Kismet Reviews

The favorite was definitely the fried cauliflower and the fritters. Two must get for starters. There were four of us who came here for dinner, and we shared the $80 rabbit for two and boy it was delicious and enough food for the four of us. The bread they gave you along with the dips of the dish was phenomenal!!! The crispy rice was also a must get, and it just went so well with all the dishes that we had. It was such a delicious and great dining experience!

It’s been two years since we dined at Kismet primarily because it’s geographically undesirable, but we decided to meet our son and daughter in law, who live much closer, for dinner. The place has been redone since our last visit and is all blond wood, white walls and remains, comfortably, on the small side. The staff is very pleasant and respectful (no hovering here). The food is Middle Eastern although unlike any we’ve had at other restaurants. There is a crusty Persian rice that’s a killer as is the brocollini, spiced carrots, lamb belly and half chicken. They are all standouts in their own right, and I wish the owners would open another branch on the Westside.The wine list is small, mostly unrecognizable, and variable, but the choices we made have been outstanding. This not an ordinary restaurant.

A group of us (6 in party) went to Kismet this evening and ordered: Lemony Chicken and Pine Nut "pies", Cucumber & Citrus Salad, Marinated Feta salad, Braised Lamb Belly, Persian Crispy Rice, Fried Cauliflower with a caper yogurt and the house Lebnah which came with some humus and tahini. All for $180. Basically, each of us ended up with an amuse bouche from each plate. Ridiculously small portions for the expense. The food was seasoned well. The "pies" were two very small triangles of puff pastry that had ground chicken and ground pine nuts. The waiter should have warned us how small they would be and we would have ordered 2 more for the size of our party. The rice was not good and overly salted as was the caper yogurt blob that came with the cauliflower. The lamb was decent but the portion size so small that it was basically an appetizer for one person. The place was packed. Shocked that folks will pay $40 for 1/2 a roasted chicken. REALLY???? Won't be back. Not worth the expense. We ended up having to go to a nearby diner to actually have food with enough substance to fill us. VERY disappointed.

Enjoyed sharing small plates with another couple- delicious bread had two orders to sop up the various sauces. Enjoyed the lamb belly, jeweled crispy rice, lemony chicken& pine nut pies. Small servings- good service.

First off they make it really easy to order and pickup seems extremely safe and easy. The check Ken is extremely tender and juicy plus the side dishes are really good. Order extra pita as it is amazing.

A little background. I have been a huge fan of Animal and I love Middle Eastern food... I am open to unconventional interpretations. I have no problem with the concept of expensive small plates. I had been looking forward to coming to this place for several months ever since I first saw it reviewed in the LA Times... What a disappointment it proved to be. The space is pleasant. Overall the service was adequate (the host had an attitude better suited to the DMV than to a higher end restaurant, but the waitress was very friendly and personable). I'm unclear though that the service merited the mandatory 20% service charge that they sanctimoniously add to the bill... The problem with this place is the food (which is aggravated by the price point). The food was ill-conceived and generally not special. They clearly started with quality ingredients, there was a degree of competency displayed in their preparations and they seemed to achieve their intentions, yet they managed to produce dishes that were just not tasty and definitely less than the sum of their parts. While I'm fine with unconventional interpretations, in order for me to want to eat them, they have to taste good. The food here brought to mind the food that I have experienced at some destination spas that I have visited where they do their best to make the food palatable while omitting any ingredients that taste good. We had the following dishes: Spiced cashews Freekeh fritters Lemony chicken & pine nut pies Butter lettuce Pickled mussels Barbari bread Lamb belly Jeweled crispy rice The spiced cashews tasted strikingly reminiscent of the ones Trader Joe's sells. Not bad, just not special or creative in any way. The freekeh fritters were small, pleasantly crisp on the outside, with a runny cooked porridge-like interior. The runny centers had novelty value but they were very bland and they were not special, nor was the oddly puréed green dipping sauce and finely chopped pickles that accompanied them. Although to give them their due, the chopped pickles were very finely and very precisely chopped. At this point, I was starting to feel concerned that the meal was not going to meet my expectations. The lemony chicken & pine nut pies were just sad. They were small. The phyllo dough that they used had an unfortunate "low fat" and "low salt" quality. The lack of butter was evident just from their outward appearance. And as soon as they were in your mouth, the phyllo tasted like a bland gummy mess. The chicken inside was finely chopped and overly seasoned and salted. I didn't taste any pine nuts. The adjective that comes to mind to describe the way the filling was seasoned is "adolescent." The mussels were flat out disgusting. The pickling sauce was sickly sweet and insufficiently sour. The seasoning vividly brought to mind cheap Scandinavian pickled herring. Gross, gross, gross. At this point, I abandoned hope. Not only did I not want to eat any more of these, but I wanted any reminder of them removed. I asked for a new plate. The waitress seemed completely shocked that I wanted my plate replaced and hesitated to comply and almost seemed to want to talk me out of it. Eventually, she came back with a new plate. She did not replace my utensils. The butter lettuce came with avocado, seeds, and middle eastern spices. The salad was heavily dressed, but the dressing was nicely acidic. However, the middle eastern spices had been applied with a heavy hand. Again, the overall impression that I was left with was "adolescent." The barbari bread was very simple, fresh, and inoffensive. For $5 we received two small precisely cut triangles. However, I was left scratching my head. I don't care if this supposedly is your grandmother's recipe, why the hell did I just pay $5 for something that most restaurants would have offered me a basket of at no additional charge? Like everything else, the lamb belly was small. There was nothing about it that made me feel that it wasn't what the chef intended to present. It came with what appeared to be sliced turnips and grilled leaf vegetables. I've heard rumors that it's supposed to come with Meyer lemon "to add bouyancy" to the gamy lamb. Unfortunately, mine wasn't bouyant. Just fatty and gamy. We finished with the jewled crispy rice. It was just horrible. As with some of the other dishes, it definitely has novelty value. However, it's difficult to eat. In making it as crispy as they do, they render it nearly impossible to chew. You end up with a mouthful of gravelly rice. I was sort of afraid it was going to break my teeth. The worst part is the uncooked egg hidden inside. I just couldn't get that taste out of my mouth afterwards. The bill for 2 (food only) came to 134.42. I just realized that I would not eat here again if it were free. 'Nuff said.

