A Refined Lunch at The Grill on the Alley (Westlake Village)

Despite the long-standing status of The Grill on the Alley (30 years!), especially the original Beverly Hills location, I actually have not dined there until recently, when I was invited for a lunch at the Westlake Village location.

The Grill on the Alley is a white tablecloth American steakhouse, so naturally we started lunch with some shrimp cocktails. Leave it to The Grill to get some fresh jumbo shrimp. Sometimes shrimp cocktail sauce is too tangy for me, but this one was nicely balanced.

We also got some oysters on the half shell.


The cocktail list at The Grill is pretty limited - it's more of a wine kind of place - but they do have some riffs on classic (and happy hour) like Mint Basil Gimlet and Rye Smash


The lobster salad was perfect for a light lunch. The chunks of lobster meat were impressively sweet and soft. The salad was composed of bibb lettuce, tomatoes, blue cheese, dill, celery, roasted walnut, and aquavit dressing.


One thing I had read about The Grill is how amazing their service was, and I experienced some of that myself on my visit. The manager had come by and we started talking about Maine and how great Maine lobster rolls are. Later, they suddenly brough out these lobster sliders that he had the chef make up on the spot.

These aren't on the menu, but they should be! The lobster sliders were so good. The buns were buttery and toasted perfectly, and as I mentioned with the salad, the lobster meat was great.

We also had the chicken pot pie, which was served in a shallow dish so it looks massive when it was first served.

For dessert: key lime pie. The homemade key lime pie is an old family recipe from the chef and is a bright ending to the meal.


The Grill on the Alley is a place where you can't go wrong. When you need to have a business meal or you need to impress someone who isn't an adventurous eater, The Grill is a great place that will also keep you happy with quality food and it's definitely a "power lunch" spot.

The Grill on the Alley
120 Promenade Way
Westlake Village, CA 91362
https://www.thegrill.com/locations/the-grill-westlake-village-california