The Exchange Restaurant

Love the atmosphere of this place! It has a cozy, old world meets new world, vibe!!! When I travel, I seek out unique cuisines. This menu delivers for both vegetarians and meat eaters alike with it's Isreal and Cali inspired marriage!!! The servings are an amble amount. The price point is justified with the service, presentation and flavors all being exceptional! The wine selection is fantastic and our server was both knowledgeable and informative about all the dishes. She also helped me pair my lunch perfectly with a white wine! I will be back and marked this as a to go to in my journal!

Delicious and inventive cocktails and dishes! Shareable plates are on the small side… I’ve always wondered why restaurants give you three portions of something (as with the falafel and shrimp) when people dine in parties of two or four (typically even numbers), thus someone always gets left out. Any event super cute place with an awesome chill vibe!

A vegetable centered Asian and Middle Eastern fusion restaurant in the financial district in DTLA. The inside is really well done, dark but in a welcoming way with thick wood tables and plenty of different types of seating, complete with a wood paneled bar. My server was very polite and did a great job as well as the rest of the staff I encountered. When I sat down there were all open tables around me, but within 15 minutes every single table next to me was occupied. I wish they would have spread around the seating a bit more, especially because the table directly next to me consisted of a very loud group. I wanted to order the Stracciatella & Peaches, but sadly they were sold out of it this evening so I went with the Salatim Platter instead. Tonight it consisted of hummus, burnt eggplant, and red cabbage. Overall it was okay, I really enjoyed the hummus but the other sides were pretty bland and weren’t as rich with flavor. Next came the Chorizo & Clams and this dish really let me down. The amount of chorizo was very small, it was too chopped up to be able to eat it with the clams, and had absolutely no spice to it. I would suggest using Merguez sausage instead so at least there’s some kick to it. They also added way too much kale, it was almost raw, so it was a strange flavor combination with everything else. I felt as if I could make better at home. Based on my first two courses I decided to skip dessert to avoid further disappointment. Overall I feel the food could be way better and considering all the options downtown I felt they fell short. Service was great, and the design inside was well done but sadly those were the best parts. It was not a horrible experience, but I don’t plan to repeat, especially considering all the other dining options on the same street.

The servers were very nice, I would recommend not to sit on the bar because the bar chairs are tad bit uncomfortable and there isn’t enough space for foot rest. Food was great though and the interior too.

The food was all fantastic. Be ready to turn over your will to the chef though. They frown on substitution and eating items out of order. They were able to accommodate both one vegan dinner and another on a low carb diet though and all their rules ended up working out

This guy Nico was maybe the friendliest waiter I’ve met. Very caring and had perfect recommendations for my diet. I’d have to say the food was just as good as the service. Really happy I found this place.

Food was average middle eastern fare, common food you’d find at Mediterranean restaurants. Except the plates were small, the prices were excessive. Hummus was average. Kebab was bland. Given only 2 pitas for the whole table despite having ordered a whole variety of salads. Cocktail was tiny. Only saving grace the the desserts, that were original and interesting. Overall this place needs to improve if they want to market themselves as a culinary experience. Otherwise you’re better off going to any Mediterranean grill for better and better valued food

Normally I'm not a fan of wood paneling, but somehow it works in this vibrant yet cozy space. The music is set at just the right level so you're not yelling at your fellow guests. The staff were a fun and eclectic group who all seemed to work very well together. The food and cocktails were outstanding! We will definitely return.