Boneyard Bistro
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423 (818) 906-7427
- Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
89 reviews
Neighborhood: West Los Angeles
"I love this place. The prime rib and baked potato is sooooo good. Good horseradish too."
22 Reviews for Boneyard Bistro
Came by here once for take out and had the Beef brisket sandwich, honestly was not too impressed.
Then had a business meeting here a while later and was very pleasantly surprised.
The beer selection was awesome, huge variety, very quality pickins.
We started with the onion rings which were a bit spicy but great. I had the 10Hr braised short ribs, wow were they good and they came with some great sweet potato fries. Others had the salmon, and the chicken, everyone was happy. The service wasn't quite up to par but all in all a great meal.
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I have been here a couple of times now and love it.
I grew up around great BBQ and this place is quite good.
When you walk in, if it wasn't for the smell, you would not realize that you were in a BBQ restaurant. The decor is fancy -- which I guess is why the place is considered "Fancy BBQ" -- though the prices aren't too fancy.
Anyway -- I have always just eaten the meats and sides..... The sliced meat (tri-tip, port, beef, etc) is amazing. Perfectly cooked and served with great sauce. The sides are even better -- fried mac and cheese (amazing) -- baked beans (amazing) -- cole slaw (amazing).... even the fries are good.
The servers have always been friendly and helpful... no complaints there....
They also have an pretty amazing beer list and happy hour!!
Check it out !
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Look. Boneyard Bistro is not the type of place you visit on a diet. So the calorie-this and -that nudniks are really missing the point, I think. Barbecue fare is by nature full of sugar and fat and every godawful thing that tastes really fucking good that is why it is so beloved. If you want to lose weight, or possibly be able to button your pants after the meal, perhaps you should hit up the grocery store instead.
That said, I don't eat "junk food" too often, but when I do, it has to be worth it or I won't bother finishing. Boneyard was so, so "worth it." The meat is tender and dark pink with smoke. You sauce it yourself, which allows you to not only adjust how much you'd like to consume, but prevents you from also saucing the sides of your face and shirt front.
The sides are equally killer. The fried mac n cheese is hard to explain- it looks liked a breaded and fried... uh, sandwich? But really it's the same experience as grandma's delicious casserole with crispies baked on top, except the crispies are now coating every facet of your portion and the jalapeno-y cheesy goodness is therefore amplified exponentially.
It seemed impossible, but dessert probably even surpassed the meal. We ordered the cobbler (peach and blackberry) and the bread pudding. The bread pudding stood out for me, especially. I am a huge fan of bread pudding and creme brulee, and this was pretty much both stacked on top of one another! The portion on it was small, though the cobbler was considerably bigger, and both ended the meal on a high note. I was so tickled with the meal, that even the dum-dums that came with our check were delicious.
Our service was great, and even the bus staff was really nice and helpful. The waiter helped me pick a beer after I shared my tastes, and it was tasty and really paired with the food awesomely.
The premises themselves are impeccably clean and I think the whole pinup theme is pretty cute. I wouldn't say it was packed during my visit, but it never felt excessively loud. And perhaps I made it to Boneyard too late in the season for the hipsters, but I saw not a one! Families, couples, and old folks taking advantage of 50% off bottles of wine were my peers, and that was just fine with me.
After two visits to Boneyard Bistro, I'm giving it a rank of 3-stars. The food is pretty good, especially the BBQ nachos that they only serve during their Sunday brunch. I mean, tortilla chips smothered in cheese, pulled pork, and sausage? Yes, please. Their pulled pork sandwich is pretty good too, but the juices from the pork sort of make the fancy-schmancy (too fancy, I think) toasted bun soggy and gross... it would be better if they just used a plain old white-bread bun instead of a trendy brioche roll or whatever. The fried mac and cheese is awesome, even though my doctor would probably advise that I avoid such heart attack-inducing food. Service is okay, but could be better... my friend had his Sprite refilled with water TWICE, and they're a little stingy with the barbecue sauce (at a BBQ restaurant!). But otherwise pretty delicious food - I would love to come back and try their fried chicken and seafood boil.
