Abernethy's

Nice little bistro in the Music Center’s plaza. They do offer seatings both outside and inside, in case you do not have the reservation try at the bar. The outdoor patio is heated. The menu is short but it ensures a fast service in case you have little time prior going to a show. Their wine menu is pretty good with good diversification of origins. Service is fast, and well executed.

Here's what I sampled: • blue corn cookies and coconut dulce de leche cookies -these cookies had a great texture. A more masa-like taste than a dessert or cookie, similar to a tamale. I was craving some milk after eating this. I drank all of my water. • Déjà vu mocktail was prickly pear shrub, ginger beer, lime, and bitters blend. It was heavier on the bitters end. I'm not sure I'd order this again. I am posting pictures of the Dark Winds cocktail- which is rum, rum fire, allspice dram, creme be banana, horchata, and pineapple. I did not drink this but my friend did. They do recommend it. • Duck ham was smoked duck breast, duck skin chicharron, water cress and sorrel with radish and an orange and honey vinaigrette. small dish and big on taste and yum factor. I'd love to make an entire deli sandwich out of this duck ham. I should find their duck ham supplier. • Tuna salad was a corn tostada served with pico de gallo, bell peppers, sesame seed and avocado (mushed up like guacamole). This tuna salad was served reminiscent of a ceviche, where you load up your own tostada. • The corn husk steamed cod was a satisfying entree. Served with pickled corn puree, nopal pico de gallo, cilantro and lemon. A sort of sweet punch, versus spiciness. I think nopales/cactus is an underused dish in a lot of Mexican food. • Roasted sweet potatoes are served up like giant French fries. Which is much more satisfying than pathetic thin sweet potato fries at so many other restaurants. The salsa macha the potatoes were paired with was dark and delicious, with a spicy kick that wasn't overpowering. I like the garlic and peanut kick of this particular salsa. -------- According to our server, menus are rotated every 6 months and curated by a featured chef. Right now the feature chef is Pyet Despain, serving foods that are indigenous and native to the Americas. Bison, salmon, cod, quail, duck, etc. and no steak, chicken, or eggs. That's a good way cut out expensive eggs from a menu! A tip from our server was that everything on the dinner menu is in order of size, top-to-bottom and small-to-large. So the cod and bison meals are entrees that can be shared, although I feel like everything could be shared. Good service here, too! Our server was attentive and mindful of time constraints. Our reservation was at 6:15PM, and we were on our way out of there by 7:35PM. Plenty of time to walk across the courtyard to the Mark Taper Forum for a performance of Fake It Until You Make It at 8:00PM. The heaters in the outdoor seating tent are on full blast above each table, making the space warm and inviting. In fact, the table got hot to the touch and I started sweating at some point. I couldn't believe other patrons were wearing coats and scarves. Bottom line: what a cool restaurant! It is inside of the Music Center on Grand. If you're attending a play, opera, or musical at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Mark Taper Forum, or the Ahmanson, then you should make a reservation for Abernethy's.

Delicious food! The Native American influence was absolutely present in every dish, while the fusion of this cuisine with California cuisine was positively sublime. Our server have excellent recommendations and had the perfect level of attentiveness. The drink menu was not huge but managed to cover all the bases and paid well with the cuisine. Not only delicious but thoughtful as well.

I’m so glad I chose Abernethy’s this evening! Excellent and creative dishes made with indigenous ingredients. Delicious! Great service by Kirk D! And the ever vivacious DTLA atmosphere…..❤️

I have yet to be disappointed in this place, and I doubt I ever will experience that. Service is consistently top tier. The food always tells a story when I come, on top of being so fulfilling.

The tacos were great. The 1/2 chicken entree was large enough to feed 4 people! The potatoes in that entree were so very tasty! Leftovers!!!!

