Davenport's Restaurant — Restaurant in Los Angeles

My family and I had a very disappointing experience at Davenport's last night. I'll start by saying this is my father's favorite restaurant and he asks to go to Davenport's every year on his birthday, as well as other times during the year. He and my mother have been regular patrons for as long as I can remember. Last night we were celebrating his 87th birthday and he specifically asked for the wine room because he is has significant loss of hearing and told me it was always very quiet. Not anymore!

Atmosphere: There was a party of 15+ people who were uncomfortably loud. This made other people at other tables speak louder as well. There was an caustic laugher every few minutes at one table and so on. I had to physically plug my ears during the entire dinner and even then I could clearly hear full conversations from every other table. I have terrible tinnitus and can't be exposed to high decibels or it gets worse. Once it's worse, it never gets better and sounds like a high pitched drill in my ear 24/7. Today, even through ear plugging for 2 hours, my tinnitus is significantly worse and my ear aches. I explained this to the wait staff who apologized but offered no solution. Even the owner looked at me quizzically but didn't check in or offer a solution. My decibel meter recorded the sound jumping between 90 and 100 decibels, just 10 decibels shy of a rock concert and 15 decibels over hearing damage (which is above 85).

The Food: The food was incredibly disappointing. I have been to Davenports several times before and the food was quite good, however this was my first time as a vegan. Almost every high-end restaurant I have been to as a vegan has had amazing options, not Davenports. They had one vegan option on the menu and it was just okay. Pasta with red sauce and impossible burger meat for almost $40. I really expected more, from the options and the dish itself. My mother couldn't even finish her lobster roll (without the roll) because she didn't like it and she's not a picky eater. For a meal that costs several hundred dollars for 3 people, I expect better.

And to top off the night, we had to leave early because of the excessive noise, and they didn't bring his birthday cake. We would have left even earlier but I had a very hard time getting a staff person's attention.

I wish I didn't have to write this negative review but it's important for anyone with hearing sensitivity, or tinnitus as well as vegans and vegetarians to know what they will and won't find at Davenports. I gave them 2 stars instead of 1 because my father liked his short ribs and the staff and servers were extremely nice and incredibly...

THERE IS ONLY 1 NUMBER ONE !!! While there are many hidden GEMs located all over CA, this restaurant is a Hidden TREASURE CHEST of AMAZING FOOD!!!

We were welcomed right away as we walked in and received great service throughout our visit. Our server JENNY was very helpful, attentive and made some great recommendations. The owner also visited us a few times to make sure we were enjoying our visit.

We started with ULTRA delicious appetizers:

First was the very cheesy and Extraordinarily delicious Signature Lobster Bites!!! Highly recommended!!! One of the BEST Appetizers I have EVER had!!!

Then we also truly loved their Jumbo Blackened Shrimp which is grilled and blackened to perfection. These KING size shrimp are very delicious!!!

Another delicious and freshly made appetizer is their Spicy Crispy Tuna which is served with an artistic flair.

And you must try to make room for their ultra delicious French Onion Soup!! Just split it with your partner to make space for this soup… it truly has a very rich delectable flavor!

Their Jalapeño Bacon Mac n Cheese was good but not as amazing for me. Too Al Dente for my taste.

For salads: Try either the Lobster Cobb salad which was very fresh, flavorful and lite. Their Caesar salad has a very unique flavor too.

Our entrees were AMAZING too!

Their ULTRA Signature Meal was their Miso Chilean Sea Bass!!! OMG!!! I have tried Chilean Sea Bass from many high end locations through the US and this IS The Best EVER!!! No exaggeration!!! For one it’s ULTRA tender and the MISO glaze takes the flavor to the Moon and Back!!! It’s a Guaranteed Winning Plate…which I must order again and again.

Their USDA Prime Filet Mignon was ULTRA tender and just melts in your mouth with every bite. Having a side of their very addicting French fries is a great choice too.

Their Baby Back Ribs are very tender and have great flavor too.

For dessert, highly recommend their NY CHEESECAKE which is sooooo smooooth and rich in flavor!!

Our son’s eyes LIT UP with their very delicious ICE CREAM too!!

For great drink choices, the Mamie Taylor or the Hemingway are very refreshing. The Mezcal Old Fashioned is very...

How can I summarize Davenport's in a few words? Stunning, delicious, incredible, amazing, wonderful! Is that more than a few words? Heck, why limit myself? I could rave about this fine dining establishment on and on!

Nigel Davenport is an incredible chef and his restaurant is by far one of the nicest of I've been to! It has to be the classiest restaurant in Encino, and perhaps all of the San Fernando Valley! If you live anywhere near by, or you're in the area, there is absolutely no other place you should go if you're looking for a delicious high class meal. This place has it all! From a very private dining room, to a bustling swanky bar, an amazing sushi bar, and an invitingly lit outdoor patio with heaters in case it gets cold. The bright colorful artwork, the sweet light fixtures on two of the restaurant's main walls, the posh bar, and the perfect mood lighting make this a great place for any occasion!

Be sure to make a reservation as even at 8:00 on a Thursday night the place is almost full, but only because it is sooo worth it to eat here as much as possible! There is parking in the back of the building or on the street. There is a bar restaurant entrance that faces Ventura, or the main entrance located in between the two buildings accessible from the back, from the parking lot.

Personally, I had the Mezcal Old Fashioned to drink. Delicious! Then I ordered some albacore sushi and a yellowtail sashimi special. Delicious! Davenport's rivals some of the best sushi I've had and I've been to Sugarfish, and Katsuya! They served me some bread as well. They brought me a dinner roll, pretzel bread, and cornbread with a sweet butter and a black salt butter which both had my taste buds wanting more! Delicious! And then the main course came, a premium Filet Mignon Steak cooked to perfection that just melted in my mouth. You guessed it, Amazincrediblydeliciousfantastic! Add on some delicious veggies, and some amazing mashed potatoes and boy, was this boy satisfied!

Do yourself a favor and get to Davenport's...