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Dining Noise: Loud & Proud or Quiet & Quaint?
Bottega Louie / Photo by pink_fish13 via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
Bottega Louie / Photo by pink_fish13 via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
It's an age-old discussion in Los Angeles (and many foodie cities across the globe) that's front and center once again now that a few noisy eateries have become hot spots: how loud is simply too loud for dinner and drinks?
Blogdowntown points to two popular spots - Bottega Louie and the just-opened (and just reviewed by LAist) Mas Malo - as culprits in a quickly growing too-noisy dining trend.
Both spots have been notoriously packed lately, a sign that many patrons don't mind the noise but those very crowds are what contribute to the "what did you say?" vibe when trying to have a proper conversation with friends while enjoying a night out.
The noisy noshing issue is not exclusive to downtown. Village Idiot is loud. Osteria Mozza is crazy loud. Library Alehouse is ridiculously loud.
The sheer number of diners at these restaurants means a lot of Angelenos dig that vibe and has us thinking there are two audiences - those that seek out a loud atmosphere and those that prefer a quiet meal. Should patrons expect to get both in one venue or should they just steer clear of Bottega Louie if they want to have a post-break-up discussion over portobello fries and arugula salad and hit up Yxta Cocina for quietly-delicious guacamole and basil-cucumber martinis instead?\
Which L.A. restaurants do you skip to avoid the noise?
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