Matu Kai — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I was super excited about Matu after months of eagerly awaiting the opening of the new restaurant, but my experience ended in disappointment. The restaurant itself has a great ambiance and the staff is very attentive. However, the food is where this place massively fell short of the hype. We started off with the tartare, garlic bread and salad. Everything was pretty good, but nothing really stood out. The mains is where the let down really began. We ordered 2 steaks and a branzino and everything came out room temperature. I suppose lukewarm would be fair to say if you really want to be generous but the food was definitely not hot. I also found the steak to be bland, dry and lacking many of the qualities that embody a really great steak. There was no real sear or crust and it wasn’t incredibly tender or juicy, just entirely forgettable. The branzino was the only thing I would say was flat out bad, maybe my fault for ordering this at a “steakhouse”. Nothing about this place was really catastrophic, but if you adjust for the hype and the price you end up with a very disappointing experience. I really wanted to like Matu, but if you’re looking for an excellent steak from a true top notch steakhouse then...

After seeing this new place open up, we really wanted to try it. We came one time just for a drink - the vibe looked really nice with the kitchen behind windows.

We finally came to treat ourselves and enjoy some good. And, it did not disappoint.

We started with the gem lettuce - the seasoning was delicious. I can only recommend for something fresh and tasty. The skewers were also very good and soft.

We got different pieces of meat - cooked as advised with french fries and mashed potatoes. And, it was really good. The seasoning was on point. The meat delicious, not chewy just so good. I usually eat my meat a bit more cooked, but that was definitely perfect. The fries were also super good!

Overall, it was a really great experience for good meat and extra plates.

We did have a drink each - that was good.

As expected it was on the pricey side, but a great experience to treat yourselves to...

As a huge fan of the original Matu in Beverly Hills, I was beyond excited to check out Matu Kai — and I’m so happy to say that it exceeded every expectation.

Not only does Matu Kai maintain the stellar quality that made the original one of my all-time faves, but it also brings a fresh lineup of dishes that are truly phenomenal.

Got to try the new Pomodoro Meatballs which were super rich and saucy, with this smooth, melt-in-your-mouth quality to the meat. Also had the Ribeye Brochettes with onions and tomatoes which were another standout; lightly spiced, full of flavor. But the absolute must-have is the Tenderloin Satay. Comes with a Crying Tiger sauce that is insane!

Lastly, the new space is absolutely gorgeous. There’s a HUGE wraparound bar, a clear view into the kitchen, and a massive wood-fire grill. Incredible evolution of an already great spot — cannot wait to come back...