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Tar and Roses: Restaurant Reviews

602 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, CA
310-587-0700
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Ranked #1 of 381 restaurants in Santa Monica
Cuisines: Contemporary
Dining options: Reservations, Late Night
29 visitor photos
Restaurant details
Dining options: Reservations, Late Night
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72 reviews from our community

91% Recommend
    53
    13
    6
    0
    0
Rating summary
    Food
    Service
    Value
    Atmosphere
Date Rating
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NYC
Top Contributor
145 reviews 145 reviews
109 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 18 cities Reviews in 18 cities
31 helpful votes 31 helpful votes
“Disappointed but Interesting”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed January 14, 2013

My daughter was so excited to go here and had made a reservation well in advance. Part of the problem was that we were two at dinner and I think this is better for a group.We arrived early and were told there were no tables so we had to wait for our reservation. The place is packed and people are constantly trying to get in. Several couples were turned away because they were over 15 minutes late for their reservation. I am not so sure this is an intelligent thing to do especially when the newness wears off. We were finally seated in the absolute back of the resaturant in a small room which was fine with me- away from the maddening cool crowd. Luckily the waiter was excellent and all was well in Siberia. This is one of those menus that requires work to decipher what you are going to get or if the cow is in the kitchen as we speak. The charcuterie was very good but not spectaculer. Also the most appetizing entries have to be ordered a week in advance so I advise doing this as it probably makes for a better experience.The whole cooked fish looked great but my daughter is not a fish eater so I ordered the seafood in a Thai sauce(shellfish pot). Here's the thing. I make this sauce at home, it is very easy and though the seafood was fresh, it was no big deal. Perhaps I did not order correctly, I just don't know. We were very quiet in the ride home and finally my daughter said, "I am so disappointed, I thought this was going to be great". My response, "Don't worry, I feel exactly the same way. " Disappointed.

Visited January 2013
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Malibu
Senior Contributor
23 reviews 23 reviews
17 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
11 helpful votes 11 helpful votes
“THE foodie restaurant here in ages!”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed January 10, 2013 via mobile

T&R truly owns its crown as the best foodie and fun restaurant in years. Pretenders to the throne have come and gone, but this is the real deal. Knowledgeable waiter, talented chef. No attitude, just a desire to share the best they can provide.

    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Atmosphere
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
    • 5 of 5 stars Food
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UK
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
3 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
“Thank you it saved the day”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed January 10, 2013

We arrived at the restaurant to be greeted by three ladies who bent over backwards to sit us earlier then we had booked. The decor was contemporary and warm even though we were in the garden open topped conservatory with heaters. The head manager was excellent he understood our desire for having smaller but tasty morsels to taste as opposed to having large plates of food we would never finish.

The ribs were to die for, the clams were excellent and overall the experience was fantastic.

Thank you to all the tar and roses team it was a great way to finish my holiday.

  • Visited January 2013
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Atmosphere
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
    • 5 of 5 stars Food
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Atlanta, Georgia
Senior Contributor
32 reviews 32 reviews
23 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 14 cities Reviews in 14 cities
26 helpful votes 26 helpful votes
“A must when in Santa Monica”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed December 29, 2012

The restaurant had a very unique menu with exceptional options. The whole fried red snapper was the best I have ever had and the selection of wines were perfect. The crispy pigs tail and sunchoke soup were delightful starters.
Staff were knowledgable and friendly.

    • 4 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Atmosphere
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
    • 5 of 5 stars Food
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Paris
Top Contributor
68 reviews 68 reviews
56 restaurant reviews
Reviews in 32 cities Reviews in 32 cities
44 helpful votes 44 helpful votes
“Excellent neighgorhood bistro”
3 of 5 stars Reviewed December 22, 2012

This is a wonderful neighborhood bistro, with great neo-meditteranean comfort food with american and asian influences. The wine selection is excellent, and the small plates, in particular, are varied and compose an excellent personalized menu.

I add this 3 star review, because, although very good, this restaurant clearly isn't the "best in the world", or even "the best in LA" (at least I hope so), as many previous reviewers have claimed. It is a great option when you are in Santa Monica, but most definitively not a reason to travel there... It provides fresh, hearty and creative bistro food, as you can find in the better restaurants in cities all over the USA.

  • Visited December 2012
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 3 of 5 stars Atmosphere
    • 4 of 5 stars Service
    • 4 of 5 stars Food
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