We Visited "Schwartz And Sandy's," The Infamous Scandoval-Owned Bar, So You Don't Have To — Here's Our Honest Review
Hi, folks. And welcome. If you, like us, have watched an episode of Vanderpump Rules recently, then you are probably well aware of the current drama which involves Tom Sandoval, Tom Schwartz, one Raquel Leviss, queen Ariana Madix, galaxy lights, lightning bolt necklaces, and more!
*Ariana is an innocent bystander, but she is a queen, and that was necessary to note.
Without going into too much of the aforementioned drama right now — we'll save that for another day — we are still here today to talk about Vanderpump Rules. And more specifically, one restaurant featured on said show and a rundown of its vibes. And that restaurant is the latest addition in the world of Vanderpump Rules places of business: Schwartz and Sandy's.
Business partners and names/faces of the establishment, Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz, opened this place (after months of waiting) in November 2022. And us being two people who live in Los Angeles and routinely rewatch old seasons of Vanderpump Rules like we do, we knew we had to check it out, especially after Scandoval broke. So, here we are, in 2023, finally driving to Franklin Village to let you all know exactly what this establishment is like in a Post-Scandoval world.
Disclaimer: We, as people, do not support the likes of Tom Sandoval or Tom Schwartz (see here). However, we do support going to get food and drinks on BuzzFeed's dime and letting readers know what this strip-mall bar is really like. And as much as you may hate to admit it, we know you're curious, too. So, think of this as us taking one for the team. You are welcome.
Being unsure whether or not this place would actually have anyone inside, we opted to make a reservation because we simply could not imagine waiting for a table at a Tom Schwartz or Tom Sandoval establishment, you know? So, we ran over to Resy to secure our table, only to find out that they are currently asking for a $40 deposit PER PERSON to make a reservation.
Now, rationally, we admit this is likely due to the intense backlash this place of business faced in the early days of Scandoval and they don't want people booking reservations that they will never show up for. BUT $40 PER PERSON WITH A 24-HOUR CANCELLATION POLICY? BE SERIOUS, PLEASE. YOU ARE NOT THAT IMPORTANT.
Moving on. We swallowed our pride and made the reservation for a Thursday night at 6:15 p.m. We then discovered that the dress code was listed as "Business Casual," whatever that means.
Now, before we really dive in, let us preface this by saying we have seen at least 20 TikTok videos of people being shocked that it's located in a strip mall. Schwartz and Sandy's is, in fact, located in a strip mall in the (pretty hip, tbh!) neighborhood of Franklin Village. Across the street from this establishment is both a Gelson's (fancy grocery store) and the Scientology Celebrity Centre. What neighbors.
If you aren't familiar with this area, tbh it IS kind of easy to miss! Here's a list of the other businesses located in the strip mall, because we know you're all curious:
• An interior design store
• A pizza shop
• A dry cleaners
• A Mexican restaurant
• And finally, our personal favorite: Tailwaggers pet supply store (with grooming)
Also, for what it's worth for the out-of-towners, the location of Schwartz and Sandy's would be a minimum of 45 minutes (with light traffic) but probably more depending on time of day if you're coming from LAX. And an Uber/Lyft ride from the location of Sur, Tom Tom, or Pump in West Hollywood would be around $14-$20 depending on time of day.
When it was time for our reservation, we walked right in and surveyed our surroundings. First impression: It was SUPER dark — but, unfortunately, also a bit of a vibe. The waiting area was definitely giving "psychedelic dive lounge," (the Toms' words, not ours) a theme we still didn't understand until we got there. Would've been nice to see it a little better, though.
Speaking to BravoTV.com ahead of their official opening, Tom Schwartz described Schwartz and Sandy's by saying, "It’s a funky, eclectic, playful cocktail lounge. I think people are going to love it. You’re gonna come, you’re gonna have a good time. The music’s gonna be on point.” TBH, he was right about the music. They played a GREAT mix while we were there.
It even had the legendary wallpaper the Toms obsessed over for way too long...
...some good ol' S+S merch which we can't imagine *anyone* wants to rep at this point in time...
....and whatever the hell this is.
Immediately upon entering, the first thing we noticed was that we were definitely not the only people there. In fact, we would have to classify this establishment at 6:17 p.m. on a Thursday night in late April in Los Angeles as "pretty crowded." And as the night went on, more and more people walked through the doors.
