by KATRINA C. on Yup, FIVE STARS. Totally went there. The atmosphere, the wait staff and bartenders, the bouncers, the drinks, the crowd. I enjoyed every second of it. BUT, I was prepared to come dressed a little bit nicer, pay a little more for drinks, and ready to embark on those stairs, I came EARLY to skip lines. I knew what I was in for and it exceeded my expectations. I feel bad for any Los Angeleno who has not experienced this place!
by Stephen V. on Maggiano's was new to me, although it's apparently a pretty widespread chain. The closest comparison would be with Buca di Beppo, but that comparison is an insult to Maggiano's. It's "classic" Italian dishes served in generous portions, and very friendly to large groups which will automatically get "family style" treatment with more than 10 people at a table. With family style, you will choose a set number of choices from apps, salads, entrees and deserts. They will then bring out some amount of each of your selections based on party size. You should rest assured that they will being out more of each than you can possibly eat. So much more, in fact, that we only ate about 1/3 of the food presented to us and brought home 2-3 pounds of food per couple. Gluttonous portions aside, everything we got was very good. Stuffed mushrooms, some fried zucchini, chopped salad, spinach salad, chicken w/ capers, 4-cheese raviolis, spaghetti meatballs and short rib - all of it was delicious. Their cheesecake should be chosen at dessert, and the tiramisu was great as well. Their winelist was decent and they have a sommelier on staff. Good cocktails, my wife liked her Bellini. Recommended.
by Devon Kampe on I like the sound system at Bimbo's better, but the vibe in this hall is great and acoustics ain't bad either. Seen a few shows here, even fairly big name acts like Blur who did a promo gig and the line went around the block (atmosphere was superb, people were moshing near the front!). And acts that have quite a presence that send cool chill vibes down your spine (like Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions) did so splendidly at GAMH (another great show I saw there in 2002). I've even attended a SEATED but not assigned seating sit down acoustic show by 80s act The Chameleons UK, that was one quite a treat. I think one of the best shows I saw here has to be Doves with Elbow as the opener, they couldnt have picked a better venue for it. Other than the fact this is smack in the heart of the Tenderloin (where anything goes) and the fact that meal dining options are scarce in terms of decent food on foot, this place is still an institution. So make sure you see a show at Bimbo's and here at least once.
