Little Next Door

AMAZING

Posted 10/13/09

Other than the ambiance and the cozy Euro cafe feel, all I can say is this: I DON'T GET IT. (Oh, and this is coming from someone who LOVES The Little Door).

Pros: Cute Outdoor Cafe

Cons: Tiny portions; taste is blah; overpriced

Posted 11/29/08

We love the atmosphere that comes with outdoor eating and French cafes are usually on the top of our list. So with that said, we decided to try LDND for brunch in addition to the fact that we have enjoyed the LD for dinner. Well, we were definitely extremely disappointed. The service was attitudey and pretty sub par. If you needed to find someone for a drink refill or anything else...good luck. It took about 10 minutes just to ask someone on the wait staff for what we needed and an excessive amount of additional time to actually get it. I ordered soup and an omelette and they came at the exact same time. Obviously I can't eat them together so one if going to be cold by the time I get to it. It's just not intelligent for any waiter to do that. Then the melette was pretty tasteless, so I figured I'd put some ketchup on it to make it more edible. I asked the waiter for it and was told 'We don't have kechup'. I laughed figuring he was joking until he repeated it again. He offered me mayo. Awesome! That's what I want on my eggs....mayonaisse. And my husband wanted ketchup on his French Fries - not exactly unreasonable. So while I get that this is a French restaurant, I think it fails to realize it's in LA which is in America. In America we use ketchup and to not carry it is not only snooty, but just not customer service oriented at all. I'd rather go somewhere that is interested in pleasing the customer over than upholding a reputation of some sort. You can count us out...forever.

Pros: Atmosphere is decent

Cons: Awful customer service

Posted 09/13/08

I love the food here. Its wonderful. I go here every Sunday and I love the vibe and the people watching. You can't forget to order the pain Chocolate or the Croque Madame. They are to die for. Try them out. You won't regret it!

Cons: parking

Posted 06/29/08

Sunday brunch is good here if you like hustle, bustle, and gossip, ?LA? style. Don?t expect to spend hours brunching. On weekdays, go to lunch here before going to the LACMA. ?Little Next Deal? is the best for the price- soup, salad, half sandwich and a macaron. Their croissant amande and Pain au chocolat are just like the patisseries in Paris. Macarons are expensive, but I prefer them to Boule. I did once have an omelets which was small, overpriced and not worth it. Service in general was okay, but I felt somewhat rushed on Sunday. For lunch, however, they were more accommodating. Come here to enjoy the taste of the food in true french style (i.e. portions are small). Not for the ravenous.

Pros: Great atmosphere and vibe

Cons: Servers can be rude

Posted 06/19/08

I enjoyed my food but I think my expectations were a bit heightened. I ordered the crab sandwich which turned out to be an open faced and half the amount of food I thought it would be. Then I shared a beet salad with my friend which feature both red and golden baby beets and a smooth crumbled cheese: delicious. She ordered the steak frites which was good.

For dessert, we tried a small kumquat tart which was delicious but didn't wow us.
Expect a French treatment, slow and unfriendly, just like Paris. By the way they are more $$$$ than $$ for what they serve.

Pros: Nice ambience

Cons: slow, unfriendly service

Posted 05/31/08

one good thing about this place: the ambience is great, and that's why i went there last week for the first time.
they forgot our order, the coffee was aweful, the bread was hard, they forgot again about my boyfriends order, Totally overprized and the food is aweful.

At least they tried to make it up and were kinda nice. But i wont go there again.
Vienna cafe on melrose is ten times better

Posted 05/28/08

I first ate at "Little Next Door" about two years ago with Robert Wagner and Chris Aable. We enjoyed all the dishes thoroughly and we all agreed it was like dining in France all over again. We've since been back many times, as have others I've recommended this place to: Will Smith and Bruce Willis among them. The French pastries are wonderful and authentic, as good as the ones served in Paris. Apparently a lot of locals agree with our assessment of their wonderful food, because the place is always busy, but well wort the wait.

Pros: Great food for a European Experience.

Cons: The food takes time, but all good things do.

Posted 05/23/08

Ive been to this place many times -- i have had not exceptional service & long waits for food. But i will continue to go because the food & ambiance are amazing! any negatives are outweighed by the many, many positives. Their for sale wine collection is extremely reasonably priced and well thought out. The owner knows what he is talking about and very approachable and friendly. It can get expensive fast -- but i would much rather spend the money there, than walking across the street to Toast .

