The Federal Bar

Reviews 4

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Adam Field

We had a voucher for Sunday brunch entrees and bottomless mimosas for two, and went yesterday. Experience was definitely hit-or-miss all the way around. We walked in expecting a wait, as we had called in advance and been told that there would be one, and that they werent taking reservations. So we get there, and were pleasantly surprised to see a ton of tables open. We were then told that they were all reserved, and thered be a wait unless we wanted to sit at the bar. As it turns out, there were a number of regular, normal tables up by the bar they were talking about - why couldnt they just sit us there rather than making it sound like we would have to sit at the bar? Or, why not just give tables to walkins instead of holding a crazy number of tables open for people who clearly werent going to show up? We were pretty baffled at that - they dont seem the most on top of the initial seating administrivia. That said, despite sitting at a table in the back by the bar, we were surprised to discover that service was actually quite good, other than a bit of a wait to get a menu the first time. Our food came in a reasonable timeframe, our waters and mimosas were refreshed fairly often, and our waiter didnt seem like he hated his job or anything. And the restaurant itself is, as has probably been mentioned a lot elsewhere, quite impressive inside. They were also, however, played entirely out of place crappy pop music when we walked in - we commented that it would seem much nicer if they played jazz or classical, or nothing. As befits the moderately-schizoid nature of the place, about halfway into our food, a live jazz/funk band started playing, which was indeed much nicer, except for the few minutes at the beginning where they were playing *over* the piped-in crappy pop music... but once that stopped, they were quite good. As for the most important part, the food: I ordered the "federal classic" with short rib, which I was absolutely blown away with the tastiness of. I would totally come back for that again and pay full price. My partner ordered the omelet, though, which was decidedly unimpressive. It was basically just a regular omelet, only smaller, on a bed of fries. The fries were also fantastic fries, but you dont pay 13 dollars for a bunch of fries and a boring omelet. So basically just dont get the omelet. Dont bother with the mimosas, either - I could tell they were pretty cheap. Not entirely unexpected, given the unlimited nature of them, but still kinda sad given the classiness of the restaurant.

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Trina D.

I had been lusting over some foodie photos taken at the Federal Bar in Long Beach for months. Then one day, I saw a LivingSocial deal for brunch. Of course, online coupons can be hit or miss but all those blog photos cant be wrong. I bought the deal which included 2 entrees and bottomless mimosas. I dont know about you but Im not going to pass up bottomless mimosas. No way. So last Sunday, my friend Julie B. and I went to the Federal Bar for brunch to celebrate her birthday. She was super excited because she had no idea what we were doing for brunch. We walked in to give our name to the hostess and were ushered into the large, spacious dining room. The Federal Bar is located inside an old bank so it has high ceilings and a gorgeous art deco interior. The staff is dressed up in 1920s clothing circa the Great Gatsby. This place would be awesome for a party! Our server came by and took our orders for the mimosas and my LivingSocial certificate. I ordered the red velvet waffle sandwich but was informed that they had run out of waffles. TRAGEDY! Especially since they had just been open an hour when we walked in. The waitress suggested the breakfast burger which also had the sweet and savory combination I was looking for. Julie ordered the omelette with short rib. Our entrees came out shortly after and I have to say their food is so delicious! The burger was perfectly cooked to order. I asked for medium. The maple aioli was a nice touch and I loved the heirloom tomatoes. The French fries were covered in parmesan and parsley but so tasty. Julie really liked her omelette as well and ate the entire thing. My mimosa glass was constantly refilled to the point where I had to ask her to stop filling it because I had to drive. Id definitely come back here for brunch. Its a shame that its so far away from me though. Ill also come back to try out their dinner menu as well. They have a full bar with a few craft cocktails that sound interesting. Ill definitely be back.

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Lily Tran

This review is only for their brunch menu. To be fair, this was more of a 3.5 stars because it was a little more than just "A-OK". Parking- SUCKS. No private lot or anything so you kinda have to drive around to look for a parking structure or a meter. I was fortunate to find a parking structure that did $3 all day parking :) Atmosphere- Really cool layout. I loved that the restaurant was set up like a huge bank. It was definitely unique with their decor and I liked that there was some live music. You dont see that too often nowadays. Service- From the time I called in to make reservations to the end of our meal, the service was fantastic. They were very accommodating in scheduling a time and were very understanding when I came a little late due to parking issues. Our server kept our mimosas glasses filled and checked up on us a couple times during our meal. Food- Their brunch menu is very limited. I would say it has about 7-8 items to choose from and I think they usually have a "special of the day" dish. We wanted to try the red velvet waffle club, but their waffle maker was broken so we opted for their breakfast burger per our servers suggestion. We were sold once she told us that there was a sunny side egg on top haha Egg whore problems :( The burger was okay and the top bun was way too thick so we just ended up eating the burger open face. For our second entree, we ordered the Federal Classic, which is kind of like their eggs benedict (choice of meat- either salmon or short rib). It doesnt look like your typical eggs benedict served on an english muffin, but on a polenta cake instead. Their chipotle hollandaise sauce was my favorite and complemented the poached eggs and short ribs very well. Both were served with garlic fries....yum. I enjoyed my experience here, but I probably would not come back for brunch because I feel like there are better options food-wise, but it seems like a chill spot to grab some drinks with some friends if I am in the area.

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Lorena Gonzales

DO NOT GO HERE!!!!!!!!! Unfortunately, I cannot express this enough. The ambience of this place is great and the the food is ok. However, my main issue with this place is the horrible customer service. Somehow the staff managed to "misplace" my Visa Check card (the area I was sitting in required that you put a card down). It was missing, gone, vanished into thin air!!!! I was told that the rolodex that held all of the cards was dropped and they assured me that they would look for it at the end of the evening and that I would have a call from the General Manager the next morning. Unfortunately, this saga doesnt end there. Sadly, my banks lost/stolen line was closed, since it was about 10pm when I was told my card was lost, so I could not shut down my card. I awoke the next morning to see fraudulent charges for what I can only assume was someones brunch in Manhattan Beach. I subsequently called my bank to shut off my card and then immediately following called The Federal Bar to inform them that my card did not just fall on to the ground of their restaurant, but that in fact it was in the hands of someone who was making charges in Manhattan Beach. Since I never received a call from their General Manager, I had to speak to the morning shift girl manager who was less than apologetic. "Sorry maam. All I really could do is comp your meal." I stated that this whole situation made me question the credibility of their staff as it seemed odd to me that there were absolutely no charges made on my card for the rest of the night and not until the following morning. The manager then proceeded to start ARGUING with me and stated that she "knows the integrity of her staff!!" Right, the "integrity" of the staff that lost a customers bank card!!!! Way to show such great "integrity" by making a bad situation with a customer, even worse. Do not go to this establishment. I would hate to see this happen to you.