This nouveau Israeli / Mediterranean restaurant seems to be very in and reservation is hard to get. The atmosphere is casual and it's a bit noisy. Wine selection is limited and a glass is hardly 3 oz. When it comes to the food it is quite uneven. The roasted cauliflower was exceptionally good. The crusted rice was too oily and the carrot dish was a disaster, tasted like the cook did not know when to stop with the cardamom. All the dishes are too small to share in a table for four. The price: 4 vegetable dishes one miniature dish of lamb and 2 less than standard glass of wine $170. As I said above, a questionable value.

This tiny place is worth a bit of a wait. Exciting flavors enliven seasonal ingredients. Good seasoning/spices. Maybe a bit too much oil for me, but still very good.

This is a wonderful spot, had terrific lunch w/work friends. The bread is divine, got a try of about 7 or 8 different things including olives, kale spread, beets w/feta cheese, wonderful wines and great IPA beers. Staff so nice, sat by the chef too, can't wait to go back.

My family recently took me to Kismet for my birthday celebration. They found the restaurant in reviews. Unique dishes - with a Persian and Mediterranean twist. Try the Jeweled Rice and the Potatoes and Feta/Watermelon salad among many other delicious dishes. Very simple and inviting ambiance in a small restaurant! Reservations are a must! Awesome service too. I left my sunglasses there and called them. Two days later they called that they found it. I was so thrilled to hear from them!

My wife (vegetarian) and I (vegetarian mostly) took a chance with this restaurant that has only been open since the first of the year and I'm glad we did. The vegetation dishes were flavorful and delicious. The rhubarb dessert was very tasty. Service was timely. Be forewarned that they charge a 20% service fee.

Great LA dining at this low key but hip Mediterranean/Middle Eastern Restaurant. Loved the bread with Tahini, broccolini with labneh, macadamia nut cured scallops and pepper, little gem lettuce with fenal and pistachio, spiced carrots with chickpeas, and jeweled crispy rice.

Nice place for a date. The service was fast fast which is always pleasant. I didn’t personally love the food but I appreciate the effort. Lots of nuanced dishes and classic dishes with a modern spin. Their “cocktails” were decent but obviously it’s hard when you don’t have a liquor license. I think this place is byob too which is cool. Def worth checking out

Our meal was very tasty. We shared the nicoise salad and sweet potato dishes. Our server Olivia K did a wonderful job taking care of our meal needs. This is a great spot for any meal. Their bread is delicious. We ordered a second helping in the bread. Very friendly atmosphere.