We were obviously on the lookout for any Vanderpump cast members (because that's pretty much how we live our lives wherever we go in LA, not just restaurants from the show), but sadly, the only one we saw in the flesh was the general manager Brett (NOT Brett from Season 8), and sadly, we did not talk to him or get a picture together.
Before we took our seat, we were trying to take photos of basically everything in sight when a nice woman approached us and asked if we wanted our photo together. We said yes, obviously, and she graciously took photo after photo of us while asking us to "say Tom Tom!" To be fair, saying "Schwartz and Sandy's" is a mouthful.
We were certainly not alone in taking photos, btw. If we had to guess, without speaking to every single person in attendance, it definitely seemed like a good portion of the people in attendance were fans of the show. It felt like we were all eating subpar food (more on that later) with bated breath waiting to see if Tom Sandoval or Tom Schwartz would dare show their faces. (They didn't.)
After just a few minutes, the host brought us into the dining room and seated us in this very plush, very deep velvet booth that had room for at least four to six people. We were pleased with this seat. We love a roomy booth!
The dining room actually looked much smaller in person than it does on TV (a total cliché, we know!!!). On the show, it looks like a massive restaurant that turns into a club at night where you can dance the night away. In real life, it's more like a very small and intimate dining room with...maybe 25 tables? And a small bar area toward the back with around 10-12 seats. Still, the interior design and vibe was not nearly as tacky as we had expected. Did the Toms curate and design all this themselves??? Surely, that can't be true.
***We asked someone at the restaurant about how we, too, could purchase a panther statue, and they informed us that "a designer lady who knows all the cool spots had helped out." Mystery solved...for now. We knew these men weren't capable of doing this on their own.
They also had this hanging grassy starry night feature (???) above one of the booths that twinkled and legit looked more and more like the night sky the later/darker it got. Did we understand the point of this within the larger (somewhat confusing) theme of the rest of the restaurant? Not really! But it was pretty to look at, especially after a couple of (overpriced) cocktails.
Within five minutes of being seated, our waiter approached the table to supply menus and welcome us. The menu design is what we like to refer to as "Microsoft Paint but with better vibes."
And here's the actual menu of food and drink options. It was smaller than we expected! Just one page that offers both apps, mains, cocktails, wine, and dessert. Our waiter informed us that the "Lobster Corndogs" and the "Chicken and Waffle Bites" were some patron favorites. TBH, we weren't thrilled with the options. Are people supposed to come here for food? Or drinks? Or all of the above? It felt a little like this establishment was having an identity crisis. (Just like one of its daddies, Tom Sand*val.)
Note: We did our best to capture this menu in the low-light restaurant without using a camera flash like LOSERS. Thanks for understanding.
We wanted to try at least one thing that had been referred to as a "favorite" so we placed an order for the Lobster Corndogs because it seemed funky and different. Now, at $18, we definitely expected more than two lukewarm corn dogs with a side of mustard lmao. But this is Los Angeles, after all, and a Vanderpump Rules-adjacent establishment to boot. We suppose this is par for the course. Still, they were not great, and we would not order them again. We could probably spend our $18 at the soon-to-be "Something About Her." :)
First off, they were a bit lukewarm, which is never a good sign. The Lobster Corndog's breading was really sugary and sweet, which we thought was kinda confusing. For $18, it really just tasted like a fancy fish stick with a side of mustard, and for $9 a stick, we were hoping for more than that!!
Moving on, we also wanted to try something a little different for the next choice. After all, we're here to live a little. So, for our second food option, we went with the "Mushroom-Gruyere Beignets" at a cost of $16. The beignets were also what we will refer to as "confusing."
The mushroom puree inside was good (esp. if mushrooms are your thing!), but the dough literally tasted like a beignet dessert you'd get in New Orleans. I am not saying we were misled, but we were disappointed. However delicious this dough may be usually, pairing it with with savory mushroom filling was certainly *a choice* and probably not one we would make again. And, as far we could tell, the "gruyere" element was just some tasteless sauce spread along the plate and not in the beignet at all. Potentially false advertising, dare we say it...
Our main complaint besides the taste for our specific palates were that these two apps are not exactly what you wanna munch on when you're getting drunk/tipsy. Which is, tbh, kind of the vibe of the place? We think??? This can't be the menu the Toms went through 87 tastings to create, sunk a million dollars into, and put Sandoval's mom's retirement savings on the line for, right??? RIGHT??
There was one saving grace for the food (that we ordered): the fries!!! At just $8, these shoe string babies were crispy and definitely the best value on the menu because you actually get a decent portion, much more than the morsels the other apps were.
