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Oh, you.
I've lived a block or two away from La Poubelle twice in my days as an LA native so I've been to this joint at least a dozen times.
As other Yelpers have more than made clear the food as well as the service is hit or miss. Sometimes the food is decent but it's definitely overpriced. Sometimes your bartenders will be cool but the waitresses clueless. Sometimes the old French couple who own the place will argue with each other loudly which is highly entertaining. I've had one of them give me a free glass of wine a time or two completely arbitrarily so color me confused but happy, much obliged.
The thing I like most about La Poubelle though is the ambience. It's dark and romantic and most often bustling which gives it a festive vibe. Good place to have a few glasses of wine with a date esp if you're not going to try your luck with the food.
Once several years back I wandered in here by myself high on mushrooms. At the bar I ended up sitting next to F-list actor James Duval (http://www.imdb.com/fi...) i.e. Frank the Bunny from Donnie Darko and who costarred alongside Rose McGowan in that craptastic 90's movie Doom Generation. We hit it off and talked until the bar closed and once it did close the bartender kicked all the rest of the patrons out except for us and a couple other people including another F-list actor Pruitt Taylor Vince (http://www.imdb.com/na...), i.e. heavy-set crazy eyes guy from Jacob's Ladder. I guess both of these actor dudes were regulars. We were allowed to smoke cigarettes inside and the bartender hooked us up with free drinks for another hour or so before we all called it a night.
James Duvall got to regale me with stories about being in a nude scene with Rose McGowan and her magnificent chi-chis. Good times all around.
La Poubelle, is the French phrase "the garbage". Clearly this place was trying to be ironic. The moment I walked in my first reaction was that the place was so dark that you could barely see your own hand in front of you. The restaurant was very busy and loud. It was a Friday night after all. The decor was composed of cherry and dark wood, complimenting the French feel it was trying to convey. My second thought was that it was a bit disorganized as we had several people greet us before we were seated. Once seated, it took a while for our server to arrive to our table. While waiting for our server, we perused the clearly french influenced paper menu with some American classics such as burgers and sandwiches.
Our server arrived about ten minutes after we were seated and took our drink orders. She did not mention any specials on the menu at all. Once again it took her a while to return to our table to take our order.
I ordered the spinach crepe that arrived 20 minutes after I ordered it. Another thing to note was that my party's food didn't arrive at the same time. It wasn't one of those instances that the server "ran out of hands", it just took a while for each plate to get to the table. I felt that this was part of the disorganization I experienced when we walked in. Fortunately, the crepe itself was delicious. The exterior and interior were warm. The cheese was gooey, I was satisfied with it.
The server dropped off the bill without offering dessert. At the rate the night was going, I don't think we wanted to have dessert anyway.
I am definitely sold on the crepes at La Poubelle. I started the evening with two friends, with the sole intention of only having drinks. I started with a merlot and then quickly progressed to an inexpensive $9 glass of champagne. One of pals, started with a Stella being that it was only 5 bucks. By the end of the evening, I was on that 5 buck Stella train as well.
Deciding that maybe food would be a good idea to soak up a bit of the alcohol, we ordered the shrimp crepe and lobster crepe to share. They were both absolutely delicious. The person at the table next to me had a tasty looking dish, and being that I'm THAT annoying person who will stalk your table to find out what you ordered and if it's any good, I asked. He was having Coq au Vin and said that it was the best he's ever had. Well, of course, I asked him where else has he had it and he said, that he's had it all over the world, even Paris, and yes, he stands by his statement that it is the absolute best. Hmmmm?
The person at the table in front of me had the Beef Sliders, which looked great, but my table forbade me to bother the poor man.
I definitely think that it's worth going to if you get a moment and sit outside, if you can get a table.
