Clutch

And a half. We went for lunch with high expectations; alas, it was OK. The salads, crazy as it sounds, are fantastic, while the BBQ is good, but nothing out of the ordinary. We had the pulled pork and tri-​tip and enjoyed both. The mac and cheese was pretty tasty, though the fries were WAY too salty. Also, we were annoyed to see they serve the tiny cans of Coca Cola and charge full price, speaking of which our lunch was just a hair north of fifty bucks. We expected more, quite frankly, especially when Baby Blues is just across the street.

I don’t think I’ve ever had anything bad here. It took them about 6 months to figure out their menu, but it seems pretty complete now. This place has the same owners as Cerveteca (another spot I would highly recommend). All of their smoked meats are delectable, flavorful, and moist. I am a huge fan of baby blues across the street but find myself choosing this place 95% of the time. I personally feel Clutch has better Mac & Cheese.
They just started serving brunch on the weekends with a completely different menu, I recommend the skillet. I posted a picture of the brunch menu on this Unilocal page so check it out! This place is a must try and I always bring out of towers here.

Tacos and beer are delicious. Also Iove coming early for oysters ! Casual, fun vibe. Prices are totally reasonable — great place to come with friends. Not so much for a date night

Came here for Sunday Brunch! It was sooo good, we had to come back for dinner!
For brunch I ordered a manmosa, it was ok. It’s a 16oz mimosa. I don’t think I’m a mimosa girl, it was my first time. I needed help with my 16oz. It was easy on the OJ.
What we ordered that made us come back for dinner was the Mac N’ Cheese with Pulled Pork and the TRi-​Tip with the salsa verde sauce and toasted bread. Mind blown!
The Mac n’cheese with pulled pork is just indescribable, just get the darn thing, and send me a Unilocal elite nomination as a thank you!
The tri-​tip was succulent and juicy. The bread was freshly toasted to perfection leaving it with a nice warm crisp and the salsa verde just tops the whole thing off!
From texture to flavor, they brought it to the table. Holy Moly!!!
Amazing.
But for dinner, it just wasn’t the same. We ordered the smoked chicken and veggie tacos. It was good but not as good as the meal earlier.
The chicken was juicy, very smokey indeed I enjoyed it better with the salsa verde wrapped in tortilla.
The veggie tacos were okay.
The Mac n’ cheese and tri-​tip will definitely be my staple order here w/​ginger beer.
We also ordered the chips and salsa, free refills for the chips but not the salsa and bread.

Pretty solid spot for BBQ. We tried the pulled pork and ribs which were both really tasty! We loved that they weren’t smothered in some sauce and were instead seasoned to perfection. The mac n cheese with pulled pork was just meh — wouldn’t waste the calories again. We will definitely return as they have a dog friendly patio which is awesome!

First time eating here and I think its great.
The Staff is VERY Friendly.
Nice beers and a cool atmosphere.
I had the Mesquite burger and a side of Mac and Cheese.
The burger had a great flavor, smokey, nicely seasoned. The bun wasnt overwhelming. The grilled onions could have been cooked a bit more but thats being hypercritical. The sauce was supposed to be spicy mayo, there was no kick.
Mac and cheese was awesome! I feel like it had some ricotta and was served in a cast iron plate that keeps it very hot.
I cant find the menu anywhere but I dont get how this is Mexican BBQ.
Tri tip, pulled pork, burgers, fries… mac and cheese… doesnt really feel Mexican but perhaps theres some stuff on the menu that Im missing.
I left full, happy and eager to come back.
Great job!

This place is great! It has a cozy atmosphere with casual yet trendy vibe. The hostess Kimberly was super friendly and accommodating and made me feel welcome as soon as I walked through the door. The food was amazing, I had the prime rib quesadilla. They only have wine/​beer but I still had an amazing agave mule. The manager was super friendly and made sure I was taken care of. I can’t wait to go back! Not your mom’s BBQ place. Oh Taco Tuesday is a must, but get there early as they run out of the best items!!!

Aw man. Pulled pork tacos with pickled onion smoked on the wood grill in the parking lot. No photo because I ate it too quickly. I got a quick snapshot the shrimp poblano done with grilled corn before being devoured. And to top it all off, jalapeño margaritas made with fresh lime juice. Mmmmm. A welcome Venice spot.

