Otoño, Los Angeles CA

Otoño tries to put on the airs of an upscale tapas bar - mostly on the bill. Its cavernous semi-industrial interior adds little warmth to the menu, which jumps haphazardly from English to Spanish.

We ordered the decanted canned octopus ($18), a playful beet salad ($16), and two paellas ($40 each). The paella negra was disappointing - the star of the show, the chorizo, made only four appearances in the dish as small medallions of sausage.

When this writer went to file his expense report, he was surprised to note a 3 percent surcharge labeled "kitchen fee" on his receipt. One wonders what a kitchen fee is, and why it isn't built into the price of food on the menu. If one weren't willing to pay the surcharge, would they be provided with the raw ingredients to cook at home?

I’m giving 3 stars because of the two times I’ve eaten at a Otoño. The first time I went, was a couple years ago, and it was incredible. The craft drinks, and the attention to the food was impeccable. I wanted to come back for quite some time and I was very excited to bring my partner with me this last time I went. Unfortunately, I did not have the same experience the second time. We were very disappointed in the lack of options, as well as the overall fishy quality that the food seemed to have. Even the potatoes had a fish flavor to it, and I’m not sure if they were cooked in oil, flavored with fish, or if they were just cooked in the same oil as fish was. It was a very strange flavor and not the same flavor I had the first time I was there. My partner eats pretty much all foods and grew up on seafood, but he was disappointed to say the least. On top of a huge dinner bill was added a 3% kitchen bill. This is a nice gesture from the owner to help support her kitchen stuff a little bit better. However, I don’t believe this should be automatically tagged onto a bill. With the price of a meal at Otoño, I think the owner should be responsible for this additional cost. Then I noticed on my bill was a charge for the bottled flat water that the initial server brought us when asked if we wanted bubbly or flat water. To me, asking for flat water suggests that we just get flat water and not a bottle of water that we were then charged $5 for. All these additional charges really put a bad taste in my mouth and I felt taken advantage of. Lastly, the website is very misleading and shows items available that are not actually on the menu in the restaurant along with other misleading information on their website. I really do hope that this restaurant figures some stuff out and comes back around. I love supporting Independent restaurants, but I cannot validate coming back to this restaurant.

Quaint, upscale; different menu-Spanish flare; great service, yummy appetizers (queso board and churros) ; the GIN AND TONIC!

Very delicious but it’s insulting the amount of food, I totally understand the tapas, but the amount of the desert and the paella it’s an insult and a scam for the price. I’d been in fancier places and way more expensive but the amount of foot it’s equivalent to the price.

As a Spaniard coming from Madrid I can say this place is a SCAM. So overpriced. Paid &24 for 4 slices of jamón haha so crazy. It makes me sad to see a Spanish restaurant like this, it’s not representative of the Spanish cuisine.

It was nice atmosphere and service was amazing! I went there because of anniversaries with fiancé. They prepared celebration card? So thoughtful!

Also, Paella was delicious must try!

One of my favorite restaurants in LA. The dishes could easily be assembled into an insane tasting menu, but they keep it simple and a la carte. Not a bad dish on the menu. The churros de patatas bravas are an alchemical miracle: delicately crisp on the outside and light as air on the inside. It's one of my favorite dishes in history. I once went with a group of four and we ordered seven servings over the course of the meal. There are 5 in the order, but after a bite no one wants to share. The dish is that staggeringly good. Other standouts include the pan con tomate, the octopus, and the croquetas de jamon. If getting conservas, go with the mussels. And the paellas are great (the new addition includes kimchi and fall-apart kurobuta pork). Cocktails are awesome, and include a section of aromatic Spanish-style gin/tonics that are all winners. I couldn't love this place more.

The food is always so flavorful and wonderful textures! The service is friendly and have great knowledge of the menus. I cannot think of a better restaurant for great food, drinks, service and ambiance!

Went a few months ago and this place rocked. Food was great, cocktails were on point. Went tonight and ordered two margaritas and they were watered down and tasted like like nothing really. We were the only two at the bar and the drinks stunk. I wish the bartender tried the drink before they went out. We had two croquettes and sihsito peppers for $50 for a happy hour. Go anywhere on fig and get a better drink. Bummed it didn’t deliver tonight for such and empty setting.

