Mark V.
Yelp
We had a lot of fun during our visit to Herringbone!
I took a date here for a recent Sunday brunch visit, and every element of our meal was impressively well thought-out.
+ I agree with others' perceptions of the very cool ambiance at this restaurant. The vibe is a balance between Southern California beach casual with a dose of Westside refinement - you feel a sense of occasion without the stuffiness that you might encounter at other establishments in this part of town.
You can't go wrong with either the airy, breezy dining room or the outdoor patio area. We opted for the latter, thanks to its abundance of foliage and access to direct natural sunlight (though you're still shaded from the heat!). The outdoor tables made for the perfect backdrop to a morning full of boozey indulgence.
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+ If you're visiting for brunch, you might as well do it big. Herringbone's Bottomless Mimosa offerings are available for $25 a head - and it's great not having to stress about the tacky time limit imposed at other brunch spots...sip away at your leisure! FYI - servers are more than happy to provide extra champagne/OJ for your to tweak the blend of your mimosa as you see fit.
+ Culinary selections at Herringbone are of higher quality than the competition, too - it's clear that the food is a point of emphasis here. With most dishes priced in the $15-20 range, there's no need to stress about breaking the bank. There's surprisingly good value to be had here!
We opted to share the Smoked Salmon Benedict and the Three Little Pigs Hash. Both were tasty and quite memorable - and portion sizes were quite fair given the price point.
The Benedict distinguished itself from other takes on the dish thanks to a few subtle tweaks. The salmon tasted fresh, flavorful, and clean, while the chimichurri-infused hollandaise provided a playful bit of character.
+ To no one's surprise, the rich, indulgent Hash had a lot of porky flavor goin' on - the pork belly, prosciutto, and thick-cut bacon each imparted a different sort of umami flavor. Thankfully, the aggressively meaty blend never seemed overpowering in terms of saltiness. My only critique on this dish would be that the sunny-side up eggs were a tad overcooked; we got about 75% of the quintessential runny yolk action that we had been hoping for! (I'll probably just request for a runny yolk during our next visit.)
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+ Major kudos to our server, Sal. Not only was he gracious, cheery, and welcoming - but he also put up with some of my more absurd requests. One of the legs on my chair may or may not have started to come loose (don't blame me, I'm dieting - I swear), and he was quick to switch the chair out before the seat snapped/I made a complete ass of myself. Very thankful for that! It's easy to see why Herringbone gets a lot of love for the quality of its customer service.
PRO TIP:
+ Skip the $10 valet parking available in front of the Seychelle; there's plenty of readily available metered parking available in the area. And pricing is reasonable, too - $6 for 3 hours, which is more than enough for even the longest bottomless binge!