JiRaffeIf a lil' quieter, would be perfectOnly downside to this spot is that it is quite noisy. All in our party had different dishes (lamb, beef, dorade, osso buco) and salads or soups and were extremely happy with each. Wine list moderately sized with markup about double retail. Water and bread service were very good considering the busy nature of the place. Would absolutely return.5/11/2013 12:00:00 AMDelightful evening. Very crowded,Delightful evening. Very crowded, but we were seated immediately and had excellent service. Food was delicious for all of us: soft shell crab appetizer, mushroom ravioli, filet mignon and trout. We had a window seat downstairs that felt very inviting. One person in our party wouldn't have been able to walk upstairs anyway, so the table was perfect. The only criticism was the noise level, which made it a little difficult to hear ourselves, but the vibe was so pleasant we let it pass. Would definitely go again.5/11/2013 12:00:00 AMStill Outstanding After Many YearsMy wife and I had not been to Jiraffe for about 10 years. We went there in the late 90s and early 2000s, but then moved south so have not had the chance to visit. We made a special trip to go back and it was still as good as we remembered. The food is delicious and the service was outstanding. We are so happy that it has maintained its integrity after all these years. We will be back with our kids to enjoy again!5/10/2013 12:00:00 AMEverything we had was wonderful,Everything we had was wonderful, and the service outstanding. What a great place for a romantic meal.5/7/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat for a special occasionMy wife and I live very close to JiRaffe and walk by the restaurant regularly. We usually spend a little less when we go out for dinner, so we decided to go for our anniversary dinner. It was great! Extensive wine list that you could spend a fortune on, but also some affordable options. Service was great, our server was really nice but didn't seem to have a lot of experience. We reserved a window seat and waited about 10 minutes for that. The timing of the food delivery was perfect, we where given plenty of time to enjoy everything and never felt rushed. Food was rich and sophisticated and we loved it all! Unfortunately we didn't leave room for desert.
We are looking forward to going back soon. This place is great!5/7/2013 12:00:00 AMFabulous dinner.Our food was delicious. Our server was charming, helpful and funny! We hadn't been to JiRafe in years but will return soon.5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMAnniversary DinnerWe were staying at Shutters at the Beach for anniversary and wanted to try JiRaffe, menu looked interesting, plenty of choices. This place met every expectation. The food was terrific and prepared perfectly, portions were appropriate and presentation was very nice. We loved the mushroom soup with truffle oil starter and the halibut cooked in puff pastry, also the almond crusted trout. We were seated upstairs which felt more private and suited our occasion. Service was excellent, timely but not hovering. We have already recommended it to friends and will definitely return.5/3/2013 12:00:00 AMBeyond Yum!This is one place where the food is consistently exceptional. The service is excellent, without the diner feeling interrupted. Preparation and presentation always please the eye and palate. For appetizers, the mushroom salad, beet salad or tomato tart are unique and delicious. While I have listened to friends ooh and aah over the meat selections, I am a fish person, so that is what I order most often here. The trout is the best I've ever had, mostly due to the preparation. Salmon and other fish entrees are excellent as well. Desserts are always a treat so save room, The creme brulee' duo is perfect, as is the meyer lemon souflee' and the chocolate dessert.
