Best Neighborhood Gem Restaurants in Universal City

If you have a special occasion to celebrate, Verse should be your choice. We celebrated my b-day, and so did the table next to us and an anniversary two tables away. I gave 5 stars in all areas except the value, and only because the menu is quite pricey. We ordered Melamente, Pancho and MADD city cocktails; excellent creations. Following most of the reviews, we had the milk buns and octopus as appetizers. For dinner entrees, husband ordered the Branzino and I Crab Capanelli. We were not disappointed with the appetizers. Milk buns melt in your mouth; the whipped brown butter has the perfect sweetness. The octopus was cooked perfectly; so tender. I don't know how the chef came up with all the different sauces on the octopus but oh so delicious. So husband was a little disappointed with the Branzino as it was fairly plain when compared to the octopus. The crab capanelli was cooked al dente and the sauce was creamy with the right amount of saltiness. The toasted almonds added the unexpected crunch and well combined with the richness of the sauce. The only neg here is that it was difficult to locate the crab; the chef should really double up on the amount. Service was excellent as expected; ambiance - not too dark with just enough lighting to read the menu; and the live band added extra points to this special occasion. Overall, it was an unforgettable experience.

To dine at Musso & Frank’s Grill is to have an experience like no other in LA: old world style, dishes that have long since disappeared from the menus of any other of its competitors and the pleasure of knowing that one is dining in a space that has probably catered for virtually every great name ever to have graced Hollywood in the course of the past century. Look beyond the cheap and tawdry pseudo glamour of the rest of the Hollywood strip and allow yourself the pleasure of an authentic experience you will never forget, long after the memory of all the dross of the surrounding razzmatazz has faded into oblivion. Worth every penny twice over.

Overall very welcoming, food was good. We had a great time.

Enjoyed a lovely lunch today for my birthday, Jack our waiter was , so nice and accommodating the food was delicious, such a pretty spot, one of my favorites in the valley

Love everything about this restaurant except they won’t allow you to take any photos while inside.