I get going here; it's literally on the L.A. Music Center Plaza, conveniently located next to the Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson and Dorothy Chandler Pavilion theaters. Still, think about eating elsewhere first. It may be fine for drinks and maybe appetizers, but NOT for entrees and especially desserts. We ordered the fajitas. We knew something was wrong just when they delivered the tortillas first: the flour tortillas were warmed and placed on a plate -- with no cover or towels to keep them warm. I stole a napkin from a nearby table to keep them warm, since even though the restaurant was sparsely occupied, we had difficulty getting help. We ordered a margarita and coffee for drinks; the margaritas was good, but the coffee was instant, not brewed. The fajitas finally came: they were medallions of beef, instead of strips. At least with strips of beef, it can hide the tough meat a little better. What should be crisply cooked onions and bell peppers were wilted and mushy. The side of Mexican rice was bland, and the beans were pureed, with no texture. It reminded me of the hospital food I had post-surgery. At least it was all on the traditional iron griddle, but it was weird having the griddle warm while the food was not. No seasonings at the table; no salt, no pepper, and no hot sauce, much less additional chile peppers. I guess the assumption is it's seasoned perfectly (it won't be). All that might be tolerable, and my guest was a little more forgiving than I was, until it came to dessert. We ordered the apple crisp, but it had NO CRISP: It was sliced apples with a tiny bit of cinnamon sugar on top of it. That's it. The service was fine, but if only the food was better. Again, stick to appetizers and drinks when you come here, and you might be fine with that. Hoping you have better luck than we did!

Came here for dinner before a show. The food was decent. It was all super spicy, which I like, but my mom who is allergic to chilli couldn't eat anything since it's all spicy. Food took an hour and a half to come out and it was next to a dance center blasting the most annoying music

Two of us had 11am reservations on a Sunday before the opera matinee. Service was great! I had the salmon and my companion had the tacos. Both were excellent! Kudos to the new chef. We were out in time for the 1:30 talk at the opera. We plan to make reservations for our next opera performance.

Came here for lunch before a show. Sat at the bar, the bartender was great, offering fantastic service and drinks. Even offering recommendations based off my taste when looking to try something new. The facilities were clean and well designed. The food was good portions, I tried the bison torta, was objectively well made, thought maybe not quite to my tastes with some floral notes I couldn't quite nail down. I would definitely visit again if I was in the area.

We have been dining at Abernathy's since it opened. Have always had an excellent experience from the outstanding creative speciality cocktails created by Jason to the wonderful selection of menus and chefs. The location is perfect for anyone wanting a nice pre-show meal on the beautiful Music Center Plaza. HOWEVER our last visit was absolutely heart breaking and uncomfortable. We will never go again. The hostess was exceptionally rude to us when we arrived even with our reservation. I had never seen her before. She was snippy and made us feel like we were imposing on her for being there. The server showed up to our table (we had never seen her) and ran off the menu to us with rapid fire and seemed like she was be imposed upon by asking her questions. We were one of 3 couples in the restaurant at that point. For some reason she suddenly left us in mid- discussion and walked away. At that point she spoke to the hostess, other servers and the bartender. We know him from all of our evenings we have dined there. He told us he was taking our order, which I found to be very strange. Which he did and he was lovely. However, after that we were completely ignored, snubbed and left with dirty dishes, no water, cold food and stale tortillas. The server who snubbed us made a point of being exceptionally kind and loud with other diners , all the while ignoring us. And sneering at us as she passed. We were embarrassed and hurt by the treatment we received after having spent $$$$$ since they opened. We will never go back or recommend dining there. We never had a bad time there in all of our experiences. We always looked forward to going ... it was always a special treat. NOT ANYMORE What ever was the issue with this server or hostess, it could have been handled with grace and not make people feel ostracized when they are spending money. I will never go back. One person's issues projected on customers is unacceptable and unprofessional. Management needs to fix that asap

The food was quite tasty. The service was kind and thoughtful and patient. I am allergic to corn, which made it challenging, because the menu selections rely on a great deal of corn chips to complete them. They did not have the flexibility to substitute chips for beans or rice or any other carbohydrate, so I had to pay extra to order some wild rice after the fact. Also, I'm here on the actual day of my birthday. My party tried to get me a desert for my birthday, but they couldn't do it , because everything for the birthday had corn in it lol. That's a first

We went here because it's in the patio area of the music center and we were seeing a play at Chandler Pavilion. We sat outside by the water fountains. My granddaughter ordered their tacos and said they weren't very good. I ordered the chicken and we both enjoyed it. Lots of food leftover though. Waiter was very nice and attentive, but didn't hover. We will go back and maybe split the chicken.

