Trio Mediterranean Grill

We were recommended to go to Trio by several staff members of our hotel (The Parker) and we really enjoyed ourselves.
Food:
Cheese plate: pretty standard, but good!
Fried artichoke hearts: just lightly fried with a yummy sauce
Shrimp pasta: great flavor and the shrimp were perfectly grilled.
Wine:
They had a wine on SPECIAL (yay!!) from Buena Vista, a vineyard I’ve visited, so that was a nice surprise. Plus, it was such a welcome change not to spend for on alcohol than food.
Service: Alex was our server and he was a true delight. Prompt, courteous and helpful. Great job!

Trio used to be a weekly dine for us. We used to love how fresh and flavorful their burgers were but the last few times they tasted like frozen patties. The Fi and I have both worked in the industry and are all too familiar with that «frozen» taste. They have complementary hummus and pita chips which are super yummy! The service is always super friendly and attentive! Even though we’ve been bummed by the burgers as of late, we’d still recommend this spot. We hope that the rest of their food is still as good as it was before. We’re going to give it another shot sometime soon.

Sunday breakfast was one of the best we have had. I had the eggs Benedict which had a thick cut hand sliced Canadian bacon with a perfect hollandaise sauce. Side of diced potatoes sautéed with red pepper and onion bits. Coffee was very good too. My bride had caprice omelette with sun dried tomato pesto and fresh mozzarella that had light fluffy eggs to carry the combination brilliantly.

I love the pita chips and hummus they give you for free. It is super tasty.
However when my dinner arrived my hopes took a nose dive. I ordered the Seafood Linguine which I think is over priced for what it is. So I got 3 muscles, a couple rings of calamari, and shrimp… well…The shrimp was way too over cooked. It was actually kind of tough to chew. The muscles were okay but I really feel like they jipped me on the calamari. The red sauce was totally bland. I ate about half of it before I just gave up. I’ve had tastier red sauce in a can. For about $ 16 it was a total let down. Not even remotely worth it.
However my Mom ordered the Tandoori Chicken and she loved it.
Now another problem I have with this place is the fact the waitress is so timid. I mean I know I have a mohawk but that doesn’t mean I am going to bite. I felt like she was afraid to clean my table.
I don’t plan on coming back here unless I get some fantastic coupon that gets me something for free. Otherwise it isn’t worth it at all.

We decided to try this local spot after reading some reviews and the coupon incentive on Unilocal.Someone said they didn’t honor the coupon shown on the site via their cell phone so I even printed a copy.
Dinner took forever because there was one guy that was running the floor. When the check came after dinner, I asked him about the coupon as I showed him the copy. He reluctantly said «I guess I can honor it…» as he walked off.
When the new bill came, he applied the coupon but he also added a 20% gratuity to the check! The new total was more than the previous total without the coupon! Plus, it wasn’t a large party of 8+. It was just me and my boyfriend.
I was so annoyed that I wanted to tell him to take it off. We usually tip generously but that should be our choice. It’s not the money — it’s the principle!
My boyfriend who is so not confrontational made me just leave…=(
Never going back here again!

It’s been more than 3 years since I first tired Trio, but my experience must have been less than to my liking because I avoided that place. I had this major craving for beet salad and I Unilocaled it and Trio was the only place I could get it for miles. And I’m so glad I did. The chef, owner, and wait staff have totally found their rhythm because their food, service, and quality changed drastically.
It’s hard to say if the food was so memorable that I’m a regular, but it’s a safe place to have good authentic Mediterranean food.

I really want to like this place. And, I come once every 4 – 5 years, and I am disappointed. It is 3 star food at 4 star prices with 1 star service.
The highlight of the meal is the pita crisps and the hummus. Delish! But, it’s downhill from there.
The menu is all over the map. Perhaps when you try to be too many things you turn out to be not much.
When our waiter finally came to the table to take our drink orders, my co-​diner ordered the falafel burger with mixed greens. Falafel was tasty and well prepared, but it was served on a Burger King bun. Seriously, Ruby’s puts their burgers on better buns. And this place is more expensive than Ruby’s. So, surely the bun on a $ 8 burger should be better than the bun on a $ 2 burger. Blech. The mixed greens served with the burger are mixed greens — not wilted and quite tasty. But, that bun, seriously?
I ordered the Salmon Salad Medium Rare. The salad was tasty enough — a somewhat dull blend of mixed greens with chopped flavorless tomatoes and sweet corn (the highlight). The fish was cooked perfectly but it was SOOOOOO bland. It had absolutely NO flavor.
When we ordered our meals, we asked for two waters. I drank it down — and it was NEVER refilled. And, the waiter never came back to ask if we wanted more. He was too busy clearing other tables. He literally came to the table to take our orders, deliver our food and clear the table. No more water, no «how is your meal» — nada.
So, this time, I write the review to remind myself not to go back. It’s tough living here on Hamburger Hill. We have so little to choose from…

