The Commoner - Whittier

The food and drinks are absolutely fantastic! I highly recommend trying the Pauline Black gin cocktail. Overall ratings: Food: 5, Service: 5, Atmosphere: 5.

Delicious $15 cocktails! The place was lively on a Thursday night, bustling until around 10 PM. The service was outstanding. This spot is a must-visit during your bar-hopping adventures in Whittier. They also offer food! The ceviche portions were larger than expected, perfect for sharing. The mixologist can whip up drinks that aren't on the menu, including classic favorites. I went with a group of women, and it was an ideal setting for catching up and chatting. The service provided was excellent; we received plenty of water refills without needing to ask.

Recommended dishes include the Olive Tapenade Bruschetta, Tri Tip Sandwich, Blueberry Morita Crostini, and Chipotle Hummus.

For our second drinks, we requested a dealer’s choice but made sure to mention that we didn't like the flavor profile of the 'Terrible Love.' She brought us two drinks but later admitted they were both Death Co cocktails, which had similar flavors. Surprise, surprise—they also didn't taste good. So we ended up not drinking any of the drinks and asked for the bill. Unsurprisingly, she charged us for everything. We expressed that while we understood being charged for the first drink (though it's still poor service), we didn’t see why we should pay for the second one. Her excuse was that she followed the recipe, we requested dealer’s choice, and it’s their policy. The problem? She clearly doesn’t know how to craft cocktails and is merely following a set of recipes. A genuine cocktail bar should have mixologists who can actually create drinks and adjust them based on flavor preferences rather than just following a few scripts. Ultimately, this is a hospitality business. If customers are dissatisfied with what they receive, it's standard to apologize and offer a replacement without charging. Making excuses and blaming it on recipes or supposed policies doesn’t cut it. To sum it all up, while the atmosphere is nice, the drinks simply aren't worth it. Perhaps we ordered the wrong cocktails, but the service was still disappointing. We definitely won't be returning.

The cocktails were fantastic, and the service was exceptional. Our bartender, Elijah, took excellent care of us, ensuring we had a wonderful experience. Food: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Atmosphere: 5/5.