Came with friends after an Ahmanson performance and were seated immediately bc we had a reservation. Adolfo Perez was the chef of modern Mexican cuisine today. We had the beef tacos (3/$16), chicken tacos (3/$14), street corn salad ($16), Oaxacan chocolate cream with cherries, pistachio crème brûlée (delicious!) and apple crisp a la mode (not apple pie). It's a modern twist that's really scaled down. Of everything, my fav was the pistachio creme brûlée. While good and beautifully plated, I felt my chicken tacos could've been more substantial. My friend was unimpressed with her beef tacos. The apple crisp was composed of essentially a couple of slices of apples and scoop of ice cream. The place was expensive for what we had. The restaurant is convenient to go after a performance and is in front of the Mark Taper near the restrooms. Our server was sweet, friendly and helpful.

Good restaurant that is central to the Music Center on Grand. If you're attending a show at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Mark Taper Forum, or the Ahmanson, then you may as well make a reservation for Abernethy's! They rotate menus every 6 months (according to our server) and feature a chef each time. Right now the chef is Pyet Despain serving foods that are native to the Americas. So salmon, cod, quail, duck, etc. and no steak, chicken, or eggs. Very interesting way to cut expensive eggs out of the menu! Everything on the dinner menu was priced in order of size, top-to-bottom and small-to-large. This is a pricier restaurant, expect to pay $50-$70 per person. I'm going to list out what I sampled in order of enjoyment, from least to most. What I Enjoyed * blue corn cookies and coconut dulce de leche cookies - these cookies had good texture. It really has a more masa-like taste than a dessert or cookie, akin to a tamale. I craved milk after eating this. * Déjà vu mocktail was prickly pear shrub, ginger beer, lime, and bitters blend. It was heavier on the bitters end. I would not order it again. My friend enjoyed an actual cocktail on the menu, and said they'd come back for the drinks alone. The Dark Winds cocktail- which is rum, rum fire, allspice dram, creme be banana, horchata, and pineapple- was delicious and highly recommended. * The duck ham was smoked duck breast, duck skin chicharron, water cress and sorrel with radish and an orange and honey vinaigrette. Small but big on the taste and wow factor. I'd love to make an entire sandwich out of this duck ham. * Tuna salad was a corn tostada with pico de gallo, bell peppers, sesame seed and avocado. Everything was portioned out to share, which is nice. This tuna salad was served like a ceviche, so you load up your own tostada. * The corn husk steamed cod with pickled corn puree, nopales, cilantro and lemon was a satisfying entree. It packed a sweet punch over spiciness. I think cactus is criminally underused in a lot of Mexican food. * Lastly, my personal meal highlight was the roasted sweet potato. Served up like giant French fries. Which is much more satisfying than sad, thin sweet potato fries at other restaurants. The salsa macha the potatoes were served with was dark and delicious, with a spicy kick that wasn't overpowering. Our server was attentive and mindful of our time limit. Our reservation was for 6:15PM, and all courses were served, eaten, and paid for by around 7:35PM. Leaving us with plenty of time to walk across the courtyard to the Mark Taper Forum for a performance of Fake It Until You Make It. There's a small interior, and most of the seating is technically outdoors on the courtyard. It is a space enclosed within a tent. There's heaters on full blast above each table, so the space is very warm and inviting. The table was actually hot to the touch and I started sweating at some point. No need to wear your coat or scarf to this place. Parking is available below the restaurant. The Music Center parking garage fee is $10.

Seasoned well just wish the serving size was a bit more. But it was very flavor and creamy for a vegan dish

I went recently for the Mexican Food residency. It was pretty bad. I was expecting overpriced, but good. It was overpriced but sorta horrible. I won't give it 1 star because my GF's chicken was actually quite good. I had the burrito...it was $25 and literally the worst of my life. Mostly generic rice and beans and a few shrimp. My daughters tacos were equallly grim...also $25! I thought it was gonna be like Sonoritas which is fancy prime beef burritos, but instead it was significantly worse than the following: Poquito Mas Baja Fresh Cactus Taco Taco Bell (I'm not trying to be ironic here, the Crunchy Wrap is substantially better) Normally I wouldn't write such a bad review, but this meal was really unbeleivably dissapointing on an absolute basis, and the price was just insulting.

