NORMS Restaurant — Restaurant in Los Angeles

This location has a long way to go in order to improve! We have been to this place a few times by now just because we live close by. Every time there's some dissapointment! At night hours they are severely understaffed! One night we waited 25 min and left. Before us a couple of people did exactly the same. About 6 people were still waiting outside to be seated while a whole section of available seating was closed.

Another time we stopped by and to my great dissapointment I discovered that the restaurant doesn't follow logic. I tried to order an entree which comes with soup and salad and , since their soup is not delicious, I wanted to swap those two additions with a decent salad of my own : throwing some tomatoes, croutons, and onions to the bed of lettuce. The server insisted he can only do that for additional costs. Therefore not only I would pay the whole price, but I would pay more while getting the foods I wouldn't even touch or want in the first place!! So I tried to negotiate the better deal and ended up with the server somehow assuming that I refuse the entree. I ended up with a plate full of grass with ranch on top. You know the definition of salad, do you? That was " yummy" indeed(sarcastic). I would pay much less for a decent salad if I would buy separately the ingredients at a local store. The idea to go to a restaurant to eat some very expensive grass with a dressing sounds neither smart nor appealing to me. However, apparently that's the norm for NORMS!

Today the food was overcooked because it looked dark and was very dry! Moreover, it was overly salted!! To be specific: it's the breading that was overly salted, the fish itself was ok. I asked our server to not overcook my fish and bring it to me just like on their picture menu. On their picture the fish looks much lighter and has marketable appeal ....thus why it was there in the first place. The actual dish is far from the picture and is plain not delicious! I asked the server to deliver my message to their cook and someone came over to our table. That person told me that if they fry the fish for less time, it will be still raw. The solution to that issue is very simple:

Make your bread-ing lighter and thinner. Make your fish slices thinner and shorter. Change your frying oil often so that it doesn't provide its own taste to the dish and doesn't add up to its color.

As for the atmosphere: the inside of the place looks simple, acceptable and fairly clean. It's the visitors( guests) which spoil the whole impression. By night the guests look a bit more intelligent, clean, healthy, organized, and attractive. During the day hours it looks like the nearby bus line unloaded its passengers and they all decided to dine at Norms.Some of the guests are plain uncultured and uncivilized, to me, since they would just sit and stair at you in the open. At times the neighbors look like ms.Piggy had a bunch and all of them decided to dine at Norms that day. Obviously, prices and location at the subway and metro station have to do with it.

On the good side, their ranch dressing is something they make themselves or so I am told and you could buy it from them right there for 5 bucks. The bad side is they pour the dressing onto your salad..instead of offering it on the side. The amount of the dressing is also something to be displeased with - too small.

The other bonus is the proximity to Ralph's and ROSS and a bunch of other lovely places at the same plaza.

The quality of the food is questionable though: French fries look very dry, taste bad, overall menu is the level of McDonald's I think, just more to choose from.. No real cream for your coffee either. Anyway, if you are hungry after 11 pm, you can go there. And if you like Thai food, park your car in the garage underneath Ralph's and walk to the Thai Town plaza where they serve food 24 hours. You will be...

Come multiple times since this one opened and decided never to come again by today. Let me list some of the things you should be careful with this Norms.

LACK OF SERVICE PEOPLE: they don't have enough service people, no matter what hour you come in a day, you often need to wait for 5-10 minutes to be seated and longer time to get your food ordered and served. I once came at night around 10 pm, and there was only 1 person serving around 6 tables. It was painful. And no one was at the front desk to take new customers nor take your check. Some of us had to leave bc we were sick of waiting, and some customers had to wait forever to pay their check.

PLAY DIRTY TRICKS TO CUSTOMERS: They recently updated their app system, so we are no longer able to use the app to scan the code from our receipt in order to get point for redeem. only the cashier can do it for you when you pay. However, they won't automatically do it for you nor ask you if you would like to get points (of course we do!). They will just close your check. And when you find out, you can't scan code to get points anymore. Guess what? Too late! They can't give you your points anymore since they closed your check! That's what happened to me. When I asked what's going on, they just said they couldn't do anything since I already paid, and they immediately closed my check after that. I can't stand that.

LACK OF RESPECT: I don't know if it's bc I am not white or what. It happens more than once that they always wait to have me seated. I walked in today, and they are not busy. 2 waiters were standing behind the front desk chatting. They saw me walk in. Then they decided to chat for another 5 mins, then finally one of them finishing chatting and packing her bag and saying bye to everyone in the restaurant, then walking out and allowing the other waiter to have me seated. Why couldn't I be seated first, then they keep chatting with whatever they are chatting with. It doesn't happen to other white customers. I just feel really speechless.

FOOD QUALITY: their food just not as good as before. I usually order medium rare steak. They did a perfect job with steak before, not anymore. I often find my steak over cooked in the last few times when I eat here. And sometimes you could smell burning from the kitchen or from your food ( it happened to me once and I had to send it back). The salads are the worst. it just doesn't seem fresh, so they had to put on so many sauce to cover it. And the Gumbo Soup, oh man, I used to love their gumbo soup. But now it barely has any sausage in it. It's my favorite. It's sad to see it gets cheap made and get worse every time when I visit.

Probably won't come to this Norms again. The service here used to be very good when it just opened, I loved to come here at least 3 times a week. But now the service keeps getting worse. And all the good waiters they hired before are no longer seend by one point. And with the food quality keep dropping down. I just don't know what's going on with this Norms.

Just feel disappointed...

There’s something about going to a restaurant really early in the morning when it’s opening up it’s kind of nice it’s like that secret time where you get the whole world to yourself I would say that norms offer is a really wonderful environment to pick you up. everybody was really happy. I had to have a slice of their cheesecake one of those Guilty Pleasures that I can only do once in a while, but I was not disappointed. Update: 7/14/2024

Once every couple of months, I’d like to go to the norms located on Hollywood Boulevard. It is a real treat here. The service is great. They have so many different delicious things to eat, but I’m on a weight loss quest so I’ve gotta keep it down to just strictly protein and breakfast only, a tiny bit and have a pizza

I had the most delicious omelette, sausage, ham, jalapeño peppers, cheese, sour cream on the side, of course and instead of hashbrowns? I got steamed vegetables. I great I.

they have a lot of technology based options, but I gotta tell you watching the action watching the cooks in the servers interact. It’s kind of fun. It’s like watching a movie but they get things done. I ate every bite of my omelette. I know you will too stop by for Norm for a breakfast lunch or dinner … Or even a full day lol

Update: 06/19/2025

I think this is probably one of the best place to get an affordable meal and great service with wonderful music.

I have grown really attached to the dorms and very close to all the servers here as well as the hospices. I come here at least five times a week,

but I have to tell you if you can do anything take advantage of the NORMS Rewards!

Can you do a amazing job of taking care of their customers with if you come here and order meals for a family of five you’re going to at least have something in the way of a meal coming back at you

My favorite so far are the daily soups, the Cajun tots, and I can’t ever stop without getting a basket of onion rings in a lonely, cold town like the one I live in or even though there are a lot of people it gets very lonely and very cold this is become my safe place Also, if you get a chance to try the ribs… For the price? They take very good care of you.

Norm’s the other way to say “home”

They have all sorts of wonderful rewards programs, and easy ways to keep track of your food with technology, the next time I come back I’m gonna have to try the crispy chicken quesadilla I can hear that calling my name but so many other options. Here you can’t lose it was incredible. So...