Spare Tire Kitchen & Tavern

Not often am I surprised by a bar, and yet that's the very reason I'm writing this review. Location I love this area. Lots to see and do nearby, including LACMA and The Grove. This is a good place to set up camp for the night after a long day at work. I mean that figuratively. Don't bring a tent here. They'll kick you out, probably. Parking I'm within walking distance, but I'm almost sure there's parking available on Wilshire and on side streets. Atmosphere There's hustle, there's bustle. Went here on a Friday night a little after 8 and it was reasonably crowded. I'd probably recommend a reservation if you're going for dinner. I like the area that looks out into the street because it's more open, but the back near the bar is ok too. Food Good! I ordered a turkey burger and onion rings but I was brought an impossible burger. I'm not picky, so I enjoyed it. The onion rings were nice and crispy and the burger was nicely cooked and came with an excellent bun. Next time i'll have to try an entre, but this was solid for bar food. Service I'm not big on hyperbole, I don't call everything amazing, I'm not easily impressed -- but our waiter, Shaun, was the absolute best I've ever encountered in a restaurant, hands-down. I got to Spare Tire early, and Shaun was quick to check in on me as time slipped away and my date was running very late. "You're a good dude," he said, looking at me, knowingly. And then throughout the evening, he simply had my back. He would make insightful suggestions on the menu, talk me up, and was attentive without being disruptive. Management, if you're reading this, DOUBLE Shaun's pay. He's both a great human being and a great server. Price About what you'd expect. Don't expect deals (unless you're there for HH) but also don't expect to go broke Recommend? Yes

I made a reservation to try this place while planning to check out some art at the nearby LACMA, and came away impressed. First of all when I ordered a cocktail they asked if I'd like to make it a double, which I always appreciate, and always answer YES! So that was a great start. There were so many tasty items on the menus I had a really hard time deciding what to order, but MAN am I glad I settled on the Farm Fresh Burger--one of the best burgers I've had in quite a while. The combined additions of the fried egg and the prosciutto take this burger to the next level! My fiancee had the Southern Fried Chicken Sandwich, which was good but fell short of great for a couple reasons--one of which was lack of seasoning on the chicken itself (cardinal sin!), we felt it needed a bit more salt and heat, maybe some hot sauce even? Secondly, the way they stacked the sandwich's condiments and garnishes made it so that eventually the chicken slides out from the bun altogether, and you end up with a vegetarian sandwich with a hunk of fried chicken on the side. For our sides we had onion rings (SO GOOD) and a side salad (it was just OK). Overall the friendly, prompt service and the out-of-this-world burger made our choice clear: next time we are in the area we'll absolutely return here to try some of the many other assuredly-tasty menu items.

Live literally a couple blocks and finally got to try it out. Went when it was not super busy in the morning, basically like half hour after it opened haha. There was no other patrons there except a couple of ppl setting up for a party and 1 other person there so service was quick and waitress was very nice. Food was decently good for brunch. Opted for white and red sangria instead of mimosa but would try that one day. I got the breakfast pizza which was a bit on the plainer side but quite good - it's a shared dish if preferred. Hubby got fried chicken and biscuits which would have been better if they actually told us they ran out of the jalapeno jam instead of us trying to guess if there was any on the dish - the jam would have made the biscuit less dry. The sangria's were okay, would have been better with a bit more fruit and sweeter. Overall decent place for a brunch.

This was a great place to stumble upon. Meet John, one of the bartenders, who was very cool and knowledgeable. He has a great approach to some classic cocktails that really knocked us on our tail bones. The food was to good to let sir around, so we didn't grab any pictures, but it was definetly delicious. The ceiling artwork was really unique and peaceful. The bar had so many alcohols I was in awe. Will definetly come back, loved the staff and the vibe!

Feels like an upscale pub, which isn't a bad thing. The 2 times I've eaten here the food has been quite good. The menu has some interesting variety with a good selection of starters and burgers. They also have BB peanut butter milk stout on tap which is ++! The atmosphere is a little odd with commercial radio (plus commercials) played too loudly and too few waitstaff to manage the tables during busy times, but you could see they were doing their best. First visit I had the buffalo cauliflower, which was actually a salad, but still good. Second visit was roasted brussel sprouts and cauliflower mac and cheese with a spicy bechamel sauce which was really delicious! As someone who tries to eat fewer carbs it's great to have a couple of unique options.