TBH, we may have ordered more food, but we're living on a BUDGET and knew we wanted to try their drinks as well.
They even came with "black cherry ketchup" which we were v skeptical about but actually really liked! Lara got some on her arm, as you can see here. We liked it so much that we even asked our waiter for a second serving so we could keep dipping our fries! (Why do fries never come with enough damn ketchup???)
NOW, for the drinks. Lara opted for "The Fresh Start" cocktail which is: vodka, green tea, cucumber juice, elderflower, lemon, and agave. And it cost $15. Which, tbh, is pretty standard pricing for a speciality cocktail in the city of Los Angeles, BUT THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT OK!!
Lara's verdict: Listen, it was a pretty good cocktail. It was light, fresh, but still felt like it had a decent amount of actual alcohol. I would order it again! Even for $15. Also, on another note, I desperately wanted to steal this glass. BUT I DIDN'T.
And Shelby opted for the "Wendy Peppercorn" cocktail which is: mezcal, watermelon juice, nonino l'aperitivo, lime, agave, and topped with crushed pink peppercorn. It cost $17.
Shelby's verdict: I'm a huge mezcal fan (shoutout to Tequila Katie), so I was ready for the wonderfully smoky flavor to come through in this drink, and it did not. It tasted pretty weak, and a lot like fake watermelon if I'm being honest. I also tasted zero peppercorn. For 17 whole dollars, I was expecting a lot more and would not order this again. For his (many, MANY) faults, isn't Tom Sandoval supposed to be some kind of drink wizard or whatever??? I was not getting that here.
Here's us happily sipping our drinks regardless:
Since we had a little money left in the budget, we decided to order oneee more drink to share, the "Midnight Madagascar," which is: vodka, cold brew, espresso liqueur, sugar, and chocolate bitters. It cost $18.
Lara's verdict: This was actually pretty damn good, it pains me to say. But if there is one thing that Schwartz and Sandy's does decently well, it's French fries and this drink. Like, as any Bravo viewer knows, drinking what is essentially an espresso martini is some sort of rite of passage, and this one did not disappoint. Quite frankly, I wanted to order another one, but by that time, I was both fully tipsy and had already somehow spent over $100. I would definitely order this one again, though I do think it should be max $10.
Shelby's verdict: Considering our track record so far, I was not expecting to like this as much as I did. It was flavorful and chocolate-y, but again, $18? I know Los Angeles is expensive in general, but I would maybe cap this drink at $13, and that's only because it was the only thing on the menu I'd actually order again.
With our bladders full of drinks, it was time to pee! We walked to the back of the dining room to a hallway with lighting on the ceiling that Schwartz literally described as "a portal to another universe" in a recent episode. Here's Lara taking it all in just like Schwartz and Raquel (Rachel) did on the show:
We also noticed that the bathrooms were gendered, hence the giant "F" on the door to the women's restroom. This was a little disappointing to us because we do love a gender neutral option.
Once in the bathroom, it was very much just a bathroom except for three key things. First of all, they were playing spa music??? Like, music you hear when you walk into a massage place or to go get acupuncture. And on the ceiling outside of the restrooms there was this big screen showing a blue sky and a bunch of trees swaying in the wind. Maybe we really did enter a portal to another universe? We can't say it wasn't relaxing! But was it necessary? Certainly not. The high budget and over-spending that is described on Vanderpump Rules was suddenly making a lot more sense.
And finally, above the sink there was this mirror with a million lights that kinda created an optical illusion and was perfect for selfies. So, we both took selfies in it, naturally. (We didn't even plan this! We're both just millennials, what can we say?)
After we emptied our bladders and moseyed on back to our table, our server brought us the check and then told us we could stay as long as we wanted. But then *literally* no less than five minutes later, the waiter came back and told us that our reservation had run out and we had to leave, lol. So leave, we did!
In total, our night out at S+S (three drinks and three appetizers) cost $120 with tip! That is not cheap, and we don't think the overall experience was worth this price. We certainly weren't miserable while there, but if our company was not paying, we both agree it would definitely not be on our list of places to go again for a night out. Honestly, the only reason we would return would be to witness some IRL drama from the show. And, after all, isn't that partially why these businesses have found success?
After we were quite literally kicked out of the restaurant, we took a selfie in front of the Schwartz and Sandy's sign in some very questionable lighting, and that concluded our evening!!!
