Father’s Office

Posted by Edmund in Gastropub, Los Angeles, Restaurants | 0 comments

Father’s Office
Gastropub/Burger Bar
$12 for the Office Burger, extra for fries and drink.

2 locations in Los Angeles

I’ve been to both locations, and both are the same experience, more or less, though the one in downtown LA is much larger.

The addresses are:

1018 Montana Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90403

3229 Helms Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90034

The other day, I was out with a good friend of mine, Brett, who had just returned from London. Brett is, what I would call, a “pub rat,” just obsessed with bars in general, and and he just kept harping on about the pub scene in London—about how much better it was, both in terms of drinks and food. Pubs actually served real food in London, he kept on affirming (as though he had just stumbled on some novel concept). You couldn’t find anything like that in LA, or so he thought.

LA isn’t traditionally known for being a “pub town,” but underneath the glamorous exterior lies a thriving bar scene, and I thought I’d show Brett by taking him to the granddaddy of bars in Los Angeles, Father’s Office. Father’s Office is the premier gastropub in Los Angeles, mixing simplicity with the gourmet to come up with both some of the best pub food in town and an outstanding beer selection. Of particular interest is the legendary “Office Burger,” perhaps the finest example of a gourmet burger in Los Angeles.

Anyway, so Brett and I arrived at Father’s Office at around 9 pm, when it’s actually pretty packed. Luckily, we were able to get in without much of a wait, though it was so packed that it still took us about 10 minutes just to get a table. The interior isn’t anything impressive. It’s dimly lit, a bit cramped, and always packed. The service isn’t exactly prompt, and you might have to fight at times to get the attention of the bartenders.

As soon as you get the menu, though, you realize what all the fuss is about. The beer selection is one of the best I’ve seen in LA. Not only do you have an endless variety of beers, you have a selection from across the nation and the world. It’s not too confusing because each beer has a small description. Moreover, there is something for every price range and palate, ranging from the cheapest domestic beers to bottles that cost 20, 30, 50, or even 70 dollars. And for good reason!—Where else can you find a microbrew champaigne beer?

As for the food, there’s not quite as much variety, but everything is prepared with somewhat of a gourmet touch. There’s only one burger, the Office Burger, filled with gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, and arugula and served on a French roll—quite the odd selection, and I can imagine quite a few people who don’t enjoy any one of those ingredients. However, Father’s Office is so sure of its food, it has a strict “No Substitution” policy. Ask for anything to be removed and you’ll just get sneered at! Ask for some ketchup, and you might not even get served (and that’s really not an exaggeration). And yet, people keep on coming back for it time and time again—that just attests to how good the burger is.

So Brett and I went with a classic combo—an Office Burger, with some beer, and a basket of sweet potato fries. And it only took one bite for Brett to admit that he may have been a bit too hasty about the pub scene in LA. The Office Burger was, in fact, delicious. Perfectly cooked, with a sweetness that jumps out at you because of the caramelized onions, which are piled in a layer so thick that it’s more like an onion jelly. The cheese melds perfectly, serving as a great counterpoint to the sweetness with its gooey, strong taste. I can’t say I’m crazy about the arugula, but it does add a bit of freshness to the sandwich. Overall, it’s a greasy, cheesy, sweet sandwich that is extremely satisfying.

Would I say it’s the best in town? Probably not. But it is a fine example of a true gourmet burger—only a few ingredients and rather simple, but great nonetheless.

As for the fries and beer, they were both top notch, too. The sweet potato fries were very crispy and well-seasoned and came with garlic aioli sauce, which does work better than ketchup with the flavor of the potatoes. Still, they weren’t fantastic, and you can find better at tons of places. The beer, too, was quite interesting. I got a Belgian malt that had about 10% alcohol, while Brett picked up a Belgian blond. Both were delicious. Mine was very heavy, kind of rich, a bit on the sweet side, whereas his was refreshingly fruit and light.

All in all, Father’s Office really delivered, and Brett was forced to admit that it was quite impressive. While I do think Father’s Office may be overhyped (largely because of its history of being the premier gastropub in Los Angeles), its burger is extremely satisfying and unique, and the beer selection is phenomenal. The servers can be rude, the wait can be a bit long, and the place can be hectic—but that’s why you go to Father’s Office. And it really is worth it, especially if you just want a night out with some good friends.

Ambience: 4.0/5.0. Very cramped and small, but really hot, in a good way.
Taste: 3.5/5.0. Gains points for the massive beer selection.
-          Score for the burger: 3.3-3.5/5.0
-          Score for the fries: 3.2/5.0
Value: 2.0/5.0. One of the priciest burgers in town, with no variety and no substitutions.
Overall Score for the pub: 3.7/5.0. This is just a really cool place to hang out with some friends, especially if you want some decent food and phenomenal beer.