Willie Janewas skeptical after readingwas skeptical after reading not so good reviews. don't understand why. friendly, not snotty AT ALL. great service. loved our food. would def return. got a little noisy toward the end of our meal, but very nice about turning down music, which mysteriously kept getting louder and louder. the seafood special with grits for the table was outstanding. loved the biscuits bit give me regular butter please. note to self, must try the turnips next time but the dumplings were so tasty...5/18/2013 12:00:00 AMWillie Jane - a must!What a great and well needed addition to the Venice/Abbot Kinney restaurant scene. Willie Jane hits it on all levels. The food is approachable yet consistently presents complex and creative flavor profiles. The partnership between Brad Johnson (owner and reknowned restauranteur, also try his other star restaurant, Post and Beam) and Govind Armstrong (executive chef extraordinaire) once again prove why they are one of the leading foodie partnerships in Los Angeles. Another cool aspect of Willie Jane is their focus on mixology which is lacking a bit in Venice. Try the Coal Miner's Daughter!5/15/2013 12:00:00 AMA last minute find for Mother's DayIn my true fashion, I left booking a brunch spot for Mother's Day far too late. Everywhere was booked except for Willie Jane. I thought that meant it was bad - we were all very pleasantly surprised! We had excellent service, comparable to what we would have found had we managed to get a reservation at a fancy hotel. The food came in a very timely manner, bottomless mimosas were promptly refilled before needing to request it, and our 9 month old baby was given a few straws served on a napkin to entertain her as we ate. We ate next to a lovely garden surrounded by other families who all seemed to be having a good time. The food was very delicious - even my traditional in laws liked it. Highly recommended!5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMYummyWas a bit busy in the bar due to the Kentucky Derby Day but the patio was a refuge from the noise. The Broccoli was too hard to et properly but the Trout and Chicken were both great dishes. Never had Trout done so perfectly! The Cookie desert was demolished by all and the service was just right!5/4/2013 12:00:00 AMNicely surprised. Good, reasonablyNicely surprised. Good, reasonably priced food in an unpretencious casual atmosphere. Service is efficient and professional. Wine list is fairly priced and ok. We would go again.4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMVery tasty food. The bestVery tasty food. The best pork chop I've ever had, and my wife's skillet chicken was brimming with flavor. And yes, the biscuits were great. Side dishes could have been better. The greens that came with the pork chop were odd and hard to eat and the brussels sprouts had just a little too much going on, IMO, although my wife loved them. All in all we can't wait to eat there again.4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent southern style food,Excellent southern style food, with nice ambiance in the outdoor patio.4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMI really enjoyed this restaurant!I really enjoyed this restaurant! Especially the oatmeal cookie dessert!4/17/2013 12:00:00 AMDelicious food! Great ambiance!Delicious food! Great ambiance! Very nice staff and incredible drinks!4/12/2013 12:00:00 AMVery charming place. TheVery charming place. The service was great and the food was delicious and different. My trout was amazing!4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMKO'd by favor!Took a friend in town from NYC with a foodie snob palette. We shared the Shellfish over Cheese Grits entree and blacked out from the intense flavor. Coming again next week with family to try other dishes hoping for the same effect. It must be noted, I live 20 miles away...4/6/2013 12:00:00 AMWe got there at 7 pm. TheWe got there at 7 pm. The bar was packed but we were seated right away. The menu was a little confusing but our waiter was very helpful and all his recommendations were excellent.3/30/2013 12:00:00 AMSouthern style at its finestMia, our waiter was fantastic in explaining every menu item in detail. She was spot on with her suggestions. The Southern style cuisine was awesome! If you are looking for something out of the ordinary and different, this will not disappoint.3/30/2013 12:00:00 AMWhat to Order for TwoLove this place! Headed straight for the covered back patio with its small trees and twinkling lights, and got down to the business of having a great meal.
Cocktails: Coal Miner's Daughter (tasty, with a touch of honey) and Laredo (even tastier, with spicy chili salt and a big hit of grapefruit)
Buttermilk biscuits: (one apiece) with orange honey butter that's so good it might make you cry
Dungeness crab soup: rich and delicious, topped with herbs
Oak Leaf lettuces with sunchoke, roasted grapes, Humboldt Fog and pumpkin seed dressing: delicious, great balance of salt
Cast iron chicken, cornbread panzanella, collard green pecan pesto: addictive pesto, ideal for two people
Glass of Gruner Veltliner to share, perfect with th3/29/2013 12:00:00 AMWe had a delightful time sittingWe had a delightful time sitting at the bar at 8pm on a Thursday night. Food was very good and service was pleasant. Looking forward to returning soon.3/28/2013 12:00:00 AMEverything was very very tasty:Everything was very very tasty: it is cleverly imagined comfort food. I did not expect to like WJ, because I am not a fan of restaurant comfort food, but these are riffs on comfort food. The people who work here are also extraordinarily pleasant. A very good experience all the way around.3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMIt was my second time there,It was my second time there, and it was consistently good. The food is wonderful, and I'm excited for them to expand the menu. The brussels sprouts are the best I ever tasted.
The service was excellent. The noise level was a little much, but being on the patio helped. I would definitely go again, and recommend it every chance I get.
I'm from the South, so I was loving some of my comfort food done in a creative, LA way!3/23/2013 12:00:00 AMLoving ItWow, thoroughly impressed. I read a blog somewhere about Willie Jane and it mentioned southern food with a fusion style, I had to check it out. I went there one week after it opened. It was alive and crowded so I knew that there was good reason for it. I made reservations for 8pm but they didn't seat us until 8:15pm which I'm ok with. I got a drink at bar with ginger and gin with lime and it wasn't bad. So the waiter recommended the chicken dish with cornbread which was phenomenal. He also recommended the dumpling which was not my palette so I do not recommend it. I'm not a brussel sprout fan but wow on their dish. The pork chop was also really good and served with a sweet tangy spread with onions. The cornbread with sweet butter was amazin3/22/2013 12:00:00 AMSince it was open only a week,Since it was open only a week, there were not too many people dining. The food was absolutely delicious and the service was outstanding. The side of dumplings were really yummy. My husband loved the pork chop and my stuffed trout was delicious. pudding for desert was an ideal finish to a lovely meal. We shall return!3/21/2013 12:00:00 AMSkeptical at firstWe were a little concerned at first because we heard it was their opening night, But we figured what the hey! It was unbelievable! We ended up getting a an appetizer of mussles and shared the family portion of sirloin w/ a ton of sides. We liked the sides so much we ordered a second round! We only got one dessert because unfortunately I was with people that weren't into them :) But it was incredible, chocolate and peatnut butter pudding w/ salted peanuts! The waitress mentioned the oatmeal cookie ice cream sandwich was the one people were raving about. So we got the second best dessert and it tasted like that? wow! It was a great experience, I was taking some friends out from NY, and they were very happy too. I will definitely be back!3/15/2013 12:00:00 AMWent on the first night afterWent on the first night after it opened. A decent start, but the food needs work. The good news is the staff was super-receptive to feedback.3/15/2013 12:00:00 AMIt was opening night, butIt was opening night, but even with a "new" restaurant, the food was wonderful, service very good, and the overall experience was very pleasurable. The patio area is much quieter than interior, so that my dining partner and I could talk and hear each other. Hooray!
We ordered the brussels sprouts as an appetizer since there are none on the menu yet...fabulous!3/14/2013 12:00:00 AMVery flavorful food with highVery flavorful food with high quality ingredients in a warm and relaxed setting.3/14/2013 12:00:00 AM