Axe

I hadn't been to Axe in a few years due to their rude bad-mood service and expensive food. However, I revisited Axe last week and was pleasantly surprised. The server was extremely sweet and the food was superb. I got the homemade sausage bowl with yogurt, lentils, and brown rice ($18) and my friend got the vegetable bowl with a bowl of soup. Their ginger tea is so good. We both got a tea, and total was $50. Not cheap, but worth the healthy good tasty food and finally nice respectable service! more

Really don't like this place, Had a bad experience a year ago and went again and it still sucks. HORRIBLE service and the food is subpar at best. There are so many other places to go on Abbot Kinney more

ok, i was here when this place first opened in 1999. there used to be a great server, she was attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable about the menu. the overall vibe was really chill partly because of her. i was a regular because of her and the pancake! man, how things change. i just moved back to venice from costa rica. man, what a disappointment. where to start..the service-horrible! the food-not what i remembered. i long for the old days even more now. anyone know where that girl with the black hair went to..... Pros: interior Cons: service more

You would think a little joint on Abbott Kinney would get off its high horse, but apparently this neighborhood has gentrified beyond even the locals (of which I count myself one). I called to make a reservation for 4 for a Saturday night and had to give a credit card #-- and if you don't cancel three hours ahead of time, they charge you $20/person. Joe's doesn't do this - need I say more? Please don't mistake me, I do not want to sound like a snob, but I do eat out frequently at nice restaurants and the last time I gave my credit card # to make a dinner reservation was at the Viceroy on Valentine's day (totally understandable due to the high volume of the night). That gave me an uneasy feeling about this place so I double-checked the menu (thankfully T minus 3 hours 15 minutes to lift-off). Pros: No idea. Decided not even to darken the door. Cons: credit card # required to reserve a table, is this LA Story? more

This was the WORST dining experience of my entire life and I have eaten at many restaurants. To begin, we tried to add a fourth person to our reservation and the hostess went into a snit and was so rude to us. Apparently they had us set up for three people at a two-person table. There was no one in the restaurant when we got there, but according to the hostess there was no other options. After explaining that our third and fourth patrons were 8months pregnant and 6'6"" respectively, the hostess finally ""accommodated"" us and sat us at a four top. The service that followed was appalling. The busboys swarmed around the table asking every few seconds if they could take our plates though we were clearly still working on them. This happened repeatedly. After dinner, we were paying the bill and still nibbling on our dessert, when the waiter came over and had the audacity to ask us to leave so they could seat another party. It is important noting that not only were we not there unreasonably long, but we had just spent a LOT of $. As we were leaving, I asked the hostess if we needed to get valeted. The woman didn't even deign to look up but muttered that it was complimentary. When I got outside, the valet was $5, but that last bit just topped off the whole evening. As local Santa Monica/Venice people, I am shocked by the lack of service and manners. I have dined at Michelin star recipient restaurants in France that had more manners than this place. PASS Pros: Bread pudding Cons: Service (or lack thereof) more

I went to Axe this morning to have the nine grain pancake and a good cup of coffee. I walked into the establishment only to be greeted by little orphan Annie's evil twin sister. This particular server was in a very foul mood upon entering this restaurant. I asked her for a cup of coffee and asked if I could have it served with the creme instead of the milk, she said "" I have worked here a long time and we only have milk or almond milk"". That sort of set the tone to how she would end up treating me for the rest of my meal. I had a half order of the nine grain pancake and an order of the apple smoked bacon. The bacon was cold and given to me in three extremely small slices and tasted like it was left over from the day before. The pancake was superb but the way I was treated far out weighed the taste of the pancake. Not one server would look me in the eye and not once did anyone come over to my table to a. ask how everything was b. ask if I wanted more coffee or anything else for that matter. The couple sitting next to me said they felt the same as me about the horrible service and they both expressed sorrow that I was being treated such abhorrent disdain from the staff. I was looking around and definitely noticed that I was not the only one being ignored. I would have to say as a local who lives right around the corner from the place, I will never ever go back. I will also tell everyone I know what a disaster it is in terms of energy surrounding the staff. Pros: Good Nine Grain Pancake Cons: Horrible wait staff and bad energy more

