LIFE on Wilshire

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6311 Wilshire Blvd (at Wilshire & Crescent Heights)
Los Angeles, CA 90048

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(323) 651-5433
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LIFE on Wilshire - Los Angeles, CA
LIFE on Wilshire - Los Angeles, CA
LIFE on Wilshire - Los Angeles, CA
LIFE on Wilshire - Los Angeles, CA
LIFE on Wilshire - Los Angeles, CA
LIFE on Wilshire - Los Angeles, CA
LIFE on Wilshire - Los Angeles, CA
LIFE on Wilshire - Los Angeles, CA
LIFE on Wilshire - Los Angeles, CA
LIFE on Wilshire - Los Angeles, CA
LIFE on Wilshire - Los Angeles, CA
LIFE on Wilshire - Los Angeles, CA
LIFE on Wilshire - Los Angeles, CA
LIFE on Wilshire - Los Angeles, CA
LIFE on Wilshire - Los Angeles, CA
LIFE on Wilshire - Los Angeles, CA
LIFE on Wilshire - Los Angeles, CA
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Reviews
( 18 )
( 4 )
( 3 )
( 1 )
( 12 )

Best

So, my friend and I came for trivia night and the place is just so nice. Good food, good drinks and the host, who actually is the owner, comes around to talk to everyone and ensur...

Worst

We have been to this place before for happy hour and it was pretty low key. The drink prices and food are great at happy hour so we decided to take a few friends there for lunch....

Enjoy Life on Wilshire 8/14/2010

I had my first encounter with Life on Wilshire last night at a party at the restuarant a close friend of mine had there. As an Orange County gal, I get up to LA about once a month or so and was happy to find parking so easy at this place (in the bank parking lot free on Sat. night or valet if you so choose). We were warmly greeted by Mike the owner and bellied up to the bar where he fixed us the most refreshing Blueberry Collins (blueberry vodka, collins mix and fresh blueberries). The venue is comfortable and can be configured for dining, dancing, live performance or all of the above. On the positive side, the food was delicious and reasonably priced. Service was a bit spotty but the wait staff was friendly and pleasant. Try the Jalapeno Mac and Cheese or any of the burgers...really good! The bar was busy all night and bartender Frankie from New Jersey is efficient, friendly, and accomodating. We really enjoyed him. You can eat, drink, dance and if you so choose, smoke on the patio outside. The party guests filled about two thirds of the place, but there were not a lot of other patrons. I don't live or work in the area, but if I did, I'd check out their happy hour, lunch, and some of their musical nights. more
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Horrible management beware.. 6/17/2010

It pains me to even have to give this place one star, in my eyes it doesn't even deserve a full star. The only good thing about this place is how it look inside. It's a very nice setup, however that's as far as the good things go for this place. This is not just a bash on the place, they are true statements that are meant to prevent others from having to experience the same thing. Don't waste your money here. The owner, Mike, at first meeting seems like a pleasant man (despite his wannabe Brett Michaels look) however he is extremely fake and only cares about his friends. He seems to have no desire to grow his business for new customers because he is extremely inconsiderate and a contract means nothing to him. Money is essential to keep a business running, however that is all Mike cares about. The service there is also terrible because there are only one of two people working all the tables. It takes forever to get anything. There is a pattern in all the reviews and they all center around the owner. It's unfortunate that such a nice looking place is so poorly managed. Life on Wilshire is running out of time and people.. Pros: Aesthetically pleasing Cons: Inconsiderate owner, horrible service more
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Good choice for lunch hour 1/24/2010

Great lunch alternative to Subway, Johnny Rockets and Wahoos if you work on the Miracle Mile. LIFE has a diverse menu with hearty sandwiches and salads and an atmosphere that's appropriate for a "nice" group lunch. Definitely order the jalapeno mac & cheese. Strangely, this place is never full, but make sure to tell the servers if you're short on time, otherwise you'll end up waiting forever. Pros: good food Cons: slow service more
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Horrible experience 11/9/2009

