Animal Restaurant

Matthew Walsh

Prior to the COVID shutdown, Animal was an establishment that I was eager to recommend. Having been back twice now since they reopened their doors, I can say with full confidence that this is not the same eatery it was before. If I were to summarize it all in a single word: “okay” probably works. And this is where the compliments end. None of this is to say that Animal is without good food. There’s plenty to eat here that is still interesting, several staples from the past have stayed on the menu and continue to be great, but the new additions feel conceptual at best — the use of many seasonal fruits and vegetables in dishes leaves much to be desired. All of this is made more difficult by disappointing service… The staff had little opinion on the dishes when asked, made no effort to build a rapport with myself and the other guests in the slightest, informed us that dishes were unavailable some 20-30 minutes after we’d ordered them, and… despite being told multiple times that we were visiting for a birthday, they could not be bothered to even stick a candle in ONE of the THREE desserts we ordered. Additionally, they now add an 18% service charge after the fact, which is commonplace in many restaurants in Los Angeles in lieu of gratuity to make a living wage possible for service workers. This is an initiative that I fully support, but… Animal’s manifesto on their bill seems to imply that that the 18% is simply for the cost of having dined with them in the first place and that the gratuity should still be expected. This feels like the opposite of progress for the industry. Either add a service charge and leave it at that, or adjust your cost of business into your prices and have the customer add fair gratuity instead. So I guess it really is true, “sometimes dead is better.” Maybe this Animal should have stayed in the Semetary.

Zan Lee

A delicious, meat-centric, casual dinner in the middle of the Fairfax District by the owners of Jon and Vinny’s and Petit Trois. Animal has been on my list for quite some time and due to it being closed from Covid for quite a while I had not had the chance to try it until it’s reopening this May. Last night I finally got to give it a try and I was very happy that I did so. As I mentioned before it’s in the Fairfax District so it’s a very busy part of LA filled with tourists and out of towners, and parking can be a hassle because it’s not possible to park in the neighborhood without a pass, so street parking or valet will be your only options. Our server James did a terrific job and made the meal a better experience. It’s tapas style dining so they suggest each person order 3 to 4 items. We were a table of two and chose six total, plus a dessert, and it was the perfect amount for us. We started with the Hamachi Tostada which was light, filled with flavor, and the only seafood option on the menu. Next came the Chicken Liver Toast which was very good and definitely the smallest dish that we ordered. I prefer pâté myself and this was a more tame version of that. Next came the Lettuce, Beets, Avocado Salad and it was probably my second favorite dish of the night. The creamy sumac dressing with it was heavenly. Next was the Roasted Bone Marrow with chimichurri and it too was very tasty. I prefer my bone marrow crispier as this one was a little more jiggly and fatty but the flavor was still wonderful. Bone marrow is something I order as often as possible so it’s a dish I eat quite often. Following that came my favorite dish of the night: the Crispy Pig Ear. My palate did not even know what I was eating and I was pleasantly surprised with every bite. It was the highlight of the night. Finally we chose the Bone Burger which was a gooey, more of a patty melt type of burger with a copious amount of cheese and sauce. For dessert we chose the Tres Leches Cake with strawberry and I think it’s honestly the best Tres Leches I’ve ever had in my life and growing up in San Diego I’ve had quite a few so that’s saying something. Overall a terrific meal with a very creative and delicious menu. This would not be for the vegan or vegetarian diner, or a business meal, but honestly it’s perfect for anything else and if it weren’t for the location I would go all the time. I definitely plan to be back in the future.

Amber Spencer

the grilled turkey leg w/ white bbq sauce, lamb shoulder steak with some sort of hot sauce, and duck confit were delightful. you have to get the tres leches cake for dessert, which we ended up ordering an extra.

Quynh Dao

Animal deserves a 5 star review! One of the best restaurants I’ve been to in LA. To be honest, the menu had interesting flavor combinations that I wasn’t sure about... but it was amazing in every way. Can’t wait to come back here! It’s been on my bucket list for awhile and I’m elated I had the opportunity to try it. Ambience was chill. Loved the hip hop playing in the background and their service was great. Favorite menu items were foie gras biscuit, sweetbreads and pig ears. Unique, distinct flavors that just work well together. Now just thinking of another excuse to come visit again...