We recently went early on a Saturday night. I ordered the Trout which used to be my favorite....the fish was flavorless and was overpowered by the beets inside ( too sweet) , My husbands Duck was good and the veggies were yummy and then on to dessert...we ordered the special ( Butterscotch custard ) it came cold which surprised me being that it is the middle of winter and I found it to be far too sweet even with the sour cream on top..a huge disappointment considering I normally love their desserts. more

Wish I could have had this experience on camera. I was unhappy with my meal - hey, it happens...but from the point I brought up the issue with my steak to the time we demanded the check and left, I was shocked at the attitude of certain staff members. Is Joanna the blonde who doubles as hostess? I did not need her to explain to me what a Ribeye is... I worked at a steakhouse for 3 years - I know! Anyway, the Ribeye was a crummy piece of meat (was probably penalized for ordering well done) and there was so much fat and gristle that I could not eat it (I don't think anyone would have given their dog what I sent back). I know Ribeye's are fatty but I'd asked about theirs before ordering & it came highly recommended. What was so horrifying was how the situation was handled and this woman's attitude. The server tried to make amends - as he should have because something else went down involving him muttering ""she's a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _"" first word beginning with F and second with C (2of the worst words you can hear). He was called out on it and said he was talking about the manager woman.... whether it was me or her that he called those horrible things, it was super unprofessional and I think Axe should be very embarassed. Even if it was the best meal I've ever had - I do not dine out and pay money to be in an environment where that kind of language is within earshot! I don't know which is even worse : him saying it about me, a customer - or her, the owner and boss - in range of customer's hearing! Also was never offered water or drink refills - so when I almost choked on a piece of meat I panicked and seriously thought I might have to grab the Perrier bottle from the table next to me, lol. Anyway, the steak was taken off the bill (server rightfully pushed for that) and I did receive a complimentary salad to go, which I suppose was a decent gesture of his. This place left a seriously bad taste in my mouth though -and not just from the food. NEVER going back! Pros: Ambience? Cons: Pretentious, unprofessional and down-right rude staff more

I love Axe! I have been a fan since they opened in 1999..or was it 2000. In any case they always deliver the best edgy eats in a hip but simple atmosphere. I will be always eat here any time I find myself in Venice Beach. Pros: Decent Service nothing fancy Cons: It isnt any closer to Hollywood. Not really... I love Venice. more

This place stinks. I am not sure which was worse, the service or the food. Either way, we won't be back. Pros: nothing Cons: everything more

I happened to be sitting next to teebone on that dreadful night. Dreadful because teebone and his wife were awful. I hadn't anticipated writting anything as I was just checking out some of the reviews and saw this piece of work. I had to write. First off they walked into the place a few minutes before the place closed, which, either makes them stupid or inconsiderate or both. Whined about the porkchop, that I had myself and maybe a little to much salt, but still very good. The waiter explained, I thought very profesionally that the kitchen had closed but wouldn't charge him for the porkchop. Again, professional and curteous, I thought. Come to think of it the wife's plastic surgury actually looked a bit like the porkchop. Huh. That waiter should have told these horrible people to pay up and beat it. Stay home teebone! more

I will just say this: Yes, it is a neighborhood hangout where people can come to eat organic food. However, behind closed doors, owner, Joanna Moore is a tyrant. Her image to the public (for the two people out there who still don't know the truth) is a portrait of peace and love?? A stark contradiction to her undeniably negative demeanor and downright abusive ways towards the good people on her staff, Joanna Moore repeatedly cultivates an unsavory environment for life to grow. So when you visit Axe and get charged for a meal you simply could not stomach or get treated poorly by the staff or simply denied of basic hospitality principles know this: Joanna Moore is in the building. The staff of Axe simply has no choice but to ignore your pleas of dissatisfaction or else they will get the wrath of Joanna Moore. more