Came here for lunch one day and just so happen to run into the owner who was not only funny but super nice! He really makes you feel like you’re part of the family. We got some amazing chicken (which I recommend) and a bunch of side dishes. If you’re in the mood for bbq, get here now! Also try the charbroiled oyster I love the Tex –mex feel, really makes you want to go to Texas!

plain wings = 4 stars (good quality pieces with good rub)
fries = 4 stars (perfectly cooked)

not your typical bbq joint
new, hipster, gastro-​pubby vibe, venice as fuck.
no liquor but they have faux cocktails made with sake and liquors. they have a good beer list and a great happy hour
most of the meats seemed «memphisy»? dry rubbed needed sauce, not wet and juicy.
double fried fries were meh, kinda cardboard-​y

This was my first time having Mexican BBQ and I will definitely keep coming back. We sat on the heated patio (which wasn’t that heated) but the area is open and doesn’t make you feel too cramped. The ambiance was very nice and the service matched.
We got the Tri Tip, Dry Rub Pork Ribs, and 10Hr pulled pork and it was absolutely amazing. I value food BBQ especially being from NC. Our sides were the corn, fried fries, and veggies which were all okay.
Overall I’ll definitely be back and bring friends.

What a perfect addition to Venice. Clutch offers delicious BBQ, tacos and an awesome drink menu.
We loved the vegetable tacos as well as the calamari but most of all the fries topped with steak! You also have to order their guac and perfectly spiced salsa.
Can’t wait to go back and try their BBQ and other menu items!
Cheers!
P. S. Pics on my Instagram @dottie1277

I and a friend were actually going to at California Chicken Café and as we were walking to the restaurant, we noticed this place across the street. The place looked cool and so we googled it, and felt adventurous (we just finished doing yoga) and ran across the street to check it out. The hostess was very nice and let us check out the menu and it looked good and we were able to get a table out on the patio.
As I was heading to our table, my friend went to wash her hands and came back to the table rather quickly and said there was no soap. I then went up and asked the hostess for some handy-​wipes and mentioned the soap issue and she apologized, gave me some wipes and asked one of the employees to do a bathroom check. Good sign.
I am currently on a no carb diet and when our waitress came over to take our order, I asked if any of the items can be changed to suit my dietary needs, she said she would do her best.
Feeling confident, I ordered two orders of the Calamari Tacos, substituting the corn tortilla with butter lettuce and we ordered guacamole with cut up carrots instead of chips. The chef was able to make the accommodations. The guacamole was delicious and the calamari tacos were tasty. Although, I wish they could have given me more than one butter lettuce for each taco as they fell apart. Nonetheless, I gobbled them down.
While our waitress was great, service ended up being a little slow as a table that seemed to be friends with the owner/​manager was getting priority service, but we were not in a hurry so it was Ok.
We were able to watch the football game and relax with some wine and enjoy each other’s company. The owner/​manager (I don’t know who it was actually), but he stopped by our table to see if we needed anything… very nice touch.
I normally don’t have a carb restriction and can’t wait to go back an indulge properly.
Prices are very decent, they are willing to work with you on dietary needs. Nice vibe.

STOP WHATEVER YOU’RE DOING AND GO TO CLUTCH RIGHT NOW (Or when you can)!!! They are the best — you won’t regret it!
Here are the best things about it:
1) The salsa is different and ABSOLUTELY amazing. It’s unique and different and top notch. Anyone who says otherwise is just silly.
2) The food is OUT OF THIS WORLD!!! Seriously, best food I’ve had in a while. HUGE COMPLIMENTS TO THE CHEF! This is what we had:
— Surf and Turf (Amazing portion and price and taste)
— Fish Special (SO PERFECTLY COOKED and the sauce just made it that much better)
— The WINGS (GET THEM)
— Guacamole (Exactly what you want out of guac)
3) The staff is amazing! Sierra was the best waitress in the world — She was always helpful, always attentive and so kind :)
4) The atmosphere and style is just perfect for the food.
The Bad:
1) THERE IS NOTHING BAD — I did not find 1 thing that I found to be anything less than an A+. If this was college, the food and staff would get honors on the dean’s list.
My suggestion is to go there as soon as you can and be ready to be the happiest you’ve ever been.
Overall, the best experience and will be definitely going back very soon. Thank you, Clutch and Sierra!

