Culina

What a gem this place is. Even if the food stunk, that incredible patio is reason enough to come. So the fact that the service was spectacular (Mike?) and the food was so fresh and delicious make this a must-​go. Keep your eyes open for Groupon or TravelZoo deals, they really go a long way. Regardless, the place is reasonable consider the location and ambience. The meatballs are incredible, great starter. Chicken and mushrooms were terrific. Bravo.

I’ve been to Culina 3 times. The atmosphere is beautiful and the service is consistently good. I’ve sat at the bar and the dining room. The patio looks great so maybe next time we’ll be outside.
I love the octopus, branzino and salmon. Fish can easily be overcooked but they cook it perfectly. Tender octopus, crispy skin on the fish and moist inside. The side dishes are excellent… roasted cauliflower is delish. My favorite dessert is the liquid chocolate tart with HOMEMADE REAL MINT GELATO. That’s an incredible way to finish a meal.

The best way to put it is underwhelmed.
Beautiful restaurant in a nice hotel. Friendly staff. Attentive manager.
The food was the issue. The food and drink were very expensive for what we got, in terms of taste and quality.
The cocktails we had did taste very good-​but I never would have known they had alcohol in them. Maybe that’s a preferential thing, but part of the flavor in my opinion comes from tasting the particular alcohol in the drink. At $ 16 each, I would like the compliment of the ingredients and the spirit.
We were given an appetizer, I forget the name, but it was a puff pastry with some tomato and basil on top. It wasn’t bad, but it just didn’t stand out.
An olive tapenade was also served with some bread. This was very good.
We then shared some short rib meatballs. Not bad. Tender.
We had two entrees–
Squid Ink Pasta
Jidori Chicken
The pasta had a nice seafood flavor. Pasta was fresh but besides the seafood flavor, lacked something.
The chicken tasted fine. The star in that dish was the wild mushrooms and the crunchier pieces of potato.
The entrees were ok. They were NOT cheap-​the quantities were fine, but I think the expectation is a much more memorable taste and/​or quality for all those dishes.
We tried two desserts-​Lemon Panna Cotta and Sweet Corn Ice Cream. Both were good but we preferred the ice cream. Really good desserts, nice presentations. At $ 11 each, these were the stars.
Overall I think that’s the issue-​just underwhelming. Nothing tasted bad-​but nothing jumped out. We were given a gift certificate that did pick up a large portion of our tab (just under $ 200 with tax and gratuity), I can say if I was paying completely out of pocket I would have been even more disappointed. Well pay up for a good meal out, an experience, at least something we ate that we remember. This was just food.

Culina is an upscale Morden Italian restaurant located inside the Beverly Hills Four Season Hotel.
The Ambience: This restaurant is beautifully decorated inside and out. It has such a warm rich romantic feeling when you enter. The outside patio is just as fabulous as the inside. Anywhere you sit will give you a comfortable upscale feel.
The Service: The service was very professional and attentive. Our waiter was extremely helpful with giving honest feedback about certain portions you receive with various food items.
The Food: For being an upscale Italian restaurant I was completely Underwhelmed and actually disappointed to what was presented. Let’s start with the drink, The Bitter Bee, they filled the glass up with so much ice I literally had two sips and the drink was finished. Then the food came into play and my experience increasingly went downhill. My boyfriend ordered the Chitarra Al Nero Di Seppia (Squid Ink Spaghetti) for whatever reason as it doesn’t sound appetizing to me. It was the most terrible thing I have tasted in a long time. It was so bland and the texture was awful. literally have no idea how it passed as being a menu item! The presentation of it was awful as well, there was nothing appealing about it. I ordered the Pollo Croccante which was okay, nothing special to rave about. If I rated this place on food alone it would receive a 1 star rating but the décor and service of the restaurant is what made me give it 3 stars.

