Boneyard Bistro

charlzm

California

4/5  rDev -10.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$

Revisited on February 20th, 2011.

A lot has changed in three and a half years! The size of the BB has doubled and the craft beer game has stepped up. Food is more interesting (I had the tri-tip 'changa and it was a diet-killing blast of deep fried BBQ goodness) and the beer selection is far above not only what it used to be but easily bests local competition like Laurel Tavern, Blue Dog and Fox and Hounds.

Sherman Oaks' go-to beer destination. Be warned, however: my food, two beers, tax and tip was $40.00. FOR LUNCH.

At least they're open for lunch, now.

___

Visited on 08/11/07.

Parking is a pain, as you either pay at a meter or a lot or wind up walking several blocks. I just hate to pay for parking, so I opted to walk about a block and a half to get there.

I had made a reservation and we arrived right at their evening opening time (6:00pm!), but they still seemed a bit befuddled by having us there. In other words, service was disjointed and a bit slow.

The restaurant is small and the decor is mainly wood. Plasma TV shows sports (in an upscale BBQ joint???). They have a "leave your kids at home" policy, but that didn't stop a couple from bringing their squalling child and stroller into the place.

I thought the prices were a bit high for both food and beer, but I did enjoy the food and the Speedway Stout draft that I ordered to accompany it.

I did enjoy the overall experience, but I am in no hurry to return. While this is an okay place, it is NOT Beachwood BBQ North. And that 6:00pm opening time is utterly NUTS, causing me to dock a bit on points when it comes to service.

03-02-2011 18:44:44 | More by charlzm

UCLABrewN84

California

4.25/5  rDev -5.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I visited Boneyard Bistro tonight with my wife and buddy. I have known about this place for a while but haven't really made an effort to hit it up. Surprisingly it is only about 20 miles from my place and quite an easy drive overall. This place has a lot of brick, wood, and metal on the inside with lots of morbid references (skulls, coffins, cleavers, etc.). It was a bit crowded but I called ahead and the hostess reserved a table in the bar for us. Service was pretty good but we had to ask for certain things a few times before they came to our table. They have a good number of TVs in the bar playing sports. There are a very good number of beers on tap and an extensive bottle list. All the beers I ordered were very fresh and it seems like they take great care of their draft system. They have a lot of different styles offered with a few beers in each style. There are some good tap-only beers offered at any given time (Bruery BeRazzled, AleSmith My Bloody Valentine, etc.). The thing I like the most is that all beer is offered in a variety of different sizes including tasters that range from $2 up to $5 for 4 ounce pours. The food was pretty awesome too. I am giving this place a reasonable value mainly for the beer, as the food is pretty damn pricey. However, as this is a beer website I am rating this place with that in mind.

02-05-2012 07:56:43 | More by UCLABrewN84

dbmernin83

California

4.58/5  rDev +2.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

This IS the best beer selection in LA. And if anyone thinks otherwise, I wanna see their list. 41 taps, most of which constantly rotate. All micros, belgian, and german. Tiny breweries you've never heard of, but will. Glassware is on point as in there's a good chance your beer will be poured in a glass with it's name on it. Oh and there's a reserve bottle list to rival any other, even the super connoisseur's cellar. The bartenders are very knowledgable and can guide you through a meal and pair beers with whatever you may be eating. Their combined food/booze knowledge rivals this site and Wikipedia. The food is delicious. High-end REAL BBQ, great apps, deserts, and specials. The only complaint is that some food items are overpriced. But when it comes to the meat, the quality is there. This place knows what they are doing and do it well.

06-16-2011 08:35:24 | More by dbmernin83

jmgrub

California

4.63/5  rDev +3.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

I will admit right off the bat that, as a vegetarian, I am probably not the type of guy who should be reviewing the food at the meat-centric Boneyard Bistro. That's not to say they don't have some delicious items on the menu that vegetarians can eat and I have certainly enjoyed (corn bread, fried mac-n-cheese, onion rings, salad, pasta, portobello sandwich), but a bbq joint is obviously geared towards the omnivores among us.

Now on to the important part-the beer. Boneyard has a very good taplist as well as a nice list of bottles. Both are arranged by style making it easier to find exactly what you want. This is especially helpful for people like my parents, who know that they like "wheat beers" and not much beyond that. The service was very helpful as well-when I explained my parents' preferences to him, he was able to come up with a couple beers that they really liked.

I love the fact that Boneyard does a great job representing local breweries, but not to the exclusion of other great breweries around the nation and world. Hangar 24, Craftsman, Cismontane, Bootleggers, Telegraph, and the Bruery were all represented on the tap list last night. In regards to the bottle list, it is also organized by style and includes some nice vintage bottles as well as some stuff on the rarer end of the spectrum. I have yet to grab any bottles yet though, as the tap list always has something great to offer. Yesterday I had a Telegraph Reserve Wheat and a Flying Dog Wild Dog Porter-the first time I went it was a Marron Acidifie.