I was there with my company for lunch. Besides waiting forever for our food, which ended up being great, the service was horrible...don't go there Pros: Good Food Cons: customer service more
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Great Atmosphere 10/4/2009

I went there for a birthday party and the atmosphere was great, the food was good and reasonably priced, but the music was horrible. It definitely did not motivate you to dance. They do this thing where they mix the beat of a song with the words to another, and while this could be good, in this instance it wasn't. I would go back for Monday night football, but it would not be on my list of places to on a Friday or Saturday night. Pros: Good Drinks, Good food, Good Service Cons: Horrible Music more
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WANT THE SAME SERVICE OF ANY FAST FOOD PLACE? DINE HERE! 9/3/2009

my husband and I used to frequent this establishment because of the food. I am a chef and appreciate great food. That's not a problem for LIFE, however, their problem is customer service. We constantly have to get up to place an order, to get utensils and napkins. With that type of service we could have gone to a Mc Donald's, as a matter of fact you would probably have a better experience at Mc Donald's . I was tempted to go into the kitchen and cook and serve the food myself. Bottom line- great food. . . horrible service. I would NOT recommend this place EVER! It is very unfortunate- I never have written a negative review on a venue, this is how bad the service was. Pros: great food Cons: service is horrible! more
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This place is pretty awesome 4/5/2009

So, my friend and I came for trivia night and the place is just so nice. Good food, good drinks and the host, who actually is the owner, comes around to talk to everyone and ensures a good time. This place is a must if you are looking for something casually swanky. Enjoy!! more
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City Search for food and service not for theft.. Who cares??? 2/28/2009

It is amazing to me that people write things on this site sometimes. Although here I am writing on it myself. I think many of your mothers, fathers grandmothers etc. always used to say if you do not have something nice to say don't say it all. Now obviously the review part is supposed to inform people whether the food was good or bad , service, ambience etc, I get that part. I even get when owners are idiots.. But some of you i think are forgetting that this is hollywood! Atleast this owner is at the club everyday cleaning tables, making drinks and fixing things most of the comments leads me to believe you even got in! Go to any restaurant or bar in the hollywood area see how fast you get, and see how your service is then come back to a place like life! Staff rotates in the town everyday cause every staff member is waiting for speilberg to call! As far as the owner is concerned so he is an idiot so what else is new! Club owners open bars to get girls and make money period! My suggestion is if you hate the place say you hate the place, Just because the owner is a idiot does not mean the food is bad or they steal! (which is hilarious ) and on that note the previous comment about bringing your own crowd? So you played there and it was not busy? Hmmm so you are saying you have no fans that came to see you, because I think... and I may be wrong here but it is your job to bring people to see you play.... Go try to play at The Hotel Cafe ... if you don't bring 75 people marco will not let you even go on to play .... Oh ya! and speaking of an owner that is a total piece of work and the service is awful and the food is terrible that would for sure be the Hotel Cafe! But strangely enough they are still in business and packed every night!!! inclosing I just have to say we have free speech in the united states so tell us all the the food is bad and the service too but no one cares about the owner or EVER so get a life! haha play on words! brilliant name for a club! Pros: Amazingly beautiful place, Great live music spot Cons: Still has not found its niche more
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Need a change 2/27/2009

Audience, bring your own. Nobody will be there to see your band. The owner, Mike is in my opinion a criminal. He locked my guitar in his office and it mysteriously dissappeared. Welcome underaged drinkers, you will be served. Soon to be out of business. I gaurantee it!! more
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Horrible place!!!! 2/24/2009

First off the place bites big time. It used to be a decent place almost like Cheers where everyone knew my name and was glad I came. Now its lame, the owner is extremely rude unless you're one of his freinds, a glass of soda is 3.50 lemonade is 2.50, they even have the nerve to charge for entry. If you really want a decent meal and drink DO NOT GO TO LIFE!!!! For the prices you're better off at a real restaurant. Also, I just found out that Paul is gone, I've met so many different people up there thanks to that guy just introducing us to one another. Did you also notice the "C" they got from the HD that hides behind the cement wall. The food isn't fresh and again for the last time its OVERPRICED. So basically people Life On Wilshire is Lost On Wilshire...PS, it seems that eveyone's main problem is the owner, i've experienced it aswell as heard it from several employees. I noticed him responding to the more "in his favor" reviews, i'll bet he doesn't respond to the last 3. Pros: there'a always an empty table! Cons: why is there always an empty table? more
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Will Not Be Back ... 2/22/2009

