DAMA Fashion District Restaurant & Bar, Los Angeles CA

My favorite show of all time, Insecure, brought me here. The characters Issa and Lawrence were dining at Dama on the show, and I was intrigued. Since I was only seven minutes away at an art show, hubby and I decided to try out Dama.

Dama is a Latin-inspired restaurant located in the Los Angeles Fashion District. I'm not going to lie; the area is a bit sketch, so be careful and be mindful of your surroundings. They do have valet parking which is a plus. I recommend making a reservation if you want to dine in the dining area. We did not make a reservation but were able to eat at the bar.

The overall ambiance and Aesthetic were very chic with deco tropical vibes. Very romantic and has a great bar area. Friendly staff and quick service.

For drinks we got a sangria and a sandia y mezcal. The sangria was terrible! It tasted like pure syrup. It definitely tasted like they forgot some ingredients. But the sandia y mezcal was delicious! For food, we got several different appetizers:
- prawns (very tasty!)
- empanadas (these are minis, and they were ok)
- Fried calamari (omg yes! This dish was excellent!)
- oysters (yes!)
- aguachile (not my favorite, it has a different texture)
- squash flowers (this was a big no for me, too much filling)

The dessert menu was a bit sad. I thought they would surely have flan or maybe even a tres leches cake. Instead, they had ice cream or churros. I went ahead and got the DAMA flight which included every flavor of ice cream they had and mini churros. The ice cream flavors included banana, rice pudding, and smores. The only one worth eating was the banana ice cream. The rest wasn't it. I also ordered a very yummy cappuccino!

Overall, the place was super cute. Unfortunately, most of the dishes just didn't do it for me. The menu was pretty limited, so I probably won’t come back.

Super chic restaurant! Latin influence is clear with the patterns and art on the walls. Lively and vibrant dinner spot.

My boyfriend and I ordered the crispy squash flower appetizer and the whole snapper to share and it was absolutely delicious! We shared and it was plenty of food for us.

I didn’t like my waitress. I felt like she was too young or didn’t have enough etiquette for such a classy establishment. Her personality did not match the vibe of the restaurant. At one point she said “are you happy? ” As if to imply I wasn’t before or I wasn’t enjoying my meal. But Everything was delicious!

What a wonderful experience we had dining at DAMA this evening. As a frequent viewer of the Food Network, I always enjoy watching Antonia Lofaso compete on FN with her creative dishes and eye for detail. Our waitress, Cindy helped us choose small plates
complimented by their special sauces.

I do really love this place. Ive gone on different nights and days (sundays are my fave). Love their patio and bar seating. Great place for some cocktails and apps if you dont want to do a lot of food. But everything is good. I love the lamp chops, the seafood tostada is the best. The sandia cocktail with watermelon in the summer is perfect.
The guacamole with chips is a simple crowd pleaser and everyone loves the churros. I also really love the bone marrow.

The sommelier is great and the bar carries excellent brands that have stories to them, which they will tell you about. If you close your eyes when a breeze blows through the patio you can almost mistake LA for Havana.

Pros: Gorgeous restaurant, delicious food, great ambiance
Cons: the fashion district gets scarier and more desolate by the day, hilariously expensive cocktails

Had a great time here at Dama. It was easy to get a reservation on a Saturday. Ambiance and decor were spot on. Cocktails were excellent and the food was very well proportioned and high quality. Service was also good. Be prepared for $17+ cocktails of course as well as semi-mandatory $12 valet parking. The fashion district becomes uglier and more skid row-ish everyday but Dama is still able to maintain an oasis of calm and beauty. Recommended!

Great vibe and food. Lamb shank was amazing. Enjoyed the service. Cocktails at bar could have used more alcohol and a full glass. Surrounding neighborhood is a little sketchy. Would definitely go back again.

It’s just like expensive but feels like you’re sitting someone’s windy yard. It’s cold at night, the only saving grace is the drinks. Maybe sit at the bar or near the bar and it’s better?

Fun space and the food fit the vibe. Started the evening with some amazing cocktails and each course was better from there. Seafood tostada is a must and while it is easy to fill up on small bites, don’t skip the mains which was the fantastic rotisserie chicken. New favorite spot.

Went there yesterday for my birthday with my family. Food was ok for such small portions. We had the empanadas, bone marrow, and squash flowers for apps. Those must have been some malnourished cows cause there was next to nothing of bone or marrow in the dish. For entrees we got the chicken and snapper. Chicken was a little dry but flavorful when not dry. The snapper had great texture but it was covered in this tomato spiced paste which was good but all the food left me feeling confused. I understand this is a Latin restaurant, as I myself am Latin, but I felt the food was as confused in the flavor it was trying to articulate as I was eating it. Server was cool. Checked my ID for a drink but didn’t bother saying happy birthday. Wasn’t expecting a round up of servers to sing a song like Chili’s but a simple happy birthday would have gone a long way. I went to BJ’s in Glendale on Friday and the server there wished me a happy birthday 2 days before. 3 out of 5 experience. And Jesus Christ you have to go through the 4th world (skid row) to get there.

