COMPAGNON Wine Bistro — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Whew. Okay—so I’m not one to write bad reviews lightly, but this one? Deserves the honesty.

Upon walking in, we were immediately hit with a smell. I won’t go into detail (because I’m trying to be polite and also because it’s still haunting me), but let’s just say it wasn’t my pregnancy nose being dramatic—my partner was the one to call it out. We asked to sit outside, stat.

Our server came over quickly, which I appreciated, but her table-side manner was… interesting. Very “diner energy,” which can be cute if it’s intentional—but this leaned more toward gruff and rushed. She also had her young child running around the restaurant. And look, I’m a mom, I get it—sometimes you do what you gotta do. But for the prices this place is asking, the vibe just felt chaotic and oddly casual in a way that didn’t match the aesthetic or expectations.

We asked for a couple more minutes to decide, and eventually ordered their warm country bread (first basket’s complimentary). When the back waiter/busser brought the bread and plates, I noticed my plate was already dirty. I politely asked for a clean one, and instead of just grabbing me a fresh plate like a normal hospitality move, he argued with me: “It’s dirty from the bread.”

Excuse me what? Maybe! But I didn’t see the bread meet the plate, and I don’t care how it got dirty—if I say I want a clean plate, the correct answer is “absolutely.” I’ve been in the service industry for 15+ years, and arguing with a guest over something so basic? Wild behavior. I was stunned.

Then we took a bite of the bread. And y’all… it was stale. Not just “slightly cold and chewy” but full-on, tastes like it’s been sitting out all day stale. Cold, flavorless, and genuinely unpleasant. It was the nail in the coffin. If something as simple as a bread starter is that off, we weren’t about to roll the dice on a full entrée.

We looked at the menu a bit longer, and while some of the items sounded promising, we both felt it just wasn’t worth the risk—not with that kind of energy. So we made the executive decision to dip and find a new spot.

And THANK GOODNESS we did, because we ended up having one of the best meals of our lives just around the corner. So hey—not a total loss.

But for this place? Between the strange vibe, the smell, the stale food, and the lack of basic customer care—it’s a no from me. I don’t care how friendly or chill I look—I want to be treated with respect and served food that doesn’t taste like yesterday’s leftovers. Unfortunately, this place missed the mark. I won’t be returning.

UPDATE: Heard back from the restaurant (see below). While I appreciate the response, it doesn’t change our experience. Assuming the smell was Raclette—when our visit was nearly a week ago—feels like a stretch. You don’t know what was being served when we walked in.

For the record, I’m no stranger to funky cheese. I actually love a pungent moment—when it’s expected. That said, the smell wasn’t even the main issue. The service was.

The comment about “traditional American cheese” was…odd. It feels like a backhanded dig at our palates, which, trust me, are just fine. That tone honestly explains a lot—like why your busser felt comfortable arguing with a guest over a dirty plate instead of just replacing it. Being handed a dirty plate and then argued with when I asked for a clean one? Unacceptable—

Notably, your reply completely glosses over the actual issue: the service, the attitude, and the overall vibe were all off.

To be clear the bread was stale, and the overall experience lacked the care and professionalism that should come standard.

Glad others enjoy it, but we...

Bonjour! We discovered that typically French bistro, hedging on bohemian design by pure luck strolling down the street. Curiosity enticed us to make a reservation a few days later. We were welcomed by a smily hostess & guided to our table. Having read the menu on the door, we pretty much knew what we would order, however our local guest had to peruse the menu. We decided to order a large charcuterie board while we were discussing the items. Promptly we were made aware of the daily specials. The charcuterie and cheese board was covered by some slices of salami that reminded me of the Jesus de Lyon, some. Good country style pâté, some delicious Prosciutto, three cheeses, a bleu d’Auvergne(may be fourme d’Ambert) some conté, and a less desirable brie looking cheese, and of course there were the north American accoutrements of jam, walnuts, raisins but no cornichon(bizarre!). A basket of acceptable sliced baguette did the trick. We shared the delicious appetizer special composed of « al dente »green asparagus and hot smoked trout filet well balanced with a vinaigrette. The red beet/goat cheese salad lacked some wholeness: the red wine dressing lacked acidity and it doesn’t help the beets now days have lost their dark colour and much of their flavour due to seed manipulation. (May be some chopped garlic and parsley would have been welcomed). The beef Bourguignon stole the show, excellent large piece of beef shoulder nicely slowly braised in the red wine sauce with mashed russet potatoes and baby carrots(didn’t notice the mushroom, lardons and pearl onions) the bouillabaisse… we are so far away from the Mediterranean Sea…it had to be reinvented and it was, I would have appreciated more than one kind of fish, the sliced insipid fennel(it has no taste when you cook it, that is not the fault of the chef, mind you, probably another manipulation from Monsanto) may be a few drop of pastis would have played the trick, and saffron, what saffron?? The only disappointment was the Muscovy duck leg confit, I couldn’t check the pedigree of that duck, but that scrawny leg might have been from a Mulard duck instead, the fat wasn’t crispy and the meat firm and dry (was there enough duck fat for the confit process?) We sampled the three desserts: crème brûlée, was good, probably made with half &half cream instead of the 35% cream and no vanilla beans, the chocolate mousse ,could have been more airy, the lemon tart, I would have liked more of a lemony punch, maybe by incorporating some lemon zest when you emulsify the cream. A wine bistro..It was indeed! A very well assembled wine list, moderatly priced, good selection of Bordeaux and Burgundy wineries and surprisingly a few Beaujolais(Morton, Fleury…) In all a good...

We had dinner here on 5/29, our first time. The small restaurant is one open room with lots of hard surfaces, but it was half full so it wasn't too noisy.

The husband & wife owners were our servers and were warm and helpful. The menu is French but with a California twist, for example the bouillabaisse is less a brothy stew and more a shallow soup under whole mussels, clams, prawns and a generous piece of fish. It was heavenly and the soup was rich and complex, though a bit too salty. The bouillabaisse includes toasted baguette with dollops of real aioli made from scratch with actual egg yolks, not the stuff that looks like colored mayo you see everywhere these days.

I grew up eating pork rilletes and chicken rilletes but now don't eat much meat, so when we saw salmon rilletes on the Specials Board we had to order it. I loved it, and my husband the salmon fan also approved. From the description it's similar to Eric Ripert's recipe at Le Bernadin but here the dill and herbs add a layer of complexity and makes it even better!

The baguette in the bread basket was a bit disappointing, it was underbaked and dense american "french bread". But their bread basket is still complimentary, and you can't beat free.

Hubby's branzino was prepared well, with a nicely seared crispy skin. The wild rice pilaf was flavorful and green beans were still crisp, not overcooked. But the dish seemed American, not French.

I had the lemon tart for dessert and the filling was so wonderfully lemony and perfectly tart. The crust was thin like a shell, not really a pâte brisée but in a way I liked it better.

Because it was our anniversary, they comped us a chocolate mousse, which tasted rich and dark, not overly sweet. It was the perfect ending to a...