GRANVILLE — Restaurant in West Hollywood

Oh boy this is going to be a lonnnnng one. I really wanted to like you, Granville but you let me down.

My sister and brother-in-law and I went for Sunday brunch. It was a gorgeous albeit warm day, but Granville has a lovely indoor-outdoor feel that was perfect. The decor and atmosphere were both very nice, aside from the somewhat loud street traffic on Beverly Boulevard and variety of even louder sounds that inevitably come along with being next to one of the busiest hospitals in LA. Either way, when I saw how pretty it looked inside, I was excited for what was to come. I was really in the mood for a yummy cocktail and some bomb brunch foods.

Unfortunately, what was to come was us waiting 30 mins before anyone asked us what we wanted to drink or offering us water. 40 more mins before our drinks got to us (we were told they ran out of sangria and had to make a new batch. Had they told us that 40 mins earlier when we ordered, we would've gotten something else. Don't really want new sangria... the longer it sits the better). Another 10 mins before somebody asked us if we wanted food... and I don't even know how long until it actually came out.

Now for what should be the most important part: the food. It was decent but not amazing, and after waiting so long for it and feeling like we had no service at all, even if it had been amazing, it certainly would've lost some appeal. Honestly I can't remember much about any of the things we had and that says a lot. And forget about condiments or utensils or anyting else we found ourselves lacking, we knew that wasn't happening lol

By the end of our meal, we felt like the lack of service was SO bad, and the food didn't really make up for it, so we were pretty sure we wouldn't be back. But then the waitress brought our bill and it didn't include any of our drink charges! We all thought 'What a gesture! Perhaps we judged their service wrong after all!' We assumed they'd taken our drinks off the bill because the service had been so severely lacking and we happily gave the waitress our card. When she came back with the receipts for us to sign, lo and behold, the drinks were suddenly now on the receipt and the total was obviously very different. We came to the unfortunate realization that this had not been a gesture, it was a mistake and instead of letting us know, the waitress just charged an entirely different amount then what who's on the bills she had just shown us without even mentioning it! Isn't that the reason you bring the bill before charging us? So we can see the total before hand? All in all, we found ourselves laughing about it at that point because it was almost comical... not good comedy but still comedy. Rather than relieving some of the sting from the lack of service, it was like they rubbed it in a little more to seal the deal. 😂

All jokes aside, the staff did try to be friendly and courteous, but the restaurant was totally understaffed and it was a total let down for all of us paying customers who went there that day. It was also a let down to the very few staff members that had to be there that day and deal with it. I mean... It was Sunday brunch and there were literally no servers in sight, we practically had to jump up and down and wave our hands in the air to get anyone...

Ok. So, this place is beautifully located with a bright, vast and tasteful decor inside and it was great to be able to sit inside after such a long time. When we arrived, we were greeted right away by the host and sat at a table for 5 inside. Our server Jessica was amazing! She was super friendly, attentive and really on her game - such a pro - loved it!

I really wanted to give this place a 5 because of the location, the service, fair pricing, menu options and the aesthetics of each plate are all great. What let me down was the taste. I'll explain.

Starter Sweet Potato Fries: Great. Nice touch with the sage seasoning and plenty of dressings to choose from.

Spicy Pasta: Great. Nice. The ingredient profile worked really well, and I loved that it was perfectly al dente.

Bacon and Blue Burger: The burger fell apart half-way through the meal and the brioche bun completely disintegrated and there was just the massive beef patty with meat juice all over the plate. It was not only incredibly messy to eat with juice running down your hands, but it was a pity to have the bun literally soaked falling apart. I love the idea of bacon and blue burger because they go together so well and I love both - bacon and blue cheese, but to have a brioche bun as the base is a waste as it texturally is not designed to carry such a heavy set burger. You just end up getting a messy plate with filthy hands and and explosion of a burger.

Taco Trio: They come in a set of 3 - I had 2 steak and one chicken. The steak I found nice and tender. They were little chunks with nice seasoning but there was an overwhelming sweet sauce that dominated this small little taco. For any meal, it's imperative to be able to taste all ingredients intended and unfortunately for this - all I tasted was this sweet bbq sauce - not the steak nor the other additions which would've worked so well if only the ratios were a bit more on point. With the chicken taco - the taco fell apart. I'm assuming maybe because of the moisture in the chicken and too much sauce. I think it could've been a lot better perhaps giving the guest the option of corn or wheat tortilla as wheat tortilla has naturally a more elastic texture whereas corn is more gritty and fragile.

With that said, I think this place is definitely worth giving a try keeping in mind a couple of humble suggestions for the...

Came by here for dinner with some coworkers. It is a nice restaurant in a bustling and hip area of LA (technically West Hollywood)!

Parking: Street parking by meter is hard to come by here, especially during peak hours. I had to use valet parking, which I believe was $8. Plan to carpool unless you do not mind paying for parking!

Ambiance: For a high-end restaurant like Granville, the ambiance is as good as it gets. The restaurant was dimly lit with some plants. Definitely felt very hip and trendy. It really set the mood for a night out on the town.

Food and drink: We ordered a lot of dishes and shared it family-style. We ordered the mac and cheese and sweet potato fries. For entrees, a couple of us ordered the ahi filet, skirt steak, and poke bowl. For drinks, I had gotten the gran fashioned and their hefeweizen on tap. Everything was absolutely amazing! From the taste, texture, temperature, to presentation, everything was phenomenal. The gran fashioned was done just right for me - very balanced between the liquor I could taste and the other flavors. I had ordered the skirt steak and thought it was tasty - nothing special, but a solid steak nonetheless! The mac and cheese was particularly good and my friends really enjoyed the ahi filet.

Service: We were a bigger party, so I felt that the service time was appropriate. Our server was very friendly and offered great recommendations when we asked! No complaints in terms of service!

If you are looking for a night on the town and feel like treating yourself, Granville is a solid choice. It may not be an every day kind of meal, but it is a good place to go if you are feeling fancy or have something...