The location is really nice especially the interior decor of the surrounding bar area. The drinks are really good so it's not just for show. It's very roomy and not too loud do you can go chill out or have a nice date. The highlights on the menu are definitely the lamb chops and the crispy potatoes. Definitely try everything else but those are my top recomm's

So appreciative of the vallet parking. Atmosphere of restaurant was so inviting. Server was gracious and very accommodating. Cocktails had a kick to them. The menu was more of a tapas vibe. Food was good and brought out in a manner in which you could savor what you ordered and enjoy your company.

Excellent location, the food and drinks were horrible. Real bummer considering how cool the spot is. Food was burnt to a crisp and underseasoned and the drinks were fine. Tastes like something you'd make at home on a whim, not worth $18 per.

This place is super cute and comfy. Food was really good but in all honesty it was too overpriced for the portions. I ordered the aguachiles and it was a disappointment when it arrived. Literally has the equivalent of maybe 3/4 shrimps and not whole shrimps they were thinly sliced which made it even less. Then the drinks were a super let down I got the most popular one Latin lover, and I can not tell you why it was popular. No presentation just simple. I also ordered the empanadas another let down. They served 5 super small empanadas to make a comparison if they were combined it would equal around 2 1/2 full regular empanadas. And each dish ranged from 16-19 dollars. The bread was really good and worth it. We also ordered the rotisserie chicken and fish from the big plates they were really good but also the portioning and the temp both plates were a little on the cold side. The tortillas had gone hard because they became too cold. If you’re sharing these two plates good luck. The fish had bones in it still and they don’t even give you the full fish just a thinly sliced piece. Food was overpriced. In total bill came out to $246.00 w/o tip total with tip was $285.00 for 4 of us and everyone was still hungry. Service is excellent but unfortunately wouldn’t go again.

DAMA was amazing! Food & ambiance were great! Had a full meal eating tapas and great drinks. Definitely recommend to make the trip to the fashion district to check this restaurant out.
Pictures: Croquettes, Squash Blossom, Derby Cocktail Tropical, Sandia Mezcal

Wow wow wow! The food here is fireeee! The corn was amazing! Bone marrow was good but a bit spicy if you’re into that sort of thing! The Agua Chile was also very good. Very good date spot!

DAMA was amazing the ambiance was romantic and the music was Alegre. But let's talk about the food. I didn't take any pictures because I wanted to just be in the moment. The elote is a classic with a modern spin that cilantro cream totally recommend you to try it. The Rib eye is pure perfection. I love bean so I had to try the whipped beans OMG game changer. The charred octopus was fire. It's pricey but it's worth it I really recommend you try it out.
Latin lover cocktail is delicious and the classic Paloma is so beautiful taste good too.
I don't remember our servers name but she was amazing, I let her know we were going to order like half the menu.

Food and service are phenomenal! Ask for Kristine, she guided us through the food and drink menu and into an amazing dinner!

My friends and I loved this restaurant! We came to celebrate a birthday and we all left extremely satisfied. There are so many items on the menu so we'd love to come back and try some more food and drinks. Here are the highlights:

Seafood Tostada (8/10) :
Great shareable item. Comes with extra saltine crackers and worked surprisingly well with the ceviche. It was good, but I'm not sure I would get it again.

Lamb Chops (9/10) :
The lamb was super tender and only had a slight gamey taste. The salsa verde and arugula paired perfectly with the lamb.

Rib Eye (10/10) :
The rib eye by itself was amazing, but what made it even better was that they let you turn it into a taco. The dish also comes with corn tortillas, avocado slices, roasted chilies & green onions, greens, limes, and an olive oil based sauce. This was perfect for sharing, even with 4 people.

Churros (10/10) :
Holy guacamole.these churros. Perfectly crunchy on the outside and fluffy in the middle, it might just be the best churro I've ever had. The chocolate-caramel sauce for the first few bites, but it quickly became overly sweet.

Sangria (10/10) :
The sangria is a great drink for anyone looking for something sweet and not high in alcohol.

Beautiful location in the fashion district with a multitude of small plate options and a couple of large plates. It’s easy to over-order and the staff don’t really advise against it so I would aim for around 6 small plates + 1 large plate for a group of 4. Definitely get the Bread, Corn, Whipped Bean, Linguisa and the Pork Shank.

Just had food on the Amtrak headed North, and as good as Dama was, it wasn't half as good or twice as cheap. So unfortunately doesn't meet the Michelin recommendation. Save your stars.