"Just one visit and I’m already completely enamored by the bold flavors, polished cooking, and frankly stunning ambiance of Ladyhawk in West Hollywood. Though it’s less than six months old, Charbel Hayek’s first-ever restaurant looks like it’s been settled into the ground floor of Kimpton La Peer Hotel for years. The room buzzes with diners excited for spice-tinted za’atar man’oushe dotted with piped labneh and tomato. Servers warn imbibers that the arak cocktails will “taste strongly of licorice,” to which I say, bring it on. We ordered ahi tuna crudo, baba ganoush, spicy hummus, falafel, and labneh, which comes with fresh pita bread. This course would’ve been enough for dinner, each element almost too pretty to eat. The falafel, fried to the darkest brown and laden with green herbs, could be the best I’ve had in Los Angeles. The skirt steak shawarma and grilled dorade were fantastic, but we were so full we could only have a few bites. Five days after dining here, I’m still dreaming of the food, which feels a touch more approachable than Bavel and served with more comfort and hospitality than Saffy’s (though all three are standouts)." - Eater Staff