Posted 05/20/08

I have read many negative reviews about the Little Next Door and all I can say, quite frankly, is... calm down! You all sound like typical Californians: all about in-and-out, instant gratification, gimme gimme gimme, NOW.

First things first: The owner is French. This is a French restaurant. If you've ever been to France and consumed a meal there, you should be fully aware that most of these meals will take longer than the 30 minute lunch breaks and fast food dinners we have in America. Food of excellent quality that is prepared with the utmost care is to be savored-- not inhaled. That said, don't go to the Little Next Door if you're not ready to sit down and enjoy the spectacular food, drinks, and atmosphere.

I never experienced bad service there. It has been crowded, yes, but the staff was always as attentive as they needed to be. To enlighten the world with another fun French fact: servers generally take a more relaxed approach to waiting on customers. This doesn't mean ignoring a table completely, but more along the lines of silent service and coming around occasionally to make sure everything is alright without being pests.
The Little Next Door offers the freshest and highest quality foods which are absolutely delectable. Their Eggs Benedict could be the best breakfast I've ever had! Also, the hot chocolate is incredibly rich and creamy, perfect for chilly nights. I can't say enough about all the tarts and pastries-- even the simple Pain au Chocolat is to die for! Portions are not too big or too small, so that's also a plus.
Honestly, I prefer to enjoy my food rather than to scarf it down and obsess over how quickly things could happen. If you want lightning speed, go to In-N-Out Burger! Bah! I AM Aria!

Pros: Food, Atmosphere

Cons: Parking

Posted 04/27/08

Having dined at "The Little Door" restaurant I was expecting a great experience...boy was I wrong! After waiting for menus and water the waitress appeared to be nonchalant about the order. Other tables received bread after ordering, and never received any at our table. Food was brought to table and part of the order was forgotten and informed runner about the missing item. After 10 minutes the waitress came over and said that it was on the way, after another ten minute wait it was finally brought to the table (a cold salad with no preparation). At no time were we offered another beverage or asked how everything was. At this point was very ready to leave and asked for the check, after waiting for about ten minutes the waitress continued to wait on other tables and ignored the request for a check. When approached she asked if we were in a hurry and felt like saying "Yes, to get out of here!" Would not go back until there is a serious change in service!

Pros: Nice space with a Continental feeling

Cons: Service is poor

Posted 04/06/08

We would never go back to LITTLE NEXT DOOR RESTAURANT. Found this restaurant by chance, had a lot of people eating and looked like a real trendy place to have an early dinner. My wife and I ordered the same item, a combo of soup, salad and sandwich. The mushroom and onion soup was very good, then it went down hill very fast from there. The food was not very tasty and the service was horrible,the worst I've had in a very long time. The food is over priced and servers need to be better trained.

Pros: comfortable looking place to have a lunch

Cons: not very tasty food, very bad service, overpriced

Posted 03/15/08

Where do I even start with this poor excuse of a plce to eat? The Little Door is amazing but this place is disgusting. A black curly hair tucked into my Croque Madame, over 2 hrs to have lunch, we saw the server once during this time, asked multiple times for the outdoor heater to be turned on, my date had to go get the check, we weren't informed of the shift change and got lost in the shuffle, the valet pulled up on his cell phone and our 1/4 tank of gas was gone and the gas light on. Need I say more???

Pros: My date!

Cons: HAIR in my food, no service, valet took our car for a drive.

Posted 12/31/07

I've had lunch at Little Next Door on several occasions & I have never encountered bad service. Yes, the portions are tiny and things can get pricey, but I love how they offer free samples (as well as pre-measured spoonfuls of things like the cold lentils) to try things out before ordering. The tables are small, and if you're here during lunch it can get cramped, but there's also an outdoor seating area. The roasted veggie sandwich on baguette is delicious and so are the lentils. The desserts look better than they taste, but for the most part, it's a fun little taste of France.

Pros: Lentils, baguette, salmon

Cons: Metered parking is a nightmare

Posted 11/28/07

Ok, so this place looked cute on a Sunday am. Expensive for the small portions, but we gave it a try. BIG MISTAKE. I'm not hard to please, but this was awful, incompetent service, mediocre food, small portions, and overpriced.