Because the restaurant has a built in 20% tip, the waiters feel no obligation to give good service. I reserved a table for three a week in advance and they placed us at a table for two, with one of our party sitting with the corner of the table pointing to his stomach, which was not at all conducive to dining. When we requested a table more suitable, they said this is what they do for parties of three. This is what I call restaurant entitlement. Because their food is so good and they are in demand, they feel like they can get away with this kind of poor service. Only when we decided to leave did they move us to a larger table. Then, when we asked our waitress very nicely for two checks at the very beginning of our engagement with her, she literally rolled her eyes and then treated us rudely the rest of the time. Despite how good the food it, I won't go back until they get a bit more humble.

We had an early dinner here. The restaurant was very helpful in changing our booking to an earlier time. The service was very friendly. And the food was absolutely delicious. We are vegetarian and there were sufficient "small" dishes we could have to eat - all were excellent. My only quibble was that a tip was sought even though a 20% service charge (for all the staff) had already been added on to the bill. I had no problem with the 20% charge, but it seemed a bit excessive to then seek an additional tip.

How can a restaurant rated in the top 10 by LA Magazine be so dull? How can the rice dish rated the Dish of 2017 be so bland and uninteresting despite the hype (I will give its crispness, though, an A)? Even the NY Times oozed with praise this summer about the bold, interesting flavors. We were convinced we had to come during our next trip to LA. Having just finished, nothing we ate added up to me more than its parts. We expected 2+2+2 to equal 20 and it didn’t even add up to be 6. Despite the crispness, the signature rice was boring. Fried cauliflower w caper yoghurt was tasty but not worth a $15 Uber ride. The marinated mussels were pleasant. But the tomato broth of the Manila clams was completely flavorless. Service was sloppy. Our server disappeared for most of the meal, saved only by the very friendly and attentive front desk person. The mandatory 20% service charge added insult to injury when the service was so mediocre. I definitely feel like my taste buds missed the boat on this one (considering I travel the world in search of amazing dining experiences). Kismet is not worth a visit. Don’t bother.

Arrived on Sunday before Memorial Day around 6:00 pm with no reservation. The maitre di was able to slip us in, score! We had been anticipating this dinner for a while after reading reviews from all the major resources and eating at Mad Capra. The restaurant's decor is minimalist, modern, with white and ivory tones. Tables are close but OK. Each table has handed picked flowers, place settings of silver in a glass, washed printed napkins and simply designed modern glasses and plates. Each detail carefully thought out.Background music was classic 70's, enjoyable, enhanced the vibe. Then came the menu. Creative, creative! Lots of small interesting dishes to try. Middle Eastern influences, ingredients and spices. Every dish we ordered was delicious and the presentation beautiful. Loved the cauliflower, chicken almond pies and the clams.The barbari bread or Iranian flatbread was used to soak up all the delicious sauces, yogurts and labneh. The flavors were so interesting! The beer selection is small but perfectly balanced with the menu as is the wine list. The waitresses are all knowledgeable about the food, wines and beers, service was great. We felt this was a highly creative restaurant taking a new direction. Loved it and will return.BTW lots of street parking on Sunday.

Had no reservation, walked in at 8.20pm hoping to score a table before they closed at 9pm, hostess informed us that actually contrary to their website they close at 10pm but are no longer taking reservations, took our details down told us wait will approximately take up to an hour and she’ll contact us as soon as something frees us, we walked around for 30 mins went back to check and noticed different diners meaning that people had left and new people after us had been seated, assumed restaurant was busy and forgot about us, got the hostess’s attention she asked us to remind her of our details and then promised us that a table will be ours in the next minute, we saw her clean up a table that just became free and offer it to the couple waiting AFTER us in the line.. was quite confused, didn’t say anything then it happened again 3 times, to add insult to injury there were 3 seats empty which they could’ve easily arrange to make a table for us, after waiting for literally 1 hour and 10 mins we asked what was going on, when are we being seated and how likely are we going to be fed if kitchen closes in 20 mins?! Hostess was condescending and just repeated other guests had reservations, that yes 1 hour wait is long, but the group at the bench should leave soon (they just ordered dessert and were having a great time so I don’t know what she’s on about) and why was she adamant that we only qualify for a bench seat on the edge of the sidewalk when they were clearly tables?! Honestly what kind of hospitality is this? You can’t even offer some water during our excruciating wait, if you guys are racist and just don’t want to serve non white people then say that so we don’t waste our time, good luck to your establishment

Stunningly fresh and creative dishes, mostly to share. Great place for brunch. A bit pricey, but worth it!

