Insider Pages Reviews for Checkers Downtown

4 Stars: A cozy and warm restaurant that makes you feel comfortable (by shirley n.)

shirley n. — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 17:49:00 GMT

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 !

5 Stars: Great Dining Experience (by gerryjim)

gerryjim — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 01:00:00 GMT

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.

4 Stars: Yay (by Michelle Y.)

Michelle Y. — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 01:18:00 GMT

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.

5 Stars: A Romantic Get-a-way (by Joan K.)

Joan K. — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:53:00 GMT

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.

4 Stars: great food, puzzling service (by wicktor)

wicktor — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 02:00:00 GMT

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.

3 Stars: Hotel did not honor "guaranteed" reservations (by ldemetrick)

ldemetrick — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 02:00:00 GMT

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.

5 Stars: Great food, great bar all at a reasonable price. (by kymigirl)

kymigirl — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 02:00:00 GMT

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.

5 Stars: Quiet, Intimate Dining Experience (by lpphile8)

lpphile8 — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 02:00:00 GMT

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.

5 Stars: Amazing! (by shelleybeth)

shelleybeth — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 01:00:00 GMT

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.

2 Stars: Poor service (by gourmetkitty)

gourmetkitty — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 01:00:00 GMT

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!

5 Stars: Surprisingly Good (by russkar)

russkar — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 02:00:00 GMT

We were amazed at the food quality and service. The Chef has a lot of talent and Checkers is definitely worth a visit.

5 Stars: A Great Dinner! (by colombian)

colombian — Tue, 10 May 2005 02:00:00 GMT

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.

5 Stars: Great service (by simplyjg)

simplyjg — Fri, 04 Jun 2004 02:00:00 GMT

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.