I got the lamb shank osso bucco described as: «slow cooked lamb shank in red wine & fresh herbs to tender perfection served with garlic mashed potatoes & grilled vegetables.» The description was spot on. I was pleased by the presentation and more importantly — the lamb was tender and flavorful. A+ for the fact that the sauce was not overpowered by the wine or garlic. Don’t you hate it when a sauce tastes too much of onions or one particular flavor? I do!!! and this was not the case.
My husband got the beef kabobs and they were just OK — I would have expected more from the kabobs since it was a Mediterranean place.
(But upon further inspection you pretty much see all kinds of foods from Italian to Greek on the menu.)
I’d go again and stick to the osso bucco for sure! Also, the complimentary humus and pita chips were a hit — we ate every last bite. Hell yeah — they have coupon in the Southbay guide so rip that page out… or steal your neighbor’s!

I have been going here for years and it never disappoints.
Their menu is very extensive and everything I have ever ordered is worthwhile. I have tried a lot of it, but above all the greek pasta is amazing. I also recently went over the weekend and ordered from their breakfast menu. My veggie eggs benedict was amazing, and my boyfriend tried the caprese omelet and was very happy.
Also, the staff here is very friendly and accommodating which is always a huge plus.

I have been an avid fan of Trio since it first opened in 2002. I have tried almost all their foods and have always enjoyed the Burgers here. While the old manager Carlos would always give me free Fries, the new manager has kept the tradition going; just once a month.
A waiter you should get to know is Jerry, a funny waiter and a great guy. During peak hours, Jerry will get you your drink or food first over other people (at least thats how it is with me). For a restaurant on my turf, this place is great and I have enjoyed this place for the last 8 years. I am sure this place will always have a place in my stomach.

My family and I came into Trio late one Friday night after we decided we wouldn’t be able to get a table at the Peruvian place across the way. Cute little restaurant, very small, probably about 15 tables or so. Very local/​neighborhood type feel.
Everyone loved the pita chips and hummus they brought out in lieu of bread (even the bf who thinks hummus is gross).
Food came out in a timely manner; I ordered the falafel appetizer (very good, nice portion, larger than I expected — about 4 falafels and 4 slices of pita on top of somewhat of a greek salad kind of thing. $ 6.50). Gma ordered greek salad, which was pretty big and quite good. Mom got greek pasta, liked it, nice presentation, good size portion… bf ordered the ceasar pizza, which turned out to be a cheese pizza with literally a salad of greens, corn, sun dried tomatoes, and ceasar dressing on top ($ 10). He was surprised with the salad, but really liked the meal. Shocking, because hes generally fairly picky.
Overally, a really good meal. We all had left overs which I enjoyed today :)
I definitely think i’ll be back.

Went for sister’s birthday. Appetizers and the Veal Shank Osso Buco were the highlights.
Lowlights:
1) Seafood Paella. Four out of the eight adults ordered the Seafood Paella. Worst Paella I’ve ever eaten. My father agrees. We give this dish a 1-star…but even that is generous. Not much seafood or taste… just lots of RICE and sausage.
2) Wine glass. There was a crack on one of the wine glasses. The server tried to argue that it wasn’t a crack until he ran his fingernail through it. We received no apologies or discounts for this.
3) Halibut and Tandoori Chicken. Both had good taste but were dry.
Highlights:
1) Appetizers: Vine Leaves Caprese, mushrooms, and fresh anchovies were a great start to the meal.
2) Wine: The vast selection of $ 22 bottle of wines was also impressive. We liked the «house» Merlot.
3) Veal Shank Osso Buco. My brother ordered the Veal Shank Osso Buco and it was the best meal. It lived up to it’s «fork-​tendered» description on the menu. I will order that next time.
Need to try the pastas next time.

Visited Trio today. I am sad to say this place has really gotten bad or maybe I have watched too many Kitchen Nightmare episodes.
I remember Trio being packed all the time and especially on Sunday after the Farmer’s Market in Palos Verdes. There were only two other couples having lunch at the place.
I don’t remember the menu being all of the place but it was. I remember Trio having more Mediterranean style food.
I had a feeling things were going to be bad when we received our ice tea with aged oranges.
Lunch started off with pita chips and humus in a reused neon paper cone which look like it was used for years. Hello! replace them after 1 – 2 days versus years.
Not being able to find something that looked food, we ordered what I considered to be standard faire at a American bistro restaurant: BBQ chicken panini and seafood linguine.
The BBQ chicken panini came out with iceberg lettuce, bordering on not so fresh tomato, previous prepped chicken and store bought BBQ sauce (KC masterpiece). The panini bread was not even toasted it was almost like a wonder bread.
Seafood linguine was bland and the shrimp and squid were definitely frozen fresh.
I am sorry to say that this place is not worth your time to go to even if there is nothing else to eat in PV. I’m hoping for new management prior to coming back to try this place again. I sort of wished I went to LA Salsa or Burger King instead of eating at Trio today. I’m waiting for that Stomach Flu to rear it’s ugly head later tonight.