We loved Culina overall a great indulgent evening… 4.5 stars.
The whole experience was wonderful as you would expect and anticipate at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills.
The service and attention to detail is extraordinary and what is expected and a trademark of the Four Seasons brand. Truly amazing from inception to fruition across the board just as good as it gets and so comforting. Mind you it comes at a cost but so incredibly worth it.
The restaurant and space is beautiful, romantic and refined elegance. The attention to detail and manner in which you are pampered is beyond reproach. Absolutely amazing on every level.
The cocktail menu is elaborate with an expert mixologist on hand. The wine list is refined and caters to discriminating tastes with a stunning display of the temperature controlled wines as you enter the restaurant.
The food we began the meal with was the Mantanara which is the chef’s creation on an individual puff pizza drizzled with incredible olive oil, burrata and Italian herbs. The flavor profile was very good and the density is much like fluffy donut and not a pizza… Tasters portion and a palate pleaser.
The charcuterie platter was very good and plentiful but would of loved a bit of fruit to compliment the flavor profile but still very good.
I had the whole Branzino (Sea Bass) prepared with lemon caper butter sauce was very good. My dining companion the Salmon which on the other hand with sauteed lentils and vegetable purée was fantastic and sublime…
We shared the olive oil cake with greek yogurt gelato on top which sounds ordinary and pedestrian OMG amazing truly superb and thank you to Michael our server who assured us to trust him and he was a profit as it was just soooo good and the perfect way to end a great evening.
When you factor in all the elements of Culina, the Four Seasons Hotel, the magnificent feel and vibe of the restaurant, the service and attention to detail truly a memorable evening.

Celebrated my boyfriend’s birthday here and we really enjoyed it! Gorgeous restaurant, great place for a special occasion or date!
FOOD:
Complimentary Bread (5 stars): Yummy warm focaccia. They also give bread sticks, ask for their olive oil, they have a good one (=
Polenta Croccante (3 stars): The polenta was good, crispy on the outside and soft inside, but the other parts of the dish needed more flavor. The proscuitto wasn’t salty enough.
Angnello (4 stars): Not the best I’ve had but still good lamb chops!
Pollo Croccante (5 stars): Really flavorful and moist! Best dish of the night.
DESSERT:
Tortino (4 stars): If you love chocolate, you’ll like this. The honey gelato was good and the whiskey gelée is really strong so eat all the components together!
Torta Di Verona (4 stars): Tastes like a blueberry cheesecake! The white chocolate cake and blueberry compote was delicious. I love chocolate but I actually liked this better than the Tortino.
SERVICE (5 stars)
Our waitress Jessica was amazing! Great service from everyone at the restaurant.
ATMOSPHERE (5 stars)
Gorgeous restaurant! Great for a special occasion. They write on the dessert you order and add a candle.
PARKING
$ 12 valet with validation at the Four Seasons Hotel.

Great food and ambient, nothing to say everything was super tasty and fresh, we will back soon. Grazie chef

Amazing food! The Bronzino is so delicious! Have it with Cauliflower & Patat. The best! Highly recommend this restaurant for a romantic night out. And our waiter Michael was a great server with awesome personality!

I hate leaving reviews but I was really impressed with the level of service and the overall dining experience. Our server J R gave excellent recommendations and treated us to a port wine with our dessert. He was dealing with a difficult table next to us but remained on top of everything. The hostess was also very sweet and gave us a nice patio table.
We ordered the octopus to start and the branzino and bistecca (med rare) as our main. Everything was cooked to perfection and the temperature was just right. Dessert we had some chocolate cake thing with mint gelato. I forgot what it’s called, sorry but JR also recommended it and it was perfect. I loved it. It was our anniversary and hate making a big deal out of things so we didn’t mention it but we are both very satisfied with it all. Thank you.

Ambiente requintado. Jardim bem decorado. Serviço nota 10 e comida gostosa, mas não surpreendeu.

Culina is the epitome of great service and great food. Four seasons is the best in town and has a brunch that set the bar so high that no one in town has been able to come close to compete. Sunday brunch here is an event to talk abo for days ahead. Rooms are cleared out for their endless buffet of premium quality food! desserts that make you mind explode and food so good that it deserves an award equivalent to an Oscar.
One of my favorite places to enjoy a beautiful lunch or a romantic dinner or just a great happy hour after work. Whatever the reason, I always find myself here. To know that there’s a place that exists that is always consistent in their service and food and never fails to disappoint is somewhat of an anomaly in Los Angeles.
I wouldn’t expect anything less from a four seasons property but they go well beyond to make sure everyone is happy! Highly recommend!

