Inn Of The Seventh Ray

Two good friends and I went to Inn of the Seventh Ray last night to celebrate 25 years of friendship, and the birthday of one of us. The food was delicious, the service was great, the ambiance was magical. Yes, it's pricey. Yes, for a special occasion it's worth it. Ask for a table by the creek in the tree section. Even when the creek is bone-dry, as it is right now in August, the setting is wonderful. White candles on the tables, white Christmas lights twining among trees, and one of the best meals I've eaten in months. I particularly liked the tuna appetizer, which was garnished with thin slices of kumquats and accompanied by a crunchy red rice item; the duck breast with corn and lentils; and the green rhubarb and strawberry tart. Wonderful!

Beautiful place, but the blandest expensive meal I've ever had. Puny servings, too, unless you consider four scallops and two niblets of lobster on a few strings of overcooked pasta for $35 to be an appropriate portion. The whole meal had virtually no flavor. Even the bread had nice texture but barely any taste. Dessert was pretty good, but I was still so hungry after my mini meal that I went home and raided the fridge. When we first arrived we had to wait 10 minutes at the front desk for the hostess to even show up, too. 5 stars for the location, 1/2 star for the food and 1/2 star for the value.

PROS: fantastic, romantic setting, food presentation is great (looks like it SHOULD taste good)
CONS: tiny portions, tasteless food, ridiculous price for what it is. Your check is really for the location.

This is hands-down my favorite restaurant in Los Angeles. It is hidden in the hills of Topanga. It's a great place to have a romantic dinner for two (or three?). Dinner is served outside by a creek with frogs and small Christmas lights that add to the ambience. The organic bread for starters is crisp and unique. It's a bit pricey but well worth the experience. Enjoy the viognier!

PROS: ambience at night
CONS:

I can't say enough about this place. It has consistently been one of my most favorite restaurants in L.A. over the last 10 years. I was there just last weekend with my girlfriend for her birthday and we celebrated with the 5 course tasting menu complete with wine flight for each course. The service is always excellent and the menu can be geared to those that like meat, those that don't like meat, and even those that don't even like their food cooked (raw foodists). It is fine dining at its best so be prepared to shell out some serious bucks if you want to do it right. Dining under the stars and Oaks trees is unlike any other dining experience you've ever had and you won't regret it. Enjoy!

PROS: perfect place for valentine's day, or a special loved one's birthday
CONS: it gets busy so make reservations in advance.

The great reviews that Insider Review has published for this establishment must have gone to the staff"s head. Apparently they think that they can seat you at a table and then order you to move because it's been promised to someone else. The rudeness, arrogance and insensitivity that was used by the hostess was absolutely amazing. The food was great, but we had a hard time keeping it down. A first ever complaint to an owner of a restaurant only elicited excuses for the logistics and didn't even come close to offering an apology.

PROS: Ambience, food
CONS: Hostess' and owner's attitude

I think I understand why the rest of the reviewers on this page give the Inn of the Seventh Ray 5 stars. The place has a lot of things going for it. The location is beautiful. Everything about it screams "romantic" just like a Hallmark card. And it's so very Malibu - the menu assures you of experiencing some good "vibrations". The waiter thanks you for "sharing" with him. I think the hostess mentioned that the food was so inspiring that it would make us get up and dance to Shiva or something like that. Depending on your company you could spend all night staring into each other's eyes or spend all night laughing hysterically. For good romance or good comedy you can't go wrong taking a date there, that is unless you also want really good food. Based on what I read here I was totally ready for a great vegan experience and I have got to say I was underwhelmed. I ordered the artichoke heart appetizer which was ok (not vegan). Our waiter told me it was the most popular thing on the menu and perhaps I was expecting too much. For my main course I ordered the vegan duck which was basically soy made to look like glazed duck. Another big ho-hum disappointment. And why do vegan places always pretend that their dishes are meat-like? Isn't the whole point that you don't eat meat? How about just calling it "glazed soy loaf" or something like that? My wife had the halibut - the waiter "shared" with us that it was "amazing' - and she thought it was pretty mediocre. I must admit the vanilla lavender ice cream was pretty good. For $150 for two people (including a bottle of wine) you could go somewhere much better (and cheaper) and save yourselves the drive. If you're looking for great vegan I think Real Food in Santa Monica has much better stuff for the money. Of course the vibrations aren't as inspiring but perhaps we should all lower our expectations of the soy loaf. Thanks for letting me share.

