Checkers Downtown
Categories:
Restaurants, Californian Restaurants, French Restaurants
Details:
$$$$, Bar Scene, Breakfast, Brunch, Business Dining, Fine Dining, Hotel Restaurants, Outdoor Dining, Private Rooms
Message from Checkers Downtown
Checkers Downtown has won accolades from Gourmet Magazine, and Zagat calls it an "Oasis of quiet elegance in downtown." Located inside the Hilton Hotel, Checkers serves California fusion cusine with French and Asian influences. Whether it's a business breakfast or lunch, a pre-theatre or romantic dinner, or watching a game in the lounge, Checkers Downtown is the respite from the hustle and bustle that is downtown LA.
Editorial by Citysearch
Discreetly located in the back of the boutique-style Grand Avenue Hilton, this clubby, candlelit warren hosts solo diners, canoodling couples and business executives. Thick-striped pink and yellow walls, colorful floral arrangements and fine Chinese screens offer subtle elegance and privacy. Well-groomed sports fans take seats at the adjacent bar, to watch the game and dine in style. The kitchen turns out generous portions of California cuisine, with an emphasis on seafood and inventive sides. Starters include crumb-rolled crab cakes on a bed of citrus-grilled shiitake mushrooms, and rod-straight shrimp coated in light tempura batter. Crisp pan-seared chicken is drizzled with cilantro sauce and served atop a dense, Parmesan- and artichoke-seasoned pancake; slow-cooked osso buco falls from the bone, the veal sprinkled with confetti-like fried carrot curls. Desserts highlights are an architectural masterpiece of apple strudel with scoops of honey ice cream, and iced cherry souffle with chunks of fresh fruit.Key Points
- Complimentary towncar service
- Heated patio
- Flat screens at the bar
The Inside Scoop
- Save Time - The restaurant offers theater-goers complimentary town car service to and from downtown venues.
- When To Go - For a more leisurely meal, and more attentive service, avoid the pre-theater rush.
- The Extras - For a post-dinner constitutional or after-theater nightcap, take the elevator to the hotel's penthouse level, where there are comfy poolside lounge chairs and spectacular city views.
Insider Pages Reviews for Checkers Downtown
A cozy and warm restaurant that makes you feel comfortable
by
shirley n.
| 
Insider Expert
| Rank: 3,803
I have only eaten at this restaurant one time, but I was impressed.
They serve French, Asian and American food and the food tasted good. A nice place to go during lunch that is relaxing !
Posted 02/06/09 | Report Abuse
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The service here is absolutely amazing! This place is very nice and has a warm and intimate setting. The service was friendly and very nice. The food here is very delicious.
Posted 01/04/09 | Report Abuse
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I do not consider Checkers a "Family Restaurant" -- it is a very intimate, romantic and special restaurant -- the food is wonderful, the wine list is extensive and the service was impeccable. I highly recommend it. Make it extra special by spending the night at the Checkers Hotel -- divine.
Posted 05/13/08 | Report Abuse
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Latest reviews from Citysearch.
Great Dining Experience
by gerryjim
Our dinner was the prix fixe dineLa dinner. Three courses for $34. My Caesar Salad was good and my wild salmon with a butter sauce on the side was excellent. The beef tenderloin had a fantastic wine reduction sauce. The third course was a flourless chocolate cake with a scoop of ice cream in the middle. It was very good. In all fairness the martinis were a little weak. Service was good and the restaurant was quiet. It was a Monday night however.
Pros: valet parking is $6 with dinner
Posted 02/02/09
great food, puzzling service
by wicktor
We arrived at Checkers at 6 pm and expected to get out for 8 pm at the Music Center, and we were assured that would be no problem. Well there was a problem. After drinks we waited 45 minutes for someone to take our order! Not impressive. The food however was impressive, the salads crunchy and full of delicious surprises. The ahi tuna with avocado and tomatoes was perfect with just enough pepper to wake up the tastebuds. The monkfish was also perfect, even though the accompanying risotto contained some rice grains that were just a little too much al dente. I would have loved to try the desserts, but by the time we finally got our coffees, it was time to leave for the Music Center. I will definitely return for the food, but beware of timing for the Music Center.
Posted 04/14/07
Hotel did not honor "guaranteed" reservations
by ldemetrick
I recommended this Hotel to an out-of-town friend who was treating her Mother to a trip to LA for her 80th birthday. When my friend made her reservation, she advised the Hotel she would be arriving late on Friday night. The Hotel told her she could "guarantee" a late arrival by use of her credit card which my friend did do. When she arrived there, she was told the Hotel was "oversold" and they could not accomodate she and her mother. My friend felt horrible because she wanted this to be really special for her Mother. I felt horrible because I recommended the Hotel. I would not do so again and I encourage you to advise your readers accordingly.
Posted 04/10/07
Great food, great bar all at a reasonable price.
by kymigirl
This was a great place to have dinner with friends. Low lights with a full bar and the staff is totally friendly. I went here for a girls night out and due to one of our party being late we missed our reservation to be seated but the nice maitre d allowed us to order from the full menu from the lounge.
I'm not sure why this place has 4 dollar signs because it wasn't that expensive. For three people we spent $115 and that included the tip. That didn't include alcohol because we paid for drinks at the bar but I still consider that ok for dinner for 3 people. We had the swordfish pasta, seared ahi tuna, and the mahi mahi. We also ordered a huge salad. Since it was girls night out we all shared food so I got to sample all of the food and let me say all of the fish was fresh and flavorful. The portions were so large that we weren't able to finish.
There was also a ton of people there from out of town for a conference- I guess it is inside the Hilton Hotel so that makes sense - and I met some great people and had a lot of fun. It was a positive experience and I would go again.
Pros: Great Service and Cozy Atmosphere
Cons: valet parking took forver
Posted 03/25/07
Quiet, Intimate Dining Experience
by lpphile8
The atmosphere at Checkers Restaurant is classy and refined. It's an ideal place for a quiet, romantic meal. Try reserving an early dinner to avoid the "dinner-and-show" crowd, and to get the most attentive service.
Pros: Ambience, Food
Posted 09/21/06
Amazing!
by shelleybeth
The food was so amazing my dad and I ate here three nights in a row. Nobody seems to know about this place, so go check it out and you won't regret it. Everything we tried was amazing.
Posted 02/25/06
Poor service
by gourmetkitty
Checkers downtown has a small but lovely outdoor patio, unfortunately this is all it has going for it. Our lunch took an hour and twenty minutes, the service painfully slow and unattentive. This may have been worth it had the food been worth waiting for... but that was not the case!
Posted 02/07/06
Surprisingly Good
by russkar
We were amazed at the food quality and service. The Chef has a lot of talent and Checkers is definitely worth a visit.
Posted 09/20/05
A Great Dinner!
by colombian
Checkers is a great place for martinis in a cozy, dark bar. The bartenders, all ladies, are really friendly and fun. Dinner in this restaurant is among the best dining experiences in LA. All appetizers and entrees were memorable, especially the veal osso bucco and the halibut wrapped in bacon. The Tahini Ahi is among the best appetizers I have had. The new small plate seafood sampler is a great new item.
We dine there monthly before theater and take the sedan over to the Music Center.
Pros: World class food, Hip and cozy bar
Posted 05/09/05
Great service
by simplyjg
this place has really good food. I have had dinner there a few times, and everytime I loved it. Dessert was really yummy. The bar after dinner was cozy enough to get lovey dovey. On another occassion I went, they had the lakers game on and it was a great atmoshphere. Highly reccommend Checkers.
Pros: Valet, Food, Service
Posted 06/03/04