Father’s Office

This review is specifically for the Santa Monica location, I have not been to the other.
I think this experience was doomed for me from the beginning. The idea of going to Father’s Office was put into motion with, «let’s go to my FAVORITE restaurant!» Father’s Office is not a restaurant, it’s a dark, overpriced bar that serves some food.
At first I was stoked when I walked in because their beer menu is expansive and there is definitely something for everyone. For their cost of beer and food, I’m sure they could afford some table service and some kinder employees. Don’t buy into the «no substitutions» hype. I’m a strong believer in «if you pay for food at inordinate prices, you should get what you want.» When asked if they could accommodate food allergies, the bartender told me to «order something else or maybe go to a different restaurant.» When I asked about Maytag Blue, I got, «…You don’t know what Maytag Blue is?» Well, obviously not if I asked you. When I received my burger, there was no bacon in it, and the bartender smirked and took it back. If you don’t allow substitutions because everything is perfect, why did you forget to put a main component of the burger on the burger? A bus boy was more than happy to help us move a few tables around to accommodate our large-​ish group (6 people), but when one of the tables rocked so bad water almost fell over, not a single employee could be bothered to help us find something to put under the table leg to stabilize it. With the exception of the cool busboy, their moody staff left much to be desired. My brother in law assured me their attitude was just «an LA thing.» I’m not sure what that meant, but whatever. You think they’d be a little nicer to a group with a $ 300+ bill.
I wanted to like FO sooo much. Looking it up beforehand, combined with rave reviews of my brother in law’s friends, gave me such high hopes for a fantastic meal. The french fries were delicious and the beer selection was awesome. I would consider coming back to FO late night just for the drinks, but never again for the food. In the future, I would recommend to people that they not go to FO if they’re looking for an establishment with customer service.
If you do chose to go (which you probably will, I know I am a lone wolf in this anti-​FO review), I recommend getting there early. We went around 6pm on a Friday and were able to find space for our large group, but if it had been even 30 minutes later we’d be out of luck.
TL;DR: For the price of the food and drink, the employees could be more welcoming.

This place is ridiculous. Labeled as a burger/​gastropub place but you need an ID to get in? Came here on a Sunday night to get burgers but one person in our party was from out of town and not carrying their passport. We were denied at the door. OK fine, your policy. But the guy had way too much attitude about it. Is this a bar or a place to get food? Total fail as far as treating customers with some respect. This place makes no sense. We’ve been to a couple bars and green flash brewery during our trip to socal with toddlers roaming around inside during the day.

Staff is outstandingly friendly and knowledgeable about beer (extra shoutout to Ryan, who remembered us first time visitors when we came back in the next [crowded] night).
The burger is one of the very best we’ve ever had, and the no substitution policy is spot on (trust the process, even if you think you don’t like blue cheese).
The local beer selection is unique (for visitors from the Midwest at least, and Michigan has a mean beer selection).
Can’t wait till we move to Santa Monica next month and make this magical place our second living room.

This place has the best burger in Los Angeles, and fantastic beer. It’s casual, and the serving sizes are generous. There’s community seating, but usually we’ve still gotten a table to ourselves. I look forward to going to this place all week when I make plans to go. The price is AWESOME for the quality & quantity.

This place is amazing!!! It’s different that you have to order at the bar and wait for a seat… However, best beers on tap! They only have 1 burger on the menu and that’s it! I wish they had another signature one. The food is great and the vibe is sweet.
I definitely would go back and bring a friend along

I’ve known Sang aka Chef Sang for over a decade when he was executive chef at Michaels & he’s always had a passion for beer pairing, snowboarding & music.
His talent shines in creating the perfect flavor and texture combinations stacked perfectly into a unit of deliciousness.
All authentic Chefs create and use their time & imagination to perfect each morsel. Have you ever seen a salt & pepper shaker sitting atop a table at any respectable fine dining establishment ?
No– they do not want you to alter their creation.
Father’s Office is a bit more casual but the ingredients are still of the highest quality.
If you feel it needs a little bit of this or a little bit of that– ask to speak to Chef Sang and he’ll take into account your opinion.
Although he’s always on the cover of
Food & Wine or Bön Appeitit–
Sang is humble and really sweet.
Try your entrée before making your usual adjustments & you may be surprised with just how much your taste buds are enjoying the experience.
***Sang if you’re reading this: Congratulations on Everything!
Hugs to Curious, Serious & Delirious from me … #Argyle

