Carlitos Gardel Restaurant

This place has incredible service and a delicious menu. The prices are very reasonable given the location. Definitely worth checking out. more

Was in LA the other night and looked this place up on google. I'm so glad i did. they were so attentive and the food was great. i asked for a milanessa with a small side of gnocchi. OMG! they were both done to perfection! I've had these entrees from NYC to Buenos Aires and these were the best yet. oh and the chimichuri was wonderful. desert was Dulce de Leche pancakes, Wow! you've got to go. more

I've been to this location two times with family and friends, and both times were amazing! Great food! I had the skirt steak and it was made to perfection! The service is incredible, they offer live music during weekends, and treat everyone like family. Hopefully you'll get to hear the entire family sing together (they're great!) There's no way anyone can leave here without a smile! :) more

I hope this place expands it is too small and gets crowded easily because it is TOO GOOD! I had such a lovely time at this place. I had read the reviews and the zagat and this place had a very high rating for steaks at a lower price than the ""famous"" steakhouses in town. I like that, so we went. I had the most tender, juiciest rib-eye steak. We dont usually go out for steak, I grill them at home. But I was in the mood. It was spectacular!!! The service was wonderful, helpful, and warm. This is obviously a family owned place and they were all lovely people. I hate snooty model- wannabe waitresses....this place does not have that! Thank God! The clientele in this place was way cooler too. Not a bunch of youngsters in trashy clothes desperate for attention as is the case often times on Melrose. AND THE DESSERT!!! OMG! You have got to get the signature dessert ""Pastery de Gardel"" something like that anyway.....it brought me to tears. I want that again!!! Pros: Food Cons: too small more

I absolutely love Carlito's and always look forward to the opptoruntiy to dine there. The food is amazing, the atmosphere and service is fabulous and they never disappoint....my mouth waters just thinking about it!!! Pros: Awesome food and service! Cons: None! more

Carlitos Gardel makes dining an unforgettable experience. They have great Argentinian tapas as starters and their steak beats any steakhouse in Los Angeles. My favorite is the filet stuffed with portobello mushrooms. They also have the 48 oz bone in rib-eye which is fun to share at a very reasonable price. On weekends there is a piano player that can play any song you request. This restaurant is perfect for any occasion. Pros: Best Steak, Great Music, Quality Service, more

This place is my absolute favorite restaurant. The food is amazing! The wine selection is phenominal. And the service is first class. I've dined here about 20 different times and can't wait to go back. Pros: Everything Cons: Nothing more

This is my most favorite new restaurant. It is an absolute gem! The steak I had was out of this world and the wine could not have been better. The service was extra-ordinary. Besides the food being so good, the restaurant is just so charming, warm, and full of heart. I can not rave more about this special restaurant. Pros: family run, awesome food more

A taste of Argentina in L.A. A romantic atmosphere great meats and pastas ,elegant and friendly service, if you want to impress people by inviting them out it sure is the place, not to mention the desserts are to die for ...Highly recommended. Pros: Best and most affordable steakhouse in town. more

I looked up this restaurant on a whim and went early on Easter night. The service was excellent: if something wasn't quite right, even if you insisted that you didn't need it redone, it was redone anyway. Even when we declined desert, which is homemade by the head chef (dulce de leche), they brought us some anyway, because they wanted us to taste it. The sea bass and the lamb were excellent, as were the side dishes (vegetables) that were served with the food. The service was excellent; definitely recommended! Pros: Staff is determined to make your meal perfect Cons: None! more

Great food, great wine, great atmosphere. The quality and freshness of the food is excellent, the steaks are unbelievable, the Paella is sublime. Not to mention the deserts done by ""mom"" where you taste the love. Please let the Sommelier choose your wine according to your order, you will experience something amazing. I can't mention all the dishes or I won't have room. But you need to keep going back again and again, because you need to taste all the items on the menu and specials. The cozy and elegant ambience is great. The presence of the family running the restaurant is undoubtedly the huge cherry on the cake!!! We won't stop to patronize the amazing restaurant we were lucky to find. Pros: Best overall in town more

Went there for my 30th Birthday. The service was top notch - the waiters were attentive without being intrusive and very accomodating to us. The atmosphere was also great, mood lighting with dark wood panels; there was also music. I had the strip steak with pumpkin-mashed potatos and vegetables - very good. I also highly recommend the french fries - it's a specialty of the restaurant. \r \r It was a great experience and we will go back soon. Pros: Great Atmosphere, Great Service more