I enjoy the old timey European ambiance here. Sitting on the patio, drinking wine, smoking (I don't smoke), watching people stroll by. But the food is only okay. The pastas are decent, but the crepes are only mediocre which is a big disappointment for a French place. I think the biggest problem with this place is how expensive it is for what you get. I know people complain about price on here a lot and I am definitely not a person who is unwilling to spend money on good food. This just wasn't that great of food. I will keep looking for other options on Franklin.
Please just read the menu before you go. Coq au vin and Spicy mexican shrimp on same menu. Some reviewer said they loved the Sliders. Don't go here.
Just had dinner at La Poubelle last night. It was amazing. As always!
They seriously need to dial down the attitude here. The bartender was nice but the manager/maitre'd was seriously off putting. And why would you name a place 'trash bin'?
So, after years and years of mistreatment by La Poubelle, being served feces pops and drinking vomitinis- I honestly thought of starting a business on their sidewalk providing the service of holding a garbage can steady as people slam dunked their hard earned dollar bills. I figured it would save them time and make me rich!
It was a good plan.
However, it was a foiled plan once New Years Eve arrived and my friends insisted we go to La Poubelle, a.k.a. the Trash Can, to eat food. Which I insisted that although it was a restaurant, wasn't something they served, and deeply contemplated bitch slapping sense in to each and every one of my peeps. But, it was the holidays, and I thought in the spirit of Christian Mythology I'll just suck it up and suffer through it. Maybe practice my bulimia... (It's just not fair that eating disorders are so hard to come by.)
Anyhow, upon arriving, I was shocked that we only had to wait 10 minutes for our reserved table in an empty restaurant and 15 minutes to have our drink order taken. That's like a record for La Poubelle. Really, I was proud of them. I even made a homemade happy badge out of a napkin and gave it to my waitress as incentive to keep up the good work!
Rather than a long drawn out story, the facts:
The oysters were larger than my tongue, amazingly good and cleaned perfectly.
The Carpaccio was nice, but not the best ever, and the pork was better than sex, which sounds kinda gross.
I suppose I'll have to stop calling La Poubelle the Diarrhea Diner. Late.
One of those places you'll love or hate. Food is not spectular but it is good, service is great if not too busy and the ambience is the best selling feature. Probably a place to avoid during busy times but its a great place for a long, casual meal for lunch or early evening. I'm still a fan of La Poubelle and all its idiosyncracies.
The dark and romantic vibe at night makes it a perfect place for a date. The menu items are a bit on the pricey side for a bistro. There's buzz about their crepes and I enjoyed the lobster crepe. I was seated at one of the tables inside with a banquette. The bar area which is adjacent to these tables got a bit crowded...my chair got kicked several times while I was eating as people were scooting through. The servers did OK on my visit...maybe b/c the old French couple who own the place weren't around arguing. But there was a couple right next to my table who was arguing as they were leaving. Sheesh!
Service is fantastic. Our server was on top of everything. I went on a sundays so I had some mimosas and bloody mary. Bloody marys here are so tastey. I know some places make it very tomatoey and thick. This place makes the bloody marys just right. I ordered the french toast and honestly I was very disappointed. I am not a huge fan of french toast but I have had some amazing ones in the past. The french toast were a little dry and had no fruit. Just orange zest. My friends had the breakfast omelet and that looked pretty good. I was told that eggs benedict were delicious. My plate was the mediocre one.
This place is located right across from the scientology church. They have outdoor seating so you can smoke :) woo hoo ! and I saw a couple cute boys there walking their dogs.
I would not really highly recommend this place. I would just go for the brunch drinks :)
For romantic dinner in the most authentic french bistro in Hollywood.
I've been going to La Poubelle for years now, as a great spot to sit outside for a drink in the neighborhood. Last night I came for dinner, felt that my entree was overcooked, and sent it back like any normal guest would.
My waiter, though nice about it, brought my food back to me, saying the manager and head chef both looked and said this was made to my order. Now my meal is cold and has been inspected....I've never been somewhere where management argues with me about whether my meal is to my liking. It's too bad b/c it's a fun spot. But there are others, and with better customer service. I'll recommend some...