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Met some friends here last night and had a very, very tasty ribeye. Was also happily surprised to find out that a regular Tuesday (and Wednesday) special is half-price bottles of wine (all but a few asterisked bottles). Had a great Pinotage. Apparently almost every day of the week features some sort of special -- fried chicken plus half-price beer Mondays, no corkage on wine on Thursday, Sunday brunch, Louisiana seafood boil once a month. I'll definitely be checking out their specials and coming back to explore the rest of the menu! PS - Great service, too!
What most people won't do to imagine themselves better than they are! They'll even suffer mediocre food at a super-inflated price if they think they'll look cool.
Okay, maybe I was there on a bad night. But if a restaurant is great can they have "bad nights?"
Boneyard is simply trendy. And I'm sorry but BBQ is not now and never will be "trendy." You can be cool and chic with fat and sauce smeared across your face. Even Brad Pitt looks like a goober if he tries to shake hands with grease all over them.
Okay, enough dissing commentary. The ribs were good. Not great, just good. They were pleasantly not fatty, pretty much like Mr. Cecil's just down the street but for twice the price. -- The Mac n Cheese was a caloric killer, though. Tasty while warm, once cooled I could see it erupting most arteries like Mt. St. Helen's. -- The bean were better - but at these prices they should have come with a magic Beanstalk for Jack to climb. -- And the dessert! Ohmagawd they thought it was the Polo Lounge: two tiny scoops ("dabs" really) of mediocre ice cream splashed with cheap champagne in a goblet that costs as much as the entire meal was worth.
And it was too crowded with ostentatious poseurs. I don't eat BBQ to see pretentious little prigs - of which the owner was one. Maybe it's a birds of a feather thing?
If you don't count the fantasy-land prices, the food was 3-stars. The service was by humans who wanted to be peacocks. The ambiance was 1-star but the prices were in outer space.
I have been to Boneyard Bistro twice and each experience was wonderful. I have had their combo of chicken and ribs that were scrumptuous and last night, a friend and I ordered the rib-eye steak. The steak had perfect flavor and was not overwhelmingly seasoned like most places. I was also very impressed with the simple Caesar salad- the presentation was pretty, the freshness and overall taste was so good. The side dishes on the menu are to die for. I love their twist on mac n' cheese so make sure to order- it's like a pasty puff cheese surprise! The corn bread was so good I had to ask our awesome waiter to bring us another basket of it.
The ambiance has room for improvement- mainly because the place is small and when it gets real full- the room gets pretty noisy.
The service was good and our waiter was very attentive.
I definitely recommend this place.
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Expand your horizons, eat out in the Valley? OK, I must admit. My comfort level of going out exists within certain boundaries of our city. La Cienega to downtown, Franklin to Pico. But when I read a recent review in my Westways magazine of the BBQ joint Boneyard Bistro and their half off wine on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, I had to break through my boundaries and check it out.
Located on Ventura Blvd in Sherman Oaks, Boneyard Bistro is a small place. With exposed brick walls and eclectic artwork on the ceilings. BBQ and smoked meat aromas waft in from the kitchen. There are two sides to the menu. The Boneyard side is a collection of smoked and grilled meats. Like baby back, St. Louis, and pork ribs ($20-$30). Barbecued tri-tip ($20) and several other smoked options, including pulled pork, beef brisket, chicken and sausage. On the Bistro side are things like pulled pork dumplings ($9), blackened catfish ($23), or a kobe burger ($19) with foie gras ($32).
Some of the concerns on yelp are valid, especially the long waits. I got lucky the one time I was there, but saw others around me were irritated by the wait.
Read the full review at my blog
http://diglounge.net/?...
