Restaurant Review: Kitchen 24
It's easy to be skeptical when looking for a restaurant in Downtown L.A. at one in the morning. As much as you don't want to resort to Pink's Hot Dog stand, it can be tempting when you're running thin on options.
When you thought Denny's was the only legit restaurant still open, there's something even better on Cahuenga Blvd. Kitchen 24 sits in an old jazz nightclub and serves up home style cooking, but with an upgrade and better ingredients, at all hours of the day. They're big on eggs and breakfast, so try the Wakey Wakey Eggs and Bakey. They always have a homemade soup of the day, but still go big on traditional items like their burgers.
There's an even larger selection of drinks at the bar, but they also have a fun list of shakes and smoothies they make, like the Raspberry Mint Smoothie.
While you take a bite of your Grilled Veggie and Mozzarella Sandwich, you'll be sitting in modern booths with modern tables. Everything in Kitchen 24 is creative and unique, even the overhead lamps are made out of old spoons. You can sit at the bar if you're feeling like being talkative, but there's usually plenty of seating at the booths and tables at any hour. There's always fun music playing and if it's dead outside, there's still something going on in Kitchen 24. The only downside to such a popular place is that it gets so loud you feel like you're screaming across your table to whoever you came with at times.
Drinks are served six a.m. to two a.m. each day with unique mixes like the Jalapeno Margarita and the Root Beer Margarita. They specialize in cocktails, and also have a menu for dessert cocktails.
To curb your sugar craving, go for the cupcakes that are displayed at the entrance of the restaurant. They're cute and tasty at only a few bucks a piece, always decorated as if there's something to celebrate. For desserts, there's also the Waffle Ice Cream Sundae or the Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Skillet with Ice Cream (think BJ's Pazookie).
A minor problem I had with Kitchen 24 was getting charged twice for my meal and finding the mistake after leaving. Although they fixed the mistake, it took more work than necessary to correct the charge and a has made me a little apprehensive next time I visit.
