Wood Spoon

Try 1 of everything, you're bound to find many favorites! more

The food was amazing and so was the atmosphere of the building, however, the waiters were horrible. I would never throw a 1 star rating around, but this time I MUST rate the restaurant 1 star. After finishing our meals, my date and I waited around 10 minutes for a check. When we finally got our waiter's attention it took him another 5 minutes to print out the check. My date had her credit card ready and immediately put her credit card on the check. Yet the waiter still walked away and we were not acknowledged for another 15 minutes! We were so upset, even after waiting 15 minutes we had to grab our waiters attention to take my date's credit card. For this we left a $0 tip. ...or so we thought. THE WAITER CHANGED THE TIP. He changed the tip from a $0 tip to a $7 tip (21% of the bill) tip. This is fraud and we are currently fixing this issue with the bank and hopefully the restaurant will not change other people's tips. I DO NOT RECOMMEND GOING HERE! more

I have enjoyed Brazilian food from coast to coast and in some of the best restaurants in Rio de Janeiro as well as friends and family's houses in Brazil. The first time I came her was a couple of years ago and my wife and I instantly fell in love with it. Darn good food and the owner made us feel like we were in her home. The second time we came the restaurant didn't open until 1 1/2 hours later that their opening time because they had a large party the night before. (Still trying to figure out why that would prevent them from opening on time) The third time, we stopped by and was told that they were closed that day. Not why they were closed or why they were actually there to tell us they were closed, but they were closed. Very strange. The next time we went, the coxinhas were cold in the center (actually frozen) but everything else was ok except our server had the personality of a toll booth collector. Just went a couple of days ago, probably for the last time, cold coxinhas, cold server, hard to crunchy black beans. It wasn't horrible but it didn't put a smile on my face. Pros: The food is Brazilian style Cons: Inconsistent, service more

So I came for dinner on a friday night with reservations which I'm glad I made since the place was quite packed. Also the place is quite small too so I would recommend a reservation to avoid having to wait outside. Appetizer - potato croquette (4 croquettes per order). I enjoyed this teardrop shaped croquette, very much, except I didn't care too much of the sauce it came with. Good just alone. Entree - Pork Burger VERY good! It was perfectly cooked and juicy and not dry at all. Must try! Also, if you like flavored water request for some cinnamon flavored water!! Pros: pork burgers, potato croquette, cinnamon flavored water Cons: no parking more

The word here is fresh. Everything here looks and taste fresh. My go to dish is the Veggie Grill with extra collard greens. The service can be a teensy bit sluggish, but the friendliness makes up for it. If you get the yucca fries ask for some green sauce. It's sooooo goood. Plus get extra salsa, mmmmm. Yums. Pros: yucca fries, salsa Cons: slow service more

In a small space in downtown LA, the Wood Spoon is a decent place for lunch or dinner. I've tried several... more

In a small space in downtown LA, the Wood Spoon is a decent place for lunch or dinner. I've tried several different things after a couple trips. Th... more

In the past, when I would walk into any type of Brazilian restaurant, it was churascarria, which is a... more

In the past, when I would walk into any type of Brazilian restaurant, it was churascarria, which is a Brazilian BBQ restaurant. There had to be ot... more

I decided to try this place mainly because Jonathan Gold (LA Weekly) gave this Brazilian restaurant quite a good review, and it?s always a pleasure to find a restaurant where food is not only the main focus, but a labor of love. At the Wood Spoon, the owner (with the bright smile) has created a delightful little restaurant, in the middle of an admittedly shady area of downtown LA. The decor is a mix of white and yellow, with bright plastic sunflowers in the windows. The service is friendly, and the menu straightforward and simple. My friend and I started with the complimentary cinnamon water ? very crisp and refreshing; an appetizer sampler with the Pastel Portuguese (fried dumpling with shrimp and coconut sauce)(our fav appetizer, crispy and tasty), Portuguese Croquette (fried ball of potato and salted cod)(our least favorite, a bit bland and the cod was strangely absent), Coxinha (fried ball with chicken)(ok, but not fantastic). We had read that the 2 house specialties were the pork burger and the chicken pot-pie (odd for a brazilian place), so we ordered those to share. The pork burger was phenomenal; juicy, flavorful with braised cabbage. The waitress suggested we eat it with the mustard, and it was an amazing complement. The pot-pie was also quite good; very meaty, with corn, but I felt it needed a kick of some sort? maybe salsa, jalapeno? something. We ended this satisfying meal with homemade chocolate truffles, rich and thick, almost chewy. All in all, we enjoyed the food and casual ambience. We would definitely return for the pork burgers and the truffles. This restaurant doesn?t serve alcohol, but Broadway Bar is right around the corner within walking distance if you need an appertif or a nightcap. Pros: Delicious, fresh food; Friendly Service Cons: Slightly bad neighborhood more

A friend had told me he wanted to take a few of us to dinner at his friend's Brazilian restaurant downtown. more

Just went last night for dinner. We were looking for a kid-friendly restaurant around downtown at about 8 pm. This place is great! They welcomed us, made recomendations for the girls (ages 2 and 3), offered an extra plate for them to share (unheard of in restaurants!). They were acommodating, friendly and best of all the food was wonderful. We had the grill with the grilled veggies and the grill with the fish option. I can honestly say that everything on my plate and that of my entourages' was satisfactory to every taste bud on my pallette. I will definitely go back, sans the kids! :) The guarana is refreshing!! Kudos on your great service!! Pros: Friendly, Great Food!!! more