff needs to get the stick out of their asses. I think the place would be happier without it.
Dessert is really good (I think its the same baker from Cafe Montana) and the food is a solid OK for the mish mosh that it is.
One of the main reasons I come to this restaurant is for the desserts. The chef makes all of the offerings daily so I recommend calling to see what they have for that day. Personal favorite is the Key Lime Pie. It is AAA-maZING! The atmosphere of the place is also really quite quaint and somewhat romantic.
i went there on a whim got toasty off 2 glasses of red vino each...ordered the crab cakes to start - very rich, a bit greasy and heavy, but crab cakes of all kinds are a love of mine...
the salmon was super - this is one of those, "i can always go to bablu and have a decent meal" place.
a bit on the pricier side for more typical food, however, it's 2 blks away and is walkable.
so i guess i'll keep it on my list.
Banana Brownie Cream Pie. Do I need to write anything else?
I've been to Babalu twice and both of my meals were delicious. I recommend the Feta & Butter Leaf Salad (with candied pecans, apples and a delightful vinaigrette). For entrees I'd tried the Voodoo Baby Back Ribs - the flavor was excellent and the meat practically fell off the bones. I also tried the Jerk Chicken - very tender and flavorful. All items were from the specials menu and I'd order any of them again in a heartbeat.
My friend had the Crab Enchiladas and said they were excellent.
For dessert, try the Banana Brownie Cream Pie - it tastes as good as it sounds.
Babalu isn't cheap, but its worth a ride every now and then.
There are so many wonderful things about this cozy little restaurant on Montana. The restaurant is full of warm colors, funky art, and the servers are kind and casual. The food will make your day even if you just get take out.
I generally go to Babalu for breakfast or dinner, although I have friends that frequent it for lunch at least once a week. For breakfast, I LOVE to get the pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes - sounds weird I know, but SOOOO good - or the eggs benedict which they usually add a fun little variety to. For lunch or dinner, you have to try the yam fries. Seriously. These are the yam fries to rival all yam or sweet-potato fries in Los Angeles. They actually have a lot of potato in them, aren't over-fried, and are served with a killer spicy buttermilk dressing. The fish tacos are also quite delightful. :)
If you have the self-control to save room for dessert, the desserts at Babalu are incredible. When you walk into the restaurant, the counter in front of you is filled with delicious looking pies, cakes, and cookies. My personal favorite is the carrot cake but seriously everything in that case looks incredible.
Sometimes your second choice is the better choice. Case in point: Babalu. My co-workers wanted to enjoy a slow Friday at work so we headed for Father's Office. To our chagrin they were closed. Bummer.
We decided to hit another place on Montana and we chose Babalu, where none of us had gone before. Inside, the decor was bright and colorful, almost tropical. The servers were friendly and seemed truly happy to be there. The clientèle consisted mostly of attractive, upscale women and a few hipster girls (score!).
Our group started (and ended) with the yam fries. Even though most of our meals happened to come with yam fries, all of us found ourselves munching on them even after the bill came. I went with the Blackened Chicken Sombrero, which is blackened chicken (duh) over a caesar salad with cheese, cilantro, onion & tomato on whole wheat pita bread. Along with cous cous and more yam fries, it was a satisfying and tasty lunch.
I didn't find the prices too unreasonable, unlike some who have issues with the overall price points of places on Montana.
By the way, how awesome is it that people use terminology in everyday speech that they never learned to properly spell? READ A BOOK! It's "chichi" not "sheeshy", though this alternate spelling gets points for phonetics and pure entertainment value. I think this variant could also mean "to pee" if the spelling was changed further.
Anyway, good times, good restaurant.
Bummer.
Perhaps this isn't fair, because it WAS the morning of New Year's Eve, and it's possible the kitchen didn't have it's A-game on, but you know, when it costs over $40 for breakfast for three people (two adults and a petite 15 year old), then it better be really good, and this was a total bummer.
My Southwestern Benedict: I know you should probably avoid things with cute names, but this really sounded good: A poached egg, turkey sausage, and some kind of "southwestern" sauce, all perched on a corn muffin. Mmmm. Except not. It was cold.
My wife's Spanish Omelette. Again, a good idea, and again, perhaps the name alone should have been a warning, but: Overcooked eggs, and really bland for something called "Spanish."
My daughter's Pasta Bolognese: "Al dente" was never quite so chewy.
Bummer.
They have it all!
You want a ceasar salad chicken wrap? Done.
How about rigatoni bolognese? Here you are.
Fish tacos? UHUH.
Banana chocolate chip pancakes with a side of turkey sausage? Can we say coming right up!!
This is a great, brunch, lunch or dinner spot as far as I'm concerned. They have a couple outdoor tables and a medium sized dining room indoors. I'm into the "Tommy Bahama" interior. And I can't get over their assortment of delectable desserts-- mile high cakes, merengues and cream pies and cookies the size frizbees- all of which are on display behind the counter.
