L.A. is full of trendy coffee shops, cute vintage stores and many restaurants that are celeb hotspots. Usually, though, these hot spots are a little out of budget for the majority of college students, but on special occasions like birthdays, we can make the exception.
Last week, I was in a situation where one would make an exception, as my friend decided to celebrate her birthday at the famous LA restaurant, Craigs. And when I say famous, I mean famous. It is often frequented by the Kardashians and influencers alike. TikTok star Tinx even has her own $46 ice cream sundae on the menu.
I was expecting very high-class, snooty fine dining when I got there. The kind where there is a strict dress code of suits and dresses. But instead, I was pleasantly surprised to find a cute, but upscale, Italian hole-in-the-wall restaurant. The walls were covered with cute vintage posters and the restaurant was lit with dim, ambient lighting. It felt homey yet classy.
And the thing about Craigs, what they are really known for, is their bread. And let me tell you, it lived up to the hype. The bread baskets were a combination of three different kinds of garlic bread. One was a breadstick, one was loaf style and one was soft bread. The soft bread was to DIE for. And this bread is allegedly Kylie Jenner’s favorite. Kylie, I get it.
Now, for the food itself, my opinions are bittersweet. The restaurant has entrees ranging from $25 – $70+, so it is by no means a cheap meal. My bank account was definitely hurting by the end of it. The portions were also small (my leftovers were nonexistent) but I will say the food itself was GOOD. We split a mac and cheese appetizer that was so creamy and honestly my favorite dish of the night. I got rigatoni alla vodka for my entree, and the sauce itself was so good. It also came with prosciutto which added a nice flavor to the meal. Was it good? Yes. Do I think it was worth $40? That, I would have to say no. I’ve had rigatoni alla vodka for half the price and it tasted just as good, but I justify it because it was “for the experience.”
Finally, after our meals came the desert, and oh my god it was quite the show. Since we had a birthday in our party, we were gifted the Tinx “Hot Girl Sundae” for free. It came out with dazzling sparklers and served in a giant martini glass. It had multiple flavors of ice cream from mint to chocolate and vanilla. Sprinkles were lined around the cup and it was topped with whipped cream, hot fudge and cherries. It was magnificent. Once again though, would I pay 46 dollars for it? Absolutely not, but it was definitely fun when it was free.
I do want to add though, all of the staff was so incredibly sweet and friendly. Our waitress looked out for us, letting us know what was good, making any substitutions we needed and taking care of the birthday girl. The valet man even helped us take birthday pics afterward when we were leaving. This all definitely added a lot to the experience.
So, final rating? I would say Craigs deserves ⅘ stars. It is a cute place with genuine energy and great food. If you’re in college (which I assume most of us reading this are), it is a splurge, but definitely one of the more fun restaurant experiences I’ve had. And who can pass up free bread?