Value is hard to come by these days but you wouldn’t know it after a night out at Blondie, the newest rooftop restaurant to hit the West Hollywood stretch of Melrose Avenue. Ascend the stairs adjacent to a fitness studio and salon to find a string-lit
rooftop restaurant serving an approachable, vaguely Australian-inspired menu of bar snacks and a house cocktail list that maxes out at $17. (Yes, in this martini economy.) The relatively approachable menu prices have already made Blondie popular among neighborhood locals, though its decent views of the hills and charming, relaxed atmosphere — ideal for a first date or a girls’ night out — might merit a crosstown trip for the vibes-first-inclined. Given the recent closure of longtime rooftop bar E.P.& L.P., Blondie is a refreshingly casual addition to the area’s nightlife scene. For best results, focus your attention on the drinks and don’t expect much from the food beyond straightforward sustenance.
What to order
- The $24 hamachi and mango ceviche, surprisingly, delivers serious quality and bang for your buck with thick pieces of yellowtail accompanied by mango slices, jalapeños, and a lime wedge. The delightfully D.I.Y. nature of the dish allows you to customize each bite.
- Prawn toast, by far, is Blondie’s best-tasting dish: its crunchy, deep-brown batter offsets the bounciness of the shrimp filling. Fried Thai basil and red curry aioli striped on top rounds it out, as does a finishing squeeze of fresh lime.
- It doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel, but the spicy mezcal pasta will help pad your stomach after a night of drinks here. The kitchen kicks up your typical chili-spiked, booze-inflected lumache with beef chorizo, pesto, and a mound of stracciatella cheese.
What to drink
Among the drinks, the $15 Electric Feel and $17 Love a Martini strike a balance between craftsmanship and affordability. The former is a tequila-based drink that features Sichuan pepper and buzz buttons, which leaves a unique tingly, almost numbing sensation in your mouth. The latter is a savory, umami twist on a classic gin martini that incorporates tomato water.
Insider tip
Request a table toward the back of Blondie, where a hidden set of intimate booths offers space to stretch out for larger groups and a bar with stools that overlook the hills.
