Gjelina

Restaurants, American Venice
4 out of 5 stars
(4user reviews)
Gjelina
Photograph: Jakob N. Layman

Pack in with the beautiful people at this Abbot Kinney hot spot. There's always a wait—and a snooty hostess to boot—but the scene is buzzing and the food, excellent. Order plates to share—you can't go wrong with any of the seasonal vegetables and pizzas baked in the wood-burning oven. Snag a seat on the back patio for weekend brunch or get friendly with your dining mates at the communal table for dinner.

Posted:

Venue name: Gjelina
Contact:
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Address: 1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd
Venice
90291
Price: $30 and under
Do you own this business?
Static map showing venue location

Average User Rating

4 / 5

Rating Breakdown

  • 5 star:2
  • 4 star:1
  • 3 star:0
  • 2 star:1
  • 1 star:0
LiveReviews|4
1 person listening

They're known for their pizzas, so I recommend getting two different ones to try. They change their menu up all the time so I can't recommend any specific pizza. If charred brussels sprouts are on the menu, definitely give those a try as well! Skip their cocktails as they aren't great.


Gjelina, to me, represents what's wrong with the current state of Abbot-Kinney. Funky-spelled business name that I'm bound to mispronounce, what's-what of trendy menu items, shoddy service, out-of-whack prices, and busy-as-hell (that last one I don't understand). Now, I'm sure the restaurant itself is fine in it's "Aren't we cool?" way, but my experience was with the next-door Gjelina's Takeaway. I went on a Sunday at 8:30pm. With 16 pizzas on the menu, I figured I would be able to choose from more than 3 that were pre-made. Check that: 2 that were pre-made because the person ahead of me got the last slice of Pomodoro. Even though the person behind me had pre-ordered the Pomodoro slice, the staff decided to serve it first-come, first-served without even an apology to the thinking-ahead caller. They simply replaced his slice with another, charged him full price, and happily accepted his tip (People! Tips are for service!). I grabbed a slice of Fennel Salami (etc.) and Crudo Pomodoro (etc.), then my friends and I took a seat in the alley next-door on top of milk crates (obviously supplied by Gjelina's and obviously an attempt to both save money and appear too-hip). The pizza's flavor was fine. I would taste my friend's but, as I mentioned, we were kind of relegated to the 2 flavors. Oddly enough, though, since the pizza was pulled out of what was ostensibly a pizza warmer, it was slightly cooler than day-old college-party-days pizza. I could almost imagine that, had it been hot, or warm, or luke warm even, or slightly fresh, it would probably be fantastic. The flavors and ingredient combo was there. Will I go back? Maybe after one too many beers down the street. I'd have to be drinking to pay $14 for 2 slices of under-whelming but hopefully well-intentioned street pizza enjoyed while squatting on milk crates in a dirty alley.