Wow, I must admit the place is on the pricey side of things, it was worth it, teh 5 or six times I was there, when certain people are there. Amanda makes things lively with her cute, undeniable East Coast accent and Paul and his one-of-a-kind humor made people want to stay. Now, with Paul gone (from what I hear, issues with the owner) and the uncertainty of the other manager's schedule - it's just not worth going back to. Although the wait staff is great, the bartenders are very cool - it's the other end of the business that completely brings the mood and atmosphere to a catastrophic hault. The owner seems a bit pretentious and is seemigly only concerned with the his bottom line and pleasing his friends when they visit. I cannot begin to tell you the horror stories heard from the staff while they were serving us (at least 4 employees who are no longer there have complained to patrons) re: ownership! ... I honestly cant envision going back - no reason to. The place has gone from an up and coming hot spot to a has-been/never-was in a matter of months. Dont want to make it seem all bad, at least the food fairly good but with such high turn over, how long will that last? ... more
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what happened?? 2/22/2009

So I see that the reviews went from great to terrible for this place and honestly it's the truth. This restaurant used to be such a fantastic place to hang out. The staff was great, food delicious, and atmosphere pleasant. I used to go to Life at least once a week and was never disappointed- that is until recently. Suddently all the familiar faces that I grew to know were gone- the waitstaff, the managers, and even the chef. I couldn't believe the turnaround, but in the service industry I figured that is normal. I tried to give Life a chance, even though I was concerned about the sudden changes, however I should have gone with my gut and ran screaming! Not only is the food inconsistent, it takes forever and doesn't excite me the way it used to. For the prices they charge for food and drinks, you would think they would have a decent restroom that isn't always broken or dirty- especially since half the times I have been there we were one of only a few tables. Last, THE RESTAURANT HAS A "C" RATING!!!! In Los Angeles where there are thousands of great restaurants, who eats at a C? Makes you wonder what going on behind those kitchen doors........... actually I'd rather not think about it. It's a shame to see such a great spot go down the drain. Save your money, and eat somewhere else! more
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life is lame 2/20/2009

First thing that got to me me was the $10 cover charge. Obviously I'm not a fan of the charge, but if you have to pay it, you expect it to go towards live music. Umm where was the music? I didn't hear any music for at least one hour, and soon after it was just a crappy band with 2 dancers who was one for no more than 5 minutes. So that's one major strike. Another is the service. I was at Life for a bday party,and while our friends kept pouring in, the rest of the bar was nearly empty. We wanted to spread out and take another table, and the waitress fought us on this. Then of course was ordering. Took at least 10 minutes to get a drink in an empty bar, what? Pricey! and they fought me on closing my tab. Who does that? I do not recommend Life as a bar or party spot. Pricey, boring, bad service, mean people. Maybe it's better as a restaurant, but I just don't know. I won't be returning. Pros: at least you have room to breath Cons: everything else more
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A group of customers lost.... 2/19/2009

We have been frequenting this restaurant/bar for quite some time despite issues with slow service, consistently receiving wrong food orders (our guess - due to not enough staff coverage) and rising prices. It was a place of convenience with which to bring good friends back together. Our group continued to gather at Life on Wilshire because Paul and Amanda (managers) were always very friendly and inviting, as well as was most of the wait and bar staff. We thoroughly enjoyed Team Trivia. Paul, being a very entertaining host, kept us coming back week after week. Our understanding is that Paul is no longer part of the team. With his departure and the obvious high turnover of staff tells us that there is an issue with the owner. We will not continue to support an owner who seems to have little regard for taking care of good, hard working employees. It is no longer worth our hard earned money. Pros: Very congenial staff Cons: owner issues more
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Really Disappointed With Life 2/18/2009