I would never go to these places unless I was travelling. My friend in LA somehow is a hipster, so he took me here. I learned two different things about Los Angeles while here.
1. People don't really get wasted. I drank four Guinness before both of my companions drank their first drinks (and this was over two hours) and they all thought I was some type of alcoholic. (I am, but whatever). Drinks are not super pricey ($7 for a Guiness or $5 for Bud Light.. they even have $3 house beer for the poors).
2. Seeing celebrities is no big deal. When you see one, you act like they'r not there. Case in point: Adrien Grenier walked in here with a couple friends and nothing stirred*. He was just chilling next to me while I was ordering my 4th Guinness. A "that guy" from 'Superbad' and 'I Love You, Man' was there as well just with some friends.
*Funny story happened between my buddy and him, I can go into details (for mystery's sake) if you let me know.
So I may update this as I haven't been in awhile, but come on people, they're French. If you don't know that they are not always nice, and the service will be slow (as it is in Europe. Europeans are happy enough to drink and talk away the evening, as they're in no rush to go anywhere) then this may not be the place for you.
I brought a French friend who was just as amused as I am that they are self-described as "The Trash". This place has character, and characters. I fortunately have never had bad experience (the food and wine included). To be continued...
What's weird about La Poubelle is although it's a restaurant I wouldn't suggest going there to eat. The food's not bad, but it's certainly not good either. The best thing they've got going for them are the hamburger sliders, because it's just about impossible to ruin a hamburger..especially a little bitty one.
You go to La Poubelle to spend entirely too much money on liquor and get tanked, while people watching in one of the coolest neighborhoods in town. It's littered with the usual suspects, out of work actors, working actors, directors, writers, wanna bes, celebs, hipsters and hotties. There is never a shortage of people to look at, never a reason to have a full sit down dinner...unless you are with a group of friends and need a foundation before getting tanked.
La Poubelle is best enjoyed at the bar, or outside while the Celebrity Scientology Center beckons you from across the streets. It's a fun atmosphere, and a good time, but you could easily rack up a $300 bill there drinking too much Patron.
I was happy to find a French bistro in LA where I could get a decent, respectable bowl of mussels and a glass of wine. That's all I wanted and that's exactly what I got.
The menu is limited, but that's why restaurants post menus at the door, so if you don't see what you like you can move on.
I will definitely return.
I'd have to agree with the other Yelpers...service sucks. The food hardly makes up for it. The night was off to a rough start with an hour wait for our table (with reservation), and then we were starving and ordered some garlic cheese bread. That took about half and hour, arrived to our table chewy and cold, and when we asked if we could have it fresh, our waiter graciously popped it in the microwave. Um, not cool. I was really optimistic abou the mussels, but they turned out to be really small and overly fishy tasting. Maybe they got them from "la poubelle" (French for "the trashcan"), sticking with the theme and all?
My friend lives down the street and goes there all the time (mainly to drink), but they still treat him like trash. The bartenders are really rude and slow. Plus, the wine list is really lame for a so-called French restaurant. I would not recommend this place out of all the fun, tasty restaurants in the area...unless of course, you want that classic snobby LA experience. But you should at least get some decent food with it.
i've only been here for drinks. a girl i'm dating lives around the corner.
had fun both times, and there were lots of good people to look at.
If I could, I'd give this place a zero star.
We were here after watching a show next door at UCB, and we walked in here for a drink. There were a few bars on the same block, but we chose this one coz it had a sign outside that said "HAPPY HOUR ALL DAY". Inside, the board behind the bartender indicated that happy hour beer were $5 and white sangria's were $5 each. After we ordered, the bartender gave us a surprisingly larger total than we thought. Turned out that they lied when they said that Happy Hour was all day. Plus, the wind blew the cigarette smoke from outside to the inside, so the whole place smelt like there were people smoking indoors.
