Abernethy's

Janie Heinrich

They seated 30 humans and our 10 Service Dogs (SD) and Service Dogs-in-Training who were well behaved trained SD/SDiT with their handlers. The MobilityDog.Org community had a beautiful brunch that was preordered and was presented within 10 minutes of sitting down with the kindest staff. Kirk was fabulous who coordinated witht he Chef creating the most excellent experience for all of us. We highly recommended Abernethy's and look forward to our next meal with them. We traveled by metro-link and metro from Orange and Pasadena arriving at Union Station and then a quick trip on Metro for a short walk and roll to the Jerry Moss Plaza at the Mark Tapper Forum! Living all of life and love the barrier-free user friendly environment that Abernethy's presented us with. Life is sweet, thank you!

David Morales

Dinner and a show stopper! What a lovely restaurant! We came back 5 days later for a 2nd visit and I loved it even more. All of the dishes were worthy. But, my favorite was the charred broccolini and pane. I would eat both as an entree! My husband wouldn't let me take a pic of the broccolini because he was too hungry...Men!

Brenda Celis

First time dining here, sat at the bar. Service was great, Jason and Will were very attentive and friendly and took great care of me. Tried the agnolotti (stuffed with short rib) and it was delicious. Everyone from the host to the manager were very nice. Food came out quick! 10/10!

Liz M

We love pre-show dinning. This time was & juliet! They did have a themed cocktail that was delicious. Chef did not change from last visit but menu was slightly altered. We tried the enchilada burrito and the tacos. It was good, not amazing burrito could have used a little more sauce. Pistachio brulee was swapped for a flan which was also just okay. Server was busy so everything took a min longer and we sat for a very long time waiting to add our dessert. We still love ❤️ and will return.

Guillaume Bourcy

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.

John

I sat down at the bar and had a good time. Didn’t have to wait long to be seated or to get what I ordered. The vibe was nice and the bartender was friendly.

Santiago Pazos

The service was EXCELLENT! Gosh we loved every worker who we interacted with. So polite, friendly, and accommodating. We just had 45 minutes to eat something before the show and they treated us so quickly and efficiently. The restaurant is beautiful, streamed lined minimalistic decor. We had the salad, which was a bit flavorless (please note), and the fried chicken. The latter was superb. We will be back! Thank you guys. Pics taken with Pixel 4xl

Edward Tuan

New restaurant at the newly remodeled Downtown Music Center. Current chef Shirley Chung features Chinese American cuisine. 4.5 stars overall, great staff, good drinks, and tasty food. Came here on opening night with my fiance and had a wonderful time. Ms Chi Chicken Pot Stickers - probably my favorite dish of the night. The pomogranate sweet and sour sauce was bomb and really balanced out the savoryness of the pot stickers. The Fresno chili's added a nice kick to put it over the top. 5 out of 5 stars. Bowl of Hugs - as described, a very earthy, homey dish that warms you up from within. The pork ribs were fall off the bone tender and the broth was phenomenal .4.5 out of 5 stars. S² Cecio e Pepe - our least favorite dish of the night, it wasn't bad but really didn't stand out in any way. It tasted very similar to an Alfredo pasta, and could have used some more of the Sichuan peppercorn. There was also no tofu that I could detect in the dish. 3 out of 5 stars. Lacquer Roasted 1/2 Chicken - really crispy skin, moist chicken breast, and tender bean sprouts. Tiger sauce was a nice balance of savory and spice. The chicken itself was good, but salted somewhat unevenly. 4 out of 5 stars. Mama said: "Always finish your rice - what a wonderful delight to end the evening! Not too sweet, with just the right amount of condensed milk. The toasted almonds and pineapple added great texture to the dish, but what really made the dish shine was the coconut like snow. I just wish there was more of it!! 4.5 out of 5 stars. Overall a great time, definitely wish I got the lamb belly, but there's always next time! Check it out if you're in the area or there for a show!! The restaurant changes chefs and menus every 3 months.

Laura Holton

Chef Atienzo's new menu is a flavorful delight! His offerings are an upscale and creative take in many of my favorite foods! The best flan I've ever had!

Katherine Kotcheff

Abernethy’s is amazing!!! This is the new restaurant at The Music Center and it’s super unique because the chef/ cuisine is scheduled to change every 3 months. The first chef is Shirley Chung and, as we know from top chef and Ms. Chi, her food is INCREDIBLE! I’m 100% obsessed with the citrus radish, baby carrots and kung pao tofu. I’m pescatarian and there were a lot of menu items that fit my dietary needs, as well as plenty for my vegan and gluten free friends as well. Can’t wait to try what’s next!

Lisa LaFlame

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…..❤️

T -

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.

