Review: Larkin's

Larkin's
1496 Colorado Boulevard
Eagle Rock, CA 90041
323.254.0934

Team in Eating visited Larkins in Eagle Rock in early November but it took me a while to post our thoughts. Hey, it was the holidays. Overall Team in Eating loved, Loved, LOVED the place. It was raves all around.

The numbers:

Service: 9.9
Quality of Food: 9.5
Aesthetics: 9.3
Affordability: 7.7

Even though the restaurant is tiny and parking is on the street, most of us thought that Larkin's was ideal for big parties. It might have something to do with the service. The service, especially our waiter, Ivan, was singled out in our survey. They were quite patient with our large, loud, obnoxious group. Even before the dinner, the service distinguished itself. Larkin's called me before the evening of our event to make sure we were comfortable. We originally agreed to outdoor seating, but they were concerned that it might be too cold and offered to give us our own room. It might have helped that it wasn't particularly busy that night, but considering some of the early word on their service, it was good to see that they have made improvements. Our group felt well-served.

The food. The menu at Larkins is pretty minimal. All of us either had the fried chicken or pork chops with either mac and cheese or mashed potatoes for sides. A couple of folks ordered the catfish, jumbo shrimp and jambalaya. Some of the comments: "delectable," "delicious," "yummy," "mouth-watering." Hey, we're not food critics, so don't expect Jonathan Gold-esque comments.

While we didn't find Larkin's to be very affordable, we all felt like we got our money's worth. We wished for bigger portions, but considering that we're all runners/walkers who want to maintain our fitness, it's just as well. A couple of folks also commented that it's not quite what they think of when they think of soul food, but Larkin's doesn't claim to be a purely traditional soul food establishment. They emphasize that they are a "contemporary soul food joint"

So, obviously we recommend Larkin's wholeheartedly. Just writing this makes me want to go right now. If you do go, we recommend ordering dessert--the 7-Up cake (if available) or the sweet potato pie. You can also pig out on the wonderful small muffins that are abundantly supplied with your meal. Larkin's is also BYOB, so hit up Trader Joe's before hand.

A big YEA for Larkin's!