I came here twice in the past week because it was that good!
The first time, four of us shared:
— Short rib meatballs
— Caesar salad
— Grilled octopus, heirloom beans, tomato reduction, & lemon vinaigrette
— Baked rainbow cauliflower
— Garlic spinach
— Squid ink spaghetti with calamari
— Braised leg of lamb with purple kale lasagna
— Hazelnut milk chocolate mousse, torched meringue, & candied hazelnuts
— Vanilla bean gelato affogato with cotton candy
The second time, three of us shared:
— Burrata over tomatoes
— Short rib meatballs
— Yellowtail crudo with artichoke
— Funghi pizza
— Branzino
— White chocolate cake with blueberry compote & crème fraîche gelato
Overall, my favorites were the branzino, lamb lasagna, short rib meatballs, and the hazelnut chocolate dessert. The skin on the branzino was perfectly pan seared until crispy. The flesh was still juicy and flaky. The lasagna was super cheesy, and rich. The meatballs were just amazingly juicy! The tomato sauce over it was rich in flavor as well. Last, but not least, the hazelnut chocolate mousse was served with torched meringue, meringue pieces, and candied hazelnuts. This dessert was so good that after we finished it the first visit, we had to order a second one! So I’ve had three of them within a week!
The complimentary foccacia bread, bread sticks, and parmesan crackers were delicious as well. The staff was friendly, and super thankful.

Delicious and fresh food. It’s more of a place for the older crowd. Dress up! We parked on the street in a nearby neighborhood because we might as well walk a little after our huge meal instead of valeting. The restaurant is located to the side of the Four Seasons. There is a Marilyn Monroe statue outside and it’s fun to take pictures with.
Service was great and we had a reservation so we were seated without a problem.
A MODO MIO ⁵⁄₅
Three tomatoes with burrata. Super fresh, very delicious. ORDER IT!
RUSTICA KALE SALAD 4.5÷5
A bunch of toppings tossed with kale salad. Again, very fresh. I would order it again. Get it.
BRANZINO ³⁄₅
The pictures on here don’t do it justice. It looks so much better in person! Presentation wise, it was beautiful but it was quite fishy. I would not order it again.
TORTINO ⁵⁄₅
Omg get in my belly. 100% would order again. The tortino was so moist and delicious and went great with the honey gelato. The Whiskey Gelee was super strong, but I guess it is supposed to be consumed with the tortino and gelato.

Located on the ground floor of the Beverly Hills’ Four Seasons hotel (Doheny location as there are two Four Seasons Hotels in BH) Culina is an elegant yet casual restaurant offering an exquisite dining experience with both traditional and vegan options.
Their knowledgeable and professional staff know the difference between being friendly and familiar vs intrusive, which is key in a setting where celebrities frequent. Also key is treating ALL customers well, whether they are recognizable or not and they manage to do this too.
The Sunday Brunch is the place to be seen, but mid week boasts the classic power lunch.
Some might find it overpriced but you’re in Beverly Hills AT A HOTEL. What do you expect?
The patio is comfortable and pleasant but few areas allowing for privacy.
The food:
Culina boasts having the first and only «Crudo Bar» in L.A. I no longer eat fish but my friends said it was great. They had the CAPPESANTE which is served with fava beans $ 14 and the TONNO which comes with salsa verde, capers, and micro parsley $ 12
I devoured the Rustica salad (Kale, Sundried Tomatoes, Ceci Beans, Pickled Lemon, Oregano, Almonds, Pecorino) and they made it without the cheese for me. $ 16.
We also had the Chopped Salad Radicchio, Lettuce, Hearts of Palm, Zucchini, Corn, Tomato and Herb Vinaigrette. $ 18 It was great.
They’re open open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven nights a week. And they have great vegan and gluten free options if that is something that matters to you. Bring your appetite but also bring your wallet.