We ended up here after a rather frustrating Vday of parking hunting to eat at a Japanese restaurant (2 attempts). Well what began as a frustrating dining feat quickly turned into an ambient relaxed atmosphere albeit being seated at the bar (no resy) so we were fortunate enough to be seated immediately & did I mention the finger licking steak & the strong cocktails? We loved it & so will you— especially if you’re headed to Mark Taper show this is your Go TO chef centric gastro haven I’d say

Good place to grab dinner if you're going to the theater. Nice outdoor sitting. The server asked of we had a 8pm show. That made me comfortable to sit back and relax.

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.

Menu changes seasonally. The ribs were good, but I would have ordered something other than the chicken if I was to return. Can't wait to see who the next chef is.

Gloria Echeverria

Good place to grab dinner if you're going to the theater. Nice outdoor sitting. The server asked of we had a 8pm show. That made me comfortable to sit back and relax.

avey

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.

Andrew Winner

Menu changes seasonally. The ribs were good, but I would have ordered something other than the chicken if I was to return. Can't wait to see who the next chef is.

Good food and staff, but oof…the interior lighting is terrible! It’s far too bright and poorly placed, casting some very unflattering shadows on the tables and taking away from the entire dining experience. We’d love to return if the ambiance improves, but the 'interrogation room' lighting has got to go! 😩🤦🏻‍♀️

A bit overrated. They seemed understaffed and I feel like the price for a pasta dish, basically 'peasant food,' because there was a specific guest chef, wasn't reflected in quality. I think I could have ordered something similar at any local Italian restaurant for less and would have been happier with the flavor. Ambience was nice. Otherwise I would be rating two stars for food and ssrvice.

Cassandra Heredia

A bit overrated. They seemed understaffed and I feel like the price for a pasta dish, basically 'peasant food,' because there was a specific guest chef, wasn't reflected in quality. I think I could have ordered something similar at any local Italian restaurant for less and would have been happier with the flavor. Ambience was nice. Otherwise I would be rating two stars for food and ssrvice.

My wife and I went to Abernethy’s for dinner before the opera, which was scheduled to start at 7:30 PM. We arrived at 5:50 and were seated by 6:00. Wanting to ensure we wouldn’t be late, we immediately ordered a couple of appetizers and two entrées. It took about 30 minutes for the appetizers to arrive. By 6:45, I asked the server whether our entrées would be delayed because we needed to leave for the show. She assured us they were working on it and that the food should be out soon. However, by 7:10, we still had no entrées. At that point, I asked to speak with the manager to cancel our order, as it was already too late. The staff was not apologetic and came across as rude. We also noticed that guests who were seated after us had already been served, yet no explanation was offered. We barely made it to the show, and no complimentary discount or gesture was provided. Overall, it was a very disappointing experience, and we will not be returning.

Some of the worst food I have ever eaten. I ordered the clams with linguini. Four little clam pieces. Instead of the usual white wine sauce this was heavy and the pasta was thick and horrible. Someone ordered the mashed potatoes. Inedible. The only good thing was the bread. Service was confusing.

Katlyn the server was very nice and did her best. The drinks were fine, but my husband's food came out before mine and I had to ask for my food, and was told I had to wait. It finally came out and I was rushed to eat cause I had 30 mins until my showing. Both my food and my husband's food were bland, not a good experience. Once again, the server Katlyn was very good.

Service was terrible. Took forever to get our food and server was scarce. Ordered dessert and 20 minutes later it still hadn't arrived. Super disappointing since they were aware of showtime. Food was mediocre. Nice outdoor seating.

Rubin Pirveysian

My wife and I went to Abernethy’s for dinner before the opera, which was scheduled to start at 7:30 PM. We arrived at 5:50 and were seated by 6:00. Wanting to ensure we wouldn’t be late, we immediately ordered a couple of appetizers and two entrées. It took about 30 minutes for the appetizers to arrive. By 6:45, I asked the server whether our entrées would be delayed because we needed to leave for the show. She assured us they were working on it and that the food should be out soon. However, by 7:10, we still had no entrées. At that point, I asked to speak with the manager to cancel our order, as it was already too late. The staff was not apologetic and came across as rude. We also noticed that guests who were seated after us had already been served, yet no explanation was offered. We barely made it to the show, and no complimentary discount or gesture was provided. Overall, it was a very disappointing experience, and we will not be returning.

Amuse Bouche

Some of the worst food I have ever eaten. I ordered the clams with linguini. Four little clam pieces. Instead of the usual white wine sauce this was heavy and the pasta was thick and horrible. Someone ordered the mashed potatoes. Inedible. The only good thing was the bread. Service was confusing.

snarkwhaler

Service was terrible. Took forever to get our food and server was scarce. Ordered dessert and 20 minutes later it still hadn't arrived. Super disappointing since they were aware of showtime. Food was mediocre. Nice outdoor seating.

Irene Navarro

Katlyn the server was very nice and did her best. The drinks were fine, but my husband's food came out before mine and I had to ask for my food, and was told I had to wait. It finally came out and I was rushed to eat cause I had 30 mins until my showing. Both my food and my husband's food were bland, not a good experience. Once again, the server Katlyn was very good.