Good foodie spot in the Music Center if you are not too hungry or want a very light dinner before a show or concert, because the dishes here are super pretty but super skimpy -- wafer thin duck slices, one taco per order -- even the entree (stuffed pablano) is rather small for sharing. Good for instagram, bad for the wallet (3 items, $70 total damage). At least the opera was good!

We had an overall disappointing dinner experience tonight. While the quality of the food was great, the restaurant ran out of salmon, the waiter forgot two items we ordered, and one person in our party asked for no rice on the side of his order which meant there was no side dish at all offered on that $40 plate of food.

Good location for a small meal before a performance at any of the venues at the Music Center. Entree portions could more accurately be called Tapas-sized. The marinated crust on the salmon was flavorful and the cod was delicious, but the mezcal chocolate cake was dry and inedible (fortunately they did remove it from our bill though). Service is in need of improvement. The wrong dessert was initially brought out and we were charged more for our bottle of wine than was reflected on the menu. When we pointed it out to the server she said we were charged for four glasses of wine, rather than the bottle which we poured from and remained on our table. She went and grabbed a menu to show us the price and then realized we were correct, so the bill was adjusted a second time.

We always like coming here for the drinks prior to a play. We had Barbacoa tacos. The filling was delicious, but the tortillas tasted like someone took them out of the bag and placed the filling. Very unfavorable tortillas. My orange wine was delicious.

Despite the lack of affordable dining options within walking distance of the Music Center (Mark Taper Forum, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the Ahmanson Theatre), Abernethy's is really good, possibly affordable, creative and fun with their guest chefs and about as close as you can get to the Ahmanson box office! I had a great all-round experience a few months ago and found myself looking forward to returning for their next chef in residence.

We enjoyed the new chef's menu Sunday night and we were delighted with every dish. The tomatillo salad was really innovative and delicious and the sweet potatoe side was absolutely the best ever anywhere. I loved my maple salmon on rice pilaf and my partner enjoyed the corn husk wrapped cod. The cocktails are incredibly fun and delicious and it is really the perfect spot for dinner before any performance. This chef is really impressive!

If you're going to see theater at the Music Center, your restaurant options are limited. Thankfully, Abernathy's works, on many levels. It's convenient, you can people watch, they're friendly and they know you're on a time crunch, plus-- best of all-- they bring in renowned chefs, like John Cleveland of Post and Beam. We had a fantastic dining experience, highlighted by the jerk catfish. We shared everything and it was all good: a quintessential cornbread, Mary's chicken (very tender and moist), collard greens, a large Caesar. and a gooey Mac 'n Cheese. The wines by the glass were nice, as were the cocktails. I tried an interesting gin concoction, with dry rye gin, pat nat and grapefruit. The highlight was Mr. Cleveland's visit to our table -- what a treat.

The service is horrific!!! Good came all disjointed. Cold. No one cared. Asked for the manager. He didn't come for 20 minutes. The food is always tasty but sometimes hot sometimes cold and service is horrible. I'm done with this restaurant. Shame because it highlights chefs that are good.

The food was good, not spectacular, but the service was deeply slow. We had to inhale our entrees which came to the table at 7:10, to make our 7:30 curtain. We arrived at 6:10, waited for 20 minutes to put in our order. We would have skipped appetizers had we known.

What a great experience we had this evening at this restaurant. Our knowledgeable server Kirk, had a wealth of information as when the restaurant opened and the different chefs that's cooked at the restaurant. The food was so pleasing to the eye at its presentation. Although the taste of each dish was superb and seasoned just right. Parking is on the street. After dinner, you can walk leisurely at the park, see the Almanson theater and/or wait for the band to come on stage next to the restaurant

We went before a show at the Ahmanson. Gave ourselves an hour and fifteen. Our waiter was terrific, and we got our drinks in a timely fashion. But then the whole meal fell apart. Took 30 minutes to get chips and guacamole. And when the main course finally arrived it was already quarter to 8. Worse part, my wife's roast chicken was uncooked in places. The chef wanted to see the plate and claimed that's the way it's 'supposed' to be prepared. Not a food expert, but pretty sure chicken needs to be cooked through. The rest of us had tacos, and....pathetic is really the only way I can accurately describe them. Dried out tortillas, chunks of tasteless chicken, with hardly any toppings. I'd avoid this place and their hot new 'chef'.