Um, no thanks. FAIL.
I have had many good times at La Poubelle.
Yes, the service is typically bad. Get over it. The food is great.
I was very disappointed in La Poubelle. I initially thought "Yipee! French food and ambiance." When I got there I found out the staff was rude and inattentive, the menu was limited and overpriced, and the food was not up to snuff. I think there is a universal standard that fish dishes should not taste "fishy" and the mixed seafood over pasta tasted horrible salt-waterish and fishy.
I will absolutely not go there again.
Creperie Style joint, really good food , good staff, you get to meet the owner most of the time.
great wine great food and i truly recommend to pre order desert
CREME BRULEE!
I love French bistro food. But Poubelle is a missed opportunity. A great space, a great bar, but severely mediocre food and uneven service. (How can a French place fuck up steak frites? Poubelle finds a way)
Last time I was here, two older folks (managers? owners?) got into a giant French-language shouting match in the middle of the place. WTF? If I wanted to watch French people bicker, I could ... ah, I don't even have the energy for a witticism. Poubelle, you're not worth it.
i always giggle when i pass this place on my jog! haaahahahaha... in french it means THE DUMP OR THE GARBAGE BIN. haahahahaha so it makes sense to me that its not the cats meows. im not being bias cuz im french and lived in france, but the food is alright and is close to me and open late. as everyone has made it clear the service is really random, but in the restaurant's defence they are just giving you the proper french experience. usually it is, HERE IS YOUR FOOD EAT IT AND DONT COMPLAIN. haahahahaha or OK I DONT REALLY EAT HERE SO I DONT KNOW. but you gotta give it to them though for ok food and outside seating. love to smoke inbetween meals. so im a fan of this place. it takes me back to my childhood when we were living in paris sitting at a cafe in midday. the french couple is funny. they are really sweet and really nice.
It's like I went to heaven! I live just up the street from the restaurant. I cannot believe I hesitated to go there! How so incredibly stupid of me. My husband and I went last nite just for the heck of it - we were lucky to catch they happy hours (every day 5-8 pm). $16 for carafe of white Sangria, which was incredible. We ordered 3 cheese flat bread (also "happy" price) and sliders for starters. Both PERFECT! Mouthwatering, perfectly cook medium rare silroin burger. And flatbread - thin, crispy, full of cheese and thyme. if you ever there - just get it! Main course - what else CREPES. I had a special - loster with shitake mushrooms and creamy brandy sauce. It was so decadent, lobster VERY tender - melting in your mouth. And suprising combination with shitake - it really was heaven. my hubby had duck confit - very tasty! Luckly we were starving - otherwise it would be too much food. Well it ws a lot, but so worth it. My new favorite place!
Oh, the had a new chef in the kitchen - first day after training- so will have go back soon and check if the quality and quantity did not changed. Maybe it was begginers luck? Oh, I HOPE NOT!
I created a Yelp account right after going to La Poubelle specifically because it was the worst service I've ever had.
It was a Sunday evening and although the place wasn't packed, there were quite a few people. Our party of five was sat in the corner by the front and completely forgotten about. We waited 10 minutes for menus, another 30 minutes to place our order, and another 45 minutes to eat, I kid you not. We were literally there for an hour and a half before we got our mediocre, over-priced food.
Not once did our waiter apologize or even check in on us to refill drinks. And I've been a waitress before. I know it sucks when the kitchen is slammed and you have patrons glaring at you the whole night. But if things are obviously not going well, you should probably try and make things work, not roll your eyes and make things worse.
Also: they charge extra to split a dish (even if you don't want an extra plate) and for bread and butter.
The service at this place is always awful, always.
We have been the ONLY people in the place and waited 20 minutes for water.
The food is okay, but the service is so bad that I would only go there LATE for DRINKS.
I came here yesterday with my SO at about 2pm for a late lunch.
