Nomad Rooftop is located on top of the Nomad Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. The bldg was a bank in the 1920s, and is now home to a chic new hotel. I'd been hearing a lot about the rooftop, so I thought I'd check it out. Now, I love a great rooftop, and this one's worth checking out, but there are definitely things you should know.
Pros:
- The space is lovely, and who doesn't enjoy rooftop vibes?
- Friendly and accommodating staff.
- Milk and honey ice-cream sandwich was a delight!
Cons:
You can only make a reservation on the app RESY. And, there's one sneaky detail that tripped me up. Make sure you book "TABLE" and not "GENERAL AD." I booked what I thought was a dinner reservation for 7pm, and got a confirmation. When we arrived, they told us, we didn't really have a reservation for dinner, we were "general admission" and could hang out in the bar, and if a table opened up they would get us one. Have you ever heard of "general admission" for a restaurant? What is this, a Katy Perry concert? Give me a break. Just say you're booked, if that's the case. I schlep'd all the way downtown with 3 friends only to find out we had a fake reservation and if we were lucky, they'd seat us. Annoying. Turns out after 45 minutes and a $16 cocktail (the size of a large shot glass) later, we got a table. Okay, fine. All is well in the world.
It's incredibly expensive bar food. The drinks and wine ranged from $13-18, which I guess by LA standards isn't too outrageous, but it's still expensive and should be called out. For example, Hummus is $16. HUMMUS! SIXTEEN DOLLARS! A hamburger is $18. Not to say the food isn't tasty, because it definitely is, but our bill with tip was $300. That's $75/person for bar food. Let that sink in for a second. I'll wait.
Very limited menu. It truly is elegant bar food, and that's just it. Just fries, hummus, hamburgers, and just a few other options.
Recommendation - Yes for drinks. No for dinner. Have 1 or 2 drinks, take some photos, before or after dinner somewhere else.
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