How do you class up BBQ without losing it's appeal? Visit this place to find out... I've been a big fan of The Boneyard for years. Awesome BBQ, GREAT selection of craft and imported beers. Also the menu is broad enough that you can take non BBQ eaters here. Even took my parents once and my dad doesn't eat red meat or pork. Some of the dishes are actually quite refined and sophisticated. Of course if you're like me you just want to skip ahead to the BBQ menu which offers all the good stuff... 3 types of ribs, brisket, chicken, pulled pork, etc. They also have a burger which is stellar. No matter what you order you have to get the baked beans and fried mac and cheese on the side. Trust me on this. You will not be disappointed. Also if Brisket Knishes happen to be on the menu get those as well. They're rare, and like everything else, delicious. Enjoy.
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My biggest beef with most BBQ places is that the sauce is overkill. It's supposed be the accent not the only thing we taste. The sauce / seasoning here is just perfect .
We also liked most of the sides. The mac & cheese was very creatively done but some of the flavor was lost in the process. The place also has several ales and beers to choose from. The desserts looked wonderful but we just didn't have time to indulge.
Also keep an eye for the specials. The place is a little pricey so evenings with discounts will likely be our choice in the future.
The first time I went to this place. I have never even heard of it, until a friend had suggested it. I am not a big red meat eater so when I do indulge in it, the meat has to be tender, cooked to perfection and the flavor has to be exact. Over cooking and/or over seasoning is the biggest issue that I find in restaurants. However, this is an extremely great place to grab a burger. I had The Classic with Blue Cheese and it was amazing! My friend and I shared the Mediterranean Salad - again really nice! Then we had a bottle of French Wine and ended the evening with the Dulce de Leche. It is very different in a great way! It has Oreo cookie crumbles on one side of the plate with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and then there is a chocolate mound - this is the devils food cake, cream and hard chocolate shell! YUMMIES! The only reason I give this 4 stars - we had 7:45 reservations and didn't get seated until well after 8 - around 8:20ish. Fine but honestly, that is why we make reservations. For a Saturday evening, it is either best to go early or later (after 8 ish) because there were many tables open after then. And the owner came over to greet us and see how we liked everything. Finally - you don't have to worry about street parking. There is a lot behind the restaurant in a gated area. Great, great and great! It is a small place but there is an enclosed patio. I will be going here again.
Great atmosphere, great chemistry and outstanding food. Let me tell you, the Onion Rings are "To Die For". My wife and I went there tonight and we both agreed we will go back for sure. I had the Smaller Rib Eye of the two, it was excellent. The sauce they serve for the steak is a semi-thick brown sauce, Yum Yum!!
The sauce for the Onion Rings is out of this world. I'm telling you, have the Onion Rings.
The price of the food is really good, the price of the wine per glass is almost double what it should be.
When I pay 13 bucks for a glass of wine that you can purchase in the store for 16 bucks (2003 Spellbound, Petite Sirah) I expect a decent size glass of wine. For as much as the pour it should cost 5 to 7 bucks, not 13. This Wine is one I stock at my house so I know exactly how much it goes for.
The waiters are friendly, the head chef was very nice. I give it 5 Stars!!!
Peace
BigD
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I'm a big fan of great food served in a counter-intuitive setting. Usually this means serving food in an informal setting that would ordinarily be associated with more formal surroundings. Here it is quite the opposite, but that's okay too. Traditional barbecue is something we see very little of in California, yet it is one of our great national treasures, so I'll take it anywhere I can get it. Boneyard Bistro has a completely legitimate barbecue menu consisting of the meats and sides you'd expect of a real barbecue joint. The restaurant may have a conceptual twist, but their Q is completely sincere. Aside from desserts, all four of us ordered strictly from the barbecue side of the menu.
As a serious barbecue cook, I should know better than to seek out barbecue restaurants, especially one as expensive as this, but it was worth the trip. In general, they play it very safe with the amount of smoke flavor, perhaps its the customer base, but they would do well to be more bold and assertive. The brisket and ribs are the high points, with the former done to a near perfect texture, which is the most challenging task in all of barbecue land. In fact I find most brisket to be completely inedible and it's rare to find any place outside of Texas where brisket is the main attraction or where it is done so well. The other half of the menu looks great, but my agenda on the first trip was single minded.
