Father's Office

tjensen3618

California

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$$

Went to this place for lunch on a weekend, the small bar and tables all were packed, we stood around for about 2 minutes debating whether we should leave or not, and just then a table opened up! I noticed the flow of patrons leaving vs. coming in was perfect, it was completely full the whole time but it seemed every time somebody showed up a party was leaving.

They had a great selection of beers, well thought out and crossed a bunch of different styles, I ordered a Sculpin and a My Bloody Valentine.

For my first visit here I felt obligated to try the Office Burger, it was absolutely delicious, juicy, and a must try. I find myself craving one as I type this review right now.

It's a little pricey here, but the quality of the food is top notch.
I will definitely be back here.

03-17-2011 22:51:09 | More by tjensen3618

ChanChan

California

4/5  rDev -2.7%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.75 | $$$

I had always wanted to visit this place. I saw a tv show mention their office burger so I was really looking forward to it.

Atmosphere: The atmosphere was fine, very loud as you would expect on a Saturday afternoon. The place had mostly a hipster crowd, but maybe these people were just the regular Santa Monica crowd!

Quality: The quality of the beer was good, this place had several different beers to choose from, mostly on draft. Unlike other awesome places, I could not find any special reserve bottles on their menu.

Service: Good!

Selection: Decent!

Food: I had their Office Burger, medium rare. I also had their frites and a side of their Patatas Bravas. I was not impressed with their food. The office Burger was good but it was not mind blowing. I would definitely give it another chance at impressing me tho.

Value: The prices here are standard. The only thing I don't like is their minuscule $1 tasters!! An ounce of beer is never enough to judge weather you like a beer or not!!

05-07-2013 16:27:41 | More by ChanChan

Bang34

California

4.68/5  rDev +13.9%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

This is THE FIRST gastropub in America according to many sources. Chef Sang Yoon was a regular at this Santa Monica hang out and after two years of haggling bought it in 2000, installed a kitchen, expanded the tap list and the rest is history.

This place is most famous for it's burger. It has been called the best burger in LA, even named the best burger in the country by Esquire Magazine. The burger is very good, as is the rest of the food, which most people do not even try because they just get the burger. Beyond the food, this place stands out for its beer selection.

They have 36 craft brews on tap. No cow-towing to Bud-Miller-Coors. They never even have Blue moon on tap. It is all focused on local, Belgian or craft offerings. This is the only place in LA that almost always has a beer from Russian River Brewing, usually Pliny the Elder and/or Perdition, thanks to the owner's personal friendship with Vinny. The taps continue through different styles from breweries like Stone, Hanger 24, Allagash, Beechwood, Taps, Surf Brewing, Strand Brewing, Anchor, North Coast et. al.

In bottles you have even more options representing imports including Trippel Karmielt, Caracol, Orval, Duvel, Hitachino, Russian River sours (Suppication, Consecration, Temptation), Westmall and more.

They also have a good wine list featuring small artisan vintners.

The place is small, like a place in a strip mall before strip malls were invented. The seating is open. Grab a spot when and where you can. The decor is spartan; yellow wood paneling a bar along the side and 11 tables that you can fit 4-6 people around. Pop-rock on the sound system and one TV with whatever game is on, but no sound for the TV, they are not a sports bar.

Grab a bar seat and let the bartender tell you about the beer. If you know what you want they will pour it for you. If you do not know, they will ask you what you like and give you something in the same vein.

Service is only at the bar. You have to get all drinks, even water, from there. For food they will take your order and give you a number where the runners will take it to you. Some hate this system, but I think it is actually very efficient. This is a bar after all, and does not try to be a full service restaurant.

Great place for great beer and great food. The service may be spartan, but you are not here for that.

05-07-2013 11:01:52 | More by Bang34

DoubleJ

California

4/5  rDev -2.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$$

"Let's drink more man!" Already filled up with booze at Venice Ale House, Maria brings up the idea of heading over to Father's Office for a change in scenery. Yes, I was getting a little bored of the beach by now, so maybe a different bar wouldn't be such a bad idea. But I was curious how much more drinking would be involved. Well, if I could try a little food, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. After all, they got the Office Burger®.

Not many options to park on the street, so we had to park a block away to find one. We walk in, hand the bouncer our ID's to prove our age, and we start to look for a place to sit. One problem, there was no place to sit. Or wasn't there? It's a small, somewhat "hip" place, with several small tables and modest sized bar (though not for the crowd that was here on Thursday night). We received help from an employee for our seating needs, where he "split" a big table of two people and gave us the use of one-half. I appreciate that.

40 different taps and 20 bottles to choose. Its selection is an upgrade of Venice Ale House, not just in quantity, but offering up beers from Russian River, Surf Brewing, Big Sky, Ladyface, Castelein, Straind, Craftsman, Full Sail, Caracole, and Green Flash. But don't forget the bottles either (Hitachino, Anchorage, DeuS, Unibroue). Glassware is given some respects, and the beer is too.

