La Paella — Restaurant in Los Angeles

The experience was disappointing. I took some friends out to celebrate one of their birthday's. We ordered a bunch of appetizers, two large paellas, a pitcher of sangria, and other drinks. I want to start with the alarming part of the experience. When I went to pay my bill my server told me that he was going to add 30% gratuity to the bill. Our bill was $300 and I've never heard of a place adding 30% gratuity before (especially for minimal/mediocre service). I asked the server why 30% and he said because you have a big group. I said I haven't ever heard of 30% gratuity before and had to go back and forth with him several times before he finally agreed to add 20%. 20% was still $58 which is totally reasonable.

Three of us ordered their vegetarian paella and it strangely tasted and smelled like seafood so I'm not sure why this might have been. Maybe the skillet that was used to make it was used previously for one with seafood? I'm not sure. They also use a water base for the vegetarian option and it was extremely bland. The three of us felt that the flavor was lacking and it just tasted like watery rice with a touch of seafood flavor. I did enjoy the appetizers but the paella didn't taste anything like what we had in Spain and I felt that it was really not right to try to get me to leave 30% gratuity. I worked as a manager in three restaurants for 6 years and 20% was the standard.

The owner responded to my Yelp review by saying in his words "We never asked for 30%!". Well that is simply not true because the server DID ask me to pay 30% and I did not agree to pay that. I told him I would pay 20% ($58.00). By the owner telling me that no one ever said that to me when someone did, he is indirectly calling me a liar. That's pretty messed up!

On a side note, we also had five people dining and only had a sixth person join us at the very end. The sixth person didn't order anything and just munched on leftovers. He was not served, however I still was happy to pay the 20% percent gratuity and had to go back and forth with the server until he finally agreed on...

When the yearning for authentic Spanish cuisine beckons, "La Paella" emerges as a culinary beacon, brilliantly capturing the essence of Spain's rich gastronomic landscape. From the moment we stepped through the doors, the ambiance transported us back to the vibrant streets of Spain, enveloped in warmth and the tantalizing aroma of spices.

The service was nothing short of exemplary, with staff members who not only knew the menu inside out but also shared their enthusiasm for the flavors and traditions of their dishes. Each recommendation was spot on, adding to the overall delightful experience.

The star of the evening was undoubtedly the squid ink paella. Its bold flavors and perfectly cooked seafood were a testament to the chef's mastery. Each grain of rice was infused with the deep, oceanic essence of squid ink, creating a dish that was as visually arresting as it was delectable. Every plate brought to our table was a hit, making it a thoroughly enjoyable dining experience for the whole family.

"La Paella" has certainly set a high standard for Spanish cuisine outside of Spain. It's a gem worth returning to, and we are already planning our next visit to delve deeper into the menu. If you're seeking an authentic taste of Spain, this is a place you won't...

I don't want to be too disrespectful with this restaurant but here we go. We started with the Arroz a banda: it was simply horrible. The rice was overcooked, it had no real flavor, and far away from what an average paella dish in Spain tastes like. I've never been in jail but I suspect this is how jail food tastes like, reheated microwaved rice cooked five days ago. The fish with salt which is one of the easiest recipes to cook (bury a fish on salt and put it in the oven and Done) felt like it had been cooked by a college student on a slow cooker with no intention of actually eating it. Good presentation though. The service was actually pretty good and waiters were very nice. We also had some Spanish octopus. The octopus itself was tender and probably better than any other restaurant I've tried in California. But no potatoes, low quality olive oil and very small portions ruined it. The best thing on the dinner was the garlic aioli, but damn, that's just smashed garlic, if that's the best thing they can do I think we've got a problem here. My girlfriend says the ambience was nice. I guess. But kind of dark. We had to use the flashlight in our phones to be able to read the menu. If you are going this dark better bring some more candles...