Belvedere Restaurant
Category: American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Beverly Hills9882 Santa Monica Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90212 (310) 788-2306
- Price Range: $$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Valet
- Attire: Dressy
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Breakfast, Lunch
- Alcohol: Full Bar
54 reviews
Los Angeles, CA
"Really excellent summer seafood meal! I highly recommend this restaurant for all to try. I had tried this restaurant many years,…" read more »
15 Reviews for Belvedere Restaurant
BRUNCH!!!!!!!
The brunch was super good. The set up was great along with the food. Not much more to say. A beautiful hotel.
Excellent for dinner. The sauces are wonderful and the staff is very attentive. Lived up to expectations.
Great for breakfast, but I think brunch would be better.
10 AM breakfast with the parents and boyfriend. Great service, but honestly I expected better from the Peninsula Hotel.
We sat at a table by the window bc we didn't want to be outside, but it was a beautiful day. My dad got the American Breakfast, my mom got "An Egg in a Hole," the bf got the 3 Egg Omlette and I opted for the Peninsula Spa Eggwhite Frittata and added a croissant. I like how they call it "Spa" instead of "Low Fat" or "Weight Watchin'"
Like all other places, fresh squeezed juice and hot coffee. The food overall was very delicious. Everything was cooked to perfection and you could tell all ingredients were very fresh. All dishes came at the same time and the bread basket was wrapped in a napkin so it wouldn't go cold. They had butter and variety of little jars of foreign jam.
My croissant itself deserves its own star. Ridiculously baked to perfection. Taking a bite, you hear the crunch and flakes fall all over and stick to your lips as you taste the buttery doughy bread inside. YUMMMM.
Why not 5 stars? The service. Don't get me wrong, its The Peninsula and our waiter was very polite and attentive to us, but I think we were between shifts. Our waiter gave us our bill before we were done eating and left. There was no follow up from any other waiter for more coffee or juice. One came only when he noticed the credit card peeking out of the black leather folder.
pros: food, CROISSANT
cons: service, but not horrible.
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Love this place! The food is consistanlt excellent as is the service. I also enjoy that it's quiet enough to hold a conversation with your dining partners.
I had gone here for a lunch meeting and we received above average service. I had the macaroni and cheese with truffles, you must try this dish it sounds simple, but the depth of flavors is out of this world. Also sampled the desserts all of which were fantastic. The minute you step foot in this hotel you feel like a million dollars. Theres a good chance you'll see stars at this place too, I have seen two of them one of which was Hillary Swank.
Have you ever had a day when it seemed like you were in a Seinfeld rerun? Well my Afternoon Tea experience at The Belvedere, in The Peninsula hotel surely was!
~ rewind a month back ~
receptionist: (*sounding like Mr. Belvedere himself) "Good afternoon, The Belvedere, how may I help you?"
me: "Hi! I would like to make a reservation for 4 people for the Afternoon Tea this coming Sunday."
receptionist: "Sorry M'aam, we're all booked until the end of the month. How about the first Sunday of next month?"
me: (*scratching head*) "Ummmmm."
receptionist: "M'aam, I suggest you make this reservation because we book fast."
me: (*again, scratching head*) "Well okay then, let's book it for that Sunday for 4 people, under the name Gertrude Stein. Thanks!"
receptionist: "Eeeeeer...are you related?"
me: "Yup! Great, great, great aunt."
receptionist: "Wonderful Miss Gertrude Stein! I have 4 people for May 6th for 2 pm Afternoon Tea. May I have the number to reach you?"
me: "x x x - x x x - x x x x. Thank you!"
~ fast forward to Saturday night, 16 hours prior to Afternoon Tea @ The Belvedere ~
* Garbed in a polyvinyl hot pink cat suit, red boa, racer red 6-inch stiletto heels, and a hot pink bob wig; sitting on a plush multi-tiered sofa, sipping a dirty martini (x-tra dirty), while vibing on the down-tempo loungy beats being spun by the dj.