Like a good burger? FO is an incredible option. I’ve heard it’s one of the best burgers in LA and once I had a go myself, I’m convinced this fact is true.
A quick warning — if you’re under 21, you can’t come inside because it’s a small pub. When you arrive, scope out a table, place your order at the bar, and wait for your burger to arrive at the table. At first glance, it may seem small (as that’s what I thought) and after my first bite, I still thought the portion was too small. But once I worked through the first half, I started to realize that it’s a perfect amount for a solid lunch. Go with medium-​rare so when you bite into the patty, you can feel the juices rush out. I especially loved the cheeses and caramelized onions as salty, yet sweet, complements to the patty. And they’re notorious for «no substitutions» for a good reason — this recipe is already delicious without modification. We also had a small basket of sweet potato fries which complemented the burgers well.
Will definitely be back again the next time I’m in Santa Monica. Seating is tough, it gets loud inside, but if you’re looking for a good burger at an off-​peak hour, FO is a great option.

Really (4.5 *)
Dammmm that sure is a tasty burger! For me, Father’s Office is the mother ship of the artisan burger, the trend setter, the pioneer. Although I do feel this place has been surpassed by other burger joints that have sprouted up, this spot will always hold a sentimental place is my heart.
The vibe is very casual at both restaurants. Find a table (this is an all out battle at this particular location) and order everything at the bar — burger, beer, ect… There seems to be a hint of snobbishness by the bartenders /​waiters at the bar but service has always been fairly quick and my orders have always come out correctly so I’ll leave my complaints on that subject aside.
Now to the main event. The Burger. The reason this place is so popular. Each bite hits you with an explosion of flavor. The bacon jam is out of this world. The cheese is powerful but not overpowering. The aioli is delicious. The shoe string fries that come with it are cooked to perfection. The burgers are messy but not too messy and maintain their shape There is very little this place does wrong on their trademark meal. Beer selection is expansive and excellent as well. If you appreciate a good burger, then this is a must try. You will not be disappointed.
Something to note — there is only one burger on the menu and no substitutions allowed (probably aids to the snobby attitude surrounding this place I alluded to earlier). Although I wouldn’t mind seeing some more burger options on the menu (they do offer other dishes), I respect that these folks are masters of their craft and want to share it with the world.
TLC Score: *** (Snobby vibe detracts from the love involved in making the burger)

— It’s totally stupid they don’t allow you to alter the burger (even tho its great).
— No ketchup? Give me a fucking break.
— French fries need work
— The service/​table philosophy kind of sucks (find your own table, which is obnoxious when its super busy because people can just swoop in – and you order all of your own stuff at bar)
BUT the beer selection us unique, awesome, and well thought out and the BURGER IS OUT OF CONTROL GOOD. I have serious complaints with this place, but the good far outweighs the bad. Give it a shot, try to go early to avoid the crowds.

Received a recommendation years ago and finally had the pleasure of trying the well known Father’s Office. MUST BE 21 TO ENTER. The spot literally does look like a office space. Great service and selection of beers with fast service! My partner and I shared the Office Burger with some fries and a couple beers. Burger was tasty, not as amazing as I expected, but none the less worth the wait.

Ok but not great. The beer selection is impressive (although pretty pricy), with probably more than a hundred beers coming from local breweries for the most part. However, the food is extremely average and priced way too high for what you get both quality and quantity wise. Burgers (and French fries!) are good though, even if I think they should be priced more reasonably.
The place in itself is very small. Don’t expect to be sitting if you are more than two, unless you get very, very lucky.
Street parking in the neighborhood is pretty easy, although I recommend everybody to take a moment to make sure you don’t misread the parking signs on Montana Ave, as some of them can be very tricky!

Walked in on a Thursday night with my husband and best friend and was very packed! You must be 21+ so don’t forget your ID. You seat yourself wherever there are open spaces so we waited for a table to turn over. You order at the bar as well.
My husband and I split The Office Burger with a side of their frites. It does not come with burger buns but more so a sub. It has a slight sweet taste which I like. I was craving a burger last night but this didn’t fully do it for me. My husband thought the burger was alright as well. I ate all the fritas with the garlic parsley aioli on top though! My best friend got the Duck Confit Salad. The presentation was a duck leg a top a salad. She gave thumbs up to her salad!
The place is dim and noisy at night which makes it a great place to hangout with friends and drink some beer! Depends on what scene you’re looking for!

