Kismet, a newish hipster hot spot in Los Feliz, does a couple things right and couple things horribly wrong. On the bright side, their Mediterranean fusion fare is pretty awesome. Their melt-in-your-mouth “Flaky Bread” (similar to Roti) is phenomenal, especially when dipped in a combo of labneh, preserved lemon and honey. Their Shakshuka (poached eggs in a tomato stew) which you sop up with chewy seeded Barbari Bread is also a winner. Their signature daytime dish, called the “Turkish-ish Breakfast,” is the best of all with little tastes of different yummy things such as olives, dates, persian cucumber salad, marinated feta and a spiced soft-boiled egg.
However, as good as the food is, a dining experience is always going to leave a bad taste in your mouth if the service is bad, and unfortunately the service at Kismet is surprisingly disappointing. Vanishing servers, hour long waits to get your food after ordering, and an air of indifference from the front of house staff are major buzzkills. Adding insult to injury is the fact that Kismet adds a non-discretionary 20% service charge to all bills, which might contribute to the lack of hospitality of the serving staff who take home generous tips regardless of satisfied patrons.
The other thing to be wary of at Kismet is the food is quite overpriced. That “Turkish-ish Breakfast,” for example, costs a whopping $24 and if you want more than the couple pieces of bread they include with the dish (which you probably will), you will get charged extra for that. It’s expensive to be an Eastside hipster foodie.
Kismet is located at 4648 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles in Los Feliz.
Turkish-ish Breakfast
Marinated Feta with Tomato, White Grapefruit and Marigold
Soft-boiled Eggs
Flaky Bread with Labneh, Preserved Lemon and Honey
Sesame Walnut Granola with Fruit and Yogurt
Lemon Verbena Custard with Apple with Strawberries and Salt & Pepper Tuile
Located in Hipsterville
The food sounds unique and interesting, but given the prices, and especially the awful service you’re automatically paying for, I’ll skip it!
This is the team behind Glasserie in Greenpoint Brooklyn. High priced takes on Cheap Med snacks will not keep them coming back on either Hipster Coast.
Not surprising at all!
Had a similar experience at Kismet. When we advised the wait person that there was no advance notice of the 20% surcharge, she got annoyed, said there was nothing she could do and told us to "speak to the manager." After the high prices and moderately good food, we decided to take it out of her tip and also deleted all the IG photos we planned to post. There are too many other great restaurants that offer excellent service and food. Kismet is off the list forever.