* The event was a fundraiser for "artistic children who are underprivileged", organized by a client, with the theme of "Vinyl / Rock-A-Mania". Party station: a hideaway Malibu beach crib.
~ 1:30 p.m. following day - Sunday afternoon (day of the Afternoon Tea) ~
* cell phone buzzing * (woke-up, scrambled for cellie)
friend 1: "Hey bitch! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?"
me: (half-awake, discombobulated, scratching eyes) "Whaaaat? Who eeeesh thiiiis?"
friend 1: "We've been waiting for you here at The Peninsula for half an hour now! Remember, we have reservations for 2 p.m.?"
me: "OH SHIT! OH SHIT, F*@# SHIT!" I'll be there @ 2 p.m. on the dot!"
* Still donning on the same garb from last night, I got up, wiped the smeared mascara off my cheeks, brushed the pearly whites, adjusted the wig, and dashed off to The Peninsula.
* Drove like a bat outta hell. Parked the car at the front entrance, and gave the keys to the valet guy. Got a couple wild glances!
* More wild glances from the prim & proper ladies in their church-going pretty dresses, discreetly snickering away, as I pass through The Living Room area.
* Found friends and headed their way.
friend 1: (bewildered) "What in the world....?"
friend 2: (awestruck) "Whose closet did you ransack?"
friend 3: (amazed) "More importantly, how much did you make last night?"
With all the wild comments and snide remarks I received, not to mention dumbfounded stares from neighboring tea diners, our Afternoon Tea was delicious, glorious, beautiful, charming, elegant, and pleasantly relaxing, accented by lush vegetation & cozy seating.
For starters, the service was FIRST-CLASS. Even with my crazy, Rocky-horror, cat woman-gone-bad look, our courteous server still treated me with respect, as she carefully recited the comprehensive wonderful selection of teas, cakes, and tea sandwiches.
Our group decided on the most expensive package, which included CHAMPAGNE (Veuve Clicquot), CAVIAR, FRESH STRAWBERRIES + FRESH CREAM, a 3-tiered serving tray with an array of SCONES (plain & currant + Devonshire cream & preserves), MINI SANDWICHES (smoked salmon w/ Borsin spread, cucumber, watercress, pimiento, dill, & roasted vegetables on wheat bread atop a layer of refreshing pesto spread) and various TEA CAKES. We also ordered 2 pots of brews: the IMPERIAL ENGLISH BREAKFAST and JASMINE WHITE. We nibbled, we drank, we sipped, we chatted, and we laughed (hard)...mostly from my stories of previous night's shindig shenanigans!
As we all parted ways and were waiting for our cars at the valet stand, a super bellicose diva of a celebrity (will be anonymous in this review) was ferociously screaming at her "then" husband to "F*@&ING GET HER BEEEEENZ!!!" I immediately thought to myself..."And they think I'm MAD"!
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One of my best friends and I wanted to do a reunion lunch, and we chose the Belvedere after reading fabulous reviews. And we were definitely not disappointed. Service was impeccable. Food was divine. And the ambience was warm and friendly.
We ordered the salmon on scallion pancake and prawns for appetizers. They were both good precursors to our meal, though I did find the scallion pancake didn't complement the salmon well. And the prawns were a llittle dry. My friend ordered the halibut and I had the beef tenderloin.
The halibut was perfectly cooked. The outside was flaky and the inside was tender. The dish was also HUGE. We certainly didn't expect it to be that big. My beef tenderloin was succulent and tender. The dish was just wonderfully executed. And the portions were huge. We both couldn't finish. We ended the meal with afternoon tea. Earl greys with a dash of milk.
Despite the mediocre appetizers, the main dishes were excellent. And service was wonderful. I can't complain about the experience and will definitely be returning.
To quote Otto in "A Fish Called Wanda": "DISAPPOINTED!"
