Reviewing Ysabel: New American fare in West Hollywood.

I have been dying to try Ysabel for a while. Whether Ysabel was solely vibes, solely food, or a hybrid of the two, I was eager to find out! After having several fellow foodies tell me it is an L.A. must-try and seeing TikTok after TikTok review, I finally made a reservation for dinner there on my birthday! The restaurant is in a prime WeHo location on Fairfax Avenue. The entrance is around the side of the building which gives off an exclusive vibe. The host led us to our booth in the back of the restaurant, which seemed kind of special because we had a view of the entire restaurant and were very comfortable in the booth seating. It was the perfect size table for our group of five.

Ysabel is under the guise of executive chef Alison Trent, an internationally trained chef from Australia. With her extensive culinary background, she is churning out some state-of-the-art New American fare. Ysabel has been dutifully serving the people of Los Angeles, and those visiting, since 2015.

We started with the Brussels sprouts, which came with golden raisins, mint, and a kimchee sauce. These were the best Brussels sprouts I have ever had. There was so much flavor, and the way they were cooked to crispy perfection made them absolutely delicious!

For our main entrees, we ordered the wagyu yakitori grilled beef skewers and the vodka rigatoni pasta. The skewers came with portobello mushrooms, scallions, and a sweet soy sauce. These were flawlessly cooked, and a great dish to share. Again, the flavoring was amazing and really made each bite enjoyable. The most highly recommended course by those who suggested Ysabel was the vodka rigatoni pasta. This dish was so amazing that I was ready to order a second of it. Seriously, it was that good. It had the ideal amount of creaminess from the tomato vodka sauce, spiciness from the chili, and freshness from the basil. This dish is definitely the best vodka pasta I have had in L.A., and an absolute must-try when dining at Ysabel. I am a bit of a vodka pasta coniseur, so you can definitely take my word for it.

The ambiance of Ysabel is lovely — from the outdoor seating and hanging lights in the courtyard to the more formal and chic inside (even the bathroom!). I definitely want to go back to try brunch at Ysabel. A few things off the menu that caught my eye include the buttermilk pancakes, the short-rib hash, the mortadella panini, and the salmon benedict. All in all, I was very satisfied with the food we ordered and the overall experience.