Tar and Roses

Wen Tung

One of the best meals we’ve ever had! Highly recommend! Everything we had was delicious! Oxtail dumplings Balsamic glazed ribs Singaporean chili crab cake Fried cauliflower Maitake mushrooms Lamb shank Hanger steak Our server Brad was very friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. We were sad we were too full to get dessert.

+5

Connie & Robbie

Really enjoyed our meal here. The English peas served edamame style was our favorite app. We also enjoyed the hangar steak and the shellfish pot. Our waitress was super friendly and helpful. The dishes are meant to be shared so go with folks who like to eat. All in all a fun date night out.

+3

Kate Harrison

If I could have had more off the menu I would have done, but I don't think my waistline would have been best pleased. Really great variety of dishes to cater for a myriad of different tastes. Mostly small plates to share on the table (which I love as you get to try a bit of everything) wonderful industrial feel to the place as well. Staff were helpful and gave us good advice for selections off the menu. We'll just have to visit again sometime to try the other dishes.

+3

AJ Mercado

I’m from the East Coast, visiting Santa Monica. My friends and I were searching for a great place to eat dinner - somewhere local. Then we discovered this place and were so impressed that we even went for a second time on our second night in Santa Monica. We ordered whole fried snapper, fried cauliflower, oxtail dumplings, bone marrow, roasted beet and yogurt dip, wood-roasted half chicken, and strawberry crostata. I must say, all of the food that we ordered was so decadent! I feel like when I eat the food, it opens my taste buds! My favorite was the fried snapper - it’s not an ordinary fried fish; it has a unique taste, which could be from the seasoning they used. I highly recommend the strawberry crostata for dessert. The ambiance was amazing as well - very nice if you’re planning a date because it looks cozy and romantic.

+4

James Adams

Went on a date to celebrate getting a new job. We had the oxtail dumplings, ricotta gnocchi, eggplant, fried cauliflower, the venison loin, and the toffee pudding. The experience as a whole was fantastic. It truly felt like an artistic experience as much as a culinary one. The food was delicious and the menu is so carefully crafted for fall. The staff is top tier and are professionals without question. Definitely a life-enhancing experience and I will be back!

+2

Nora Zhang

A great dining experience. Food is exceptional. Every dish we ordered is absolutely amazing. Love how they have both innovation and kept the quality of food. The lamb kabob is a must try. Juicy tender and flavorful. The fried fish is their signature. Crispy skin with juicy meat. Very delicious. Bone marrow is good as always. Rich but not too greasy. Perfect with the pickle side. Service is on point. We arrived before opening hours and they welcomed us immediately as soon as they open the door. Trust me I’ve seen so many rude restaurants purposely make their customers wait outside and just unlock the door without saying anything. Our server explained the menu and made recommendations. Very thoughtful. Each dish was well explained when served.

+5

Brittany Glasnow

I would give it a 3.5. We had a reservation for 745pm they did not seat us until 817pm. They asked if we wanted to get a glass of wine while we wait which sounded liked they would comp it but they didn’t. Our waiter checked in once, wasn’t super engaging, and was talking at the front of the restaurant with other staff for most of the time. Food was really good which is why I gave it 4 stars vs 3. Particularly enjoyed the snapper. We also had the oxtail dumplings, crab cake and the strawberry dessert, all were very enjoyable

Sahar Meshksar

Tar & Roses in Santa Monica is where creativity meets craft. The Whole Fried Snapper was beautifully plated and delicious, and the steak was rich and high quality, But fair warning: the service wasn't as polished. A simple asking about sourdough bread was met with a rude response, which was disappointing amid all the culinary excellence.

+1

Shahram Mehraban

Cute little restaurant in Santa Monica. California cuisine with a bit of Asia fusion. Party of 8 for a birthday party. We tried multiple small plates including eggplant (3/5), ribs (5/5), dumpling (4/5), bone marrow (4/5), crudo yellow tail (4/5) and the purple dip (4/5). I have the shellfish pot which was in a Thai curry broth and served with two pieces of bread. It was very tasty but felt like it needed to come with rice or a couple more slices of bread as at the end a ton on yummy broth was left over. My son has the skirt steak which was flavorful but just a bit too small. Son had the duck and liked it and wife the lamb who didn’t finish it. It is really lamby. We tried all three desserts. Nothing to write home about. The ambiance is romantic. Only server beer and wine so no cocktails on the menu.