Summary: Visitors should be aware that there is a rotating chef that is highlighted, which means the menu will change and reviews have a lot more variability accordingly. That said, Nadia is an amazing server, the atmosphere is comfortable and pleasant, the drinks are on point, and the food that we got was pretty solid. Prices are pretty reasonable as well. Good value. Reservations are probably a good idea, though we were able to get seated an hour and a half before our show on a Sunday evening. My wife and I went here for our first visit on a Sunday evening before seeing A Strange Loop. I made reservations for 5:30 with a 6:00 p.m. show, but we were able to be seated inside closer to 5:00. Our server Nadia introduced herself pretty quickly after we've receded and answered a few questions that we had about the menu, and highlighted a couple of suggestions for us. Soon we were ordering and receiving items as they were completed. Cool Rummings - very well balanced and tasty, with a nice little punch. Orange Bang Bang - very juicy and refreshing. Definitely spot on with the orange bang. Trinity - sophisticated and served in a champagne flute. Cool flavors and slightly elevated. Cornbread - substantial portion and pretty tasty, but a bit dry and dense. Vegan crab cakes - if you like heart of palm, these are really good. Deviled Eggs - not quite stuffed like I have usually seen them, but very tasty, and paired well with the p&b hot sauce While subsequent visits may not be as impressive depending on who the visiting chef is, this visit was excellent, and highly recommended for those coming to see a show.

Abernathy's is unique Resturant because they change the chef and theme every four months. Last night we enjoyed their take on just on pH alkaline Korean food. We ordered multiple dishes starting with a salad with a Kimchi dressing we added hamachi to the mix. It was very good. We had two of the kimchi as a side the one made with jalapeño was way too spicy and I like things hot. The main dishes we had the short rib and the chicken the chicken was dry without flavor but the short rib was excellent. You may want to order a side of rice but unfortunately this place only has white rice. Timing we arrived at 6 pm and ate items as they came out we had finished the starters and main course by 7:15 we ordered dessert to fill out the time before the play at 8 pm. The dessert would be an item I would skip no real flavor. Coffee was good. Service was excellent The place was empty perhaps because of the time of year. I was impressed when they were seating a rude person near us who was inconsiderate and was talking on her cell phone he was able to escort her out. ( Some people should take a class in etiquette). The waiter was informative and knew the menu. He advised in a month they will be changing to soul food. I like the concept you have a season of plays you can try a new restaurant on site for almost every performance. It's sort of like a pop-up and a permanent location. The interior of the restaurant is rather plain, but they allow for accents, based on the type of food being served. Advantages are to park once and have dinner and a play cost very high.

The food came out fresh and deliciously tasty! Love the new rotating guest chef. The menu was an influenced of American Indian/Mexican inspired meal (pre Mayflower days where vegetarian fish & chicken was the staples - meat was not introduced: beef, pork & sheep) We had a 7:30 PM show at the Music Center sat down to have dinner leisurely at 5 PM w/ RSVP. We were seated indoors. It was nice, cozy and warm.

Service was negligent. No one checked on us after receiving our meals . My torta was flavorless and though I asked for condiments to remedy the situation to no avail it just was not worth it . It took over 30 minutes to get any help to remedy the situation. Also took over 20 minutes to get coffee refill. Which they took our cups back to the kitchen. That was very suspect and plain unsanitary. I ended up sending back the torta and the waiter insisted that it was off the bill. We were in a rush and I trusted him . After our show I realized that it was not removed from the bill. We live in LA there is no excuse for mediocre mexican food. This was a huge miss .