Gave a great tip to the server who did everything she could but she's just at the whim of the restaurant. Us and our neighboring tables were waiting for over an hour even to get appetizers to arrive, and about 2 hours until the main course came in since ordering. Nothing really remarkable. Usually I don't leave reviews but they are trying to charge a lot for a neighborhood not used to this sort of price point.

We went to Otono to celebrate a darling birthday cool and hip atmosphere… tiles matching brick walls in a tasteful way. I liked the seafood paella very much. The salad was very interesting! …the Serrano jamon and the croquettes disappointed me. And the octopus was OK towards so and so.

I wish I took more photos of the food but I was immersed in an experience of a life time. I am a foodie and I grew up with the delicious food of my mom
Who everyone in the family says she is the best. To me, eating food is an experience of someone’s art. If I can make the food you serve me at home, I am not impressed. But the food here, is not something myself or even my mom can cook at home. When my friends said she is ordering an octopus I was a bit skeptical. But that food turned out to be my favorite
This restaurant’s food was one of the best foods I have had in my life time.
My pallet was stimulated in ways I had never experienced, my brain was activated and I just wanted to dance as I tasted the food. The texture, the combination, the tenderness, the freshness of the seafood and the fantastic service of the waitresses made this a night to remember.
The chefs food is an art, and if you are someone who wants the food to stimulate ur pallet, brain and soul this is your place.

These are the smallest food portions I have ever encountered. After ordering 4 dishes and spending over $80 we had to finish our dinner somewhere else.

Absolutely delicious. Everything they do here is over the top & the things I wouldn’t normally order end up being my favorite. Perfect ambiance that’s upscale but also relaxed neighborhood vibe. Hidden gem for sure.

Update: I am not sensitive to saltiness. In fact my eating habit is on the salty side. And lots of times hardworking does not guarantee the right results without intentionally making a difference.

The service is really good. The food is mediocre and can be improved in various aspects.

The first dish, bread with tomato sauce topped with Jamon. Delicious but I hate that the bottom of the bread is burned. And burned food causes cancer.

The octopus is very salty and nothing about the flavor is note worthy.

The salad is very greasy and my friend only had two bites then gave up. It is just too much oil.

The fried croqueta is properly cooked. Crispy and umami, but I think the oil they used to fry it isn’t very fresh, and it tastes like the oil has been reused many times.

Paella is so umami. Love their stock. Unfortunately the chef does not seem to know how to use salt properly. It is very very salty.

These are small mistakes than can be easily fixed if they just paid more attention to details.

I don’t think I will want to return.

It’s my first time in this restaurant. We came 30 minutes before our reservation but they sat us within a few minutes. The restaurant is dimly lit and the tables are too close to each other but it was easy to carry a conversation. Our server, Lauren, was knowledgeable and helpful. The food came at regular intervals yet we did not feel rushed like in other places.
They have a great selection of cocktails and we all loved our drinks. The higado de pollo came with a nice pickled salad and figs. The scallop tartare and jamon Iberico were our favorite tapas. The croqueta de jamon, croqueta de pollo and churros de patatas bravas were ok.
The seared halibut was underwhelming but the gambas de Ajillo and pulpo a la brasa were amazing. The prawns were tasty but a tad overcooked, the grilled octopus was soft and well seasoned.
The chocolate and mint mousse and the saffron ice cream were good palate cleansers.
It’s worth coming back here.

I was really disappointed in the place. I had read so many good things. We started with an appetizer of razor clams but it arrived in this oil and it looked like maybe they just placed in a tin can. It was slightly above room temperature and the bread was small and uncut. It was super awkward to share. They weren't seasoned, it was just razor clam. We ordered a crudo, and again it was nice, but not great for the price. And in some cases it seemed like they just sprinkled salt on it. That was the running theme throughout the whole meal. The paella came out and while the shellfish and the seafood was okay, The rice was really salty. We ordered the potato churro, and it came out with the same tin that the razor clams came out in, and again it was like fried mashed potato. Who wasn't really seasoned, nothing special. For a place that charges $25 ahead for cancellation, I was expecting a lot more. With prices that are in competition with Bestia I would have expected a higher quality. The wait staff was exceptional, friendly and fast. That was a saving grace of this place.