Ysabel — Restaurant in West Hollywood

This place was a huge disappointment. If you want a cute place with good cocktails and chic people who are pretending that they’re not cold while dining on the outdoor patio, then this place is for you. On a serious note, this place really was a disappointment… but I will start with the good things. Really cute decor. Chill, safe ambiance. Lax staff. Good cocktails. Great playlist. If you are purely looking for a really cute, hip and comfortable spot to chat with friends and get drinks, then this would actually be a great choice. I’m giving Ysabel 2 stars because both the service and quality of food that we received were not nearly where they should have been for what the price was. Almost all appetizers were above $20 and not up to standard. The crispy shrimp was good and well cooked/seasoned, but totally overpriced. The burrata salad was surprisingly good but also still overpriced. They forgot about our multigrain flatbread so that came out 10 mins after the rest of our appetizer and it was piping hot, so I’ll give them that. It was fine but honestly tasted weird. Tuna tartar was 100 percent basic and under seasoned/under marinated. I had to douse it in soy sauce just to get it to a baseline acceptable flavor. Now moving on to entrees. I ordered the flat iron steak, cooked medium, with the sides of brocollini and potato Purée. My sister got the lemon pasta with chicken added. To start, they put out my sister’s pasta and my sides and then brought out my steak three minutes later. Three minutes may not seem like that long but both of my sides were already lukewarm when they arrived and now even colder by the time my steak arrived. Also, mind you, part of the reason why these things are a big deal is because this food is expensive. With a certain price tag there also needs to be a certain level of quality and service. Anyway, the steak came Out and it was also not hot. It was chewier than I expected it to be but had good flavor. The brocollini and potato purée were nicely flavored but not incredible, and also not hot which made them less enjoyable. The lemon pasta was just not it and neither was the chicken. The chicken was dry and the pasta just tasted weird. I can’t even put my finger on what made it taste weird but the flavor wasn’t balanced. Also, Throughout all of this, our server never once checked in and asked us how our meal was going. Even when my sister called him over to order another cocktail, he did not ask how we were doing. If you want to work at a beer garden, pub, diner, pizza place and provide that kind of service that’s fine. But that’s not acceptable at a restaurant where almost all apps are over $20 and most entrees are $30 or more. I find it funny that people assign any relation to steakhouse vibes with this restaurant when the service and quality of food is so below steakhouse level. Overall, food flavor was one dimensional and disappointing. Service was absolutely disappointing. To break down our bill so you get an idea of what a night at Ysabel will cost you: we got two cocktails, one mocktail (overpriced at $12), crispy shrimp, tuna tartare, flatbread, burrata salad, lemon pasta, flat iron steak ($34) with potato purée ($12) and brocollini ($12). Our total bill with tip was $300. I would Have had a better meal and a better night at the taco stand around the corner from my sister’s apartment. Don’t waste your time or money on this food menu and lower your bar for service expectations if you choose...

I visited the restaurant 2 weeks ago while I was visiting Los Angeles. I have been to Ysabel exactly a year ago as my first experience and I was amazed by the food so it was the first place on my list of where I wanted to go while in L.A. I gave 2 stars only because of the food which was still amazing yes. I had the hand cut pesto spaghetti which is the reason why I was visiting. It was as good as my first visit, in that sense, I was not disappointed!

If it was not for the food, I would've gave 1 star.

To get to the bad part and reason of my bad review... Service was the absolute WORST service I have ever received probably of my entire life. I don't even want to put the blame on the waiter who I felt was genuinely nice but still.. to me what I have experience was completely unacceptable.

My meal came 15 IF NOT 20 minutes after the person I was with. I am not exaggerating on the timing. It was awful because not only at that point the person i was with was done his meal, needless to say I have eaten alone... I could not believe this I was shocked and asked the person I was with if this was normal in L.A and was told yes people don't care.

• when one person meal is ready and not the other, it is very easy to leave one meal under the heater in the kitchen and bring both at the same time. Not doing so shows very debutant skills and incompetent staffs. this is very basic knowledge.

When I got my meal, I did not even had a fork to eat and no one bother coming to drop one. There was no servers or bossboy walking around. It took me a good other 5 minutes or more before getting someone attention which seamed impossible (WHEN someone was walking around) which was NEVER.

I work in restaurant business (in montreal) and trust me this is not how we treat clients. The fact that this is my industry makes me realize how low the service was. It is only NORMAL that as a server you go check on your table after you brought a meal to make sure everything is ok. I had no one coming to me so I needed to wait forever for someone to come back at un unknown time to be able to START eating......

Very disappointed....

At the end, the waiter excuse himself but it was not an excuse that felt like if he was concerned that truly something went wrong. It seemed like it was no big deal. It was a terrible and unacceptable situation... that should've been treated as such. No desert, no coffee offered. NOT that I cared for one but you know if would've help leaving the experience less bitter or showing they felt bad.

I truly love the food but after this experience I am unsure if I can trust the staffs to have a good service and time...

Ysabel definitely checks a lot of boxes - with a few caveats.

I certainly feel that for a special occasion, like a birthday or anniversary, Ysabel is a wonderful vibe and experience. That being said....the service is a tad bit lacking in hospitality and not the most warm and welcoming...when it comes to giving a bit more of a personal touch.

I do have to say, I LOVED just about everything that I ate here. I was worried that it would just be overpriced, average food at a trendy LA restaurant, but I am very happy to say that I was proven WRONG!

Starting with the appetizers, I found the Hamachi Crudo to be beautifully light, silky smoothy, with a good amount of citrusy-ness and acidity. The Wagyu Skewers were also perfectly cooked and I enjoyed the scallions and mushrooms they come with. A few of the skewers weren't chopped into different pieces, although that's a minor gripe. The main plates of Lemon Pasta and the Hand-Cut Rigatoni were PERFECT. My Lemon Spaghetti was deliciously saucy and creamy while still also being light. I loved the slight zesty flavor while still being savory and saucy. Just THE perfect pasta, in my opinion. The Rigatoni also had just the right amount of heat and creaminess to its sauce.

OH YES, and the Burrata & Prosciutto Salad was my surprise stand-out of the night! Generous portions, gorgeously presented, and the toppings all fresh and complementing each other JUST RIGHT!

I also loved the cocktails here - especially the Something About Cherry - lightly fruity and rich without being overly sugary, and the Second Wind Espresso Martinis also being delicately prepared in just the right way.

Swinging back to the vibes, I loved the relaxing atmosphere with the golden lighting everywhere and twinkling lights hanging from tree branches - perfect for a special occasion..even when it's a fully packed dining room on a Friday evening!

That being said, I just had to take a star off for the service here. While not horrible, it was a disappointment..especially since it was my birthday and no one even offered any 'Happy Birthday' wishes. At least once would've been appreciated. It was also a bit slow, difficult to get more water refills to the table, and slightly gruff and rude overall in hospitality.

Still, I definitely think the food quality and ambiance here make it well worth a visit for a date night or...