It’s been a while, but I think Father’s Office may have been the location that kickstarted my burger challenge with Donna S. (either that or it’s one of the early places that pioneered our burger adventures).
The place was relatively busy on a weeknight. Parking is luck of the draw with street parking. Father’s Office is really a bar so they card you before you enter (21+ only). Once inside, you order at the bar, even when dining in.
Their Office Burger receives rave reviews and I was disappointed to find that 1) they only have one option, and 2) it’s not really a burger (no burger bun), but more of a sub sandwich! =(It was delicious nevertheless with the caramelized onions and applewood bacon and the juiciness of the medium rare patty, but it’s not a burger! =/​
Donna S. and I haven’t made repeat trips to some of our burger challenge places and Father’s Office is definitely one of them, mostly due to its location on the Westside. However, the Office Burger is worth a try.

Must be 21 to enter.
Which is less of a hassle for the bartender as they never need to take time to card people.
Service: ²⁰⁄₁₀. Our bartender was the friendliest and coolest lady ever! Super nice and recommended some really tasty entrees.
Food: They’re not kidding when they say the burger is one of the best. Tender, juicy, melts in your mouth kind of patty!

Get the Office Burger. Savory bacon, gruyère, caramelized onions over a delicious beef patty. The bread is ok, but the savory flavors and juiciness of the patty really make this a fulfilling meal. I ended up trying a few other items here like the bone marrow, but wasn’t as impressed.
I really feel like the best way to do Father’s Office is with a beer + Office Burger + more beer.
Parking is free if you can find it, if not I believe they have valet options when it gets too busy. Plus only 21+, so no annoying kids or teens in the area. Thank goodness!

Rating: ⁸⁵⁄₁₀₀ pts
This Father means business: no one under 21 allowed inside (get ready to be IDed at the door), no ingredient substitutions or removals, no ketchup or mustard on the premises, but YES to one serious burger, which I consider one of the best in LA.
Father’s Office is neither office nor restaurant, but more a bar than anything else. However, their burger stands out so much that it’s practically the only thing I’d come for since I don’t drink beer, (though apparently they have a good selection of that too).
Whereas many recent gourmet burgers have focused on small and light patties with high quality ingredients (Umami and Pono Burger, both also in Santa Monica, fall under this category), Father’s Office makes outright MEATY burgers. However, I’d hesitate to use the word conventional: the oblong, bready bun is not your typical BBQing-​with-​dad-​in-​the-​sun type bun, though it does work. Also, as stated above, they outlaw the use of ketchup and mustard, smugly shaking their head no when you ask for some. Instead, the burger is topped with a sweet and tart caramelized onion sauced, which combines excellently with the bitingly pungent gruyère and blue cheeses and bitter arugula. After a few bites, it becomes understandable why they don’t want you to defile this calculated combination with your own clumsy sauce-​up.
The meat is delicious and flowing with juices. I think it grows on you, as I noticeably enjoyed it more the second time around. The patty continues through the oblongness of the bun, making it last longer than expected. Order it medium rare for maximum enjoyment.
And I guess I’ll mention the fries: they are not my favorite. Seasoned with parsley with a side of garlic aioli, they are cut extremely thin, meaning you taste more grease than potato. Although I don’t miss mustard on the burger, I do miss a good dijon to go with these fries, which prevents me from enjoying them fully.
Though I consider the fries not much more than an afterthought, the burger is definitely worth remembering. It could qualify as a five-​starer by taste, but by value (with a side of fries, you pay $ 16+), I’d consider it 4. Regardless, I’ll be back for that meat…

Finally had the chance to eat at the famous Father’s Office. Named as the best burger by Esquire magazine, the FO burger does not disappoint.
Obviously, you’ll need to order the FO burger. It’s amazing. Possibly one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. Everyone needs to stop complaining that there’s no ketchup, because honestly, ketchup would ruin the flavors of the FO burger itself. Yes, it’s a little pretentious of the gastropub to not even offer it or not even offer any other substitutions. Anywho, the burger is a good combination of savory, cheesy, and sweet… The patty wasn’t super oily and I love the hint of sweetness from the caramelized onions and the slight bitterness from the arugula. To me, this is my ideal burger. However, for those of you who don’t like sweet mixed with savory (like my bf) then you won’t like the burger.
The sweet potato fries are also a must; it has this super garlicky, delicious dip. It’s enough to feed 2 – 3 people. Also, beer lovers, this place may as well be heaven. There’s quite a selection of beer (a bit pricy).
I actually like FO — the only things I don’t like about it is that it’s SUPER loud inside and so dark inside. I could barely read the menu! Perhaps coming at lunch would be better with the natural sunlight…

