Fat Of The Land

Top 5 restaurants of my life. Ever since my wife and I went to Spain, we'd been looking for a tapas restaurant the gave us the same feelings as Malaga. The food, the ambiance, the service. My wife and I came here for our 6 year anniversary. Robert, his wife and the staff gave us all those same feelings. We were in bliss for 2 hours, and have been raving to all our friends and family since that dinner. The most perfect date spot! Recommend: Bread + Ham Butter, Chicory Salad, Castelvetrano Olives, Gambas al Ajillo.1 bottle of Crianza Urbino 2012

Came here on a Friday night for dinner and luckily we found parking quickly right in front of the restaurant. There is a small parking lot just for the restaurant which was great because we didn't have to street park or park somewhere far, so we appreciated that.We had a reservation, so we were seated immediately by the owner of the restaurant and he was also our waiter, which felt very personal. For drinks, we opted for some non-alcoholic ones such as the spritz and the apple cider. Both were delicious, I'd love to come back and try one of their cocktails or one of their wines sometime (they offer samples as well which is lovely because I'm super picky when it comes to wines!). The ambiance was romantic and cozy, perfect for date nights.For food, we opted for the Castelvetrano Olives, Bread + Ham Butter, Cantabrian Anchovies, Gambas al Ajillo, Steak Tartare, and Octopus Carpaccio. We initially ordered the Braised Mushroom dish as well thinking that the dishes wouldn't be filling enough, but the owner warned that we may be super full due to its heavier creamy nature, so we listened and removed it from our order. He was totally right and we appreciated that he put our experience over profit!Our very favorite dish was, to my surprise, the Anchovies. The fish quality was impeccable, the flavors and textures were amazing paired together. Highly recommend getting these along with the Castelvetrano Olives, best olives I have ever put in my mouth.Unfortunately I had to remove a star because although we were super excited to try the Gambas, Tartare, and Octopus, our expectations were not exactly met. The Gambas were cooked well and the garlic was delicious, but there were only 4 pieces of shrimp and the sauce didn't really taste like shrimp or garlic. The Tartare was good and gave me a different taste in every bite, but it felt like something was missing. For the Octopus, it was cooked perfectly and every bite was tender and bouncy, but the flavors felt a bit lacking and it tasted like one sauce overpowered the other. For $32, I definitely had high expectations for the Octopus but it didn't wow us. We also tried a slice of their Basque Cheesecake for dessert and it tasted delicious, but it was slightly too grainy for my liking towards the middle and end.Because the service was excellent and I loved everything else aside from those few dishes, I'd still like to try visiting again in the future to try a new menu!

Service is amazing and deserves all the stars, run by a lovely couple who chat with everyone at the counter. However, half the food was unpleasant. Starting with olives, cant go wrong there. The sardines were nice with a light flavor. The shrimp were just ok. Moving onto the tartare and liver. I am a huge fan of both and was extremely disappointed with them. The tartare was not fresh. Sure it was made in the moment, but the meat quality was bad. You could taste it immediately. The toppings couldn't mask the flavor. The duck liver genuinely made me sick, I had gone to the bathroom and it all came back up immediately. Before anyone makes claims about it, yes i know what liver tastes like. This had no flavors, nothing to enhance it. It was served with bread and mustard, and I'd hoped it would save the dish. It didnt. It just tasted raw, and a little rancid. Towards the end of our meal, one of the owners noticed the lack of progress on the pate and asked if it was okay. My boyfriend spoke up for me and mentioned how it made me sick, and they were apologetic and took it off our bill which was very generous. The drinks were good, I had the sangria and it was yummy. Overall, the ambiance is nice and service is great but the food itself was just alright. I have to say it wasnt the experience we'd looked forward to for a tapas place, falling for the hype on instagram.

Wonderful. Just go. The whole reason I started writing reviews is to keep a log of places I've been, because rarely is a place memorable. But from service to ambiance to food, Fat of the Land cuts through the noise as an experience I will not soon be forgetting.Robert, the owner, handles everything front of house, from reservations to hosting and waiting tables. His genuine warmth, passion, and quick wit are a welcome reprieve today. The interior is dark, gilded, intimate. Personally, it brings me straight back to NYC speakeasies without being pretentious. Depending on the crowd, it can get quite noisy, though I think that's part of the charm.The seasonal menu is judiciously curated and may seem limited until you remember there is one person working the kitchen. Chef Van works absolute magic, marrying textures and flavors from seasonal ingredients that are not only incredible individually, but also work together to elevate the dish as a whole. Not a single dish relied on salt for flavor and every texture was intentional, from crunchy candied seeds to unctuous rendered bone marrow. Bread and ham butter. The butter has a light, almost whipped texture, and was delightfully herbaceous and silky. Chicory salad with duck prosciutto. Don't let its understated appearance deceive. The prosciutto was incredibly smoky, the chicory was tart, and the candied pepita and sunflower seeds added a crunchy sweetness. Osso buco. This is the first time I've ever liked an osso buco stateside, and no wonder, it's pure, succulent, melt-in-your-mouth perfection.

Do yourself a favor and go to Fat of the Land for brunch! I took my husband out for a belated Valentine's Day brunch and we absolutely loved it.Spanish Tortilla Benedict - This was mine and it was perfect. A nice stack of potatoes covered in a delicious, smoky piquillo pepper hollandaise, perfectly cooked pieces of pancetta, and a poached egg. I took half this home and it was great the next day.Petit Dejeuner Parisian - My husband got this, just a simple, classic breakfast. Baguette with butter, two poached eggs, prosciutto, and roasted tomatoes. Delicious.Orange Cream French Toast - We got this to share and we are so glad we did. WOW, talk about dessert for breakfast! We personally didn't pick up on any orange flavor, and I was fine with that. This was the most decadent, custardy French Toast I have ever had. We also took half of this home and it was still good for breakfast the following morning. Service was excellent, atmosphere perfect once again. We will be back!

