Pinot Grill at the Music Center

Great place to go for a bottle or two of wine before seeing a show at the Mark Taper.

Great place to grab a pre-​show cocktail and cheese plate. Don’t expect quick service, it’s busy. Get there an hour and a half before show time and enjoy the ambience…

Some of the worst service I’ve ever had. This is one time that I wish I would have checked Unilocal before going anywhere. What (mostly) everyone says is true. I only stopped here because of its location. We were sat at a high top cocktail table very quickly by a very polite hostess. Our server arrived approx 10 minutes later so we gave him our entire order then. 15 minutes later our food arrived (still no drinks). We finished our meals THEN received our drinks (with no apology or explanation). We asked for our checks then, which also took another 15 minutes (our show was at 6:30p and it was now 6:20p) We went to the bar to get our checks from him (with another table doing the same thing (after having the same experience).
To top things off, my card was ran twice. (I had a hunch to check my account online because of how unorganized our server was).
After the show I returned to the restaurant to discuss the 2^nd charge and was brushed off by the same server that practically ruined the night. Explain that it was just a hold by my bank.
Sure. I’ll take that. But that was the perfect opportunity to any kind of apology or explanation. Because through all of this, I remained respectful (disappointed) but respectful because I was once a server and I totally get it.
Think twice about coming here! Food not worth the price, drinks not worth the price and service DEFINITELY not worth the price.

We meet some friends for dinner here before the show at the Ahmanson. Service is great and usually the food is pretty good. I usually order whatever fish they feature or the pasts. Sadly, tonight there was neither. They offered THREE kinds of burgers, short ribs, and some other meat dish. I told the waiter I was disappointed there was no fish or pasta and he said they ran out. Strange, since our friends arrived before they opened, but okay, I ordered the beet salad. It had one slice of beet that was cut into three pieces, two pats of goat cheese and about a pound of arugula. Well, there’s only so much grass you can eat so I had five slices of bread. I’m home now, having a midnight snack while I write thus complaint because IM HUNGRY!

Pinot Grill at the Music Center gets two stars only because they have a very convenient location for if you’re trying to catch a show and it is generally not too difficult to get a seat here. The problem, however, is that their food is super compromised by the fact that this is basically a catering outpost of Pinot Grill. There is a very small selection of menu items, and things do run out when you get closer to showtime. I’m pretty sure that most of the food they serve at this locatin is prepared ahead of time and just heated back up or assembled once it’s ordered.
This isn’t really an issue, but the last time we came, they had a burger on the menu, and the server (who was very nice and got us to our show in time) asked how we wanted it prepared. Since we were given the option, I assumed they would be able to cook the meat to different levels, but the burger came out well done even though we ordered it rare. We sent it back, only to have an even thinner and more cooked burger sent back to us afterwards. Since we were too close to the showtime to bother sending it back again (and were also very hungry), we just ate it. The server came by to check on whether the re-​fire was better, and we told him it was still too overcooked but we didn’t have time. It was nice that he checked on us, but nothing was done to try to accommodate or apologize for the fact that it wasn’t cooked correctly. At $ 18 for the burger, that just kind of rubs me the wrong way.
Just keep in mind that if you are coming here, you are paying for convenience, rather than for quality of food.

After reading some of the negative reviews below I was reluctant to try Pinot Grill before a play at the Ahmanson. Met friends at a table near the bar and everything was great, from the prompt friendly service to the delicious cheese plate. We left with plenty of time to spare before the show. I would definitely come here again.

Hot Tip: None. Ugh. I rarely give out 1 stars but… yeah…
1: I ordered a moscow mule. Has anyone ever had a moscow mule that tasted like a lemonade? Did they run out of ginger beer?
2: We got the Rotisserie Chicken Flat Bread to share. The chicken on it looked like when you have leftover chicken and then microwave it. Something on it also tasted weird.
3: I got a bone in one of my slices.
Our waiter was pretty cool. That was the only positive. He gets a 5.

The bartenders here know how to make a great martini and Bloody Mary! Never tried the food, but would like to some time.

Pleasantly surprised during this visit. Getting a table took some finagling. Hostess said sit where you can find it and lo and behold, one awaited us. Food is okay but indecent at the prices they charge. You don’t really have a lot of food choices when you go to a show, so you just learn how to bend over and brace yourself for the wallet/​purse/​billfold raping you will receive. Pray that the three times the amount for wine you will pay will lube and ease the atrocity of your bill. The ambience is nice being able to see the center and all and convenient as they will ensure you get the bill in time to make it to your show.