Went here on Valentine’s Day with my boyfriend.
Parking: Meter parking out on the street, it’s Santa Monica what do you expect. We easily found parking across the street and didn’t have to pay. We went on a Sunday and arrived around 9pm. Make sure to read the signs before the meter steals your quarters.
We got inside and it was SO DARK. Ordering was a little confusing, we got told by the hostess to just order at the bar. We didn’t know where the line started or if there was even a line. My boyfriend eventually figured it out and ordered our food.
Seating: Seating can be a bit difficult. I had to get out of line (assuming there was a line to order) and go find a table for us. Thankfully, our hostess was really nice and directed me to wait for a table that was almost done. Had he not done that we probably would have stood eating.
Father’s burger: Had to get the father’s burger, I was told that it was the thing to get. I loved the meat, the sauce they put on it (tasted like bbq sauce to me, I could be wrong), and the grilled onions. I wasn’t a big fan of the cheese, that was probably the only down side of the burger.
Sweet potato fries: BOMB, I am a huge fan of sweet potato fries so maybe that’s why. I also loved the aioli sauce they pair it up with. I wish I had tried their regular fries, but I just thought of it was potato overload. So I just went with the sweet potato fries, they did not disappoint.
Bruschetta: I love bruschetta which is why we decided to get it, it was also a part of their specials so we thought why not! warning: the cheese on the bruschetta can be a bit overwhelming. I had to take off some cheese in order for me to finish it. Other than that I recommend it, it would have probably been better if I had wine to pair it up with.
Customer service: great! all the workers are very nice!
I didn’t try any of their beers, not a big fan of beer but they have a wide selection you can choose from. If you love brews and burgers I definitely recommend this place for you!

Ein wirklich sehr seltsamer Laden auf der lebendigen Montana Avenue.
Zur Zeit der «Angesagteste», was sich mir persönlich überhaupt nicht erschließt.
Der Laden hat den Charme einer Sportsbar, eine wirklich miese Akkustik und ist so stockfinster, dass man kaum sein Gegenüber erkennen kann.
Das Personal wirkt auf die Artüberheblich, wie es leider häufig der Fall ist, wenn ein Restaurant einem großen Hype unterliegt.
So als müßte der Einlass dem zahlenden Gast eine Ehre sein.
Das Ganze scheint aber irgendwie Teil des Konzeptes sein???
Die Qualität des Essens kann ich nicht beurteilen, da wir uns aufgrund der schlechten Atmosphäre noch vor der Bestellung zum Gehen entschieden hatten.
Insofern mag die 2 Sterne-​Bewertung vielleicht etwas unfair erscheinen.
Sie basiert aber darauf, dass selbst eine herausragende Qualität von Speisen und Getränken die vordergründig unangenehme Stimmung nicht hätte kompensieren können.

I’m a big fan of gastropubs. Delicious burgers and a large selection of craft beers? Don’t need to holla at me twice.
Father’s Office did not disappoint. It’s moreso a bar than a restaurant, so yes, they’re going to check your ID before you walk in. And yes, there’s going to be more alcohol options than food options.
I definitely recommend their famous Office Burger. It consists of: a medium-​rare patty made from dry-​aged beef that packs tons of flavor, fresh arugula, blue cheese, gruyère, and this onion-​bacon compote that really pulls in all the flavors together! All of this is squished between two halves of a french roll that’s coated with garlic butter. Bonus point of using a french roll? It doesn’t get quite as soggy as a normal bun would and retains its crispiness on the outside.
Fries come with aioli. YAY.
Downside to FO though is the «seat yourself» system. There’s like non-​stop, awkward staring at each other while waiting for people to leave when FO is busy. I’m not trying to hover over you while you eat or anything… but I really need your table so…
Yeah, don’t mind me staring at you. It’s probably more awkward for me than it is for you.
Overall, I really liked it! I would definitely come back again.