Dined here with friends for a special NYE prix fixe menu. Our friends had dined here before but this was my husband's and my first time. This is such an adorable, small, intimate dining experience. The entire restaurant is beautifully designed and the decor is gorgeous. You no longer are in DTSA, but transported to a small restaurant in Spain or France. Exquisite!This is a husband and wife owned and operated establishment and it feels like you're being treated to dinner by friends. They were approachable, funny, and made you feel at ease. The menu: Appetizer of imberico, cana de cabra cheese, olives, and marcona almonds.Winter chicory salad with duck prosciutto.Octopus carpaccio with romesco.(Choice of main, but we got one of each:)Osso Bucco with polenta, mushrooms, pearl onions and chimichurri.Sea Bass with piquillo butter cream, brocollini, and potatoes. Lisbon Chocolate Cake with port wine ice cream. Everything was fantastic. Portions were large and the wine pairing kept refilling (cheers!). We enjoyed the romesco sauce so much with the octopus, we joked that we wished we had bread to sop it up with. Because the sea bass had a saucy plate too, they brought us some complimentary bread to go with it! It's no wonder that this place has 5 stars on reviews. It doesn't get much better across the board: service, atmosphere, and food are all off the charts! Looking forward to coming back to try a regular menu experience. Highly recommend!!

First review of 2025! I'll start by saying that I can't believe I get to live close to such an amazing spot. I'd been wanting to come for quite some time but finally made the trip with my wife. We lucked out and was able to get 2 seats at the bar as a walk-in. The menu is quite limited but there were so many things that we wanted to try out. I started off with a glass of red wine (Priorat) and my wife got the White Port + Tonic cocktail. Both were superb and go on to pair very nicely with the rest of our meal. For food, we ordered:Cantabrian Anchovies - I've been a huge fan of the various ways to pair anchovies and this was super delicious! The sauce was slightly too sour/vinegar-y though. Overall, super solid! Winter Chicory Salad - We didn't actually order this but since it was already made, we ended up taking it. This dish was a perfect pairing with everything else we ordered and one of my favorite dishes of the night. Braised Mushroom - My wife really enjoyed this dish, I personally got a lot of super bitter notes one some bites so it wasn't my favorite. Steak Tartare - A very interesting take compared to other tartare dishes we'd have. It had a nice spicy kick to it and paired very well with the salad. Octopus Carpaccio - Loved the cook on the octopus, it was perfectly bouncy still. Basque Cheesecake - We originally thought we weren't getting this because they sold out, but they brought out another whole cake! It was so creamy and delicious and the perfect way to end the meal. The ambiance and service were on point the entire evening. It was great to be able to sit at the bar and interact with the chef throughout the evening. There are so many other things that I want to try and also need to get that cheesecake again. Will definitely be back!

I was looking for a place to take my girlfriend for her birthday but she lives in Orange County and has been to a lot if not most of the restaurants in the area. I was looking for an interesting restaurant to take her to and I saw that Fat of the Land is a fairly new restaurant with an interesting menu and great reviews. Decided to take her there but I was a little hesitant. Upon arrival, I realized all my reservations about the place went out the window.We were warmly greeted by Robert, the owner, and his wife. We sat, Rob started us off by allowing us to taste a couple of reds while we perused the menu. We ordered the bread and ham butter, the pear apple salad, steak tartare, shrimp in oil, the mushrooms, and the peppers. We had an early reservation so the food came out quickly.The pear apple salad was nice and refreshing and paired so well with the hamThe steak tartare was probably our favorite dish. It was amazingly flavorful.The shrimp was our least favorite but it was still good. It was served in oil with garlic and bread. Shrimp was cooked perfectly.The mushrooms were served on a bechamel sauce and this was a very rich and delicious dish that came out piping hot--we used the bread to scoop up as much of this as we could. This was the girlfriend's second favorite dish.The stuffed peppers were served on a bed of shaved fennel. This was my second favorite. Last but not least, we had the pumpkin basque cheesecake. We weren't sure if we wanted the pumpkin or original but we ended up getting the pumpkin because it's seasonal. They were so kind because they also gave us a sliver of the original to try as well--and my god, we know what we'll be bringing for Christmas dinner this year.Overall, it was a fantastic experience. We loved the restaurant and its decor that was somewhere between elegant but not pretentious, the music seemed like it was an all inclusive playlist that hit a little bit of everything, and the service was impeccable. I don't know why or how this place hasn't garnered more attention.Definitely will be back.

A truly unique restaurant bursting with creativity and top-notch quality! The French toast is unbelievably delicious!

We stumbled upon Fat of the Land and decided to give it a try. They were booked all night with reservations, but we lucked out and were allowed to sit at the bar before the next party arrived. Robert, the owner, welcomed us and shared the story of the opening and concept. The former Subway shop had a great feel ... very intimate with not too many tables and personal service. Everything was amazing - from the décor, to the service, to the food and drinks (a great selection of craft beer and wine). And you have to try the cheesecake - unlike any cheesecake I have had before and absolutely delicious. I highly recommend Fat of the Land. We will definitely be back.