When I have tickets to the opera, I like to grab a seat at the Pinot Grill for a couple glasses of wine AND maybe some cheese. Its situated in the courtyard outside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, so its the most convenient. There’s also pricy Patina at Disney Concert Hall and Kendall’s downstairs, but if you haven’t made reservations ahead of time the night of a show, FORGET IT.
HOWEVER, you CAN grab a seat without reservations at the Pinot Grill. Just don’t set your expectations high. They have a good wine by the glass list. Their food? Average. I’ve had their flatbread, cheese plate, caesar salad, & steak and it was all unmemorable.
Service has been pretty good, meaning they rush knowing you have a show to catch. I’ve sat at the bar & at tables and its great for people watching.
I’ll continuing grabbing drinks here before a show.

Waiting for the theatre and looking for a nice drink before the show? Go no further! Pinot Grill is there for ya. They have a nice happy hour, just perfect timing before shows and it is lovely sitting outside on a nice evening. The food isn’t THAT amazing here and it’s more expensive than usual BUT I always find myself here, just before a show, sippin away on a beer hahaha. There isn’t many restaurants that are convenient and walking distance around this area, so Pinot Grill is a great place to stop by.

It took 35 minutes to get two glasses of wine, which were the only things we ordered. 35 minutes.
We literally ordered two glasses of wine and asked for the check to be brought out with our drinks because we were catching a show at the Ahmanson. The service here is awful.

We wanted to eat here after disco dancing. The sitting area was full. We ended up sitting on a bench outside of that sitting area. When I went up to ask for a menu, I was told I couldn’t order because I had to sit within the enclosure! WTH!!! Seriously!!! I thought that was a bad business idea! There were only 3 places to get food during this event!

Reminder to not go back. There was the self service place or the taco stand that would have been better. It was nice to sit and get service but the food was so-​so, very limited, and pricey. I took my two daughters. We had three non-​alcoholic drinks, 2 small appetizers and shared two of the pasta dishes (no meat) and it came to $ 100 (with tip)! The service was very good. Nothing else.

I hope you’re reading this before you go, and not after, like I did. I can’t speak to the food because I didn’t get served timely enough to order any. It took 20 minutes after seating to be acknowledged by the served (after he started with a table seated after us). Then another 10 to get a water. The alcoholic drink I ordered was watered down.
Don’t go here. This restaurant should be closed.

Great location and decent food. One star for HORRIBLE and CLUELESS service.
Waited over 30 minutes for entrees. Other tables, seated after us, completed their entire meal before we received our entrees. We were repeatedly told «your food is coming» by our waitress and many other staff members. The staff seemed incredibly overwhelmed. Manager did take off one of the entrees, which was a nice gesture. It also took a very long time to get the check. While the location is great to see a show, I would have had a better experience from the taco stand next door.

Convenience wise, this place is great when going to the shows near the area. The settings are outdoor, pretty good set up of full fancy bar and fine dining set up. Host and waiter/​tress are nice. Menu is limited, yet everything is pricey. Had a few apps and dishes, I do not remember the names but please refer to the images. Only a few resonated as very good, my friend had the steak… it was a but dry. The drinks are great I have to say, decent cocktails. Service was fine, however do not go when it’s starting to pack and people are rushing in if you want to enjoy the meal.
By far it’s ok, but I think the price of a high fine-​dining and how much they are offering makes me a bit… meh! Lol, even if food trucks are over priced, I think I rather have that.

I try to like this place because it is very convenient when attending an event at the Music Center. The service is usually fine but sometimes there are gaps. My cosmo was good, but the flat bread aka a pesto pizza is okay with no pizazz. I enjoy the taco stand better for the price.

There is a convenient store in the same plaza, selling box salad, sandwiches, etc. Pinot Grill is the only sit down restaurant in the music center. It is outdoor seating with shade.
The Service: The staffs are efficient because they know majority of the customers are here for show. They know the show time very well and will try to get the food out as soon as possible.
The Food: Average portion size, not good for sharing. The price is a little bit over average. However, since it is next to the 3 theaters, convenience is more important than the price.
Food is actually not bad, prepared with fresh ingredient. It is a perfect place for grab a drink before the show!
The Parking: Music Center parking structure (underground) $ 9 cash

We had quite some time before the performance at the Ahmanson. So we decide to have a drink and dessert. I ordered a glass of Prosecco. And our waiter highly recommended the bread pudding, which I love a great bread pudding. So I went with his recommendation.
The prosecco was not dry enough for me, it was a bit too sweet for my liking.
The bread pudding, unfortunately was equally as disappointing. The top didn’t have that warm oven toasted crunch to it. And it wasn’t very warm for that matter. It had bits of chocolate pieces along with a lot of cinnamon and nutmeg. Topped with a little fresh whipped cream.
I was surprised that our waiter brought out 2 glasses of water, without even asking if we’d like a glass or not, considering we’re in a drought situation in California.
Service was good. Ambiance was good. Dessert and prosecco disappointing.