American Beauty - The Grove — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Greeted by an inviting exterior and a modern interior that initially promised a meal as polished as its decor. However, my experience left me grappling with a restaurant that seems more invested in style than substance.

The wood-grilled flatbread was marred by overly sweet labneh, more dessert than dip. Similarly, the glazed carrots veered too far into the sweet zone, their texture overly soft. The roasted squash fared better with its interplay of flavors.

Disappointment became the evening’s theme. The steakhouse burger was a big letdown—a dry patty on an overly toasted bun, with bland cheese and underwhelming aioli. I barely made it through a quarter. It came with shoestring fries, a welcome respite.

The heritage baby back ribs, touted by the waiter as the best item on the menu, were dry, uninspiring, and clung stubbornly to the bone. It became clear the waiter’s recommendation was a significant overstatement.

The mac and cheese was pedestrian. Oversauced pasta shells dressed up with breadcrumbs. The lobster tail was yet another, yet thankfully the last, miss—dry, tough, and frustratingly difficult to extract.

While the waiter was pleasant, his recommendations, in hindsight, were upselling tactics rather than genuine advice. His insistence on ordering extra dishes—deemed “small plates”— proved to be a gross exaggeration.

American Beauty is the restaurant equivalent of an overly filtered photo—it looks great, but the reality falls short. Come for the atmosphere, but don’t expect...

Was excited to try out this new spot at the Grove, checked online seating and there was availability in 30 mins, but since we were already in the mall, we decided to go put our name down instead of making a reservation online. Got to the front and they told us that wait was at least 45 minutes, and we were confused, we checked the app and the reservation in 30 mins was still available. The girl at the hostess stand in black plastic frame glasses was very rude about the whole situation. We had our pup with us so we can only sit outside, there was only one table taken when we got there, at least 8 other tables open that we can see, and she still won’t seat us. Asked if we can grab a drink from the bar first and wait to see if we can be seated (8 tables still open) and were told that we can only stand outdoors and make sure we don’t sit down so the waiter won’t think they need to serve us. What type of service attitude was this!!?? Thankfully the food was good, the flatbread was a must order! Also recommend the stuffed hash brown as a side. All the proteins were good, I liked the burger better than the Win-dow outside and the ribs were good but I think it would be better shared, gets...

I wanted to like American Beauty, but this place was a total disappointment. While the ambiance was clean and inviting, and the staff were fine, the food left much to be desired.

I ordered a burger medium-well, but it came out medium, a small mistake that felt symbolic of the overall lack of attention to detail. The food was overly salty across the board, from the burger to the chicken, steak, and ribs. It’s like the kitchen didn’t know how to season with anything else. While the dishes were well-presented, the flavors were completely off, and for $40-$50 per person, I expected far better.

The price doesn’t match the quality. For the same price or less, you can get a much better experience at any of the restaurants at The Grove. I’ve been to 3-4 other spots nearby, and every single one delivered better food, a more enjoyable experience, and better value. Honestly, even a box of See’s Candy would have been a more satisfying way to spend my money.

To top it off, the wait was long, and for food of such low quality, it wasn’t worth it. Save your money and head somewhere else—this place simply isn’t worth the hype or...