My love for my hometown Culver City knows no bounds so when I read that Laurel Grill of the Laurel Hardware family was opening up a restaurant in downtown, I immediately made a reservation. The restaurant encompassed the entire second floor of the Culver Steps building which also housed Erewhon, Sephora, Salt & Straw, Mendocino Farms, Afuri Ramen and a few other businesses on the first floor.

Walking up the stairs to Laurel Grill, we were welcomed with fire pits at the outdoor waiting area and a balcony with a view of Culver Hotel and the surrounding area.

The expansive bar area encompassed the middle section of the restaurant.

The pizza oven was housed towards the back of the restaurant.

To the left of the pizza area was the open kitchen for the preparation of the rest of the menu’s offerings.

We settled in at the bar and ordered our martinis while we waited for our table.

Once seated, we immediately ordered our dinner selection.

The Chinese chicken salad was on par with Hillstone’s/Houston’s iteration which had fresh greens and cilantro, a light citrusy dressing, tender slivers of chicken and crispy wonton strips interspersed. It was the perfect refreshing start to our meal.

My ribs were fall-of-the-bone tender and incredibly savory with a bit of smokiness. The fries were served piping hot and crispy. The aioli dipping sauce had the perfect thick consistency but without an overpowering garlic aftertaste.

My husband’s tuna melt was perfection. The bread was toasted just right, and it had a perfect tuna/dressing ratio which was packed tightly in between the bread.

The accompanying cole slaw was crisp with a light creamy dressing.

The weakest of the dinner items was the mac n cheese which was was cheesy and had a crisp breadcrumb topping, but the pasta was a bit overdone.

In addition to the mostly amazing food, we were impressed by the entire staff. From the hostess who greeted us, checked us in and advised us there would a short wait, to the bartender who made our drinks, to the other bartender who closed us out and our server Tess who was an aspiring fashion designer of sorts as well as her runners who served our food promptly and the ones who promptly filled up our water glasses, the service was on par with the high end restaurants in Los Angeles.

We’re assuming Laurel Grill will be welcoming a pianist to entertain its guests in the near future.

Laurel Grill is a fantastic addition to the gastronomic scene in downtown Culver City!!