Driving here, it's interesting to notice that this place is just a block from Mr. Cecil's - a place that has all appearances of a great barbecue restaurant, but whose food is a major letdown. Both places separate the food from the surroundings, but one for the better and the other is certainly for the worse.
I could nitpick about this or that or how I'm not completely wild for their sauce or how their fries were undercooked, but there's no need to split hairs. However, I will say that I've had and I've made pulled pork that is much better than what they're offering. If I had to take a wild guess I'd say they aren't cooking pork shoulders, but maybe pork loins. I could be wrong, but either way there's major room for improvement in the pulled pork department.
All said, a great discovery and a bold new concept. Much respect for the chef, for sure. My final tip would be for greater fusion of BBQ on the bistro menu or to make it easier to add a little bit of Q to the "bistro" meals.
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Great BBQ and 40+ diff. types of beer, what more can you ask for? The food was perfectly made and delicious. For an appetizer we had Thai-spiced Crispy Calamari which was sweet and just plain mouth-watering. Then I had St. Louis Spare Ribs and Fried Mac n' Cheese, and let me tell you it has been a while since I've tasted something this good. Their BBQ sauce was perfect and the fried mac n' cheese was surprisingly scrumptious. All of that great food topped off with Black Sheep Brewery's Riggwelter, a England beer, made it a perfect night.
They have a large plasma screen and a pretty large wine list as well. The waiter seemed knowledgeable when my friend was asking him about what wine she should order. I don't remember what she got but she seemed to enjoy it. I'll definitely be coming back to this place.
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Ok, so I was in the mood for some BBQ. There was this place in the Valley named "The Swinging Door" or something that I have been meaning to go to for about a million years seeing that the LA Magazine has recommended it, and it sounds like my kinda spot. Cheap, good ol' down-to-earth home-style cooking is my style.
Well, The Swinging Door is closed on Sunday, I found out while atempting to call it to get directions while I was on my way. So, I'm already in the Valley, so I thought, what else does the LA Mag recommend, BBQ-Style.
Boneyard Bistro? Sure, I'll try it.
Well, I was very happy with this place. Definitely NOT what I wanted when I mentioned "cheap down-to-earth", but it was, regardless, good. I spent about $50 plus for me and my girl, no alcoholic drinks. So, kinda pricy...
But: I do recommend it. So next time you're in the Sherman Oaks area, check it out.
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Yum. Great service, great food. Upscale BBQ for sure. Amazing beer list. Chris had the pulled pork sandwich and I had the St. Louis style spare ribs (1/2 rack). If you like spicy, ask for the spicy BBQ sauce. The fried mac-n-cheese was outrageously good. The collard greens were yummy (although I would have liked them spicier). Even the cole slaw was fresh and tasty. We'll definitely be going back on a Monday night for 1/2 price beers.
I was a vegetarian for years and years, so my foray into the meat-eating world is still a bit tenuous. However, I was muchos muchos pleased with the delicious chicken and pork at Boneyard! Would I have ever become a vegetarian had I sampled it beforehand? THE WORLD WILL NEVER KNOW.
That carnivorous bit said, what really got me: the cornbread muffins (dainty and extra-corn-y and OH MY!) and the deep-fried mac 'n cheese. A lot of people probably think you have to visit a carnival or something in the midwest for deep-fried mac, but, no, my friends, it's here, in the Valley, and it is awaiting you with its gooey-slash-crunchy goodness.
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Boneyard Bistro brings the "bistro" to Barbeque. I LOVE barbeque and was looking forward to visiting this restaurant. When I saw the menu, it was clear this was no taters and slop eatery.
We actually decided not to have BBQ and had some wonderful appetizers from the bistro menu - and then we shared a perfectly charred (yet rare) steak. There was enough for both of us. We had house wine and drinks after.
Aaron, the chef, was friendly and really seemed to care about the customers. We went early to avoid the crowd. It was great and we'll be back.
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While I lack patience in most areas, the one area in which I have immeasurable patience is going to new restaurants (you won't be seeing me at Mozza anytime soon). This is why tonight was my first visit to Boneyard Bistro, even though it opened more than a year ago and is less than half mile away from my home.