I just discovered today that I won't ever be going back to Life on Wilshire. I enjoy the food, I think the staff is great and I really had fun at trivia, but I have heard horror stories from the staff concerning the owner. Today I heard that he was extremely disrespectful to the manager who hosts trivia and fired him. I dont want my money going to a person like that. There are too many places in LA for me to spend my hard earned dollars at. Life is too short to be a bad human being. Pros: the servers and bartenders, and managers and the b.s. they put up with Cons: the owner more
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Life is so much better without the owner there!!! Rating based on the owner not being there. 2/2/2009

I'd have to agree with the other patrons the bar is a cool place when the right people are there, i must admit they are a bit pricey but the way the managers Paul and Amanda make you feel, its well worth the money being spent. I met the owner maybe once or twice, and i'd have to say, he's a bit on the rude side, one can tell he's brand new to the restaurant/bar business. But now that I hear Paul is gone, I seriously doubt my friends, co-workers or anyone i know will be returning to this place anytime soon unless, someway somehow Amanda and Paul take over. Also, trivia is a load of you know what, if you win you get a 50 dollar gift certificate, but when you read the fine print you didn't win anything but a chance to spend more money with them. The fifty doesn't kick in until you've past 25 dollars of your own money, and its only for food. There isn't a bar in town that would make me spend 75 dollars on food. I can't believe they actually charge people to buy a drink, its not Level 1 anymore, but yet they charge for entry, overall if you walk in ask for Amanda or Paul and if neither of them or there leave immediately....By the way happy hour isn't that happy its 2 dollars off a 12 dollar drink, anyother happy hour in town is always buy 1 get 1. The more I think about the more upset I get, beacuse I liked this place alot, based on the people. I'm going to miss trivia. Pros: There's still Amanda Cons: No more Paul more
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I dream about their calamari- and the owner was awesome to my dog! 12/9/2008

My office window looks out on Life and, because we are a crew that enjoys a drink, we go as often as we can. It's been the office bar for at least the last four years and it was called something else not too long ago. But that is not the point...We could go somewhere else but, like George Michael & Andrew Ridgeley before us, we choose Life. It's easy to get to, is comfortable and well decorated, and has an outdoor seating area where I once got to drink accompanied by my awesome dog. The owner is a dog lover and even gave him some bacon. Needless to say, it's my dog's bar of choice. We did have an odd experience there once, but I have to say it's a really pleasant place to grab a drink and some pretty darn good comfort food. The calamari is so good- how do they make it so good? It's neither oily, brittle or overdone. It tastes like it's supposed to- light, salty and crisp- and I find myself strangely craving it. I only wish they'd served it with a touch of marinara on the side, but it's good without it. The grilled cheese can also be good when you want something totally gooey. Those are my faves and I should say that I don't eat red meat. However, everyone in the office has a favorite on the menu. It's just a great place to gather. It's lively some nights, more chill others and has a fun vibe but It's never too loud to enjoy yourself. I have had great experiences with my bartender and our servers and they've got some nice happy hour specials. And on election night, they had a ton of TV's set up for what looked like a great viewing party. It's very cool that they do things to make events like that special.You can drink and not miss seeing how the electoral map fills out. It's definitely worth a visit. And if you don't enjoy the calamari I'll be incredibly surprised. more
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Our office's default party spot 11/10/2008

All-purpose party spot for entertaining visiting VIPs and office going-away lunches and after-work get togethers. The place is open, welcoming and very classy without trying too hard. The menu is a bit restricted, but everything I've tried has been good to excellent. I go as often as the wallet allows--the waitresses have always been insanely hot and wear chic designs that are the envy of the gals in our office. So far, I'm a lunch-only customer, but the manager, owner and chef are very welcoming and quite competent, and service is prompt and charming. Lately, the chef switched to a different brand of chicken sausage that tastes funky to me, but the seafood angel hair pasta could be the inspiration for a new religion. Favorite appetizer is the calamari and favorite beverage is the light Pinot Griigio. Prices are a smidge high, but the place is in walking distance of some dodgy areas and the price succeeds in keeping Life (quoting from Cold Comfort Farm) "ever so smart and select." As long as the doors are open, this will continue as my stylish, smile-filled refuge from a stressful, kitch-filled world. Pros: Charismatic staff, prompt lunchtime service Cons: I can't afford to eat there every day more
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Horrible experience 10/31/2008