The Office Burger® came out already cut in half. Not being able to substitute (what if you can't eat bacon?), I took it with everything on it. Best burger in America? I wouldn't say in today's America, having already had tasted the outstanding Slater's and Sides Harware burgers in the previous week, but there's no doubt this version is very good. Regarding the "no ketchup" rule, I was dissapointed at first, but when I saw the fries come with a good garlic aioli sauce, I gladly took the trade. Maria orders some sauteed mushroom to share with me and Guilherme, and those were noteworthy as well (espeically since I don't eat mushrooms). There isn't much else on the food menu, so don't come expecting a full-fledged gastronomic experience.

I already knew about the controversies of Father's Office, so I threw caution into the wind. While it is a little expensive, the food was very good (and didn't need any subsituting) and the beers offered make this a good place to drink in Santa Monica.

07-09-2012 04:53:53 | More by DoubleJ

UCLABrewN84

California

4.03/5  rDev -1.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$$$

I visited the original Father's Office with my wife tonight. First off, this is a MUCH smaller location than the other one in Culver City. Basically, we were lucky to find a spot in the bar area to sit. The atmosphere is much the same as the other location with lots of wood and a modern design element to it. They also had the lights really low which was a bit odd to me. Service = you order all food and drinks at the bar, where they give you the drinks up front and a number for the food which will be brought to you. They have a very good selection of bottled and draft beers with a wide range of styles available. Quality is very good just like the other location. Prices here are pretty expensive just like the other location for both food and drinks. They also don't offer any tasters or half pint options. Overall, this is the original Father's Office and pretty much exactly the same as the other location in terms of food and drinks but I prefer the one in Culver City more.

02-20-2012 06:12:35 | More by UCLABrewN84

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.15/5  rDev +1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

I arrived in LA early enough to make it here to watch the superbowl. The place was surprisingly empty, I guess I expected a crowd. It was a Patriots/Giants year, so probably too remote to be of interest locally. Also factor in the home parties...

Awesome taps, slightly upscale pub fare, and a little smaller than I expected. I stuck with Pliny the Elder through the entire game, and topped it off with Cuvee de Tomme. Plenty of other good options too, as many others have documented.

Prices seemed reasonable to me, and the food wasn't too expensive either. They won't make a burger without cheese, which I found offensive, but they were very friendly anyway. Highly recommended.

02-08-2012 15:54:15 | More by TurdFurgison

FtownThrowDown

Ohio

4.63/5  rDev +12.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$

God Bless business trips to LA!
Coordinated an early flight to spend a evening at Fathers Office. Absolutely beautiful part of town in Santa Monica, shops and restaurants throughout. Convenient store on the corner where I found Damnation and Blind Pig.
Fathers Office SM is a great place. Good tap list, home of one of the best burgers that I've ever tasted. The evening I was there I had Stone 15th, Sculpin, and a bunch of other locals on tap. Bartenders were top notch. Very friendly and knowledgeable. This is a must stop for anybody in the LA area. All the patrons were there for the same reason, love of good beer and a good time.
The place does tend to get pretty crowded the later the night goes. I was there at open and got a seat at the bar which I never left. Between the beers and the burger, I love this place and wish I was there more often. A must visit place.

10-17-2011 01:08:27 | More by FtownThrowDown

VegasBill

Nevada

3.7/5  rDev -10%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

I arrived early evening hoping to beat the crowd and I did just barely as there were only two seats left at the bar. The atmosphere is comfortable and the beer selection is solid.I had hoped for Pliny but no luck, they did have Blind Pig so of course that was my choice. As they began to fill up I realized this was not my crowd,self obsessed plastic people. I ordered my second Blind Pig and had drank one sip from it when a couple approached me and said, can we have this seat, I just looked at my glass and looked at them, they just walked away, no comment. Even if I knew they had Pliny on tap I would not return to this pub.

09-25-2011 21:02:42 | More by VegasBill

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev -0.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$$

Stopped by for dinner and a couple of pints. Atmosphere was pretty cool and, like many beer bars, got really busy pretty early in the evening and you could barely move.

Tap list was very good, but could have been better. There seemed to be about 20-25 offerings on tap of various styles and breweries. There was nothing that really stood out for me but I still found a few really solid beers to drink while I was there.

Had the famous Office Burger and it lived up to the hype! The sweet potato fries are a must order too!

Service was friendly and knowledgeable. I would go back if I was ever in the area again.

07-13-2011 01:42:50 | More by TheSevenDuffs

naproxen

Connecticut

3.83/5  rDev -6.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$$

I stopped here for dinner and drinks on 4/18 with friends while on vacation. I hadn't heard of this place prior to visiting so I was pretty excited to be introduced to something new.

Even on a Monday night this place was well attended. There was but one booth open however, with seating for 5, so luck was on our side.

I wanted to love this place as the selection of beers and quality of food is just outstanding. New Belgium's La Terrior and RR Pliny on tap! I had a skewered lamb dish that made everyone go mmm, the office burger was fantastic as well and huge. BUT, you order everything yourself from the bar and no substitutions OR subtractions from any order. That last part just does not make sense, no subtractions? I personally love bleu cheese, however my friend with the burger did not and had to scrape it off himself. Kind of a waste, don't you think?

I'd be more apt to stop in here for some beers if in town, but there are plenty of other bars with less pretentious rules on food to wet my appetite.

04-28-2011 14:27:34 | More by naproxen