One Pico

I'm not opposed to spending money on a nice meal. I am opposed, however to spending money on mediocre (I'm being generous) food and slow service. My boyfriend's father took us here for a birthday dinner and I was really disappointed.

For dinner, I ordered the portabello mushroom steak and barley risotto. Well, the mushroom was over cooked, it seemed like they had warmed it up in the microwave (it had sort of a rubbery consistency) and the risotto was BARELY risotto. It was oily and chewy and didn't resemble risotto in the least bit.

We ordered coffee and dessert which took forever to come to the table and once it was there, I was disappointed again. We asked for the fruit cobbler and what they brought us was a hot mixed berry compote with what appeared to be granola on top. NOT COBBLER PEOPLE!

I thought it was sort of funny that they had chips and guacamole listed for an appetizer, but I'm glad that they did because that was the only part of the meal that was decent.

Like I said before, I don't mind shelling out the money for a really good meal, but this place is ridiculous. If the service had been really great, it would have taken some of the sting out of feeling ripped off, but the wait staff was pretty inattentive (my water didn't get refilled once and we were there for 3 hours).

If you're looking for a romantic place to sit and have a drink while you watch the sunset, this place would probably work perfectly. But if you're looking to have a nice, flavorful meal that is worth what you are going to pay for it, then I suggest you go some where else.

Pros: Nice ocean view

Cons: food, service, prices only because the food and service is sub par

Posted 09/22/08

Beautiful setting and so I guess little effort is made to make food worth eating. Soups are on the menu but no bread is provided. When I asked for bread, I was told I could order garlic bread. I would stay away from the seafood platter, mine tasted like everything was just defrosted in the microwave. They spent money on designers not chefs. There are better places that provide food with a ocean side experience.

Pros: Views

Cons: Food quality

Posted 09/02/08

One Pico is an incredible blend of the finest of the West Coast and the best of the East Coast. Great food, terrific service, and such a PRETTY place. Dinner on the beach - what could be better? Try the caesar salad, it was so delicious, and they have real Coke in bottles!

Pros: Location, service and food

Cons: semi-yucky parking

Posted 08/22/08

wonderful food, atmosphere and staff. we had an amazing meal for our anniversary and will be coming back again and again. the food is amazing. thanks for a great evening cheers !!

Pros: food and atmosphere

Cons: none

Posted 12/14/07

My husband and I actually got married at Shutters so when it came time for our anniversary, he made reservations for dinner here. He did tell them when he made the reservation that it was our anniversary and we requested a table with an ocean view, but didn't get one when we showed up. My husband was very upset (he is a big romantic). Other than that it really was a beautiful night for us. We knew dinner would be delicious since they catered our wedding and STILL my family talks about how good it was . The seafood appetizer for 2 is SO WORTH IT! I never had better oysters on the 1/2 shell. My husband had a great steak and I had the ahi tuna. I really love this hotel and this restaurant. If you can, get married here....it is worth the $40,000.

Pros: Ambience, location, food

Cons: we should have had priority seating

Posted 08/19/07

Shutters is the type of place I'd love to stay at for a special occasion. Their restaurant was a bit stuffy and quiet but we quickly got over that and our group made it more lively anyway. My steak was flavorful and cooked to perfection. There's a piano and a fireplace up here as well.

Posted 11/23/06

One Pico always has delicious food and great service. The view of the SM pier is one of the best in LA. Great lobby bar outside restuarant as well. Very cozy and intimate!

Pros: food, view

Cons: pricey

Posted 11/04/06

Crushing Waves, a candlelit room, a more then beautiful atmosphere and great food: that is One Pico. This place was more then romantic. The wine, the smell of seawater, dim lighting, great service, and delightfully-tantalizing food... along with my date... made that day, a time to remember...

Pros: Ambience, Sevice, FOOD

Cons: Parking

Posted 10/07/06

From beginning to end; dining at One Pico was the greatest of all dining experiences I have ever had. I was lead into a candlelit dining room and sat at a corner booth near the kitchen (but being near the kitchen was okay). My waiter was so very helpful, going over every dish with us from appetizer to dessert. The other wait staff described every dish once it arrived. Later in the meal, the handsome chef came out to see if we enjoyed our meal. I never felt so special!!!

And the food, oh my God!!! Talk about orga$mic!!! The Crab - Cakes, the asparagus soup, the salmon, the steak and lobster. This meal was more the beautiful, it was fantastic!!!!

Pros: Everything

Cons: Valet

Posted 10/07/06

I was hopeful when my husband and I arrived at this restaurant and were ushered to a wonderful table right next to a window overlooking the ocean. Unfortunately, our meals revealed that the expensive menu prices paid for the view, and not the quality of the food. We started with the crabcake appetizer, which was decent but pretty bland. My husband then had the halibut, which was also bland, and I had the lobster. I noticed that it tasted rather fishy and one bite in particular tasted oddly foul -- it reminded me of the smell of sewage. Needless to say, I ate less than half of my meal. We still thought the desserts might be rewarding, but once again we were wrong. I ordered the chocolate mousse cake which was a poor attempt at a chocolate lava cake. I have never tasted a chocolate cake with so little flavor! The only good part about the dessert was the ice cream on the side. My husband had the butterscotch pudding (of which they gave him a HUGE portion) and although it wasn't bad, it just tasted like regular old pudding. My recommendation is that you not visit this restaurant unless you only care about the view and do not mind bland and/or odd-tasting food.

