Cliff's Edge

Cliff’s Edge

3626 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026 (Silverlake)

This week’s Bar Fly Review covers  a place with such a unique blend of characteristics – characteristics that cater to literally every aspect of one's psyche (the inner child, the hopeless romantic, the French sophisticant, the 30-something bar fly, etc.) – it’s nearly impossible to accurately describe (in a way that doesn’t seem nuts).  But here goes…

Imagine George of the Jungle relocated to Paris, graduated from the French Culinary Institute, uprooted his treehouse, moved to the city, planted it inside an abandoned building and turned it into an upscale restaurant and bar.  A literal urban jungle.  Cliff’s Edge is something like that.  But even better.

Based on my requirements for a restaurant, Cliff’s Edge scores a 100% on ambience alone.

First, the place is hidden. Legitimately hidden – in a dark grey, unmarked, windowless, unlit building adjacent to an empty parking lot, on the "other" Sunset Blvd. in Silver Lake, east of Sunset Junction.  Trust me, even with your iPhone or GPS, you'll drive past it.  You won't even be certain you found the place until you enter through a tall bamboo archway (which looks like something Indiana Jones would lead you through, right before you die) around the side of the building in the back of the parking lot.

Second, the restaurant is essentially in a treehouse, within a building.  The place is structured as a multi-tiered collection of bamboo booths and wooden tables encircling a giant fig tree which branches out amongst the tables and booths as it grows high above the outside walls, providing a natural canopy over the roofless building.  The “walls” (if they exist at all?) are completely engulfed in lush vegetation, giant palms overhang the nooks and corners, and the small lights strung conservatively within the tree’s branches make it truly appear as though you’ve been whisked away to an exotic jungle oasis.  (Los Angeles Magazine describes the place as having “a romantic (but not too romantic)…sprawling hillside patio…[that]…lights up at night like the Swiss Family Robinson’s cafeteria.”  Being from Generation X, I prefer the George of the Jungle imagery.  But you get the idea.)

Third, the restaurant is lit by fire pits.  FIRE PITS!  (LA has a dearth of open-air fire pits.)  Fire pits alone make a good place great.  But fire pits in a treehouse restaurant hidden within a concrete building?  That takes a great place somewhere past epic.

Fourth, the place also has a bar.  But not just any bar – a bar hidden through the restaurant, past a large wall made of repurposed wooden pallets.  And not just a hidden bar – a rustic/modern enclave with exposed wooden structural beams, bordello chandeliers, and a mosaic of large French mirrors.  And if the atmosphere wasn’t good enough, the bar has a host of signature cocktails, beer (bottle and draft), wine, and amazing happy hour deals ($3 beers). 

Lastly, the food is incredible, in both price and taste – so much so that Cliff’s Edge was recently named “Best of LA Winner” by Los Angeles Magazine, after bringing on James Beard-nominated chef Benjamin Bailly.  The menu is extensive, eclectic, and delicious, offering something for everyone.

So whether you’re looking for a romantic candlelit grotto to spend the night with someone special, a glass of wine in a modern-ish French-themed bar, a great place for happy hour, or you just want to follow Dr. Jones to the treetop Ewok village and share a meal with your Jane, Cliff’s Edge won’t disappoint. [Yes, that was a hybrid Indiana Jones-Star Wars-Tarzan reference.]  Cliff’s Edge truly is one of the best spots in LA.  Make sure to go.  If you can find it.