After a mind-numbing day of boutique-ing on Melrose Avenue, a visit to The Village Idiot may be the smartest decision you'll make. Soak your shopping sorrows in a pint of Guinness, Boddington's or a regional craft brew, and delight in the pub grub with an upscale twist. This gastropub serves up potato gnocchi, rock shrimp and scallion fritters alongside classic pub fare such as fish and chips or ale-steamed mussels. Locals rave about their burgers as well, served with balsamic onion relish and artisan cheese. Sidle up to the wraparound mahogany bar for some excellent people watching and perhaps even some celebrity sightings. Full bar. Serving lunch, dinner and late-night daily.
Where the Locals Eat rating
Best Gastropub
Top 100 restaurant, Los Angeles
"The Village Idiot, housed within the scraped, hollow bones of the former Chianti, is the biggest gastropub in town at the moment, a vast place dominated by the surging throngs around the bar, a pub where you can get fish 'n' chips, pints of Boddingtons and hand-drawn cider, but also crunchy cornmeal-crusted catfish, grilled chicken with bread salad, and a delicate goat-cheese tart served underneath a refreshing fennel salad."
– Jonathan Gold, LA Weekly
"If you dig pub fare but usually find it a little lacking, the Idiot features all your faves with an American twist, which becomes perfection in the making when paired with one of their killer ales. Cane and monocle optional."
– Metromix Los Angeles
How others rate The Village Idiot
Zagat 2008
19 Food Rating (Good to Very Good)
LA Weekly
Gold 99, 2007