Appetizer/​starters will be reviewed later:
2) Lasagna was the pasta portion of the meal & was Braised Leg of Lamb, Béchamel, Purple Kale, Mushrooms. Probably the lamb w/​the bone was simmered for hours since the meat was so soft & cushy. The lamb & bone infused the béchamel with a hyper-​meaty Umami & made this white sauce into something that looked more like a meat rich reddish brown Salsa Bolognese. Topped w/​oozing melted Mozzarella, the Culina Lasagna was exquisite in a rustic, hearty manner. Be care as you eat since strings of Mozzarella will hang down from your fork & a string of Mozarella can land on your chin. A refreshing, bracing Ruccola Argente Verde/​arrugula salad dressed simply in a bit of olive oil, light vinegar, salt was a great palate cleanser. This was my most favorite dish of the night.
2a) Brunello di Montalcino was full of fruit such as cherries, & black fruit, lightly smoky bouquet, and a nice smooth grapy finish was a good complement that upped the meaty, saucy, Umami rich lasagna.
3) Agnello/​lamb: Ciabatta and Herb Crusted Lamb Rack, Heirloom Cauliflower, Mint Marmelata. As much as I like the ultra thick pieces of Carre d’agneau/lamb ribs, touch of Sauce Demi-​glacé cooked a pinkish medium rare so that the meat was moist, soft, lamby tasting, the combination of the strong herb crust & the Mint Marmelata/​jam was overkill. The flavours clashed as well as being too busy in flavor so that the good quality of the lamb meat was lost in the sensory shuffle. Make it either the herb crust or the mint marmalata but not both which detracted from this dish. The cauliflower seemed flash seared & a bit of Aceto Balsamico & chopped herbs.
3a) Barolo is considered to be the uebermeister of all the Italian wines so the pairing of this vino nobile, I thought, was appropriate for the Agnello. Deep dark fruits, bit of tobacco, leather, nice tannins & bit of acid was a good accompaniment to the meatiness of the lamb. However, it did not pair so well with the overly sweet mint marmolata so I stopped using it as a dipping sauce.
4) Sometimes classic desserts should not be tinkered with too much. Tiramisu is just such a dish made of Savoiardi/​lady fingers dipped in espresso matched with sweetened mascarpone cheese, eggs, powdered chocolate. The Culina version had Espresso Meringue, Coco Snow, Marsalla Foam. The white meringue was rather dry. The dried crushed roasted coffee bean on top of the dry meringue made this portion of the Tiramisu even more dessicated.
The more traditional part of the Tiramisu, which would be the Savoiardi may have been soaked in espresso or Marsalla foam & the sweetened mascarpone, became almost an afterthought. I thought Caffe Americano would pair well but didn’t seem to happen at least w/​this version of updated Tiramisu.
Extremely pleasant outdoor dining that lasted a leisurely 4 ½ hours. The service was very good & unrushed. Since the patio afforded a comfortable venue, even the other guests were sociable to the point we talked with two different parties with a bit of small talk. Food here is good, but there needs to be a bit more of a culinary awareness for that 4^th star. Definitely 3+ Unilocal stars.

Relatively new place in the Four Seasons Bev Hills, with entrance off the parking lot. Very common, ordinary modern upgrade, a little dark, nothing special. The best (and almost only) good thing about this place was the very friendly staff and the fact that there was hardly anyone in the place so we got a lot of attention.
My friend Alida likes weird food. She does not eat just ordinary normal food. Luckily they had raw fish dishes and that’s what she had, for appetizer and main course. I’m not a sushi-​type girl, so I could hardly look at her dishes.
I had the grilled shrimp with arugula salad. Sounds simple, no? The shrimp came out undercooked. Big yuck. So I sent the plate back. Meanwhile, Alida ate her meal and she was finished by the time they came back with a new plate with shrimp, supposedly, cooked well. Still weren’t cooked well and were sort of tasteless.
I would only come back here if I happened to be here. Thought it was very overrated.

Had a lunch meeting here at the Four Seasons this past week, though my boss is the regular here .i find the lunch menu a bit lack luster for Vegetarians.
The Lemonade was overly sour. but i must say the spaghetti when brought out had a very chewy texture and i didn’t hate it! It was just really small .and simple. which was fine.
once again wished they had a bigger range for vegetarians.