You can't really get an accurate read of Abernethy's based on the overall Yelp rating due to the restaurant's concept of rotating their chefs. So the Yelp rating reflects a potpourri of chefs. It just so happens that the current up and coming chef-in-residence, Brad Willits, is super talented, and his portion of stars is a FIVE from me. I believe front of house remains the same, and Chantal was professional, thoughtful, awesome, and overall lovely. The vodka pasta was highly recommended by her, and I trusted her. She was right. It was perfectly executed. I did change the noodle with the other pasta option on the menu, as I'm not big on penne, and it was just so right. Perfectly al dente, perfectly sauced, perfect portion. I'm still thinking about it. I asked for whatever red she recommended with my pasta and I was brought a Justin cab. I thought I might be brought something a little more interesting, but also I could have been a bit more specific. The TOMATOES dish was well done. It came with some fresh mozzarella, capers, basil, and sherry vinegar. Now that I'm taking another look at the menu, I'm realizing that my dish was missing the promised pinenuts, which is a big bummer, as that would have added a perfect something. As someone who grows bored rather quickly, this concept of chefs with limited seasonal engagements really speaks to me! I'm looking forward to the next visit to Abernethy's to try out the next chef du jour, but I also know that I can visit Chef Brad's permanent restaurant at Market in Venice when my next craving for his food is sure to strike. Variety is the spice of life, and I am madly in love with this idea of limited seasonal engagements of chefs; it's especially brilliant that this concept restaurant is located at the Music Center, since each visit to the Music Center will come with it a BRAND NEW EXPERIENCE. I love that!

Abernethy's is a unique restaurant, as the Chef de Cuisine shifts every so often, changing the entire menu and most likely continents they represent. The menu is not extensive, but intriguing enough for you wanting to dine on everything. The next sequence will open on September 11, 2024 through the end of the year and will be drastically different than the current menu. The ambiance is simple and caters to both indoor and outdoor dining, especially during the summer, where the Dorothy Chandler Center usually has it's concerts or plays.I really wanted to try this southern cuisine, and tried the cornbread and catfish, which were both delicious. The wife had the salmon and smoked macaroni and cheese, which was also delicious and creamy, with a hint of smoky taste. Lastly, the deviled eggs are something special, although a bit spicy for my taste. Service was informative, and responsive, with free refills of tea and quick delivery of our meal. I'm looking forward to the new menu in September and will definitely come back to checkout the new chef's take on Los Angeles dining...

Talk about having a unique model for a restaurant.. Abernathy's located at the podium of the LA Music Center host a featured chef every few months. Different chef, different cuisine and different menu. We came here a while back to try Chef Geter Atienza's Filipino inspired dishes. We started off with a few cocktails, bongabong punch and ube colada. Very tropical and refreshing as if you're beach side relaxing on the beach. Starving because of a later reservation, we went straight for entrees: Baked mussels tahong, marinated tuna kinilaw, oxtail crepinette kare kare. Mussels with garlic butter, machengo and parsley was tasty. Marinated tuna kinilaw is Filipino version of ceviche but swimming in coconut ginger and calamansi and more tangy. Kare kare was presented deconstructed. Again swimming but in peanut sauce and veggies. Very good. For dessert, we had ginata which is a modern version of the OG, ginattan. Chia seed pudding, taro root, yam, jackfruit, mango pearls in coconut milk. Very refreshing and a good dessert to change the palette of the different entree flavors. Service here isn't up to par with fine dining restaurants. Had to flag the waiter a few times. Wasn't too helpful with explaining the menu and in a rush. This restaurant is perfect if you're attending a performance at the Music Center. If you're not watching a performance look out for the closing time. Abernathy's closes early. Also, security could be better here as a few homeless were wandering around the open and using the common area restroom.

Abernathy's never disappoints. Food was extremely tasty and Kirk was very knowledgeable about the various dishes.

The drinks. My goodness the drinks. The chef may change but Jason's ability to make amazing cocktails is enduring. I had a few drinks but the star of the show was the Foxy Brown. A bourbon based drink with apricot preserves, ginger beer, a bunch of other stuff and hot sauce. This was one of the best cocktails I've ever had and I love cocktails. A stop at the bar will now be mandatory for any trip to the music center and luckily I go there a lot. Service was also phenomenal and the food was delicious.

Last minute trip to the Mark Taper and I finally trued Abernethy's. Glad I did. Pretty day to dine outside. Had the Three Sisters, Chips and Guacamole, and a churro for dessert. All delicious!

I can usually depend on this place for decent plant based and vegetarian options before a show at the Music Center. I'm very disappointed that their menu currently has only one meager sounding salad that a vegetarian who doesn't eat eggs could eat. Won't be dining there again until the menu changes.