Pros: Ambience, View

Cons: Tast of Food

Posted 09/21/06

absolutely beautiful view, restaurant and food! the seared ahi tuna is to die for, and the service is impeccable. a great place for a romantic evening.

Posted 08/17/06

the first review is obviously not for One Pico, it seems like it's for the restaurant on the ground floor. One Pico does not have outdoor dining. Also, the food here is great but beyond that, the room is spectacular. The ceilings are so high and the windows are huge. That is one of the things that makes it such a great place to eat. I have never had a bad meal here and I've been about 12 times. For dessert, i recommend the s'mores. Also, it's the perfect spot for a romantic dinner.

Pros: romantic, view, food

Posted 10/02/05

This place is a joke. I ate outside expecting a nice view of the ocean and/or the boardwalk. Unfortunately the fence which borders the entire dining balcony area blocked the view. Why on earth would you make the fence come up to eye level??? The food was at best lacking. When I ordered the lobster salad, I opted for the full size lobster. The portion of lobster was so miniscule, that I would have gotten more for my money if I had paid the same amount of money just to watch them try to divide this in half so I could see what the "half" lobster salad looked like. So to sum it all up, a view blocked by a fence, bad service, worse food, and tiny portions...sounds a lot like prison...except you dont have to pay for prison food.

Cons: way, too, many

Posted 09/18/05

We went here thinking we were in for an exquisite dinner. The nightly special fluke fish was quite good, but my porterhouse steak was very disappointing. This $40 steak was very tough, and the "red wine reduction sauce" tasted not too different than A-1. The garlic mashed potatoes tasted only slightly better than the gritty kind out of the box. The salads are quite good, and dessert was OK--the chocolate molten lava cake wasn't exactly flowing when it got to our table though. The view of the ocean is quite nice, but the sun actually sets over the hills, not the classic ball dropping into the ocean view you'd hope for (neither are the zillions of people whizzing by outside). We've dined at some extremely good places around LA, but this was not one of them--this place could use a new chef. Save your money and go somewhere else.

Pros: waterfront

Cons: heavily overpriced

Posted 06/19/05

Brunch was far more expensive than its value, even with the oceanfront view and service that competent, but just a notch or two above a Denny's. Pancakes at $17.00 or so (the recipie can be found on the web, so make them yourself) were great, the fingerling potatos hash with poached eggs were just o.k., but the biggest issue was the sticker shock with the bar bill. One bloody mary cost $12.00. I suppose if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it, but there was no warning that they were charging double what another comparable restaurant would charge for the same drink. And, affter paying $60.00 per head for breakfast, we still had to pay $6.00 for the valet. Just a little more insult to injury.

Pros: competent service, nice decor and view

Cons: , overpriced, overpriced

Posted 12/12/04

The BEST scallops I have EVER had! Plus, the Cakebread wine we had was a divine pairing! The service was neither exceptional nor was it poor. The thing that stood out was the food and the ambience. Shutters is just nice in general and eating at the restaurant just reaffirms my affection for this place.

Pros: Great food, good service, great crowd

Posted 12/21/03

This place has great food but the service was so-so, even for a Saturday evening. Our waiter was nice and knowledgeable but rarely checked on us and we had to ask other staffers for things like water and tea. Also it was too warm in the place for my taste. Our table was too close to the one next to us and we could hear too many conversations clearly.

Pros: Food

Cons: Service, Some tables, no music

Posted 06/29/03

My wife and I went. It was one of the worst experiences I have ever had at a restuarant. The food was horrible and the service was worse. I had to beg a waiter to get me a coffee after about 30 minutes of waiting for one. This restuarant is way over rated. Do not go.

Pros: none

Cons: food, service

Posted 12/09/02

This place was romantic and elegant. During the holidays, it is even more exquisite and beautiful.

Pros: View is fabulous, Very intimate, Parking is easy

Cons: Not for large groups

Posted 11/13/02

We went for a weekend brunch with family and friends. Prompts seating, a little extra attention for our three year old and attentive service made it a very nice experience. It didn't hurt that the food was fantastic. Try the smoothies!

Pros: Beach view, great service, food

Cons: a bit pricey

Posted 10/05/02

I have been to this restaurant a half-dozen times and will never go back. No matter how far ahead you call for a reservation, now matter which night of the week you go, and no matter how prompt you are in arriving, they make you wait 15-30 minutes for your table. Clearly this is to drum up bar business -- there is nowhere else to stand or sit in the immediate area -- but I find it utterly unacceptable. On my final trip I told the woman on the phone while making my reservation, "I can come any night of the week, at any time, just tell me when I won't have to wait." Guess what, I waited anyway. No more.

Posted 09/14/02

After spending our wedding night at the hotel, we went to Petals for breakfast the following morning (complimentary) and feasted on a basket of freshly made pastries and breads, strawberry orange juice, airy pancakes and an omelette stuffed with crisp, fresh veggies. The staff was wonderful and quick to refill our coffee mugs. My husband went back for lunch with some co-workers and raved about the swordfish. The beachside location is a great setting for a romantic meal.

Pros: Food, Service, Location

Cons: Can be pricey

Posted 06/02/02

I met a several old friends here for dinner. What a great place. The food was tasty, the wine was reasonable and the atmosphere laid back. My veal was excellent. Must be the ocean air or the fact that you can spontaneously book a hotel room here after a romantic meal :) if the mood suits you. Splurge, and do it! PS. If the hotel rooms aren't decorated in Ralph Lauren beach cottage-themed bedding, they could be.... but that's another review!

Posted 05/20/02