Took about 30 minutes to get a wait staff member to see us. Should have clued me in when we had to walk up to the register to ask if we could be seated - host/hostess was hiding for the 10 mins we waited. No luck on beverages...let alone getting a refill on the coffee or water. Wrong dish came out - mine was cold by the time we could alert a staff member to fix my wife's. By the way, all they had to do was heat a premade pastry from the display - but they still got it wrong and took 30 minutes.

We got specials but the bill showed full prices. Had to go through 3 staff to get the price on the BIG BLACK BOARD with TODAY's SPECIALS. Acted like they were doing us a favor by changing it to the price marked.

Pretty decor, could be romantic, but rude, unhelpful and incompetent wait-staff. And I'm easy to please. Trust me, the food does not make this place worth it! LA has plenty of good places and places I've yet to find. Will not return for the lame service and marginal, overpriced food.

Pros: None

Cons: The worst service ever. Overpriced. Slow. Mediocre food.

Posted 10/28/07

There's just something about this place that irks me. The portions are grossly overpriced for their tiny size. I tried several different things and didn't enjoy a single one. The goat cheese smelled like a petting zoo -- granted, I love smelly cheeses, but something about these dishes mixed with the arrogance of the service/environment of this restaurant really bothered me. Frankly, it really turned me off from wanting to eat French food for a very long time.

Not Recommended: Overpriced, Small dishes, Goat Cheese Smells like Petting Zoo

Pros: Nice, outdoor seating area

Cons: Too pricey, Small Portions, Overly-arrogant

Posted 09/27/07

A clean and aesthetically pleasing layout. The portions are small but the food is flavorful, perfect for a light lunch. I ordered the polenta lasagne which was mouth watering. They also flavor the water with fennel, I believe, a creative choice. Service was prompt as well as the food.The only problem I had was the amount of smoking on the patio began to bother my throat and they serve the water in small glasses!

Pros: Cool location, tasty and creative options

Cons: small portions, difficult to park

Posted 09/10/07

I was attracted to the nice french decor and bright blue walls while driving on 3rd st. Decided to give it a try and it was delicious! The food,..French goat cheese sandwich and Roast beef sandwich was very good.. and the price was not bad. The service was good,..and we were greated by the owner as well. The best place in LA to relax and take a break! We are definently going back soon!

Pros: Great french food, amazing ambience

Cons: none

Posted 07/10/07

i have been to the little next door since they opened and i think this place has the best quality, price, service, and energy in town!!!!

the service is friendly and cool, no stress here.... after reading the comments with negative reviews, i think its safe to say that these people know nothing about good food and service.

everytime i come to little next door i have a wonderful experience. There is usually a line outside with people waiting, but the wait is reasonable and the staff is always helpful. The music sets the tone and the garden makes you feel like your somewhere in the south of Europe.

I MUST SAY THAT YOU NEED TO SEE FOR YOURSELF WHAT LITTLE NEXT DOOR IS ALL ABOUT.

Pros: location, people watching, food, service

Cons: a little bit of a wait for a table on weekends

Posted 06/16/07

That place might be the most stunning spot to enjoy a meal. From the decor to the deli display and colors. Just stunning. Yesterday was our third time and the wild mushroom edd benedicts alone are worth the trip. It used to be counter service but they are now going full service. Just pick a table and enjoy a very pleasant service in a great ambiance. Finally a place where the waiters truely care about what they do. The manager showed us their soon to be new menu and beside the egg benedicts, I'll go back there just to try their matcha green chai tea with orange mint and spices. Their are many great places to eat in L.A that don't really care to make you wait 30 minutes for a table standing up on the sidewalk, there they bring chairs and treats! Talking about service!. That's for the palate and for the eyes? Well, it didn't hurt to have Di Caprio on one side of the patio, and soon after he left, Gary Oldman on the other side. That charming place became our main destination. Highly recommended.

Pros: decor, service and local farmers products

Cons: N/A

Posted 04/13/07

We have gone for brunch 2 times here. It's expensive and the portions are very small but the look ofthe place is so cute we went back even after we had a bad experience the first time. BAD CHOICE!

