The Waffle’s Griddle Grub

March 10, 2008

It’s the new kid in town, and The Waffle is trying to stay in the game. We decided to pay a visit to this much-hyped late night spot to see what all the fuss was about. With its kitchy brown, gold and burnt orange color scheme, it reminds us of a higher class Waffle House. Surely that can’t be a great first comparison. But unlike the Waffle House, the place known simply as The Waffle has a menu selection that should offer a little something for anyone. ClickHERE to read more.

The outdoor patio underneath the muted yellow neon signage indicates that weekends must be full at this joint. Tables cover the outside completely, and from the outside, you can see the big, round booths for groups and counter seating for those who may trickle in independently. Diner simplicity and down home coziness combine to create a very causal eating environment for the local lunch crowd and the club kids leaving Social Hollywood, Avalon and Blvd3 after last call. Convenient indeed.

A sharp-edged staircase leads to an upstairs seating lounge with a fully stocked bar, a TV should you be looking for entertainment and a few more booths and tables for those who want to eat away from the downstairs diners. Old school brown swivel chairs line the bar, waiting hopefully for patrons to order pomegranate martinis or just even a Bud Light. We think it’s probably the perfect place to sit if you want a little privacy or to avoid any stragglers from the street level.

The food at The Waffle is coffee shop all the way. Of course, there’s the waffle selection. You can choose from the Toasted Pecan Waffle with candied pecans, a Carrot Cake Waffle with cream cheese icing, a golden Multigrain Waffle with low fat yogurt and fruit or the Cornmeal Jalapeno Waffle served with fried chicken and greens. It’s very Roscoe’s if you ask us.

Try the Applewood Smoked Bacon Waffle with bits ‘o bacon throughout, the Chocolate Waffle with berries and cream, the Blueberry Lemon with a berry sauce and lemon curd and the schiznophrenic Sticky Bun Waffle with too much going on inside—cinnamon, brown sugar, walnuts, raisins and a maple brown sugar glaze. Surprisingly, there are only eleven waffles to choose from, which seems a bit limited from a place with the platter as its namesake. Even Baskin Robbins managed to offer 31 flavors…

Pancakes, egg and potato scrambles and French toast make up the rest of the the breakfast menu selections. Lunch offers a variety of salads, hot and cold sandwiches, burgers and hot plates like chicken pot pie and meatloaf. The one side that we recommend you do try, whether you’re there morning or night, is the bowl of waffle fries. Add chili, cheese, jalapenos if you really want to go fatty. After eating these, we think they should move away from specialty griddles and into specialty potatoes!

Because each and everyday, restaurants are having to deal with America’s increased desire to eat healthy even when eating out, this spot has attempted to do so as well. They offer fruit and cottage cheese as side items for breakfast, and you can have vanilla soy milk with your cereal or oatmeal if you choose. And for the vegetarians out there, or even those who just enjoy the occasional vegetarian fare, they have a vegan cobb salad, vegan chilli, a tofurkey based rueben or a juicy Boca burger amongst the menu choices. No one is excluded from this place—not even kids and dogs. Yes, you can find ‘wee’ portions of their macaroni and cheese, chicken tenders, grilled cheese or breakfast plates. For kids (and even adults) with allergies, they also offer gluten free versions of a couple of meals. But back to dogs. Order a plate of the Woofles, and you can treat Fifi to a plate of three waffle shaped treats made of parmesean cheese, wheat flour and parsley. Although that doesn’t sound enticing to us, who are we to judge?

The drink menu runs the gamut from malt shakes and creamsicles to cappuccinos and Fanta. Desserts are few, but they sound appealing—Baked Hot Chocolate, waffle sundaes and The Treat. The Treat is an mysterious name for the daily surprise sweet that you’ll only know about if you ask your waiter.

And if waffles, salads, burgers and desserts aren’t enough to reinvigorate you, what about a specialty cocktail. With Starbucks coffee liqueur as the base ingredient, these drinks will shoot a java jolt into you just like the night’s earlier Redbull and vodkas. A full bar listing of beverages is available as well. Just make sure you drink up quickly when you hear last call, as a waiter or two has been known to snatch an unfinished glass off the table when serving time has come to a close!

As we mentioned from the beginning, The Waffle is still a baby in LA’s restaurant industry. They are working out the kinks—slow service during the busy hours and blank looks from waiters who don’t know the menu just yet to answer any in-depth questions. For the most part, we can say that for convenience, price and selection, The Waffle is a good pick for a quick bite. Meals range from $6.00-$12.00, which is a good deal for any meal. And in today’s ‘we want more’ world, The Waffle’s hours of 6:30 am-2:30 am Sunday through Thursday and 6:30 am-4:30 am on Friday and Saturday should work for anyone who lives by their own agenda.

The Waffle
6255 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 465-6901
http://www.thewaffle.us

Filed Under Nightlife

3 Responses to “The Waffle’s Griddle Grub”

Kholi on March 10, 2008 at 2:45 pm #

awesomeness. and places like these are the reasons i miss la.
Khadijah on March 27, 2008 at 6:33 am #

Places like that are the reason why I’m moving to L.A.
kokobutta1 on May 15, 2008 at 8:27 am #

I went last night and I have to admit I did like it…Service was very good…i guess their getting the hang of things…thanks for posting this…
Love ya