It is entirely possible I just came here on a very off day, which is why I'm giving them a 3 instead of a 2 - I want to give the restaurant the benefit of the doubt, especially because of all the great reviews here.
EDIT: After a night to sleep on it, I revised my rating down to a 2. If I can get better service at Norm's, it doesn't deserve a 3.
YET ANOTHER EDIT: I sent an email to the Peninsula. I didn't even include a phone number, but the manager of food and beverage not only found my number, but called me back within about an hour of me sending the email! He's offered to let me come back so they can take care of me. That gets them back up to a 3. If the service improves on my second visit, they may go up more.
I brought my mom to the Belvedere for brunch because breakfast is her favorite meal of the day, and I wanted her to experience something amazing. The food was incredible. The service, alas, wasn't.
Starting with the great: the food!
Our waiter brought us a bread basket that had several options, from parmesan flatbread to a soft, sweet bread and everything in between. The coffee was tasty, and as has been reported before, the free-flowing Perrier-Jouet champagne ain't bad, either. (It didn't give me a headache, miracle of miracles!)
The appetizers are all brought to your table family-style, and unless you're a linebacker, the quantity is way more than enough. Hope you like fish; one-third of the dishes have seafood in them. I don't like fish; mom loved the salmon and hated the ahi tuna. The grilled cheese is delectable, and the fruit salad was very tasty. The peking duck in mu shu wrapper was a bit overwhelmed by its sauce; I had great difficulty perceiving any of the other flavors in the dish. Also, the knives provided weren't sharp enough to cut the duck with any efficiency, which would become an issue later.
My mother had the "Croque Madame" - a ham sandwich with an egg on top - for her entree; I had the Kobe skirt stake. Both were outrageously good, with well-balanced tastes.
Remember to save room for dessert; the dessert buffet has many diverse dishes, from bread pudding to a number of difficult-to-identify bite-sized confections with whipped cream on top. The sugar in each of the desserts seemed overpowering, overwhelming the tastes of coffee, chocolate, and other items in the dishes.
Now for the downside - the service.
Full disclosure: I'm from the Northeast, which I've noticed in my travels has a higher standard for service than nearly anywhere else I've been. I find service in L.A. to be very similar to service in Germany - and that's NOT a compliment. I also used to be a secret shopper. As a result, I'm extremely picky and demanding when it comes to service, as you'll probably see from some of my other reviews. As you'll also see, I've given some super-cheap restaurants high ratings. Why? Their service didn't suck.
We sat out on the patio, and it was a ghost town when it came to waiters. They rushed out, plunked plates on our tables, and then vanished - which is a problem when you need a refill, have a problem, or need a question answered.
If I'm paying $60/head for brunch, here's what I expect:
1. I should never stare at an empty champagne flute.
2. I should never have to spend ten minutes trying to flag a waiter down to get my coffee pot (or my creamer) refilled. I shouldn't have to flag down a waiter at all.
3. Someone should stop by my table a couple of minutes after a course is dropped off to find out if our food is OK. Who knows? Maybe there's a problem with our food. Maybe one of us just has food allergies and needs to ask what's in the array of appetizers that were brought out. But for the love of God, check in! Your diner will be disappointed if she needs to ask about the ingredients and doesn't have the opportunity until you come to take the plates away.
4. My waiter shouldn't walk up ten minutes after a course comes out, stare at my table, and say, "Oops, I forgot to bring out your silverware."
5. And he CERTAINLY shouldn't follow that up by making me wait another 5 minutes for my silverware.
If brunch is $20/head, this is barely tolerable. At a place as known for its service as the Belvedere, this is inexcusable. I spent large sections of brunch craning my neck to look into the dining room through the glass doors, waving at the wait staff, trying to get someone's attention.
Now, it's the day before New Year's Eve, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt; maybe they were giving all their good staff the day off so they would be ready for the NYE bustle. Next time I go to a Beverly Hills brunch, though, it's going to be at the Beverly Hills Hotel, not at the Peninsula. I don't think I got my money's worth.