+9

Sasha M

This New American-style restaurant was our choice for a special occasion. While we had made a reservation, we were seated at a table right by the entrance, which wasn’t ideal. For appetizers, we had pita bread with beet dressing made with yogurt, which was a nice start. For the main course, we shared a whole fried fish (snapper)and an dried-aged ribeye steak. The fish was massive, perfectly fried, and had a notably tender texture in the head compared to the body. It paired excellently with the seasoned soba noodles. The aged ribeye had a deep, rich flavor, with the aging process really enhancing the taste. However, for $100 for two people, the portion felt a bit small. We enjoyed these dishes with a glass of red wine, which complemented the meal beautifully. To finish, we chose the chocolate tar bar dessert out of three options. It was absolutely divine—the combination of caramel-flavored ice cream, rich chocolate, and crunchy nuts made for a luxurious treat. The food was truly delicious, and I’d definitely recommend this place to friends!

+8

Alysa Butler

I feel like everyone else knows something I don’t…visited Tar&Roses recently for an anniversary dinner and I was unfortunately disappointed. When we arrived, the restaurant was packed with a few groups standing outside steadily until 8:30 pm which gives the illusion that this place is a hot spot. I was so excited to eat here. After dining, I am still unclear about the type of restaurant it’s supposed to be. It seems like wood-fired cooking is a highlight (they highlight the wood that’s burning that evening) so I expected to be able to taste or even smell smoke but there was none 🤷🏾‍♀️. Here’s what we ordered: - oxtail dumplings: 3/5, good flavor but honestly nothing too heavy write home about. To me, the best part was the sauce that’s drizzled on top. - Duck bruschetta: 3/5, again nothing too heavy write write home about. This was served on one slice of sourdough bread that was cut in half. My husband and I both found the jam and balsamic vinegar to be overpowering and too sweet. - Singaporean crab cake: 4/5, the crab cake was delectable. Delicate, yummy, soft. Unfortunately we felt like the sweet chili sauce surrounding it was again overpowering and too sweet. It’s served in a big puddle of the sauce which encourages scooping up heaping amounts of sauce; I think it’s actually better with less sauce. - Hangar steak with kale & potato and bacon gratin: 3/5, the steak was a perfect medium and I liked the sauce that was served with it. It tasted akin to teriyaki sauce and my husband commented that maybe it would be better placed at a Japanese bbq spot, which I could definitely see. The potato and bacon gratin left much to be desired. It was bland, hard, and got cold quickly. I did enjoy the kale it was served with and wished it came with more. We ended our dining experience there, opting not to get dessert for our anniversary dinner. I’d also hoped we’d get a little dessert comped for the occasion but that doesn’t seem to be something they do here. All in all, with an average rating of 3.25/5, I don’t plan to return.

Dani Savinon

Popped in for a late night dinner and the place was busy! Definitely recommend making a reservation on weekends. We ordered the Chicken Liver Mousse, Whole Fried Snapper for two, and the Mushrooms. The mousse was served with sourdough bread, blackberries, and arugula. It's rich and flavorful, perfect if you’re a fan of liver mousse. The snapper was definitely worth it, crispy, well.cooked, and paired great with the refreshing cold noodles. The mushrooms were a creative surprise, served with gigante white beans and a chimichurri like sauce, yum. The service was okay, they served our meal on cracked plates and we felt a bit rushed, but the food is solid though!

+2

We’ve been fortunate to dine at fine restaurants across the country and around the world, so we came in genuinely excited for this experience. Unfortunately, it fell well short of what we expected. The duck was good, but everything else was mediocre (greasy sour dough etc.) and largely forgettable. The ambiance was pleasant, which was probably the most redeeming part of the evening, but the service and overall experience felt strangely out of step with what you’d expect from a restaurant presenting itself this way. Cracked plates? We had noted in our reservation that we were celebrating a birthday. When the waiter later referenced the note and brought out a dessert for the birthday guest, it appeared to be the kind of thoughtful, specialized touch many restaurants offer to make the occasion feel a bit more special. We hadn’t even planned on ordering dessert, but the way it was presented made it seem like a gesture from the restaurant. Instead, it was added to the bill, which made the interaction feel awkward and misleading rather than thoughtful. There were also some odd service moments, including a comment from staff that we “could have licked the plate clean.” The tone and delivery was quite shocking. In reality, we had simply come hungry and had intentionally saved our appetite for what we hoped would be a memorable dining experience. Aside from a pleasant ambiance and one well done dish, the evening fell flat. We would not recommend Tar & Rose to any friends or family flying into LA.