The second time we went I specifically asked for well done eggs. Everyone else at the table was served hard eggs and mine came back totally runny. Fine, they mixed it up. I sent it back. By the time everyone else is done eating my eggs come back the SAME EXACT way (my knife cut was still in it and everything). After tracking down the waiter (who manages to disapear all the time) I sent it back and got a simple sandwich (this is now an hour and 30 minutes after we arrived).
The waiter had the nerve to act annoyed with me! As if it's my fault that he can't communicate a message to his cook.

In addition to all that we had the usual bad service problems, they brought out the wrong coffee orders for everyone (one person wanted decaf, one a latte and some regular coffee and the orders came back all mixed up).
Seems like the owner was wandering around as if he was "watching over" things but he never bothered to check on any specific table except for a couple tables where his friends were sitting where he would keep bringing them champagne.

There are so many great brunch places in LA (la conversation, doughboys, cafe venice, campanile, lulu's cafe, etc etc) that you really don't want to waster your time and money here. There's a reason why Doughboys (right next door to thisplace) and Toast (right across the street) have long lines for brunch and this place can always seat you right away!!

Pros: nice decor

Cons: BAD service, bad waiters, bad kitchen staff

Posted 04/08/07

As neighborhood patrons - we wanted to check to this place out - with a very optimistic view (in addition, happen to be chefs/ restaurateurs) this place stinks of euro-trash. Upon first site - it's very cool - until you reach the counter to order you way over-priced meal -- all that greets you is 'pretentious - pretentious - pretentious - wannabe's at that). What a shame -- when there is already a lack of "cool cafes" in the area - that this is all that is left. We hope that they come to their senses and not brainwash the busboy to respond with, "if you have a problem - talk to the manager" when we received our $15.00 "salad" that was actually lettuced in a ramikin. We've all heard of the "Frog pretense" when Americans go to France --- well if you wanna enjoy that thrill of feeling alienated in your own home turf -- then this IS the place for you. The striped-shirt wannabe behind the counter may even answer you with, "It's the European way" when you wonder why you're paying way too much for a lame piece of bread and ham with butter. in all - THIS $UCKS$- and we write this with regret, as we were excited at the idea of having something to fill our appetites. Our suggestion -- check out 'Village Idiot" - they are nice - cool, and the food is actually OK.

Pros: deceptively cool

Cons: deceptively cool

Posted 03/10/07

My boyfriend and I are huge fans of The Little Door, but are sad to say that The LIttle Next Door is truly disappointing. We've been there twice now, hoping the first time was a fluke and the second try would be better. Both times we waited a long time for our order to come out, and when it finally did, both our coffees came out cold. BOTH TIMES! Not only that, but the second time we went, we watched our sandwich (one sandwich, even though we'd ordered two) sit on the counter while a number of the stylish and not too busy waitstaff walked by or chatted. The sandwich was fine, but not amazing and definitely not worth a half hour wait. I've been to france often, and have to say that this place does not compare at all. though i will admit their pastries look amazing!

Pros: great pastries

Cons: slow service, cold coffee (ick)

Posted 01/12/07

We had a quick lunch here on sunday. We ordered the squash soup, a salami sandwich, side of waldorf salad and a goat cheese tart. All were excellent, the soup and tart were a step above excellent. We had an espresso and a latte, both were very good also.

The service was pretty quick, the staff was very friendly. The decor is very attractive and makes the interior environment very pleasant. Many of the options behind the counter are pretty traditionally french, and are in the very rich style. Many choices with duck, liver, fois gras, etc. If you are looking for a low-fat, light, diet conscious meal, this probably isnt your place. Other than that, it is wonderful.

Pros: great food, lots of options, good wine variety, charming environment

Cons: fatty options, expensive

Posted 12/03/06

You will have a hard time choosing what to order, coz everything just look so delectable!! If you are sick of waiting in line for Dough Boy next door, give this place a try. You?ll be pleasantly surprised by all the bakery goods, cured meats, cheeses, salads, and sandwiches. Don?t forget to save room for desserts!! Remeber to grab seats as you walk in during lunch/brunch hours, restaurants staffs will not be too helpful in seating customers. This is a "bakery" after all.

Pros: Food

Cons: Parking, seating

Posted 12/02/06