Food: ⁴⁄₅
Service: ⁴⁄₅
Cleanliness: 4.5÷5
The Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills is known to be one the most beautiful hotels in the city, and that is a true statement! One step into the hotel and you are welcomed by beautiful décor, luxury, and great service. Culina Restaurant is one of two restaurants at the hotel and it’s won numerous awards just one year after its grand opening in 2011. I’ve read that the restaurant is one of the hottest places to spot Hollywood celebrities on a regular basis, so if you want to get see some of your favourite stars, this might be a good place to start.
We booked our 1,000 points OpenTable reservation for 6:45pm on a Monday evening, but we arrived a bit earlier because we had some time leftover. We asked the host if it was possible for them to seat us earlier and thankfully, we were seated in the main dining room soon after.
As soon as we were seated, our waiter brought us our menus and asked if we wanted still or sparkling water. We opted for sparkling and then fell into a big dilemma on what to order for dinner. We decided to order an appetizer (antipasti) and a salad (insalate) to share, a main dish each, and a dessert to share as well.
Our menu for the night:
Antipasti: Polpo Alla Griglia ($ 14.00)
Insalate: A Modo Mio ($ 14.00)
Le Paste: Cappellacci ($ 26.00) — me
Secondi: Merluzzo Nero ($ 38.00) — hubby
Dessert: Tortino ($ 9.00)
After we ordered, we started our dinner with the restaurant’s classic focaccia bread. It was delicious and got my appetite asking for more food very quickly! Soon after, our appetizers were served.
Overall, our dinner at Culina Restaurant was a very enjoyable one. We had superb service (though one of the servers refilled my sparkling water cup with still water by mistake), all the dishes were delicious and there was not one that we didn’t like. In particular, my Cappellacci gave me a WOW factor that I can still vividly remember today. The restaurant seems like a place I’d come for brunch with my parents or girlfriends, or a romantic dinner again with my husband.

Located on the ground floor of the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills, this is the kitchen that fed our guests along with my wife and I on our wedding day a few years ago; today we spent a very posh night in at the hotel (thank you four seasons! And for the wonderful experience that was our wedding!!), so when it came to deciding where or what we were doing for dinner it was a no brainer (per my review of the Four Seasons LA @ Beverly Hills)
Everything from the house-​made limoncello to the entrées were exquisite. This kitchen is something special, well worth going out of your way.
Love this place, 5 stars.

Happy hour review.
Happy hour, or what they refer to as ‘crudo hour’ is M-​F from 6−8PM in the bar area right next to the dining room only.
They have select cocktails and wines for $ 7 and select beers for $ 5. Complimentary pistachios are served with drinks. Their happy hour food menu features a variety of appetizers, oysters, and crudo ranging from $ 2 – 9.
The cocktails are interesting and made well. Bar staff is friendly and unpretentious. Happy hour is a welcomed addition to this beautiful place, as drinks can be quite expensive during regular hours.
** my dinner review is also available, if you have interest

Came here for lunch with a few girlfriends yesterday and it was a lot of fun! We had our own private area, the place is beautiful, the service was impeccable and the food was delicious! Our waitress recommended a very nice Pinot Grigio for me, and I loved it! I typically don’t like Pinot Grigio!
To start I had their Kampachi I was going to get the soup of the day which was tomato funnel but I found out it comes in a big serving and I just wanted some thing light to start. The Kampachi was perfect, it was sprinkled with salt and promegrante! Beautiful and delicious!
For my entrée, I got the Branzino and it was AMAZING!!! I don’t even like Branzino but it was very very scrumptious here! The skin was nice and crispy and the flavoring was light but still packed with a lot of oomph. A girlfriend of mine pointed out that the lemon that came with the fish was not properly wrapped in mesh. This is so funny because I thought only I would notice stuff like that! But it’s good to know I am not alone, and I quickly realized that it would have bothered my husband as well if he had to squeeze the lemon without a mesh because the seed would have popped onto his entrée and the juices would have ran everywhere. Just something to note. Get the Branzino if you are a fish lover!
To finish I had the Affogato! My girlfriend pointed it out to me since my husband has gotten me hooked on this dessert. Cucina tops it off with cotton candy! And the minute the espresso is poured over it half of it would collapse into the dessert — thus adding more sweetness.
See photo for demonstration! And unlike the other hotels in the area of the same caliber the Four Seasons has free valet if you’re dining there for lunch, so please remember to tip the valet guys generously!
Speaking of valet guys, they’re top shelf here! I drove here with the top off and when I came out 3 hours later it was SO windy and cold. My girlfriends and I had to hover by the outdoor heater with the valet guys blocking the wind for us and when my car was brought around they had put the top up and adjusted my heater for me! So attentive! I can’t wait to come back! Oh and lunch here this time ran about $ 92 (including tip and tax) per person. However with the free valet it’s still less than what I would have spent had I gone to lunch at another hotel down the street.
Cheers!