We have dined at Axe on two occasions. The first experience the hostess was down right rude, unaccommodating and was verbally abusive. Because the food preparation and flavor was worthy of a second chance we decided to give it another try. We scheduled a 9:30 reservation and were asked to leave a credit card to hold the reservation. We were not willing to leave our bank account number simply to make reservations. Because it was their last seating of the night, the hostess waved the policy. We ordered the recommended chef's special Pork Chop and when served the pork was so salty we couldn?t eat it. We brought it to the waiter?s attention and he said ""Sorry, The Kitchen Is Closed""!! This was minutes after the food had been delivered. This is absurd. They would not remake it or offer us a substitute. He told us we could eat anyway and not be charged. It was not edible and the service was unacceptable along with the attitude. We then opted to have the apple crumb cobbler instead of dinner which we have had before and it was tasty. The cobbler arrived without the crumble topping which is what makes the dessert! Once again we brought it to the waiter?s attention and he said that?s the way it comes. I would have believed him except that we have had the dish before and the table next to us had the same dish with crumbles. After explaining this to the waiter, he came back from the kitchen ""Closed Kitchen"" and said that the chef said he will not make it again, because it will be served the same way.....No Crumbles! The waiters and chef have a very indifferent attitude regarding our experience. We will never subject ourselves to this abusive place. There are many fine restaurants on Abbott Kenny that appreciate their dining customers and who deserve our business. AXED the AXE. Pros: Good lemonaid Cons: Bad attitude, service, etc more

Let's admit it--we love our organic, sustainable, farmers-market friendly restaurants, but we generally don't want to think about the labor conditions of the people who make our dining experiences possible. I wish this place was sustainable, but there is a history of lawsuits against the owner due to unfair labor practices such as health care benefits that do not materialize, salary increases that are denied, basic tools necessary for work that are withheld. I look forward to the time when the term ""sustainable"" also reflects this restaurant's labor conditions. Pros: Nice employees Cons: Owner more

The food was enjoyable, however for the incredibly high prices I had expected it to be a little more inventive and intruiging. most of the dishes were very straight forward, meat and side. It was ok, good service, etc but I think I will be looking for more affordable and interesting restaurants in the future. Pros: Tasty food, nice environment, good service Cons: Uninventive food, high prices more

Went here in a group of 4 last week to celebrate a birthday. We ordered several courses, and the appetizers did not disappoint - the flatbread and pork belly were both delicious. I had the seabass for my main course, and although it was underseasoned, it was tolerable. The shortribs were great. My boyfriend (who is a chef) ordered the steak. When it came out well-done (he asked for it to be cooked medium), our waiter took it back to the kitchen promptly. Imagine our utter shock when he came back and told us that ""the kitchen disagrees."" I have never once in my life have experienced this -- especially when it comes to the indisputable fact that the steak was completely gray - you could not have even considered it to be medium well. By this point, my boyfriend was fine with sharing our other plates, so he sent the steak back and didn't make a big deal of it. However, when we got our check a little while later, the steak was still charged! My boyfriend argued back and forth with the waiter, who kept repeating that it was ""their policy"" not to remove food charges. The owner, who was standing nearby, NEVER came over to our table to rectify the situation. Our waiter asked that we not speak to her as long as he took the charge off of our bill - but I was appalled that she was so unyielding to an obvious problem, especially when it was one of the guest's birthdays! They didn't comp any of the wine or dessert on our $250 dinner, and it was embarrassing. I can honestly say that they lost a lot more than the $35 food cost of a sh--ty steak because no one in our group will be returning. Pros: Cute interior, good servers, nice wine selection Cons: Awful ownership, terrible ""policies"", bad parking more

I went here for a sunday brunch and was really excited to finally find out what the hype is all about. We got seated at 1 after a 30 min wait, and they had already run out of 4 of the main dishes on the menu. The rice bowl was pretty good but the sandwich was extremely salty. The scone was pretty dry but the worst side was the crispy potatoes. They were not even the slighest bit crispy, seems like all they did was sliced up the potatoes, soaked them in stale oil and not even bother with a pinch of salt. On top of the mediocre food, the service was dreadful. They seemed pretty friendly to the locals, but everyone but the lady who took orders gave us pretty bad attitude. Especially a blond lady who practically denied us food. I definitely would never go back again and would advise everyone i know not to. Pros: nothing Cons: horrible service more

A nice place with great service that serves local farm-direct and organic foods. Most of the healthy or... more

A nice place with great service that serves local farm-direct and organic foods. Most of the healthy or organic places you go to feature slow ser... more

What a bummer! This was my local jaunt & I used to enjoy going here weekly but no more. The food has gone down hill..think mediocre & very salty. But worse the service is unbearable. The wait staff are miserable, slow & have a lousy attitude. It's just not worth it! more