The PAPER Guide to LA Restaurant Server Spiels

“We do things a little differently here” says your server before lecturing you with the same spiel you’ve heard the past twenty times you’ve dined out around LA.

They server-splain the concept of family-style dining before instructing you to order “4-5 plates per person,” racking up the bill and leading you to order items you never even saw on the menu to begin with. It’s not the fault of the server, nor the restaurant itself; its origins aren’t traceable outside the simple upward trend of small plate, wine bar style dining in the city. Nonetheless, it can be incredibly irritating.

TikTok videos and podcast coverage tackling the now practically lip-syncable spiel we’ve all become accustomed to have scattered my feed and listenings. As a Los Angeles line cook, hostess and diner myself, I’d like to provide insight as to where this server spiel is happening most harshly, the spots that know its sweet spot and places where it’s entirely avoidable.

Where the spiel is inevitable!

If the wine list is good, the spiel is coming your way. Again, the spiel isn’t the fault of whoever you’re getting it from or wherever you’ve found yourself eating for the night, but it can be a little eyeroll-inducing after getting it so many times. My hypothesis is that this rise in educational menu breakdown is a result of wine-focused, but food-serving spots aiming to inform across the board. They know their natural and hyper-regional beverage offerings demand a bit more intel and attention from their servers, then keep that energy with their simpler, digestible food offerings. Here are some of the city’s best spots to sip a good glass of wine and get a bit of a food lecture alongside it.

Barra Santos

In the small neighborhood of Cypress Park, you’ll find Barra Santos and their killer wines. You’ll stay for their equally killer Portuguese small plates. They’re known for their Bifana, or pork sandwich, but also offer a lovely list of rotating, seasonal sides and starters. Like anywhere in LA, you can get a sufficient crudo, but make sure to add on their prawns or bacalhau fritters for something a bit more special and specific to here. They’ve just expanded their dining room and redecorated, so be sure to snag a seat before it pops off.

Airliner Bar

In the next neighborhood over, The Airliner Bar has been resurrected. They have a 100-year-old history in Lincoln Heights, but its current iteration includes craft cocktails, natural wines and a small menu of Pan-Asian bites. Think crispy rice, a shiso-bathed crudo (we see a pattern?) and some hunan bbq ribs. I went on a date here over the summer and the guy was kind of boring, but the spiel was not! The descriptions our server stated may have been the most interesting part of the night.

Lasita

Lasita is special. The natural wine bar with a showstopping Filipino rotisserie chicken is a great time for any occasion, so long as you’re ready to get spoken to about their extensive bottle list and condensed food offerings. You have a few options of what will be served alongside that signature poultry, and you’ll leave knowing the details of each of them. Whether they hit the table or not. I went for my 21st birthday dinner, with my girls, and we all agreed that the Pancit was the best accompaniment. My Filipina friend said eating the noodle dish brings good luck, but that bowl would have been wiped clean either way.

Spiel Provided Upon Request?

The best iteration of the spiel is the one you ask for. The consensual spiel can be the lovely start to an even lovelier meal. I, myself, as a cook and food nerd love getting the lowdown on how and what to order when I go out. Where are products and produce being sourced? I like to know. As someone who loves to chat, I want to see the strength of my server, their intellect on the menu and personal preferences.

Server spiels are great on dates. In getting to know your server through their spiel, you give you and your date more topics of conversation and can glean insight into who’s sitting across from you. Here are some spots that spiel when insisted on, that give lectures only if you register for their class.

Budonoki

The darling Izakaya of Virgil Village, that slings soft alcoholic cocktails in playful penguin mugs, this place is perfect for when you want to be walked through their range of offerings. They’ll tell you about their pressed sushi, standout sweet potatoes and chicken oyster tataki. The drinks are dank, the food is small but special. You’re guaranteed a great time, with a big group or for a casual date night. And service is quick and efficient. They aren’t opening with the grandiose performance of intel without your request for it.

Sqirl

Down the street from Budonoki is Sqirl, a veteran of the LA dining scene, but only as a walk-up breakfast counter until this Winter. For their new sit-down dinner service, they’ve kept the casual nature of their cafe origins, asking simply if you have questions about their evening offerings. You aren’t getting recommended specifics from their contemporary, semi-experimental bistro fair without inquiring yourself. From Chicken liver pate and “Sqimps” (baby squids stuffed with shrimp chorizo) as starters to fish and beef entrees, Sqirl service assumes you’re equipped to take on ordering until you say elsewise.

The Benjamin

A bit boujee and bouncing with 2010s trap music, The Benjamin has an identity and knows it. Their spiel-less service assumes you know it too.Opened in 2024, The Benji boats a massive, curated cocktail program, that black-shirted dudes behind their centerpieced wrap-around bar shake and stir for its guests. There’s 20 martini variations they couldn’t possibly have the time to tell you about unless asked. They’re busy pouring passionfruit puree for the pornstar martini and adorning olives onto their “dirtier” one. Food here is simple: a killer burger, some salads and vegetable sides, a half chicken or steak for a proper entree. If you need help, they’ll give it. But come on.

Spots Sans-Speil

Here are some spots where you can dodge the talking entirely, where you’re in the wrong if you don’t know what you want upon arrival. These places are often the most comfortable to dine at, where the food stands so strong on its own, that you don’t need the service-based bells and whistles that dining out elsewhere might require.

Jackson Market

Nestled on a side street in Culver City is Jackson Market, a Palestinian-owned, all-day deli where you can pick up any kind of sandwich you can think up, after jotting down what you want onto a slip of paper provided at the counter. You could be in and out of there without uttering a single word. The folks are friendly, but the operation is tight. Grab a spot on the back patio and bust out your laptop or come at night with friends to gab. If a bodega was LA-ified, it would be Jackson Market.

Jitlada

Known to Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco (amongst other taste-having Angelenos) as the best Thai spot in LA, this walk-in only restaurant totes a massive, 400-item menu. There couldn’t be a breakdown of their specialty thai offerings even if you wanted it. The only ordering mistake you can make is skipping grabbing something off the nightly specials board. Jitlada is a true joy, the only downside is the inevitable wait you’ll face for a spot inside.

Any Taco Stand

So there’s this city called Los Angeles. And if you know anything at all, you know that the best meals you’ll have here are from kind folks vending their recipes on street corners across LA’s diverse neighborhoods. These folks have a list of meats and mediums. All you have to do is match a few of those and apply whichever salsas and accoutrements they have out for your discretion. Whoever’s behind the plancha will surely answer the questions you have, but come on. You shouldn’t need help obtaining your al pastor burrito.

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