Last night, had the mediterranean cobb salad. Good and not overly dressed. Also had the goat cheese pizza. I bit undersized, but red peppers are a good complement to the goat cheese. What really brings this up to 4 stars for me is the extensive list of $ 22 wines. I hate the normal wine gouge, and the chianti we had was good.

Authentic «Mediterranean» cuisine — what is that? It’s like saying Asian cuisine — that makes no sense. There are so many countries that border the Mediterranean. Trio even has Tandori dishes — apparently they either geography challenged or maybe they should say «World» cuisine. They do have a large menu of foods from around the Mediterranean, we had three of them — they were all good not spectacular Trio should try to get great a one instead ok on a lot.
Next time? I think I will try their Tandori.

This review is based soley on an event I went to that was catered by Trio, so I have no actually been to the restaurant myself. The tapenade was amazing, great flavor and they refilled it, so it remained fresh throughout the event. My mother really enjoyed the Bruscetta, she kept commenting on how much flavor it had and what a nice texture the tomoatos had (not mushy, which can be common when you have bruscetta sitting out at an event). The pasta dish they served was good, but nothing spectacular. The veggies mixed in with the bow-​tie pasta, were really fresh and flavorful, however the dished seemed to lack any seasoning; however it was still good.
I definitely want to try this place out at the restaurant, with the delicious tasing I had, I can not wait to try more!

I agree with Francine, this place is nasty. I ordered a tandoori chicken panini sandwhich? It was odd, mango juicy flavored sauce and it was just bad. I don’t recommend it, I would much rather go to Daphnes greek café instead

7 eggs, 3 lemons, 2 and a half sticks of butter, 1 and a half tomatoes, a small green onion stalk, half a head of romaine lettuce, a pound of strawberries, a pint of milk, and assorted condiments that include Ragu and banana ketchup…
The above are the contents of my refrigerator and I pondered my dinner options as I drove up The Hill to my apartment.
I passed Vince’s on Hawthorne and declined, same decision with El Pollo Inka. I forgot about Inka House, but I really wasn’t in the mood to veer off onto PCH after working 10 hours. I just wanted to go home, eat a good meal, and get my grind on (I’m studying for the Series 66).
I had intentions in the past to visit Trio, but for some unknown reason I never ventured inside.
I’m not going to mention the décor, because my order was to go. Joan S and others have taken pictures and you can take a gander at those.
The food.
For such a small place, the menu is quite voluminous and they comp each diner free pita chips and hummus. An extremely long list of starters include crispy duck and mediterranean egg rolls. They also have pizza, pasta, burgers, salads, paninis, and several grill options. My starter was the Pesto Shrimp. Not bad, but the pesto was a bit on the oily side. I want my shrimp to have a bit more flavor, but at least they took off the tails and shell.
The pesto pollo tostino on foccacia bread with the green salad was really good. The pesto here was just right and the roasted chicken was well seasoned. The addition of mozzarella cheese and sweet onions made me smile. Isn’t that a Chicago song?
20 bones for the above and well worth it!

As Joan S. mentioned, on Sundays, during the PV Farmer’s Market, they wheel a cart out and cook Paella on the sidewalk. Once a month, when the Farmer’s Market allows the crafters to show, I usually have a booth for my handcrafted product line, and I am always next to the cart. They start sauteeing the garlic at 9 a.m., and while that might sound gross, since I’ve been up since 5 a.m., it’s actually pretty delicious. By 10:30 a.m., I can’t take it anymore and order a Paella! It’s so delicious (with a little hot sauce!).
As for the restaurant for regular dining, there’s not a lot of options for dining on the hill, but this is a decent one. It’s easy and inexpensive. I’ve been many times for lunch and dinner, and the menu is eclectic and pretty expansive. You can go fancy, or keep it simple. We sometimes forget about this place because it’s in a strip mall area and a little tucked away, but it’s a good option.
You can bring your own wine — corkage is $ 10.

Authentic Mediterranean cuisine.
I’ve been meaning to stop in here for the longest time. Every Sunday the PV farmer’s market is held in the parking lot front of the restaurant, and Trio’s friendly chef is cooking up seafood paella right out there on the sidewalk.
I didn’t eat much, but what I had was great. They brought complimentary hummus with crisp pita chips to start. After devouring that, I only wanted soup (French onion topped with Gruyère). I did notice that the portions being served to surrounding tables were huge, just as my server said they would be. Next time I may try the shrimp quesadilla. The sauteed pesto shrimp appetizer looked good as well.
The menu is impressive, with a good selection of steaks, chops (pork and lamb), salads, and more.
For Mediterranean food, this is the real deal.