The food is definitely a bit on the pricier side, but I find the beers to be reasonably priced. Look forward to hitting Boneyard again, regardless of my vegetarianism!

06-07-2011 19:30:11 | More by jmgrub

3HovsepiansBrews

California

4.13/5  rDev -7.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

This is a cool little spot. I went at kind of an off-time, so I could not really get a feel for the atmosphere. However, they have a pretty good selection that may be a bit pricey, but if you go during happy hour it is a fantastic deal because they give you 25% off. Mostly American craft brews on tap (about 20), with a small selection of Belgians. They do a decent job of having a couple of beers of each beer style. I would definitely go there again. I can't comment much on the food either because I just had a few appetizers. Nevertheless, there onion rings are really good.

05-30-2011 19:22:44 | More by 3HovsepiansBrews

mrvid123

California

4.4/5  rDev -1.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$$

All about Mondays here! Why? Fried Chicken and 25% off all taps! They have a really impressive selection of taps to choose from and they group them by style which is nice. The food is a bit pricey but worth it if you are looking for something special. The servers I have had have been excellent both times. Very friendly and pretty knowledgeable. Lots of street parking to be found. The option to get small pours of any beer is pretty awesome if you are looking for variety not quantity like me. A nice spot indeed!

04-29-2011 03:37:11 | More by mrvid123

Retsinis

California

4.13/5  rDev -7.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$$$

Been to Boneyard Bistro three times now, most recently this Past Sunday.

The bar itself is pretty nice, Mostly large slabs of clean and polished wood, mahogony, or colored that way anyway. They have these glass skulls around the place too, but if fits the place.

Had 4 oz taster of Marron Acidifie on tap, my wife had a 12 oz Nautical Nut Brown. Also had a 4 oz Collaboration Not Litigation. Then the wife and I shared a glass of 20 year Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon. They have just over 40 taps, all dedicated to craft beer. Their Whiskey, Bourbon, & Brandy selection is also top notch. It's easy enough to see the taps if your sitting at the bar, but they also have each tapped beer listed on these hanging chalk boards, 1 for each tap, that is seperated by styles, i.e. Sours, Porters, Stouts, DIPA's, etc. Which is cool, and convienent.

Have eaten here twice before, but not this recent occasion. The food is very good, but can be pretty pricey. If you really love BBQ though, you probably won't mind. The beer prices are reasonable however, about $3 for tasters, and glasses between $5-$7. Great craft beer spot for the area, the valley needs about a dozen more just like it.

04-26-2011 17:42:52 | More by Retsinis

werdnacross

California

4.18/5  rDev -6.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$$

Visited this restaurant on a whim. Definitely great atmosphere walking in. Ordered a PtE to start the night which is always a great way to start. Converted to a Gubna after that but kegged got tapped so last beer was another PtE. Lots of great choices for food. Ended up going with the "OMG" Burger. Sort of a wester BBQ version of the burger but was awesome. Beer battered onion rings and IPA BBQ sauce. Great food. Bartender was very helpful and informative. Service was quick and easy although the wife did not enjoy her food quite as much. could have had to do with the fact that she ordered a chicken dish as she was trying to be a little healthy. Not for me. Definitely a great restaurant and looking forward to coming back in the future.

03-23-2011 04:11:30 | More by werdnacross

doraex

California

4.58/5  rDev +2.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I absolutely love this place. The beer selection is among the best in the city and the food is outstanding.

I love that they have great beers from all over the world and such a great bottle list to compliment that amazing draft list.

To me it's a toss up between this place and Tony's in this area. I feel like this place just isn't as well known but every bit as good in terms of beer quality.

It's easy to get to, right on Ventura Blvd. Parking is had without too much of a struggle.

The food is what brings me to The Boneyard, the beer is what keeps me there.

A+ Love it!

12-20-2010 20:39:34 | More by doraex

MuttKDC

California

5/5  rDev +11.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$$

I have been to Boneyard several times before and I love this place.

The atmosphere is great. The front walls are this huge glass window w a small patio. The place is made of wood, which looks very elegant. Basically first date kinda place.

The staff is AWESOME! Rory is one of the best bartenders I have encountered. He is extremely knowledgeable in his beers. Ask him any questions and you get the sensation that you have been there several times before. The same goes for other staff.

They have a huge rotation of beers with about 20-30 taps. Boneyard rotates their taps quite often, which is great for finding new beers. They support local breweries so you will find a wide array of Los Angeles beers. Great assortment of International (mostly european) beers. Ask for taster of beers you want to try and you will get it (I think this is an awesome concept that not enough places do). I hate getting stuck w a beer I think sucks.

The place never gets crazy packed, which is great, if you wanna avoid the overcrowded, overworked bartender scene.

The food, although pricey, it is amazing. The Dirty Elvis and the Hamburger Donut Sliders are out of this world. They have beer tasting as well as BACON tasting here! Need I say more?

One of my favorite places in LA!

11-21-2010 04:11:31 | More by MuttKDC