You can go wrong with anything on the menu at Jiraffe, from appetizer to dessert.4/23/2013 12:00:00 AMvery friendly and servicevery friendly and service oriented staff
we had a really nice waitress. seemed very genuine
food was great. would go back again for sure4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMWe took our son to KiRaffeWe took our son to KiRaffe for his birthday. It was a very good experience. The vibe was great and the food outstanding. Interesting and varied menu. The cosmopolitan's from the bar were fantastic and JiRaffe has an extensive wine list that has reasonable priced choices to select as well as upper end. I would highly recommend JiRaffe.4/19/2013 12:00:00 AMWeek night, so not full --Week night, so not full -- perfect for conversation. Well poured martinis. Server friendly, helpful & provided spot-on suggestions. Every selection was very good to excellent, with touches of unusual, excellent tasting combinations.4/18/2013 12:00:00 AMThe food was absolutely great!The food was absolutely great! Very friendly service.4/18/2013 12:00:00 AMI really enjoyed the rabbitI really enjoyed the rabbit appetizer and my wife had a delicious salad. The steak was delicious but the lamb was a bit overpowering. Dessert was exquisite and I think I found my new favorite restaurant for crème brûlée. We will be back again. As for service, it was perfect. The waiters were patient and personable, and everything arrived promptly.4/15/2013 12:00:00 AMI always love the serviceI always love the service here. Food is generally excellent and the wine list is well suited with the menu.4/13/2013 12:00:00 AMWent here for dinner thisWent here for dinner this last weekend while my girlfriend and I were celebrating her birthday in Santa Monica. Great food and our waiter was great!4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMFantastic food, the TomatoFantastic food, the Tomato Tart & gnocchi w/Spot prawns were sublime. My wife had the Lamb shank which i would recommend to anyone. The staff, were welcoming & knowledgeable. In our fleeting visit to Santa Monica, we were very glad we chose JiRaffe and would do so again on future visits!4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat food, service and a tad noisyExcellent food and service in anice but high background noise space.3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMHad a really nice time andHad a really nice time and enjoyed some great food. Service gets only 4 stars because it took too long to order our entrees. Appetizer had already arrived and menus were crowding the table. Other than that, a great dining experience!3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMI really enjoyed the onionI really enjoyed the onion soup with melted cheese, croutons and pieces of filet mignon. It was a complete meal for me. My husband had salad and fish and thought it was exceptional. We are planning on returning to try the desserts. We ate too much to enjoy any of them. The service was excellent.3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMI've been meaning to try JiRaffeI've been meaning to try JiRaffe since my friend told me about it. It was amazing! The food is top notch. The atmosphere downstairs is lively. The upper level looked a bit quieter. I told the waitress to thank the chef for me which is something I never do. No complaints at all.3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMLove this place. Our newLove this place. Our new "go to" place in Santa Monica. Food and service very good.3/21/2013 12:00:00 AMBest restaurant in Santa MonicaBest restaurant in Santa Monica - amazing food and service for the same price as many other mediocre places3/19/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent French food but notThank you for the amazing food. We were a little surprised by the lack of French culture. That might have been our fault for assuming it was a French restaurant instead of a restaurant that serves French food. If it wasn't for the amazing food, the extreme noise would be a full deterrent from returning for another experience.
Again, thank you for the amazing food and friendly staff.
FYI, we are locals.
Best regards,
Scott and Kelly3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMOur new favorite place...Went her for my husband's bday...and it's funny, we've walked by it 100 times and finally are getting around to eating there. I can't rave enough about the food experience as a whole. The quality and taste were amazing - probably one of the best restaurants in SaMo. Reasonably priced for what you get...I'd actually say the value is great.
Finally service was impeccable and the ambiance was very charming/romantic.
Recommendation: appetizer Pacific Shrimp Scampi (entree size and A-MAZ-GING!). Great value.
Skip: Onion soup...beef is odd in there and too much sherry or something.
Husband had the seafood risotto which was good, but heavy like most risottos. I had the lamb shank (good).
We can't wait to go back soon3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMInventive menu and pleasant serviceFantastic food pairings and everything on the menu is always fresh. The in-house made squid ink pasta was very nice. The chef is always around and likes to greet customers and mill around the tables which is a nice touch.
The only complaint I have is that the noise levels do tend to get loud on busy nights. This can take away from the romantic feel of the place.
Oh, and the bread and margarine is horrible. They really need to correct that! I've been here about 6 times and I've noticed it each time! Bread is dry and the 'margarine' has a very artificial taste.
That aside, great place to go while you're in Santa Monica.3/15/2013 12:00:00 AMOverall experience was great.Overall experience was great. I was there for the first time. The food and service were good.3/7/2013 12:00:00 AMI only marked off some ofI only marked off some of the "special features" .. after I eat here some more, which will be very soon and very often, I am sure I will appreciate even MORE features. We had one of the most beautiful, relaxing, quality-high, fun, relaxing - oh, I wrote that before - ETC. meals of our collective lifetime, among the three of us.
We will be back at Jiraffe often... our server was wonderful, Rafael Lunetta came over to the table a FEW TIMES ... marvelous! The food was among the most delicious I must have ever eaten.
Thank you, Jiraffe, for a lovely time.2/1/2013 12:00:00 AMWe did Dine LA and the foodWe did Dine LA and the food was delicious. The only negative was that we we were in and out in one hour. They appeared to be turning tables pretty quickly1/26/2013 12:00:00 AMit is always a pleasure toit is always a pleasure to dine here when visiting LA. Fish dishes are excellent especially the bass and trout. Shrimp salad can be easily shared.1/5/2013 12:00:00 AMEvery bite a joy. We sat upstairsEvery bite a joy. We sat upstairs in a quiet corner - great for our group of five. The wines are a bit on the high side. We've eaten here a number of times, and never been disappointed.12/22/2012 12:00:00 AM