So many things were bad about this place I don't even know where to begin. Mean waitresses with serious attitudes, poor service, would disappear for 30 minutes at a time, forget your drink. I had to hunt my waitress down twice to order drinks. When the drinks arrived, the glasses were half full. I had to send back my sashimi because the fish was bad. There was an automatic 20% gratuity for a party of 4, included in the bill, which I only noticed when I made sure I wasn't charged for the sent back sashimi. Our food order was given to another table by mistake with no apology or explanation making us wait longer. I wouldn't recommend this place to my worst enemy. NEVER go there!!!! Pros: I never have to go back. Cons: Everything more
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Great people work here. Check out the happy hour 9/17/2008

Check out the review of this and many other happy hours at: happiest hours(dot)blog spot(dot)com - no spaces between words, but City Search won't allow it any other way. What I don't like is that during HH, none of the apps are discounted. All regular menu price. That would be okay, but the food is just not that special. Had the burger sliders and I gotta say, the ones at Happy Ending are far better (haven't been there for HH yet, but soon). The mojito chicken skewers were GREAT - get an order, even at $8.75 for three skewers (yikes!) - and the grilled cheese was nowhere near the hype. The bread was hard and way over-toasted. If you want a grilled cheese to die for, go to Doughboys and order the After School Special. Nothing comes close (and yes, Campanile, I've been on GC night - it's over-rated). What rocked about Life was the awesome decor - so big and comfy - but at 5:00 p.m. we were the only two people in there, which was both weird and good. Weird because you never want to be the only table in a bar, and good because the staff wound up hanging out with us and they were insanely cool - a lot of fun, liked their jobs, made good menu recommendations, etc. As a result, we got a few things that aren't on the regular menu that were AWESOME (but can't really review them, since it was just something the chef made for the fun of it) and not much of what we ordered showed up on the bill. I can't say much more, because I would hate to get anyone fired, but it was a fun, cheap night. Don't bank on having the same experience. How are the drinks? Like I said, this was the best dirty vodka martini I have ever tasted, and it was five bucks. 'Nuff said. more
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Menu for LIFE on Wilshire


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Cocktails and inventive comfort food draw laid back professionals to this Mid-Wilshire bar and lounge.

Owner Message

  • LIFE Restaurant & Lounge on Wilshire Blvd is good! This newly remodeled location on the corner of Crescent Heights & Wilshire is a must visit. LIFE is open for lunch, dinner, & late nights with an extensive American menu of comfort foods & specialty cocktails. LIFE offers Happy Hour Mon - Fri from 4pm - 7pm. $2 OFF ALL drinks - and discounted appetizers. THURSDAY nights are new and LIVE! Come for live jazz every Thursday, free show and it all starts at 8pm!

Editorial

  • In Short
    Once home to after-work haven Level One, this revamped restaurant is more cuisine-focused than its more casual predecessor. Green and brown hues, plus bright, climbing orchids infuse the narrow room with a touch of the tropics, while low-slung couches and high-back booths provide ample sprawl space to diners. The daytime menu presents exotic twists on American lunch classics, like a grilled salmon salad with julienne fennel and pineapple salsa. More macho dinner plates include Chinese five-spice baby back ribs and lime-and-jalepeno-marinated skirt steak.

  • 6/21/2007 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Mon - Tue 11:30am - 12am Wed - Fri 11:30am - 2am Sat 7pm - 2am
  • Payments: Visa, American Express, Master Card
  • Neighborhoods: Carthay Square, Central LA
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