Verdugo Terrace At Castaway - Burbank

We were seated promptly, but it took over an hour for our appetizer to arrive. After waiting for 20 minutes for water, we finally received it. Unfortunately, our waiter seemed unfamiliar with even the basics of the menu and there was a general sense of being short-staffed and overwhelmed. The restaurant felt disorganized, and management was noticeably absent. The reservation stated that we needed to finish within 1.5 hours, yet it took more than an hour just to get our food—how is that supposed to work? By the time our meal came, we were incredibly hungry, and our kids were left starving since there were no kid-friendly options. We ended up quickly eating and leaving without ordering dessert, and to top it all off, it was my birthday.

The ambiance was fantastic, and our waiter, Mitch, provided excellent service. I did feel that a couple more vegetarian entrée options would have been nice. However, the vegetable platter featuring beets, radishes, carrots, and cauliflower was absolutely delightful. I also appreciated the European-style credit card reader at the table—having control over the transaction right there, without someone taking my card away, was a great touch. Overall, the experience felt very refined.

The restaurant is quite pricey for small portions, but the food was delicious and the service was excellent. Although the Verdugo Terrace was located in the parking lot due to COVID, we still enjoyed a nice view. One downside was the limited menu; we wanted to dine inside but there were no available slots for our preferred time, which restricted our food options.

The first time I came to LA I dined at the Castaways. Early bird special, excellent salad buffet, incredible soups and plenty of extras. Those days are gone. Oysters were very fresh great! Scallops were a bit overcooked and rubbery not so great. The braised short ribs were melt in your mouth good as was the lab rack Perfect! The beans were made fresh and it was too bad they were not tasted before serving . Blecch! Then a bit of a treat for our 11 year anniversary chocolate cake with twin chocolate icing (leftover from what must have been a catering project three weeks ago, because we could taste the freezer in the icing) all in all a beautiful view, terrific company and an OK meal for a C note

Beautiful view. My party was skeptical at first as the restaurant it is on the parking lot. There was no space in their patio or courtyard. However, we had an amazing experience. The view was perfect, they have upscale the place with awesome heaters and fireplace pits, where you just can enjoy the sunset and the space is very open, ventilated and they created an amazing outdoor space.