I was very pleased with their service. They served us our drinks promptly. Our water glasses were always full. The waiter came back twice to ask if everything was alright. And best of all, the crepe was AMAZING.
I had the East Side Crepe, and it was heavenly.
I am definitely coming back.
It's too expensive. My friend had a salad with pear and there was a sticker on the skin of the pear still. She got shrimp on the salad for an extra 8 bucks, which she was not told about and only found out after the bill came. HELLO. So it was like 21 dollar salad. Chicken Paillard was not beaten enough or really that tasty. The drinks were good. The bartender was cute. My friend H, loves the burgers though, which are a bit pricey but OK. Parking sucks
Why are the owners such jerks to their staff and customers? Seriously, I have never in my life been told to "get the fuck out" of any establishment for any reason, let alone for asking the bartender about her day. I swear, that's what happened! I think the bartender was also fired right there! These people are like cartoon characters. I know we expect the French to be rude, but how utterly ridiculous.
The drama level is off the charts at this place. And the food isn't even very good. Service is surly and that's on a good day. The prices aren't great. The valet guys take FOREVER. Why do people keep trying to drag me here? Soooo overrated.
UPDATE:
I seem to have deeply offended a couple of French people with my tongue-in-cheek stereotyping of them as rude. Incidentally, one of the emails I received was very impolite, but oh well.
French people: Please note that the above review is a.) completely true and b.) not intended to be taken seriously. Chill out.
I've eaten / gotten drinks at La Poubelle now 3 times and every time is an excellent experience. The waitress is sweet in the outside patio (fuck, what was your name? I just saw you yesterday!) and she actually remembered me, which is always a sign of a great server. The bartender I could live without. He comes across as a snoby New Yorker - you know, the type that seems all bent out of shape that he has to live in this "terrible city with these terrible people" - but even withstanding that, I have had good experiences here. The owner (or the ex-owner? I think she gave the place to her daughter and still hangs around) came out and thought my girlfriend was someone she knew and made this fuss about how "beautiful she is" and how much she apparently looks like the other bartender (I guess she was gone that evening). That was sweet. Made us all laugh.
The food is good. Burger satisfied me, fries were delic, 'nuf said.
I would suggest you go. It's a great neighborhood and it's a fun spot.
This place is SO French. Well, I can't be one thousand percent sure about that, since I've never been to a restaurant in France, so I'm making a total assumption. Let's just say the decor was very French, hence the French atmosphere inside. And, apparently, it's owned by real French people as opposed to fake French people, like French Canadians. If you're a French Canadian, then I'm very sorry that I may have offended you, but you're really not a French person, you're Canadian, so whatever... this is about the restaurant!
The menu has typical French courses like snails and crepes and other entrees with French words like confit which usually means duck. Each item is also listed with an appropriate accompanying alcoholic beverage or wine. Just a FYI: Don't try to order in French otherwise the waitstaff may correct your pronunciation!
The salmon flatbread pizza with caramelized onions, sundried tomatoes, cream cheese, and not-sundried tomatoes was basically delicious.
The dessert menu was also very nice. Again, there are alcohol choices to accompany your dessert! Try the creme brulé or a Nutella and banana crepe if you still have room left after your entree. I tasted both and I liked them, so you may like them also. My taste buds do not lie.
Do you like crepes?
Do you like wine?
Do you like frogs?
Well if you answered a hungry YES to any of these, then check out La Poubelle on the hipster block of Franklin, between Bronson and Tamarind.
Their Frenchy food is rich and most likely will blow any diet that most of the model/actress types that frequent the joint are on, but when it tastes this good, then sometimes ya gotta just say, EFF it!
Your best bet is to go with one of the yummy crepes or maybe try some of their lighter fare attempts at Tapas. The goat cheese salad is a solid choice.
Their wines are very good as well and from my experiences there, they actually know what to recommend which is always a nice surprise.