No matter what you want in a restaurant, be it atmosphere, great food, fun and warm atmosphere, or wonderful wine selection, you will find it at Carlitos! It is a not to miss gem!!! Pros: Amazing food; warm atmosphere; fun; superb staff more

I can't say enough good things about this place. We went there for the first time the other night and each course was better than the last. We had several appetizers to start. The spinach empanada was scrumptious and the stuffed mushrooms were to die for. Afterwards we had the shrimp salad, which was the best salad I've probably had in 5 or more years. For our main course, I had the steak with peppercorn and LOVED it. I'm not usually a steak person, but when in Rome, right? Out of this world!! I honestly don't think I could come up with one bad thing to say. Oh?I forgot to mention the wines are exquisite. The staff couldn?t have been nicer. I could just gush all night. Definitely check it out. Pros: Everything!! more

An evening in early November at Carlitos Gardel proved to be the best decision ever, especially since I was celebrating with my husband his 50th birthday.\r \r The Portabella mushroom with Spinach was excellent amongst many of the dishes we ordered that evening. An absolute delight.\r \r The service was impeccable with the level of attention we received and the restaurant was full, yet we felt as if we were their only guests.\r \r To top it off the Happy Birthday song played on the piano was most definately the icing on the cake.\r \r Whenever I'm in Los Angels again, Carlitos Gardel will be part of my visit. more

I have to say this is the most professional Argentinean restaurant I have been to in the States. The maitre d and sommelier are suited and there is a serious attempt to present the country's wines, to good effect.\r \r The appetizer salads were nice, and the fried calamari greaseless. A special of sweetbreads in a ragout of mushrooms, peppers and onions was tasty but the vegtables overwhelmed the organs.\r \r A parillada (mixed grill) for two was well-prepared if not overly generous, one each of the chorizo and morcilla. I did not think the marination improved the flavor of my ribeye, which otherwise was a nicely sized, suitably tender cut. Next time I will try a bife de chorizo, My son's gnocchi were tiny like spaetzle, a bit disappointing. The star item is the french fries. For dietary reasons we did not order any, so the maitre d comped us Well seasoned and complimented with sauteed peppers, they are worthy of a trip all by themselves.\r \r If I were you, I would start wih salad, have the parillada for two, and maybe, just maybe, have room for dessert. Don't skip the fries.\r \r Try it! Pros: Ambience, Staff, French Fries more

The music was nice, the restaurant was crowded, and the fish was terrible. It was the ""fishiest' fish I have ever had. I could only manage to get down a few bites. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone who has working taste buds.\r more

Tiny hole in the wall place. Highly recommend chimichurri rib-eye and don't leave without try the garlic... more

Tiny hole in the wall place. Highly recommend chimichurri rib-eye and don't leave without try the garlic fries. Very large wine selection and the... more

Well... I just returned from Argentina from a 10 day expedition to experience the country that everyone seems to be talking about. The wines, the people, the club scenes, the restaurants... it's all true!!! Buenos Aires is truly an amazing place, with a countless things to see and do. After returning back home, I got together with a group of friends to share with them my experiences and the Malbecs I was daring enough to smuggle out of the country. One of my friends mentioned that there was an Argentine restaurant in town that he always loved to go to. I thought he went one of the Gaucho chains, and immedietly discarded his comment, but then he mentioned that the restaurant was named after a tango singer, and I realized we weren't talking about the same place. I was intruiged and decided that on my next night out I would check the place out. It turned out to be Carlitos Gardel restaurant on Melrose Ave! The ambiance was just like that of Buenos Aires, which was a wonderful surprise. I expected to run into the usual ""LA"" vibe. But the part that delighted my friends and I most was the food. From our appetizers to the steaks that arrived at our table, the dinner was outstanding and impressive. The steaks most of all had nothing to envy the best ones I had in Buenos Aires, and the wines that were paired with our dinner were more than impressive, some of which I do remember drinking in Argentina. For dessert we were offered some unique cakes and tarts created by the owner herself. They also were delicious and with enough dulce de leche to satisfy just about any Argentinian I'm sure. Overall I highly recommend this place for anyone interested in Argentina and it's food. Pros: Ambiance, Steaks, Winelist more