Dan Tana's
Los Angeles, CA 90069-5520
Phone: (310) 275-9444
- Price:
- $$$$
- Cross Street:
- Doheny Drive
- Hours:
- Daily 5pm-1:30am
Editorial Review for Dan Tana's – by Ceci Chavez
In Short
Aging celebs, sports legends and a group of deeply tanned babes cram into Dan Tana's red leather booths. Charming and unpretentious despite its clientele, the tightly packed rooms swarm with high-pitched good cheer and the bustle of tuxedoed waiters. Taking its cue from '50s-era red-sauce joints, the simple Italian menu is loaded with garlic. Entrees include Italian classics like penne, spaghetti and gnocchi. For dessert, cheesecake is a perfect complement to the semi-permanent halo of garlic.
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Insider Tips
Where to SitClear sightlines--to the bustling bar and glitterati-packed booths--make sliding into table three's Naugahyde wraparound a wise move.
Know Before You GoGrease the palm that seats you. Even with reservations, you'll get a much better table if you add a little green in the right hand.
User Reviews for Dan Tana's
03/29/2008 Posted by klf02
I can't get enough of this place. I don't even know if I can articulate my experience properly but here it goes. My last 2 trips to L.A. (I live in Vancouver) have included dinner out at Dan Tana's. The 1st time was with my boyfriend. I had read many reviews about the place before arriving- positive and negative- so I was quite eager to form my own opinion. We both agreed afterward that it was truly a unique experience from top to bottom. The food, the service, the slightly dated decor, the clientele, the attitude, were all fab. Did I have the best steak I've ever eaten? Quite possibly. What some people may consider rude and pretentious service, I found to be tongue-in-cheek and feisty. Did we wait for our table even though we had a reservation? Yes. The place is quite small and it appeared people enjoyed hanging out there, so it's no wonder the wait is what it is. My second visit was last week - March 20th- with a girlfriend from Vancouver. When we originally made a list of restaurants we wanted to go to, I insisted Dan Tana's be on it. The moment we walked in the door, it was deja vu. We were lucky enough to be seated in the front room thanks to Craig, the most awesome Maitre d' / manager. The place felt homey- full of character and characters. Good food, good drink and charming service made this one of my favourite memories of the trip. Special thanks to Craig for making me laugh repeatedly. Great cappucino from the man behind the bar, too. A real gem.
03/23/2008 Posted by kingfood
I went there recently for dinner on a Saturday night. They certainly overbooked and there was prety much no place to move when we got in. Luckily, we hounded the host and got a table rather quickly. The hot was exactly like I hear he would be- rude in a funny way. I dug it, but I could tell others were put off. Once at the table, our waiter, I thought, had an old school, fast talking way about him , that I liked as well, but my girlfriend wasn't a huge fan. The thing is about this place is thats kind of their "schtick", so once we got over it and focused on the food and drink, it became a great night. The scallop saute was delicious, the chicken parm was everything I heard it was, the shrimp scampi was garlic heaven, and the drinks were stiff. If you don't love waiters making fun of you for picking up leftover sauce with bread, or saying that they are used to being annoyed because they too have a girlfriend, then this place might not be for you. If you can get into it, the food is well worth it.
Pros: food (especially chicken parm) and stiff drinks
Cons: waitstaff can be a bit over the top
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