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Hands down the best brunch in Los Angeles. I love everything at the Peninsula Beverly Hills plus they have a kick ass Boss John Rucci, Who runs the hotel. You have got to try the Monte Cristo, share it as it is too big to eat alone.
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Go Sundays for "Half Plates / Half Bottles", an opportunity to sample some of the dishes one might not typically want to try in full portion (and full priced) versions. Try the truffled Macaroni & Cheese - and stay for the half-desserts!
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The service here is amazing. Good place to go to when you want that 5 star service. Okay so I know it's nothing out of the ordinary but the ceasar salad is very good. On the breakfast menu their eggs benedict are delicious. Moving onto dinner, pass up the duck liver three ways. Sounds like it could be nice but the fois gras with some fruity sauce was at best a weird combination, and not in a good way. The corn and potato bisque was extremely salty. The osso buco was good but it doesn't seem to be on their menu anymore. Desserts are okay.
This is the best alternative to the 4 Seasons, and in fact may even be better. Very discreet and low-key. It's intimate setting is bright and airy and reminiscent of a provincial french garden patio. the chili and truffle mac & cheese are a must. I'd skip the potato crusted sea bass though (bland, dry and of course, fishy.) the braised short ribs are also great. the portions are just right, and with appetizers, everything is perfect for sharing.
once done with your meal, i highly recommend a trip to the roof garden. my friends and I spent the late afternoon there relaxing in front of the gas fireplace as we rocked back and forth sipping our Veuve Clicquot. *sigh*
who says you can't live the good life (at least for a day.)
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My go-to when I need to impress!
I was first introduced to The Belvedere at the Peninsula Hotel by my good friend and business mentor, Teddy Orgell. Talk about the royal treatment!
I felt like I was being welcomed into a special club.
The room is always full of well to do locals, not just hotel guests, the first clue this place has status.
The entire staff is well tuned to making your dining an experience. I fell in love with the service stylings of Michael, he became my regular server/waiter/guru.
One night I took my mother out for a nice quiet dinner. Michael had rose petals and floating candles arranged just so! Everyone in the room watched as we were seated. Mom felt like a star or was it Queen Mum? LOL
The one night Michael was out (hurt his back) he made sure the kitchen had my favorite filet mignon and pommes frites waiting even though it's not on the menu for the night AND he left full instructions for the substitute wait staff on how to take care of our table! Awesome!
This kind of luxury has a price but I feel it is well worth it.
The Chef will accommodate your special requests and the wait staff keeps everything flowing to whatever pace you desire. We tend to spend 2-3 hours enjoying a leisurely evening.
Menu varies in a modern American theme. The seafood dishes always amaze me and the Mac and Cheese rocks! I like to try the Chef's suggestions every once in a while.
Summertime is made for patio dining and I suggest reserving a table outside well in advance.
Ohhhhh and save room for desserts!
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well there is nothing negetive to say about this amazing establishment. at the luxurious peninsula hotel the belvedere is truly in a class of it s own. they are the only five diamond restaurant in southern california and there is no compition in sight. i had the distinct privilege to eat at this one of a kind restaurant with my girlfriend for an early v day dinner. over the 8 course meal wel had duck liver 2 ways, lankerstein prawns, and amazing butter poached lobster salad ( and i dont even eat salad) and a telagio and black truffle mac and cheese all before the main course hit the table. the service was flawless and they attend to your every need they even gave my girl a shawl for her legs becase she was a bit chilly when we moved out to the patio for our desert courses. in short if you ever want to impress your palat then there is no other option then the belvedere restaurant
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seamless, invisible service, but of course one would expect this...i've been here for dinner, and i had the california duck liver 3 ways, the seared foie gras itself was excellent but the sauces were extremely strange...i also had osso buco which came out in it's own little clay pot, it's not on the menu anymore but was very good. i didn't enjoy their desserts at all, beautifully done but not particulary tantalizing to my tastebuds.
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