father's office

very rude staff!. the burger was very good (as i'd heard) and theplacewas packed (as i'd also heard). there was a long line to get in, but that's to be expected for a newly-opened trendy spot. the reason for my low rating is the amazingly rude staff member i encountered. while enjoying drinks and dinner with a group of friends in the outdoor seating area i got a little chilly and decided to go to the car to grab a jacket. instead of wading back through the dense crowd to walk out the door i hopped over a short railing (less than waist high) that runs along the wall separating the restaurant from the street. as soon as i did, this very intense "bouncer" guy rushed over and said very forcefully, "i'm not going to let you back in tonight." he went on in the stern tone of an angry parent, "why would you do that? why wouldn't you just walk through and use the door?" i apologized and said, "i'm sorry, i just thought this would be quicker. i wasn't thinking." but then the guy kept pushing it! he was right up in my face going on about how he'd already kicked five people out that night for jumping over the railing. i apologized again but he continued to dress me down like a little kid, which caused a scene and was very embarrassing. it was like the guy wanted a fight, but i continued to apologize and keep my cool. finally, he said he'd let me back in but i'd have to wait in line again (even though my friends were all still at the table). i guess it was his way of "punishing" me! the thing is, i understand why they don't want customers jumping over the railing and i see how someone could get hurt doing it. but maybe they should get a higher railing or put up signs instead of treating their customers like juvenile delinquents. this is one 33 year old man who won't be going back to a restaurant where i'm going to be spoken to like a child. it's unfortunate that a disrespectful staff member ruined the experience. for a great burger and a friendly staff try the counter.

terrible service. some of the worst customer service i have ever received!! not a man of many words, so i'll just say this: it takes a lot for me to lose my cool or take the time to write a bad review, but this places warrants both. they have cameras set up all over theplaceand the staff are constantly looking at them while they talk to you, but there are obviously not speakers, because there is not a restaurant in all of la that would allow their staff to speak the way this one does.

beers and burger!. theplacegets packed fast, especially on the weekends, so get there early. good selection of beers and a simple menu. i've only ever had the burger and i feel like that's all you need. couple beers, a really good burger, some sweet potato fries and it's a good night. i agree with the one review that mentions that it's not such a novelty anymore offer such a selection of draft beers. but, the beer and food are good and it's a cool atmosphere, so i'll be back!

customer matters?? service?. this restaurant came recommended by friends who regularly frequent another location. we consider ourselves 'foodies' and eat out at least 3 nights a week. i don't know if there are different owners or a different chef, but i gave thisplacetwo tries and can not imagine anyone i know suggesting it to anyone.
first of all, there are no servers. for the number of bussers/runners constantly trying to pull your plate out, they could easily replace a few with real servers. you have to order from the -already busy making drinks - bar tenders. once you find a spot and get settled and some runner drops your food, forget about asking for a missing fork or napkin or s&p. if you do so, it is like you have committed a mortal sin and from that point on the staff starts picking on you. buss boys come to clear your plates every few minutes and give you loads of attitude. if you want to re-live any kind of elementary school bullying nightmare. . .well this is theplacefor you.

great food and one of the best burgers i've ever had! love the large beer selection and the mixed drinks are very good as well. it can get crowded at times but not unbearably so. the spanish mushrooms are always a good starter for me. it's a laid backplacethat often has sports playing on the few tvs strewn about theplacebut it's no sports bar. the lighting is always dark and no loud kids to ruin the experience as it's a 21 and older establishment.

very polite and beautifulplaceto have your dinner with your loved ones. their speciality is their amazing in taste burgers. very high quality and fresh bread they use. the chef is very amazing and their staff is great as well. ambience is very nice. visit once.

theplaceis famous for burgers and rightly so! fries are thin and crispy and one serving can be easily shared.

good beers and ciders on tap.

food: 4/5
service: 4.5/5
ambience: 4/5
value for money: 3.5/5
overall: 4/5

as advertised, this is oneplacethat lived up to the hype…great burger and great beer selection. the original location is better but the one in culver city was excellent as well! anytime you are in the mood for great eats you have to make a stop here….do yourself a favor, just get the burger.

i can never get tired of this place.

the beer selections are great, not to mention the father's office burger that pairs well with any beer here. the music is cool and the bartenders have good knowledge of which beers compliments certain dishes. (i've always gotten a bartender who knows)

there are other items on the menu to order besides the burger. however the menu does change from time to time either removing a dish you might like or keeping it for a bit longer. rip fat shrimp lol

a greatplaceto go for brews with friends. while you're at it, grab the burger. you wont be disappointed.

visit date 2/16/2014

cool hangout, good food. this gastropub has a great atmosphere. if you’re looking for a trendy bar with gourmet food, this is the place. the menu is small and they do not allow any customizations to your order, but the food is good. the burger i had was juicy and the bread was fresh. it’s location is great, because it seems like it is the only business in the area that is open after “regular” business hours. so, there’s plenty of free parking in the lot nearby. we just stopped in for a quick bite to eat, but this seems like a greatplaceto meet up with friends, have a beer and hang out.

my favoriteplacein all of la. i been coming here since they opened the second location. burger is by far rhe best in la. the beer selection is always amazing and if the oysters are in season please try them!

not for adults over 35. seriously. my sister and i found ourselves swarmed by young drunken 20-something professionals who were extremely loud. all that was offered on the menu were drinks and trying to order food was next to impossible. the atmosphere is more that of a sexual meat market for young adults who haven't yet gone through a rodeo or two. needless to say, we left and found a more matureplacedown the street to enjoy our dinner. we will neither go back to father's in the future nor will we recommend it to anyone we know.

delicious, juicy burgers!. i would honestlyplacethis in the top 5 burgers i have ever had. the ground beef must have been mixed with butter, the meat was soooo juicy! i ate every bite of it, and it was not small. also, their appetizers are fantastic- we had some little balls of something potatoeish (?), sweet potato and garlic fries and the shrimp plate- all were devoured!! also good was the duck and fig salad, the skin on the duck was nice and crispy and the duck was moist. i was pretty hesitant because thisplaceis pretty "trendy", but the food surpassed my expectations. their menu on menu pages is missing quite a few things, and has things on it that i didn't see when i was there. i will be back for another tasty burger soon!

father's office is one of the new breed of hip gastropubs that are popping up all over town. a gastropub, you ask??? take a pub, add some gourmet-ish food to the menu, dress theplaceup so it has a hip vibe and focus on boutique beers, spirits and such,

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 theplacefor 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 oneplacewhere 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 greatplacefor 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, theplacewas 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.