Got the metro and then walked here which was super easy if you don’t have a car. Had an amazing brunch- flaky bread with soft boiled egg & labneh with tomatoes & spices. Husband had the frittata and we shared some more labneh and the red pepper spread. We eat a lot of Turkish, Lebanese & Mediterranean at home so this was great to try. We loved it all & highly recommend! The staff were so nice too, we didn’t have a reservation but there was space for brunch. From here we walked to Griffith Park which took 30-40 minutes and Kismet was the perfect start to our day!

Our foodie friend invited us to dine here after several favorable experiences. We were lucky to find street parking close by. The ambience is modern and pleasant. The wait staff were friendly. The veritable feast of eight small dishes we savored were indeed flavorful and beautifully plated. Portions were dainty for the pricing (e.g. $28 lamb). Preferences are ranked as follows: * Tahini and mushroom A+ * Persian crispy rice A+ * Rock cod (no hamachi) a la plancha A * Bay scallop crudo A * The special salad with melon A * Chicken & pine nut pies A- * Lamb belly B+ * Freekeh fritters B We also sampled their interestingly unique wine and beer selections. The Danish mosel bajer lager with riesling juice (590ml) and the Italian LAB Rose wine complemented the meal nicely. We were too full to try desserts. The restaurant got busier and noisier as the evening wore on. The only blemish on an otherwise wonderful dinner was the need to ask for water refill several times, from multiple servers.

The food is an interesting and creative take on middle eastern food. I had the broccoli toast which was delicious and different, my friends had the tomato tart and the frittata. We were all happy. Casual ambiance, friendly, comfortable. If you are visiting the Hollyhock House, Barnsdale Gallery or the park it is very convenient. We will be back

The food here is so amazing we came two days in a row. We had the flaky bread poached egg dish, the little gem salad, kuku and the polenta. They were all delicious and that flaky bread we had to order some to go. We will be back.

My niece and I were here for a very late lunch, and ordered several dishes to share. We enjoyed the vegetarian dishes the most, as they were interesting and flavorful, with lots of seeds enhancing the flavors. A perfect example was the broccoli toast--unlike avocado toast, which is becoming a cliche, the broccoli toast was served on a thick slice of bread with an unusually delicious spread and different types of seeds. Portions were generally generous although they vary in size. The restaurant is in a up and coming neighborhood (hip and artsy) and the interior is modern and minimalist. Service was very helpful and attentive.

I am a fan of rabbit, but it’s a hard dish to find. An internet search brought me to Kismet in LA. It’s a Mediterranean restaurant, another favorite of mine when it comes to food, and everything looked really fresh and delicious. Much to my delight they have a rabbit feast for two, so I booked a reservation online (super easy) for the following weekend. The location is great with lots of fun shops to peruse before or after and the decor inside was bright and airy. It of course the best part was the food! Rabbit three ways, loin skewers with squash, leg with sesame and other seed coating, and my absolute favorite a stew made with rabbit belly. It also came with lots of greens with a yummy dressing and this fabulous flakey flat bread with house made tzatziki and labneh. There was also a side of house pickled yummies. Everything was absolutely delicious and I look forward to visiting again!

The jeweled rice and the lamb belly is a must try. The vibe is casual and the service was fine. We were a big party but when we made the reservation, they didn’t tell us there was a time limit to give up the table. No valet parking when I went on a weekday but was able to find street parking.

This is an unassuming hole in the wall place, close to Los Feliz. Very different fusion Mediterranean food. Loved it! We had the savory flaky bread, the lamb freekeh polenta and the lemon chicken pie. Portions are usually small. We split this order between two of us. The flaky bread was the best of the lot. Highly recommend this place! :)

What a beautiful restaurant, with the most tasty, delicious and unforgettable food I've experienced in a very long time. My husband and I had the broccoli toast (absolutely divine) and the chicken salad. Every bite was just an explosion of flavor. Loved the presentation, creativity and freshness of all the ingredients. Service was impeccable. A true gem of a place. I am still dreaming of the food. Can't wait to be back!!!