We ordered wine and appetizers after a matinee today. We all felt our server was disappointed we didn't order a dinner entree. She had some type of impatient flippant attitude. My 86 yr old mom is hard of hearing and asked lots of questions about the wine and the menu. We asked for some chips or bread and were told they don't serve that unless we ordered the bean dip appetizers. The food was good and the wine was good. The service made us feel unwelcome and we wanted to leave as soon as our appetizers were finished. It is a convenient location at the Music Center, but we will not go again.

I think the idea of Abernethy's is great! Rotating chefs every few months; of course then the reviews for the food will be very different every time. I went mid November and the chef was Geter Atienza-- it was a Filipino inspired cuisine. Baked mussels with garlic butter was great. Big shrimp with seafood sauce and collard greens : to my surprise the collard greens left a stronger impression than the BIG SHRIMP haha it was creamy but had a flavor blast from the seafood sauce. Pork belly with pickled veggies - I've been getting more adventurous and trying pork here and there but... yeah I don't know what I'm tasting haha but the pickled veggies were great! crunchy and refreshing. Shishito peppers were great too, easy appetizer for the table. The portions were kind of small but it was expected. Their drinks were great too. Really enjoyed the outdoor seating, I definitely recommend but of course the food isn't going to be the same every time.

Came here right before a show at the Dorthy Chandler Pavilion. I made reservations ahead of time and was seated right away. It was a cold night but seating outside had heating. I love how fresh the food is and that the menu changes with the chefs. This was my second time here and I loved trying something different. Parking is below for only $10.

In the open area between the Dorthy C and Mark T theaters. Suggest reservation unless you get there over 2 hours before the show. Very yummy food and not outrageously priced. Speciality drinks were yummy. The two I picked were more tart than sweet.

My husband and I ate here a few weeks ago and had a terrible dining experience. We both worked in hospitality for years, and our server was one of the worst we both had ever had. The restaurant was out of Diet Coke (not a big deal), but also out of the salmon entree. (Also not a big deal, but the menu was small and it was only 6:30pm.) Our server couldn't have cared less about trying to create a pleasant dining experience for us. The food came out extremely slow, and there was no check in on us as we waited. Our server forgot to put in our appetizer, and I had to approach the bar to ask about it. Our entrees came out, and when we told the server we no longer wanted the app, he just said, "Okay." No apology. The food was average and unmemorable. For the prices we were really disappointed. When the server brought the bill, he made sure to say, "I didn't charge you for the appetizer," as though he was doing us a favor. Won't ever dine here again.

First, the good part. The food and service were excellent. Cooked just right, brought out hot to our table of 4. The bad part. Waiter told is the menu items were large and "shareable." This was very misleading as the portions were way over-priced and way too small for even two people (let alone our group of four). For example, I probably would have enjoyed our order of "big shrimp "hipon at laing." But, alas, none left for me. Ridiculously small, as ridiculous as the $36 price for such a small order. I dined with 2 Filipino friends at what was called a Filipino inspired menu. And the "baked mussels "tahong" - embarrassingly tiny (I was really looking forward to this dish and got ONE mussel to eat. Shame on them!! $185 total bill - value with tip $65.89. Throughout dinner we were already talking about our next Filipino meal with three times the food for one-third the cost of this pricy dinner (and expensive, no-validation parking). Like I said, good food, good service, and we left hungry.

I kid you not, stay away from this clip joint. The advertisement is deceiving. The barbecue duck is actually two small slices of grilled duck with half of it being duck fat. The only thing tasty was the tomatillo salsa. I was literally choking on how dry the duck was. Warning--STAY AWAY.

Hostess was extremely rude. We arrived at an empty restaurant patio, just wanting a glass of wine. We had to fight for a table. And then we were kicked out, even though there were empty tables all around us. Never going back there.

As you know, Abernethy's hosts new chefs with new cuisine throughout the year. Given that information, dining can be a hit or miss, depending on the chef when you attend. We have had everything from Mexican/asian fusion to Caribbean, and some have been much better than others. The service is always great, although pacing of the meals is not consistent - sometimes things come out all at the same time, sometimes things come out and you sit another 20 minutes before another item comes. The bar is very, very slow and typically, the food comes out before the drinks. You cannot beat the convenience of having the restaurant a minute walk from the theatre.

We only stopped by for a quick cocktail while we waited for the rest of the group to head over to the theater. Service was great, and cocktails were delicious. Beautiful spot to hang for a bit.

