Mes Amis

Angelenos often find themselves in Hollywood with time to kill before doing something else. Maybe that’s seeing a show at The Bowl, making an obligatory appearance at a friend’s problematic improv show, or simply waiting for traffic to die down before driving home. It’s an infamously exhausting area, which is why knowing spots where you can break away from the madness and recharge is key. Mes Amis is one of those places. 

This fancy French brasserie, located on the ground floor of the Thompson Hollywood hotel isn’t necessarily a restaurant you need to stake an entire evening around, but with an elegant dining room, good food, and plenty of seats at the bar for a quick cocktail, it’s the ideal supplement to a night filled with other plans. 

Mes Amis comes from the chef that opened Bon Temps, a boundary-pushing French restaurant in the Arts District that closed during the pandemic. While that spot was known for intricately plated canapés and a stark, industrial space, Mes Amis is much more classically French and classically Hollywood—the latter of which ties the whole experience together. 

photo credit: Jakob Layman

Soaking in glamorous, Old Hollywood energy while eating a medium-rare NY strip never gets old. And Mes Amis goes all in on that notion. The cavernous dining room is filled with large, gold-framed mirrors, portraits of young Brigitte Bardot, and a dark marble bar no doubt already a favorite hangout for several famous ghosts. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think you were in a century-old city landmark—not a lobby space that was built in 2021. Most restaurants in this part of town like to lure in visitors by pretending they're located somewhere else: Tulum, Cabo, etc. Mes Amis, on the other hand, gives off a vintage Hollywood charm that feels fresh, original, and totally at home. And most importantly, it's all buoyed by the solid food coming out of the kitchen. 

Mes Amis’ menu has its fair share of traditional French dishes, such as steak frites, roasted half chicken, and smoked duck breast with swiss chard. But there’s also some unexpected stuff, too—like the pastry-crusted lamb wellington for two or the double-decker chicken liver mousse napoleon. The strongest dishes tend to be the ones that are more unexpected and less traditional (also great: anything that has a pasty element to it), but we appreciate that all the food at Mes Amis is not so overly rich and decadent that you’re rendered immobile afterward. You could easily swing by with a date for some steak tartare and truffle risotto before seeing a musical at The Pantages or cruise to the bar post-show for a raclette-topped “French Onion” burger and martini—with plenty of energy left over to catch a set at Hotel Cafe. And then maybe a drink somewhere else after that. This is Hollywood, after all. 

Food Rundown

photo credit: Jakob Layman

Table Bread

First off, shout out to Mes Amis’s free table bread. Crusty on the outside, pillowy on the inside, it would be the same price as valet parking at other French restaurants in LA.

photo credit: Jakob Layman

Steak Tartare

Topped with sweet egg yolk jam and crispy shallots, this is a solid—if slightly boring—steak tartare. It also comes served with crispy, salty “everything” lavash for dipping that luckily makes it much more exciting to eat.

photo credit: Jakob Layman

Chicken Liver Mousse Napoleon

This appetizer isn’t just a work of art, it’s absolutely delicious. The intense savoriness of the mousse is mellowed out with the puff pastry, and there’s a prune gastrique on the side for a little pop of sugar. It’s a little messy to eat though, which is why we recommend just using your hands versus trying to break it into sections with a knife.

photo credit: Jakob Layman

French Onion Burger

A burger topped with raclette cheese and caramelized onions will always catch our eye on any menu. But while this is definitely a good burger, the exceptionally dense bun holds it back from being great. We actually ditched half of the bun to make it an open-faced sandwich, and liked it way better.

photo credit: Jakob Layman

Lamb Wellington

Wrapped in flaky puff pastry and filled with a layer of earthy, chopped mushrooms and succulent chunks of lamb, this is easily the best dish on the menu. Its $89 price tag might cause some sticker shock, but know that even when splitting it between two people, you’ll probably have leftovers. We recommend getting this dish to share instead of ordering two separate entrees.

photo credit: Jakob Layman

St. Honoré

If you were lucky enough to get to Bon Temps before it closed, this is a dessert you might recognize. It’s puff pastry topped with dollops of piped pecan mousseline, candied walnuts, and caramel—all presented like some thought-provoking contemporary art exhibit. We’re happy to report it’s safely made its way to Hollywood and is still every bit as delicious at Mes Amis. You can either get it by the slice or a whole one for the table.

photo credit: Jakob Layman

Chocolate Soufflé

Soufflés are a difficult dish to nail, which is why they often get people kicked off TV cooking competitions. Mes Amis’s version, however, could easily win an episode. We love the lush, chocolately interior, but what makes this a standout is the crunchy, sugary crust encircling the top. Also, the tiny scoop of the herbal-flavored genepy sorbet on the side is the perfect palette cleanser.

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