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At a glance Class Casual and full service · Regional
2014 visit · Not scored. Written before How Cue Scores.
Tom's Urban invited Cue the Critic and provided the meal. No payment was received for coverage. Tom's Urban had no editorial approval over this content.
Update, 31 October 2026: Tom’s Urban at L.A. Live is now Tom’s Watch Bar. Same owners, same space; it relaunched as a sports bar in 2019.
Take your Meet + Greet to the next level.
Running a business is not always the easiest task to take on. I have learned that over the years after running several entrepreneurial endeavors. When Tom Ryan opened Tom’s Urban 24 in Denver, I can’t say what things went through his mind or what experiences he had, but I can imagine the joys, stresses, and lessons he may have endured. Being an entrepreneur is all about taking the risk others will not, and trusting your instincts to know that your idea will have mass appeal. Tom’s Urban L.A. Live certainly exhibits the foresight of its concept creator and namesake.
The L.A. Live location has a distinctly different ambience than its Denver counterpart. The restaurant was designed specifically to fit in the fast and very active scene of L.A. Live, and overall Los Angeles culture. It is a place where you can grab a quick drink and mingle with friends before the game or big event you are attending. The drinks and food items have been created in a way that makes them quick and easy to indulge in without a lot of time or hustle and bustle. They are light on the stomach, but just hearty enough to soak up all the booze being drunk.
Bar food can get pretty “interesting”, in the respect that, in my opinion, it is hard to get right. I think some places get lost in the world of soaking up liquor, and let the food go to ruin. Tom’s Urban doesn’t do that. There are creative twists and turns that you may not expect, or even fully understand, but they work. The culturally-rich and contemporary menu has offerings suitable for anyone’s palate.
My [and arguably everyone’s] favorite is the Croatian Fig Jam + 3 Cheese Grilled Cheese Sandwich. Fontina, Brie, and Havarti cheeses sandwiched by lightly oiled, buttery-flavored grilled brioche toast and garnished with a sweet-tart strawberry. The combination of the light nutty flavors of Fontina and Brie cheese combined with the sharp cutting-edge of Havarti give this sandwich a depth that melds perfectly with the savory-sweet Croatian figs. Chase all that with a strawberry, and you will believe you are in grilled cheese sandwich Elysium.
My first drink of the evening was the WTF, which, like Brie cheese, can be an acquired taste. The different alcohols were pungent and distinguishable. I had never had a wine, beer, liquor and juice all in one drink before. Oddly enough, they were good together; the beer stood out the most with a bit of a tang from the wine.
Overall, Tom’s Urban L.A. is fitting for the culture of L.A. Live, and I believe will be a success. They understand their purpose and strive to live up to it. In my opinion, it is an excellent replacement for ESPN Zone. So whatever your reason for being in DTLA, if you have a moment, I recommend stopping by.
This post carries a disclosure above: a meal, invitation, or sponsorship was involved, and it is stated plainly rather than left out. The score is still mine. If this helped you, sponsoring a meal helps keep it going.
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