Happy grubin and au revoir
Having been a "Poubelle -ee" for 34+ years, it is difficult to find fault. We have found the owners and employees to be consistently friendly and out-going, despite an earlier reviewer's negative comments about the French; (sometimes you get what you give). Our most recent server was very busy but also VERY attentive ... even to several special requests from our group of 14. Tasty "small plates," interesting wine list, lots of activity and great people watching. If you're looking for quiet, intimate fine dining, this is NOT it; this is a place to go for high energy and fun. Amusez-vous bien, et bon appétit!
I've been here twice, and while its a good place to spot a celebrity, I wasn't overly impressed with the food. One time I had a crepe, that was okay. The other time i tried the burger, and they overcooked it severely. On the second try they got it right.
$30 each
La Poubelle translates as "the garbage can" in English so you kind of have to go from there. An invariable mish-mash of foods to whet your appetite to say the least. My fave is the cheese plate late at night...perhaps after cocktails somewhere or to even start the evening. YUMMY cheese!!
The funniest thing about the garbage can is the little frenchy who either owns, manages or just simply waits tables there (I'm inclined to think it's one of the first two.) He once got in a flour...yes, the powdery white stuff, fight with a girlfriend of mine before he danced with her and spun her around like a ballerina between the tables. I kid you not. EVERY time I've been here he seems to stick out...either being funny or snubbing you by ignoring your table for awhile. It's a crap shoot.
Great place to have a birthday party...not pretentious, pretty cool peeps, and not TOO much of a pain to park. They have valet unless your one of the lucky ones to snag a street spot.
This place used to be great. I've been there twice. The first time I went, the food and service were pretty good and I would've given them 4 stars. As some others have said, the service is pretty inconsistent. You can have a great waiter, or a rude person who doesn't give a crap.
I ended up ordering the same thing the second time I went and they completely changed the recipe! I guess that wouldn't be that big a deal but it also happened to taste horrible.
I cook a lot and I know it's easy to put out food that simply tastes good. I'm not a trained chef and charging people to eat my food either. When a restaurant can't put out food that's properly cooked, I have no mercy for them. The whole point of going to a restaurant is to eat food you can't make yourself at home with a little added ambiance.
Not coming back here...
I went here on a date, and enjoyed myself. Very cool crowd, everyone was really friendly and easy to talk to. I love the patio area. One bartender was a bitch, but the other made up for it. The drinks are too expensive, but oh well, I was on a date. So I didn't pay. Whats up with being able to smoke inside though?? I was confused. It isn't owner operated??
ps. the dating ended when the guy asked me what carbon was. Like the ELEMENT. too bad, such a pretty face.
This is starting to not be funny Stephy! Seriously, the next time you beat me to the punch we are going to have words....well I guess that is all we have on Yelp?
So, I definitely like coming here for the beginning of the night rather than for the night. It definitely has character and a sign that reads "Free Parking on Bronson" LIES LIES LIES I tell you! I guess the sign is just for nostalgic purposes because there aint no free parking anywhere near that trendy part of Franklin, wait, what part of Franklin doesnt have hipster trendsetters? Oh well back to La Poubelle. I always have a good time here, definitely a good people watching place. Last time I saw the bartender from Melrose Place...um....Id go check IMDB for his name but Id rather just fnisih this review.
I aslo tried the food finally and was pleasantly suprised. NOT amazed but suprised. I had the Tiger Shrimp which packed a little firey punch. And I had the baby lamb chops which were also a nice little treat. Definitely not overcooked and with a lot of seasoning. As a matter of fact I wouldnt mind tasting a little bit more of the lamb but then again what do I know about French cooking or cooking in general. I just know about eating.
I would defintiely eat hear again but only if it was a tapas style eating situation surrounded by good friends all drinking and being merry. The darkness provides for the perfect environment to get the night started before you step out and realize, ah shucks Im drunk. Maybe this IS the end of the night.
There Chocolate Molten Cake wasnt to bad either
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