Despite the size of the desserts and the breadth of their menu, this is not a denny's diner kinda place. Its fun and laid back yet still classy-- after all it is on Montana.
I'll be there on Sunday enjoying eggs benedict and a mimosa. Where will you be?
Carribean? hmmm...i don't get it.
Anyhow, the food here is average. We really came here because the line for Father's Office was way too long and we were starving. So, it was between this place and the Italian restaurant across the street...we chose this because we saw people drinking wine through the windows.
I enjoyed my dish, but I think I got lucky. We started with calamari and crab cakes as apps...the calamari was a bit soggy AND salty, which seriously dissapointed me since calamari is go-to appetizer. The crab cake tasted like tuna salad...no joke. I don't even know if crab was an ingredient! This was MAJORLY horrendous..never again.
My entree dish of rack of lamb was tasty. A bit of fat on it, but I was able to peel that off. The mashed potatoes, spinich and vegi side were done well. Also tried the seabass..this was nice as well.
Ended our meal with the oreo banana brownie. AWESOME! I think this place is known for their desserts moreso than the food...because everything in the desert glass looked great...especially the strawberry shortcake. mmmm...
Service was good at first...food came out quickly and efficiently, but when we were ready to pay for the meal, the waitress took forver so we ended up walking our check up the front, only to have her say, "have a nice evening" before we told her we didn't pay. Maybe it was a long day for her...that's what I'd like to believe anyway.
I would eat here again only if Father's Office was packed.
When we moved into the neighborhood our friend Craig said, "Oh wow, you're right around the corner from Babalu," and we said, "Babawhat?" and he said, "Babalu, home of the Banana Brownie."
Babalu has great strengths and great weaknesses.
DO get dessert. The Banana Brownie is very good. The Tri-Chocolate Cappucino Mousse is terrific.
DO get the Breakfast Burrito. Actually it was Babalu that started me on my quest for the ultimate Breakfast Burrito. Subsequently I've found Breakfast Burritos at other bistros that are a bit better, but Babalu was the beginning.
DO get the Jerk Chicken if they have it. This is amazing and by far the best main entree on the menu. But when I went yesterday it was not one of the available specials. WHAT THE HELL.
DON'T get coffee if you can help it. Their coffee is never good. And yesterday it came to the table STONE COLD. We sent it back. They microwaved it. Twenty minutes later we got back the same cup of coffee, microwaved, and now LUKEWARM. Ugh. Sometimes their service sucks.
DON'T order the fish or anything with fish in it. I can't believe I keep forgetting this simple rule and ordering fish at Babalu. It is always disappointing.
They are often packed with a 30 minute wait.
i was so happy to be back in the area today just b/c of this place. grant it, i used to come here for the sweet potato fries and did not get them this time around....but still so happy about this spot.
i had the caribbean chicken salad, a nice cold stella and i shared the peanut butter mousse cake. the salad was super delicious. fresh pineapple. avocado. mixed baby greens. super yum. the peanut butter cake had pure peanut butter on top. couldn't actually finish it b/c it was so sweet, but it hit the spot. it's definitely smart to share a dessert item.
definitely has good food and definitely worth the visit.
Oh my gosh, I love this place! I was really surprised by some of the low ratings but everyone to their own opinion. I went here with my dad for a really fun out on the town night and got a grilled vegi salad. I was looking for something light and the menu said potatoes. So I was hesitant to masses of potatoes but instead was granted thinly sliced cooked potatoes, ribboned lettuce, thin eggplant and zucchini, along with two dried plantain chips. This meal was delicious and just what I had hoped for! My father ordered a salmon and potato dish, a bit heavier than my order, but he thouroughly enjoyed it.
We were very pleased with our choices! The atmosphere of the restaurant was very hip and trendy, lots of people, windows look out onto Montana. Great restaurant overall, and would be my first choice when picking a restaurant for my birthday dinner back at home!
Awesome place to eat. Service is impeccable. Its not snooty or pretentious. The decor is kept to a minimum, which is nice, because the restaurant itself is pretty tiny.
We started off with some fried plantains that were so good, but were so hot, so we had to drool and stare at them for a few minutes before eating - torture.
I got somekind of roasted eggplant hummus with walnuts that was rich and amazing. My boyfriend got the ahi tuna which he said he liked.
Suggestion: call ahead with a resrevation - the place is tiny and lots of people go there, because the food is so good.
Two words: Coconut Rice. It's amazing. You should probably order the shrimp tacos with coconut rice and squeeze a little lemon on the rice and go to town.
It's not the nicest place in the world. For all intents and purposes, it is a little hole in the wall place that has become popular with the the Montana regulars. I've had great experiences with the staff, and not so great experiences too. Long waits on weekends (um, duh). Giant Chocolate chip cookie is delish too.
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