Don't Skip the Food at Employees Only LA

We all expect the drinks at Employees Only to be good. After all, that was the reason the original NYC location was so popular. But at the West Hollywood location, you shouldn't miss the food! You may have had the food here before, but if you came before this summer, you might want to take another look. Chef Brian Bornemann redid the menu at Employees Only earlier this year and it is above and beyond what you'd expect from a cocktail bar (Bornemann has taken the helm at Michael's Santa Monica but he's still helping out with the menu at EO).

To start:
Uni, nori, masago, smoked oil, sliced serrano. Drizzle the smoked oil over the uni and eat it like a taco.

If you're an uni lover like me, you can't go wrong with this dish. It had a slight kick but didn't overwhelm the sweet uni.

The next dish of halibut tartar is unusually beautiful. Halibut, preserved citrus, Arbequina olive oil, sunflower petals


We had to get some cocktails with our dinner, of course. My favorite ended up being this one that my friend ordered: The Colonial (Aperol, Plymouth gin, fresh lemon juice, home-made rhubarb syrup & Himalayan pink salt, finished with rosé prosecco)



Chickpea Fries, nori flakes, almond aillade, za'atar

I did wish these were crispier, but it was a nice vegetarian option.

Crispy Squash Blossoms, shrimp, serrano, agrodolce

I loved that these were stuffed with shrimp, and the agrodolce was a nice dipping sauce.

Roasted Bone Marrow, fingerling potato chips, lime-fish sauce vinaigrette

Crispy Squid Ink Rice, peeky toe crab, serrano, cilantro flowers

This is also the prettiest squid ink rice I've seen (it's hard to make black rice pretty!), and it tasted even better. I think this was one of my favorites, and the flavors were the most unexpected of what we tried.

Crispy Bird, petaluma pastured chicken, smoked leg, sous vide breast, fish sauce, dried chili, garlic

I don't usually order chicken, but the crispy bird is a popular order here and I can see why. I normally avoid ordering chicken breast because it's a risky move since it can easily be too dry. The breast here is sous-vided (is that a proper past tense?) so it's still nice and tender - although, of course, I'm personally still partial to the smoked leg. Served with some freshly baked pita, it's a great order for a big group.

We had an olive oil cake for dessert, a perfect ending to a great meal.


If you haven't been to Employees Only for dinner or haven't been back for a while, don't expect the same menu of burger and pizza. The new menu is much more interesting and worth a revisit to West Hollywood.

Employees Only
7953 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA
(323) 536-9045
https://www.employeesonlyla.com