PROS: Vegan wackiness
CONS: Vegan wackiness

This restaurant is so unique and magical. Perfect for Sunday brunch. Even hard core meat eaters will enjoy the delicious food. It's also super romantic in the evening with all the lights. I highly recommend this place.

This hidden jewel of Topanga Canyon offers delicious organic food that is made all the more delicious as you dine alongside a running creek, being lulled by the croak of frogs. This place is worth just being in its beautiful setting (it's what i would imagine Hobbiton to be like). Unfortunately, you can't do anything about the new-agey music piped throughout the restaurant, but I've enjoyed lovely wedding receptions there.

This is another one of my favorite places in Los Angeles. If you want to suprise your lover with a romantic dinner this is the perfect spot. It's been often called LA's most romantic restaurant because of it's location and decor. It's smack in the middle of Topanga Canyon where you can enjoy your meal to the sounds of the small creek going by and the cool air of the forest that surrounds you. At night the trees are all light up giving the place a Lord of the Rings feeling. The food here is also spectacular. They have a more healthy oriented menu with dishes ranging from completely raw and vegan to the normal gourmet style. If you have never had raw food dishes, I would suggest their raw cakes and pies. For a pick me up, their fermented tea is a great alternative to wine or beer.

PROS: Great location, decor and food
CONS:

I haven't been to Inn of the Seventh Ray in nine years but my husband suggested we go for a spontaneous romantic moonlit evening dinner last Saturday. Twinkling white lights in the trees, a cool crisp creek and a small enclosed room with a roaring fire greeted us as we walked down the brick stairs into this splendid utopia. Aditionally, there is expansive outside seating with heating lamps in the winter and small tables nestled in semi-private gazebos. And if the ambiance isn't enough, the amazing food definitely seals the deal. Food are all-natural made without refined sugar or bleached flour, organic wines without tannins, farm raised, sans hormones chicken or beef (the waitress wasn't even shocked when I mentioned I couldn't have fermented foods or drinks. She deftly offered a tasty non-alcoholic sparkling fruit drink and the signature made on the premises yeast-free corn bread), fresh fish and even a raw menu. The Ahi tuna tartare was the best I've ever had!
Defintely have dessert. My husband raved about the chocloate cake with vanilla lavender ice-cream.
It's wasn't an inexpensive evening but well worth every penny.

PROS: Great food, romantic ambiance, great views
CONS: Isolated location

At the Inn, you will receive dishes designed with the purest of Nature's foods, energized as a gift from the sun with a dash of esoteric food knowledge and ancient mystery school wisdom tossed in for your seasoning and pleasure. It may just raise your body's light vibration. A favorite for me is the omelette served on Saturday morning. Yummy. And the ambiance is serene.

I cannot recommend this place strong enough. Vegetarian food only. The seating on a variety of hillside locations - deck over a creek, inside an old church on a hillside - fireplace room, small areas in the hillside. The best atmosphere and the food to match.

This restaurant has sooo much ambience. The location and outdoor patio are among the most romantic and serene. The Inn is nestled in the middle of Topanga Canyon complete with a running brook next to the patio. They open around 5pm and I recommend reservations at sunset. The restaurant is mostly vegetarian, but they do have some fish & chicken entrees on the menu. For dessert I recommend the lavendar honey vanilla ice cream. It is more to the pricey side but not too high. Great for special occasions, they also do weddings.