Live music, indoor and outdoor seating. Bad parking but again it’s LA.
We ordered the 3 items of meat and 3 sides.
Meat:
— Smoked Santa Maria Tri tip (came with 5 slices and cooked medium rare)
— 10 hour pulled pork
— Crispy pork ribs 6 pieces
Sides:
— Of course the French fries with ketchup and spicy Mayo. (we wanted more)
— Smoked Mac and cheese.
— grilled corn
Appetizer:
— Smoked wings with a side of Carrots and jicama. I don’t what kind of dipping sauce it came with. But it was delish.
We also had a choice of grilled or toasted baguette. I think we order a mixture of both. Overall the food was surprisingly good and the service was great. They were really attentive and the feast fed 6 adults
P. s. Don’t forget to ask for the Habanero hot sauce. It’s fire.

I used to come to Benny’s all the time when it was at this location. When Clutch bought out Benny’s I watched as they re-​modeled and opened up. At first I was very excited to try it out as I love Oscars and Venice Wines on Rose Ave., which has the same owners. As soon as a menu came out I lost some enthusiasm for the new trendy restaurant. $ 8 for a taco just seemed way out of line to me… I don’t care if it’s the new hot spot you NEVER charge that much for a basic tiny taco.
So months went by and although Clutch was at the bottom of my bookmark list I decided to stop by for a light meal, as I had seen portions are small.
We ordered the chips, guacamole and salsa. Guacamole was good but very limey, salsa came out hot (which is just wrong… it should be cold or room temp when served) and the chip portion was tiny.
We also had the salmon crudo which tasted only like the sauce and greens it was in. Could have had a salad instead… did not taste the salmon at all.
For our main we shared the whole trout. It was a 4 star taste. Really good and flavorful! Love the crunchy texture of the fish. Unfortunately it was a tiny fish and came with 2 little potatoes and a few pieces of some other veggies.
The saddest items we had were the drinks. I asked for a michelada with no clamato. I understand that they normally make them with clamato at Clutch but I make these all the time at home without it and they taste bomb (google the recipe and teach your bartenders Clutch!). What I got was beer with lemon. They even skimped on the chili rim. My fiancé had the watermelon «margarita» which is not made with tequila as they do not have a full liquor license, it had soju instead. It tasted artificial and way too sweet. Sooo glad I didn’t order that one.
The server was friendly, the place was packed and the patio area was nice. Would I recommend to others? No. Would I go back if someone really wanted to check it out? Yes.

I’m addicted
I’ve had everything a loved everything
Except the oysters, they were super gritty. That was probly an anomaly.
They only have beer/​wine but it pairs well with all the meats
I had a great rosé and last weekend I tried the agua fresca cocktail. It was delicious.
I really appreciate the dog friendly patio.
Only grumpy comment is the loud music. It is REALLY loud. I like the playlist but it needs to be turned down just a bit
Update: tried oysters again and they were YUM, no grit: D

A great, trendy BBQ spot in venice! I love the Mexican inspire flavors and cannot wait to try to mac n cheese. Went there last night for the first time. Very busy and full of hipsters which is to be expected. We got there around 9 and had to wait 20 minutes. Not the best place to go for an intimate dinner, but great for a party or a place to start an evening out.
Loved the calamari tacos and the taco of th day which was pulled pork. All the bbq looked incredible and I plan on going back to try more. My boyfriend got the tri tip with grilled corn. It was all great.
They also have an good wine and beer selection as well as cocktails and agua frescas.
Not cheap so be ready to spend a bit.
Also had pretty good service although they seemed to be a little under staffed for how busy it was.

I went on a Saturday during the soft opening period.
First, I love the indoor/​outdoor seating. Its perfect for the wonderful weather we have in So Cal.
Second, their beer and wine selection is above average. I like that they serve local beer, Santa Monica Brew Works.
Third, the food was really good. I had the veggie tacos and split the nachos with my husband. He had the carne asada and chicken tacos with no complaints.
The jalapeño salsa is spicy and totally delicious.
Fourth, the staff was super friendly and knowledgable about the menu and beverages.
I will definitely be going back.