Gastro Garage is one of LA’s hottest new restaurant concepts — quite literally. This isn’t just a fancy dinner out, but a full-scale pyrotechnic show. Kevin and I recently got the opportunity to check it out — securing a Friday night reservation at the W Hollywood Hotel’s rooftop where the Gastro Garage team sets up.
But what can you expect? How long is the experience? And is blowtorched food actually tasty? We’ll answer all of these questions and more in our latest feature, taking you inside Hollywood’s wild Gastro Garage.
What is Gastro Garage? And What Type of Meal Can We Expect?
One of my favorite things about my husband Kevin is his willingness to try JUST about anything. When I told him about Gastro Garage, he immediately said yes! Though, I could tell he was only halfway listening. I mean, no follow up questions? This was after I mentioned it was a blowtorch dinner experience. I was expecting a full interrogation on this one. But fine, I’ll let him off the hook. After all, we just had twin babies.
It wasn’t until we arrived at the restaurant until Kevin asked, “Wait, what are we doing again? And why are there open flames?” So much for no interrogation!
In short, Gastro Garage is a dining experience and a show. Come hungry since you’ll go through 8 courses plus a cocktail and tequila shot. Alcohol and open flames? Sign me up!
There are two seatings every Friday and Saturday night (either 7 or 8:30 PM). We suggest the 8:30 PM reservation since you’ll get some extra time to linger around after your meal for photos. The entire experience takes about 1.5 hours where you’ll get to watch as the Gastro Garage team blowtorch each of the 8 courses featuring their signature gastro tanks and drill bits.
How Did Gastro Garage Get Started? A Brief Backstory
Gastro Garage founder Stewart Levine came up with this unique dining concept while working as banquet director for Jose Andres’ iconic restaurant The Bazaar at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. The Bazaar, along with Andres’ Michelin-star restaurant Somni, sadly closed in 2020. Kevin and I loved both of these restaurants since they combined artful presentation with theatrics.
Stewart, who’s worked at many of LA’s top restaurants alongside their top notch chefs, including Wolfgang Puck, created Gastro Garage channeling The Bazaar’s unique food preparation and energy. The auto theme ties back to his lifelong love with motorcycles, cars and historic gas stations.
The Meal Torched By Gastro Garage
One of the first things that stood out about the Gastro Garage meal was the quality and deep flavor profile of the food. The dishes were equally as good as the performance — in a town with countless flashy restaurants focused more on style than substance. Upon arriving, we were taken to the lounge where we watched our appetizer get torched. This was a nice pre-show before the main event.
Stewart welcomed us all, and gave the rundown for the night. But first, we took a good luck shot of tequila. Down the hatch! Or in my case, a slow sip since I’m a glutton for pain (and don’t love tequila). The first 2 courses of our sit-down meal featured Gastro Garage’s signature dish — blowtorched savory donuts. This is the very dish that Stewart perfected while doing pop up dining experiences before setting up Gastro Garage at the W Hotel. The first dish blew us away — a “pizza donut” topped with mozzarella, tomato basil puree and fresh basil.
The second donut channeled a Cuban sandwich, topped with Gruyere, slow roasted pork, ham, mustard and a slew of other ingredients. We were so hungry that we ate the second donut before even getting a chance to snap a photo! From here, the courses rolled out at a consistent pace including a variety of vegetables, fish and meat. One of the most entertaining parts of the night was cooking the salmon on the drill bit. At this point, our “mechanic” aka chef, invited us both up to try cooking ourselves.
As the courses rolled out, we kept finding ourselves saying “this one is the best yet!” Though, Kevin has a weakness when it comes to steak. He was especially excited to watch them torch it before our eyes and order it medium rare.
Wrapping Up the Gastro Garage Experience: Topped Off With Dessert
What meal is complete without some sweets? We wrapped up our meal with two sweet donuts. Yep, we basically ate 4 donuts that night along with all the other food. For the dessert courses, we moved to a poolside cabana where we got to enjoy the “Princess Buttercup” donut with peanut butter and nutter butter and a “Fireberry” donut with sweet cream and strawberries. Something tells me that I won’t be getting rid of my Peloton anytime soon!
THE LOW DOWN:
- Gastro Garage is held on the W Hollywood Hotel rooftop on Friday and Saturday nights.
- There are two, 90 minute seatings (7 PM and 8:30 PM)
- We recommend the later seating, simply since you can spend more time wandering around and taking photos after your dinner.
- Come hungry, the night will include eight courses total, one cocktail and one tequila shot per person.
- Reservations are required, along with pre-payment (like a show). Tickets start at $240 per couple.
- To make reservations, go directly to the Torched by Gastro Garage Eventbrite page here.
Looking for other ideas for special occasions? Be sure to check out all our recommendations here on our sister blog Gourmet Globetrotter, including 5 secret spots in LA you (probably) never knew existed (but should!). Is the beach more of your speed? Be sure to read our feature on the Malibu mystery picnic, the perfect birthday outing idea for adults. Or if you’re feeling like staying at home these days, we have recommendations on the best virtual activities you can do from a drag show with sangria making to a virtual pottery class.