Best Californian Restaurants in Hawthorne / Gardena

Enjoyed the food immensely!! Staff was excellent!! Will definitely be back next time I’m in CA.

Terrific tasting menu experience. The kitchen nicely accommodated a couple allergies. The progression of dishes was wonderful, with an evolving theme that stitched together the evening. The presentation was amazing. The dishes were as beautiful as the food was tasty. The wine pairing was nicely structured with delicious, hard-to-find choices.

The Vespertine experience is off the charts amazing. This was our second visit (our first was pre-pandemic). Some things have changed about the experience, but what you truly are there for, the food, hasn't and it is absolute art. I've been a Jordan Khan fan for a long time, and every time I'm at one of his restaurants, I'm always awed by his creativity. The menu items always work together to tell a story, but the flavor profiles are so different with each course. The service is first rate knowledgable and friendly. Both times we've visited we've had a great time with the service staff. They know the menu deeply, and love to talk about it, or any other fun topic that comes up. The restaurant isn't pretentious at all. It's a bit like being at home, especially if you sit upstairs with a larger party, sitting on your patio or deck and being served the meal of a lifetime. If you do sit upstairs, definitely bring a jacket b/c it's open air. There's heaters and blankets, but it still can be chilly. We went two days ago and all of us are still thinking about he experience, and not the cost. Which is pretty remarkable considering how costly this restaurant is, but both times I've gone to Vespertine, I've left thinking, 'That was totally worth it!'

I took my boyfriend here for his birthday and when we first walking into the building it was really cool and nice getting to look at the cars, the little shop, and cafe. I also now see why the wait to land a reservation here is pretty long because walking in, it did not feel packed or too chaotic. I’m a very anxious person and get uncomfortable whenever I’m at a setting where there’s a lot of people so this was extremely nice for me. Now, for the restaurant, I’m a pretty picky eater so not much stood out to me on the menu other than the classic 917 burger which happened to be delicious along with the side of fries that it came with. The bill for me and my partner didn’t come out to a lot or what I was expecting but I mean we did only have the burgers and no alcoholic drinks. Overall really nice and calm place, I felt comfortable and like I could talk to my boyfriend freely and admire the cars together. The service was also really good! I loved everything and my boyfriend enjoyed it a lot as well.

Food was great---chicken sandwich delicious and french fries, too- Service very prompt and lovely! Convenient if you're staying in the hotel or if you're attending a conference nearby-