Cool spot to hangout with friend, the food is mediocre and so is the service.
Came one afternoon to get a bite to eat after hearing so much raving reviews from my friends. Of course, I had to try their signature burger and the sweet potato fries. The burger was $ 12.50 and a basket of sweet potato fries was $ 7. High prices for what you get! The burger was good but nothing mind blowing. The fries were a little better, there is no ketup.
There are lot of beers on tap to cater to everyone’s taste. The place is really small so it get crowded quick and I can see that certain times it would be hard to find a seat. The service was non-​existent, the server only came out once to bring our food and never came back to refill drinks or check on us.
It’s a cool vibe, street parking was pretty easy for me, and the bathrooms were clean.

A few friends and I went here after going to The Getty. We were sort of hungry but looking to eat dinner later on in Little Tokyo, so we just came in for drinks and for some tapas.
I had been to the Father’s Office location in L.A. before, but since we were closer to Santa Monica, this was my chance to check out this location.
Fortunately, we didn’t have to park too far away (street parking), and though the restaurant was crowded – it was a Friday night – we were still able to find enough seating for the five in our group. Three of us didn’t end up staying too long, while two of my other friends hung out longer and had plans to meet with other friends later on at Father’s Office.
We just ordered drinks and some appetizers to share. My friend and I already knew how good the «Father’s Office Burger» was, thanks to our previous visit, so we ordered that to share. Here are the other dishes we tried:
«Maryland Soft Shell Crab Appetizer»: Make sure you check the board to see what specials are being offered for that day. This soft shell crab appetizer was bomb. I don’t even know what kinds of sauces were included with it, but the crab was moist, juicy and super flavorful. Too bad this isn’t part of the regular menu.
«The Office Burger»: This burger tasted just as good as how I remembered it to … and I wasn’t even hungry during the time of my visit. It included caramelized onions, applewood smoked bacon, gruyère, maytag blue cheese and arugula. Even though arugula isn’t my favorite, I really liked it in this burger. The bacon is crispy and fresh, and the combination of gruyère and blue cheese is perfect. If you’re only getting one thing from Father’s Office, I highly recommend this burger.
«Basket of Frites»: Since we ordered the burger solo, we also opted for a basket of frites to share. Although I prefer thick-​cut fries to crispy, shoestring fries, the fries at Father’s Office are adequately seasoned and definitely don’t disappoint. My only regret: that we didn’t order the «Basket of Sweet Potato Frites,» which features roasted garlic and blue cheese aioli. I have a huge weakness for sweet potato fries, so I’ll have to try this version someday.

Been told by a friend that Father’s Office has the best burger. It finally took me 2 years to get my butt over to Santa Monica to try this place. Well, we actually went to the Culver City one first… but they told us they weren’t serving burgers that night. so we continued all the way to Santa Monica.
Parking was pretty easy. There’s mostly only street parking.
Inside is very dark and there’s not many tables. There’s also a bar area and that’s where you order the food.
Our group of 4 ordered 3 burgers, stuffed peppers and a basket of frites and sweet potato frites.
Stuffed peppers appetizer was good. Came with toast that you eat it with.
I didn’t care much for the regular frites. I don’t like skinny fries haha. But the sweet potato fries were amazing!!! I practically ate the entire basket to myself.
Burger was way too messy for me! I’m not really burger person to begin with so I don’t have too much of a right to judge it. However, my 3 other friends that I went with all said that the burger was overhyped! I personally thought that there was too much sauce going on and it was just way too sweet and salty.
Well, it’s good that I finally got the Father’s Office burger out of the way now!

This is the 1^st time I’ve been to this location — I usually go to the Culver City location. For some reason, it didn’t taste the same. I loved the Office Burger at the Culver City location. It was a perfect medium rare and super juicy and flavorful. The one I got served here was a bit overcooked — almost like a medium and not medium rare — and it was less juicy and lacking punch. It was still good, but not the amazing burger I had at the Culver City location. I also tried their Patatas Bravas and their Mushrooms and they were aite.
Location is way smaller than the Culver City one. Only 1 TV and limited indoor seated. Parking is a hassle — only meters or street parking. I’ll stick to going to Culver City!

Ambiente einfach aber gut. Einer der besten Hamburger der Stadt! Unkompliziert. Unbedingt ausprobieren!

Atmophäre war etwas dunkel, einem Pub entsprechend.
Die Burger waren der absolute Wahnsinn! Auf jeden Fall der beste Burger, den wir auf unserem Amerika Trip probiert hatten.