I had heard complaints about the noise and closeness of the tables, so going early on a weeknight helped to avoid these problems. We arrived at six to an empty restaurant, when we left an hour later, it was about half full. Tues/Wed they do half price on most of their full bottles of wine (we did not partake). The waiter, Martin, was extremely pleasant, helpful and enthusiastic. It really made me wish more wait people were this way, since so many aren't.
This place is perfect for my husband and me, since he isn't a fan of BBQ and I am. One of us ordered from the bistro side and the other from the BBQ side. From the bistro side, my husband ordered a venison special that came with an apple tart, truffle mashed potatoes and fois gras. I'm not a fan of venison so I didn't taste that, but the fois gras was delicious. I am really happy he loved the dish because we didn't ask the price and had a bit of sticker shock when the bill came ($46 for his entre).
From the BBQ side, I ordered a two way combo of beef ribs (2) and pulled pork, with the fried mac n cheese and collard greens. The portion was very generous, I have half for lunch tomorrow. Everything was tasty, especially the beef ribs which can sometimes be dull. If anything they were a bit overly flavored and salty, but still tasty.
For dessert my husband had an apple cobbler, with a homemade streusel that was out of this world.
This place is not cheap, but I felt like it was worth it because we enjoyed everything we ate.
http://www.boneyardbis...
I noticed a card on the table mentioning a special NYE dinner (two seatings) and thought that would be a fun place for a festival meal.
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The boulevard proves once again to trump the basin for good BBQ (at least as much as I've found). I wouldn't ordinarily group BBQ and find dining together, but Boneyard does bring the two together quite nicely. I first took notice to Boneyard when it was mentioned in the V-life section of Variety. It had always been on my, "must try" list but finally got a stab at it.
The restaraunt is quaint, so reservations are recommended. Parking, a bit of a pain but you should be able to find street or back in the neighborhoods north of the restaraunt.
It's still a quiet spot and seems to draw the entertainment crowd. Highlight of the night was Ken Davitian (Azamat Bagatov from BORAT). Not an ideal place for large groups but they can clear out the middle if you have a part of 8 or more.
BBQ was good. Went with my baseline, full-slab baby back's. Ribs were good, tender but not quite falling off the bone. The sauce was sweet and tangy (not cooked in). Very Tennessee style and very enjoyable. I'd say Top 5 BBQ I've tried in Los Angeels. The must have (and I think their signature) is the fried mac and cheese. Now as much as I love the Mac and Cheese at Luna Park or Magnolia, this one ranks right up there. Lightly breaded (think of a fish stick but without the fish) and lightly fried to perfection. Break the crust and you get this warm gooey cheese. We had two variations of frieds, regular and the sweet potato. Both worth trying (see we did try to eat healthy). Also, be sure to ask them to keep coming with the mini cornbread muffins. To steal a slogan from Lay's, "Betcha can't just eat one..." Enjoy...very much worth the trip "into the valley".
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I went here tonight and it was pretty good. The first thing I noticed was the amount of celebs there. As we were walking in Ricky Jay (boogie nights) was walking out. Sitting next to us was Leonard Maltin (film critic) and in the back of the restaurant was Mandy Patinkin (Inigo Montoya from the princess bride). Now onto the food. I tasted the babyback ribs, the brisket, and the tri-tip. The ribs were good but a little dry. The best thing was the brisket which was great. The tri-tip wasn't good at all. For sides we had collard greens, fried mac & cheese, french fries and coleslaw. They were all pretty good except for the greens. If you get the mac & cheese be sure to eat it while its hot. On a final note the valet parking is called "valet of the dolls".
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At long last The Valley gets some heavenly BBQ. There are plenty of good rib places in LA, but very few places with spectacular brisket. Boneyard Bistro is one of those places, but it doesn't stop there. Fantastic beans, sauce, all the fixins. As if the great BBQ wasn't enough, there's also an entire bistro menu full of great eats. Truly can't say enough great things about this place. Even the staff is standout - Jessica is especially fun.
Trust me and head on over there for a great meal.
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