Hatchet Hall

12517 W Washington Blvd Los Angeles, CA

“Food group” restaurants are usually not reviewed on our list. When establishments are managed and owned by shareholders everything feels different, and more importantly, tastes different. Hatchet Hall manages to defy that stereotype. Not exactly a traditional “food group,” A small, local team runs this very expansive Culver City spot, and they do it in a way that makes it worth visiting again and again.

The food is American heritage. Not LA fussy by any measure. Hearty, clean, and still modern enough to make you curious throughout the entire menu. People come for the cornbread, and they should. It is aggressively soaked in butter but still manages to be light and delightful enough to start the meal. The star showed up at the second course. Gjelina in Venice held the title for best LA chicken dish for years, but the version at Hatchet Hall might finally overshadow it. This is a high quality piece of poultry, cooked slowly, with care, and dripping on the plate and between your teeth. A must order. The banana pudding dessert was exceptional. Not overly sweet, and delicately kissed by that Southern graham flavor that makes your palette proud to be an American.

Beautiful ambiance (which is hard to do at a contemporary LA place), excellent cocktails, up or on the rocks, and a fabulous bar next door called “The Old Man” that even has a weekly burger night. Culver City is back on the map, and your table is ready.