Hello instagram! This restaurant is made for instagram- so.much.white. Food ain’t bad either. Very friendly staff, service was on point. Food had its misses and hits but definitely will return for either breakfast or dinner. Hits: Breakfast- Flaky bread/labneh, egg, tomato- great plate, kuku- didn’t think I would like this but it was delicious. Dinner- omg those marinated mussels are bursting with flavor, sop up all the goodness with an order of bread- a must. Tokyo turnips- can’t go wrong with a solid butter. Marinated feta- just the right balance of saltiness paired with more bread of course. Misses: Persian cucumbers- the rose water was a little overwhelming for me (I know its trending for 2017). Broccoli toast although a show stopper for the ‘gram, didn’t really understand how to eat this monstrosity and didn’t feel the flavor was there.

Spare menu and space, minimalism re-imagining Middle Eastern. Flaky bread w soft boiled egg was unforgettable. Shakshuka is my ultimate comfort food. Rose water lemonade delights. It's as if they have just five ingredients, still realize dishes in the most unexpected ways. Ephemeral. Very friendly waitstaff fits. Need a new host. See hospitality.

Had the rabbit for two. Each party was amazing. The belly parts were prepared in a soup style and awesome. The leg quarters were done perfectly. The sauce were amazing. Must try, I cannot say much else but highly recommended.

This is an amazing place... small.. and hard to get into ... but worth it... the food is a modern intepretation of Middle Eastern and is perfect. Small plates and salads to go with bigger more ENTREE style... wines are NATURAL and not things you would ever expect... try them all by the glass.... Service is educated and friendly... they know their stuff... .and lastly.. the atmosphere is exhilarating..... .

One of the reason Los Angeles is such a vibrant food city is the depth of cultures it can draw from culinarily, plus the innovations these creations influence and barrow from each other. Kismet delivers great food with traditional ingredients in a fresh approach, creating an experience packed with intrigue and discoveries. A comfortable space with relaxed vibe and food with souls.

We'd been wanting to go to Kismet, since it opened a few years ago. We had a great dinner there tonight. Harissa olives, were followed by Labneh with red zhoug, roasted cauliflower, roasted 1/2 chicken and crispy rice, all of which the two of us shared. They have an unusual wine list, all composed of natural wines, with a very informed sommelier to advise. Service was very good.

I wanted to try Kismet because it's nominated for a James Beard award. We went at lunch (there was no wait for a party of 2 at 1:00 pm). The restaurant is unassuming with very modern decor. Tables are close together and seats are hard wooden bench like things so it's by no means luxurious or really even comfortable. We had Shakshuka and the Turkish breakfast. Both were very good as was the coffee and service was excellent. I thought the food was tasty and interesting but not exceptional. I have a hard time understanding the ratings and would consider it more of a really good local restaurant rather than a destination for a foody coming from far away. There are other restaurants in LA that I rave about and recommend highly to friends. This isn't one of those but is quite good.

I Love the place, the service, but the most the food was outstanding. Do good that we came two consecutive days

We came here two times for lunch. We enjoyed the food that was served, the service could have been better. We ordered a beer that was 8 dollars, however we went with the recommended one which turned out to be so much more expensive! Thats a shame.

If you are looking for some really good rotisserie chicken , couscous, humus and some other good side dishes give them a try and support you local restaurants. Very easy takeout and they really care.

This is a plates restaurant where it is recommended you order several things and share. Our food choices were quite flavorful. I also found this restaurant to be a bit expensive. Seating was close to your neighbors. When the woman next to us squeezed by to get out from her seat, her coat almost took over our plate of delicious spicy carrots. We decided to pretend her coat never swept over our food. I liked this place, but if you’re on a budget and want a full stomach, this is not where you want to go.

The room makes it feel more like a lunch counter, however the food is, for the most part, worth the hard bench seating. Saw a picture of the jewel rice in Los Angeles magazine and could not wait to try it, and believe me, it did not disappoint. Couple of issues, the cauliflower did not have much taste, and I can truly not understand why the bread does not just come when you sit, if you order and pay for bread, I expect more than two pieces to show up, that was a disappointment. The sauce on the clams was excellent, the sweet potato was good, and the feta as well. Simple and good enough wine selection...

Quite a different Mediterranean feel here Definitely a more contemporary interior. Great food with some new variations . Wine menu extremely expensive so if that is a consideration have a beer instead. Reservations highly recommended on the weekend