Since May: Italian menu with an Iberian influence. I believe any bad reviews earlier in the summer were just a new-to-Abernathey's Chef ironing out the wrinkles. Chef Brad Willits' food is very good, and beautifully presented. Our meal: Figgin Good signature cocktail. Smoked albacore bruscheta. Fennel sausage with potato salad and course ground mustard. Shrimp with saffron and cilantro. Farro risotto with shiitake mushrooms. Grilled asparagus with romenesca sauce and almond. Pro tip: Order the risotto, shrimp, and asparagus...put a little of each on your plate, and create the perfect bite by combining the 3. Simply divine. Sat inside, which is air conditioned, but also open air. Very nice. Gabriel - BEST server ever! He knows the food, and is attentive to time constraints, and your every need. Go try it before Chef Willits' residency ends!!!

Service was great. We were running late and I called the hostess and she changed our reservation to 15 minutes later. Very convenient! It's a beautiful locale. Right in the center of the Music Center. The prices are very reasonable but the food is just okay. I was expecting something more special. I read about the head chef being a good southern cook so I expected more "flavor". Don't get me wrong, the food was good but I was underwhelmed with it. The salmon was cooked to perfection. The cornbread was not that flavorful. Very dry and served cold, or at least it was cold when we got it. I had a dish with crab and asparagus. Again not something I would order again. Not bad but not memorable

Friendly helpful service, excellent drink, good food. Jason does a great job. This is more than a convenience at the Music Center. Abernathy is a destination all on its own.

The service was great. The location was perfect for our venue. Yet the food was a miss. The best thing was wine. They served Post and Beam soul food inspired dishes. We had 4-5 starters, salads, salmon, and their version of oxtail with greens. I enjoyed the atmosphere, but we struggled with every item which either didn't have enough seasoning to way to much. ( Mac and cheese was a mess.) Wish it was better.

A convenient place for dinner before a show at the Ahmanson. Outdoor dining with a view of the fountain created a lovely atmosphere for a meal. The restaurant has a neat theme, with rotating chefs and menus. I started with the roasted artichokes, which was a light refreshing dish, although the artichokes could have done with a bit more flavor. I'm not sure why I expected this dish to be served warm, but it was a cold dish. The peas were crisp and delicious. The sea urchin carbonara was elevated comfort food. The buccatini was the perfect complement to the sauce and everything about this dish made me happy. For dessert I had the semifreddo. The frozen mousse came to airy life in my mouth. Either eat quickly or share, it loses some magic as it warms and melts. Overall a solid and playful meal.

Before catching the Opera, I had dinner here, and it was very good. Host and Server(Aliyah) were very friendly and helpful. I started with the tomatoes for an appetizer with pine nuts, sherry wine, and mozzarella. I never knew sliced tomatoes could taste so good. For the main entree, I decided to go with the Garganelli Ala vodka...this did not disappoint at all!! I cleaned the bowl! The pasta was cooked nicely, and the sauce was delicious. They also have heaters outside just in case you want to eat outside. Perfect place to eat just before a show, highly recommend.

Friendly service and the food was really tasty! I enjoyed the tuna salad and the chocolate mezcal cake was a great dessert. Worth stopping by if you're at the Music Center.

What is wrong with this place?! Every time we give Abernethy's another chance before a show or a concert, we arrive open-minded, loving the open-air setting & the incredible proximity to the Music Center theaters. We anticipate that the new chef from their revolving roster of up-and-coming local chefs will somehow dispel the previous meals' disappointment. Yet, every single time, we are disappointed. Disappointed by the prices (outrageous) & the quality (underwhelming) & the service (confused). This month's offering is essentially over-priced, non-descript Mexican. This is LA, after all, so if you're going to present tacos for $20, they better be amazing. Instead, we got an over-salty & over-priced speck of meat on a warmed tortilla. But what really bothered was the blatant added charges that another, less mercenary establishment would have absorbed, i.e. charging a separate price for chips when we ordered guacamole; and then charging extra for removing the "turf" in a very expensive ($50!) "surf & turf" fajita. I get that we must pay the price for convenience & proximity, but, after tonight's rip-off, we'll not eat here again. Next time, we'll bring a picnic and dine al fresco on the Plaza!