BOA Steakhouse — Restaurant in Santa Monica

The Customer Service was not good, but the steak was good.

I came here on July 30, 2020 for a birthday dinner. My party was a party of 2. The older guy (employee) who brought us to our table said to not worry about the clear liquid on the table because it was sanitizer. We clearly knew that it was not sanitizer. It was actually condensation from glasses from the previous party who sat at the table because the table was not cleaned yet. In addition, the previous party’s check was still at the table. This was all clear to the older guy (employee) so I do not understand why he would attempt to sit us down at a table that was not cleaned yet. Then another guy (employee) came to the table and told the older guy (employee) that the table was not clean and started cleaning the table. Then the older guy (employee) tried to change his narrative about the table being dirty when that was already initially clear to everyone. That was the first red flag and caused me to be a bit frustrated. I became more frustrated when the waiter said that they did not have the “Cauliflower Milanese” because I am a vegetarian. To further mention, our waiter initially said that he was going to bring us out bread but we did not get the bread until the other party I was with was almost finished with their main entree. I had to remind 2 different waiters about our bread. Then when the birthday dessert came out, the waiter (Brian R) initially gave it to the correct person who first said “thank you” and then I said “thank you.” The waiter then said “Oh, is it your birthday!?” and started to pick up the dessert and give it to me and I said “no, you were correct the first time.” When we first got to the restaurant, I Informed the host at the door whose birthday it was and showed him the person. I guess the waiter was confused because I also said “thank you.” I do not know. The other party I was with enjoyed their steak and said it was an 8 out of 10. That was positive about our experience. But due to the inconsideration and “rushing” manner of the older guy (employee), and the miscommunication and the issues with punctuality regarding the waiter(s), we felt that the customer service that we received was partial. That compelled us to lose interest. However, we hope that upper management rectify these issues in order to improve their service moving forward.

To further mention, I sent this message to BOA Steakhouse (Santa Monica) through their website contact us page (info@innovativedining.com) to see if I would hear back from someone before I made this review on Google. Today is September 20, 2020 and still no one from BOA Steakhouse has gotten in touch with me or sent me an email or communicated with me yet regarding my...

I have no idea how to run a restaurant, but I imagine that there are a few major components: the cooking staff who makes the delicious food every night, the customer facing staff that serves the food and accommodates the clients, and the behind-the-scenes staff that takes care of the paperwork and oversees the jumble of other things that are involved. I’ve been to this location a few times, and I’m lucky enough to have met a few of those people (Andrew, Brian, Jess) and for whatever one may think of restaurants in tourist traps like Santa Monica, I can say that they care about what happens day to day at BOA. This leads to a steak dining experience that is unique and unforgettable.

First course of Tuna Tartare was excellent. Maybe because their sister restaurants that serve sushi, this dish was deliciously balanced between sweet and tart. It was a refreshing and light way to whet one’s appetite. I liked it even more than their super popular Goat Cheese Baklava. The GCB is light and airy in the middle with a crispy, savory, and nutty exterior. It’s served warm and is another favorite of mine. Caesar’s Salad was light and refreshing. Notably, not overpoweringly salt or sweet, and the level of creaminess matched my expectations.

Cocktails of Ocean Breeze and BOA Loma were a great match. If you want something a bit more “fun,” the Smoke Show comes out with a puff of smoke that is Instagrammable.

The star of the show is of course the steak: I got the Cajun Cowboy Ribeye (medium rare) and my friend got the Filet (medium). Both came out exactly how we wanted them. For all the stigma of ordering a high-end steak medium, we didn’t hear a word. Instead, what came out was two perfect steaks, edge to edge. The signature sauce and chimichurri were a great addition if you’re looking for a bit more flavor. Sides of the Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Mashed Potatoes perfectly complimented our meal.

Dessert was a chocolate mousse topped with hazelnuts (I forget the name). Amazing. The soft and creamy along with a bite of crunch from the hazelnut made me forget how full I was.

Jess really made the dining experience so comfortable and fun. I recommend sitting indoors. The ambiance is tastefully done. If you want to sit outside, maybe sunset on the west facing outdoor patio. I don’t recommend the south facing patio: not much to see and feels a bit cramped.

Overall, an amazing dining experience. Come hungry, come early, and come ready to walk around after dinner to burn off all the...

UPDATED FEBRUARY 2023

We used to frequent here a lot, but after this experience probably will not be back.

We came in for the Valentine's day fixed menu special. The Caesar salad was excellent as always but everything else was just ok. The lobster bisque was extremely fishy smelling and tasting, the pieces of lobster were tough and overcooked (not tender) and not seasoned at all, I'm from Boston and the best lobster bisque I've ever had was there so my standards are very high, but in all honesty this lobster tasted as if it had spoiled but they used it anyway. The potato gnocchi tasted good but again not seasoned at all. I upgraded to the dry aged New Yorker instead of the petite filet, it was very tough to chew and hard to cut, not tender at all. My fiancé is vegetarian and got the cauliflower main option, it was covered in panko breadcrumbs and appeared to be fried then some greens were placed on top, the cauliflower itself wasn't cooked all the way through and was very hard in the middle, next to the lobster bisque it was the worst dish we had.

About halfway through our meal a new couple was seated next to us that sounded like they had never eaten there before and were loud and complained about the price of everything on the menu the entire time, we were going to ask to be moved then decided to just quickly finish and leave.

Our server was nice when we did see her, but whenever we needed her she was nowhere to be found and I would ask the busser's for things we needed (salt and pepper, refills on drinks, more ice, etc).

Dessert was a couple chocolate covered strawberries and some "homemade" truffles". They were pretty forgettable.

We really had high hopes for the evening, again we used to frequent this location and the food, service, atmosphere, everything was excellent, but this Valentine's night sadly it was not. The restaurant didn't seem to be that busy but also of note there were several families with crying babies that were very loud and distracting. I've been going to BOA since 2009 and don't recall there ever being any crying children but I guess they're ok with that now. Santa Monica as a whole has really gone downhill recently so I don't know if that has anything to do with it but I don't think we'll be returning to this BOA location again.

Definitely not worth $400, next time we'll...