father's office

overrated & over-hyped: f.o. delivers sub-standard food & terrible service. after hearing rave reviews about father's office, i finally had a chance to try the place for myself. i expected a fairly minimal approach to the food & service, assuming there would be a restricted menu that focused on fewer, higher-quality options.

while the menu is indeed small, the quality is just not there.

now, to be clear, i'm a fairly easy audience. i have only rarely given a negative review.... of anything. but the experience at father's office was so bad that i signed-up with urbanspoon only with the hope of sparing someone else from the bad experience my party & i had there.

there was nothing disastrous about the food; it was on par with any burger you'd find at a small restaurant -- it's simply that it wasn't what we considered to be a "good" burger (and nowhere near the "great" burger we expected from past reviews). of course, the fact that they only serve the burger their way offended some of us; but i would have been ok with that if their choice of burger was somehow superior to the standard idea of a burger... or was even tasty in its own right. instead, you get a very "so-so" burger and a sinking feeling that you've been suckered into trying this lackluster restaurant.

beyond the meager quality of food, the service was absolutely horrible. the staff is annoying & inconsiderate and met any of our questions with snobbish indifference. i get that f.o. wants to do everything their way, but the staff has no concern for communicating why that is; they just answer "we don't do that here" as if they are upset that you could possibly want something more than the average food & beer they serve.

the one place where the staff seem concerned was with their fries. we were told "if anything is wrong with the fries, if they're too cold or not crisp enough, let me know & we'll make them right." wow. concern for only their fries. that's... a shockingly poor standard for food service.

but, from what i had heard before, i thought that this could have just been an off-night for f.o. so i tried father's office again - twice. (i was really hoping to find a great place for a burger & beer.) sadly, both occasions resulted in similar disappointment. on the 2nd visit, the bartender seemed to have had enough with seeing such unhappy patrons and just said "i know, i know... it's not how i'd do it either..."

by the way, the beer there is fine. nothing amazing; but a good overall selection. i think that, when f.o. began, it was rare to offer such a selection of draft beer. now, not so much. but, at least they don't screw it up -- just don't ask for any type of mixed beer (such as a snackbite which is lager & cider), they will not mix beers.

all of this being said, the place was packed on 2 of the 3 visits. so, i'm sure that f.o. could care less that their customers are happy -- as long as enough people are out there repeating the idea that father's office is great, then there are enough people in this city to supply them with new customers. from everything i've heard since visiting, there are few people that see reason to go back again.

it's la. the burgers, wines, beers and cocktails are good and so are the fries... as well as the entrees
it is what you'd expect from a la spot. it isn't fine dining so enjoy it for what it is...

if you sit down with that attitude, you'll enjoy!

i was expecting rude service as seen in reviews and was pleasantly surprised by the patient staff. i love the fries with aioli sauce and drank the first beer i have ever enjoyed. i'm looking forward to going back!

rude service and the food was bad. if you complain they ignore you the manager is passive aggressive and rude on top. the food has gone downhill. not worth it

there are much better burgers in la without the hassle

great beer selection! lovely space. if you love beer and food make this a stop!

father is a control freak. there's nothing special about the (apparently) famous "father's office burger". i found it dry and almost flavorless. don't try to alter any of the ingredients -- it's not allowed. the policy is posted in writing above the bar. come on, even burger king lets you "have it your way". not father's office. for example, the burger comes with bleu cheese, which makes me gag. i was told that if i didn't like bleu cheese, i should order something other than the burger.

i'm generally willing to try anything once, so i took my chances and ordered the f.o. burger "as is", because i was eager to experience what others were calling "the best burger in l.a." my review of the burger is analogous to my review of father's office in general. over hyped, over rated, and ultimately bland and unmemorable.

i was there for lunch, so i ordered an iced tea with my burger. they don't have iced tea. i asked for ketchup for my fries. they don't have ketchup. i'm thinking, "come on, even burger king has iced tea and ketchup." not father's office.

father's office is exactly like burger king in certain ways. you have to order at the counter, where you're given a small plastic placard with a number on it. you find a seat somewhere, and wait for the server/busboy to deliver the food. when the place is crowded -- as it often is -- i imagine your food probably gets toured around the entire space before you and your small plastic number are finally located by the server.

father's office exudes the snooty attitude of a trendy gourmet restaurant, with customer service on par with burger king. the difference is, you pay a lot more and you have to have it "their way".

have to say that the quality of the office burger is not quite up to par with the one at montana. and the ambience of the hole in the wall feeling u get at montana is missing. that said, no lines!! and you don't have to feel like a hound trying to get a seat. you still get most of the office experience abs you can actually bring a large group of friends. definite thumbs up.

best hangout in all of la. all i have to say is i brought my friends there just a few months ago and now we don't meet up anywhere else. it is a shock to people who are used to the santa monica location just how big the culver city spot is. the rows of microbrews are a joy in every way imaginable. the food is terrific. this is an ambitious pure gastropub menu, no substitutions. go to wendy's if you're looking for that. it has beef marrow of all things. the burger is the best in the city and the many tapas dishes are incredible.

fathers office it's the specials dude. all this burger talk is missing the entire point that the owner shows off on specials, which are no longer almost secret since the new signs lit up the place last week. scallops in vadouvan ginger sauce, for only $17 no tax, no kidding, and it's casual, and you can walk right in and get a table if you're smart enough to go when it's not prime time, and last week it was loup de mer better than anything from the south of france, with nicoise olives and roasted fennel and pea sprouts and green garlic, and it's not $28 it's 17. the season mushrooms with one hour egg and asparagus are the latest new addition to the very special specials menu.
this is a very special place and you need to learn to work your way into their system. we like friday, sat. sun starting at high noon. also mon-thurs at 5 pm. is easy for at least an hour.
sure we love the burger. but i didn't even mention the special of lamb kebab with yogurt and spice, they are genius. the eel is the best ever, scandinavian style, and it's on the menu now, ex-special.

los angeles has some of the greatest burgers! in the quest to find a great gourmet burger i checked out a few resto hot spots. here are my results: whole in the wall burger joint - witwbj's beef burger wins the best burger award in my book. a well-seasone

mcdonald's meets southwest airlines. if you're under 25, you can't afford it. if you're over 35, you don't fit in. there is no indication of how to get seating or how to order. there was a chair at the bar and a chair outside. when i moved the chair from outside, four busboys/waiters surrounded me and said chairs couldn't be moved. the spot at the bar couldn't be used either because it was an "order station." some tables had no one seated, but were "occupied" with a drink and a cell phone. must have been after a happy meal. the food may be good but i'll never find out. we left and went somewhere friendly.

best burgers. they have the best burgers in town! i can't go anywhere else to eat one now!

there are some sequels that needed a "reboot" as it would be seen in a different light than the original. the term "reboot" was coined by hollywood movie industry insiders who were disappointed by the results of a popular movie series wanted reconstruct a

the staff was pretty unfriendly and the seating situation can be a pain, i did enjoy my food however, you have to deal with a bunch of con's before you get to the pro's

i don't like playing musical chairs when i want to eat.. i absolutely hate the seating situation but the food definitely compensates. its a gift and a curse. for the first 30 minutes you are wondering if you should order food or a drink cause maybe you might get to sit down, and its a constant debate until 1- you either get a table or 2- you are so hungry you bail and get food somewhere else cause you can't wait and don't want to eat standing up. overall, this place cracks me up cause its like you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.
food is amazing, just don't go during their peak hours and expect to eat right away, thats not how this operation works.