You’re laying in bed before falling asleep, and you’re doing your last TikTok scroll of the day. You are watching the latest dances, memes and trending sounds, then you stumble upon a food influencer. They are reviewing a restaurant in your area (because the algorithm knows you that well), and it looks pretty good. You make a mental note to maybe try it one day and keep scrolling, and then the restaurant pops up again from another influencer, and then again from a local creator and then again and again. From videos with thousands of likes to tens of likes, this restaurant has earned the status of the latest viral foodie spot, and it seems you can’t escape it. If you’re For You Page is like mine, then that restaurant has been the Thai-fusion restaurant, Queen Violet in West Hollywood. I recently went out for a meal at Queen Violet, so I can give you my honest opinion of whether to eat it or beat it.
In terms of convenience, Queen Violet is very accessible to get to from Westwood. My roommate and I went there for brunch on President’s Day, and the walk from my apartment to the Gayley bus stop, the bus ride to Weho and the walk from the bus stop to the restaurant was under 45 minutes (which is stellar in terms of L.A. public transportation). It’s even quicker if you have a car or decide to split a rideshare with friends.
For brunch during a holiday, it was not overly crowded. As it got closer to one o clock, more people arrived, but I never felt suffocated. It was a beautiful day out, so we sat outside, and I definitely recommend doing so. I am a sucker for an aesthetic restaurant, and the patio was definitely the gem of the experience with various floral displays and paintings with 3D flowers incorporated into them. The entrance even has an arc of violet flowers. Therefore, if you want a place to get great brunch or lunch photos, this is the place to go.
Pro tip: Get a reservation before or around 12:30, so you can choose where to sit as there are so many adorable options. We chose a table right in front of a greenery wall that had florals and a neon sign that said ‘Queen Violet.’
Now, on to what you probably want to hear about most: the food. I went with my mind set on trying their most TikTok famous dish, “The Magic Noodles,” which come out blue, and then when the chili lime sauce is poured on top, they turn purple. I stayed true to my intentions, but I was definitely tempted. The menu has a wide variety of noodles, salads, and meat and fish dishes. The brunch menu looked especially intriguing, and I was particularly excited that my roommate decided to go with the orange chicken and waffles. We started with crispy green onion pancakes, and they were solid. They weren’t the most amazing green onion pancakes I’ve ever had, but the flavor and crunch were good, so I would order them again. The serving was plenty for two, and you could easily split with three, maybe four people depending on how hungry everyone is.
Next came my “The Magic Noodles,” and I am so disappointed to report that the color changing was slightly anti-climatic. The waiter pours the sauce and tosses the noodles for you, and some change color immediately, but you don’t really see the effects until the noodles have been sitting in the sauce for a few minutes. The color definitely goes from a pretty light blue to a vivid purple, but there was not instant gratification like I’d hoped for. As for flavor, the sauce was really great, and had the perfect amount of spice. However, like the green onion pancakes, the noodles were good, but not the best I’ve ever had. The shrimp that comes on top was cooked and seasoned well, and I enjoyed my meal, but I think I would opt to try other dishes the next time I go rather than sticking to the same thing (and to give you context, once I find a dish I like, I will order it over and over again until I feel I have gotten it out of my system and want to try something else).
What stole the show for me was my roommate’s orange chicken and waffles. The chicken was boneless and a great serving. It was perfectly fried, and everything you would want in orange chicken. The waffles were good too. I wished the flavor was a little more rich, but the chicken compensated for my disappointment in the waffle (I’m also an extremely hard waffle critic, so take what I say about the waffle with a grain of salt. Most people don’t judge waffles like it is their life mission to find the best one in the world). Overall, I would go back and order her waffles again (and probably another dish, so I’m still expanding my horizons).
There is also a great drink menu. I did not have a cocktail because I unfortunately had a full day of homework ahead of me. However, I did try their violet lemonade which was sourer than I expected, but then I was hit with a sweet floral taste that was a nice offset. As someone who regularly drinks lavender and hibiscus-flavored things, I could not put a name on the floral taste, but it was probably violets, and I liked it. I would definitely schedule my next visit around a time or day when I can order from the cocktail menu because they had a vast amount of sweet and fruity drinks. Observing the other tables, they had fun presentations too, with one drink even coming with a popsicle!
Prices were comparable and standard for West Hollywood. My noodles, lemonade and portion of green onion pancakes totaled to be about $40 (however it should have been a couple of dollars cheaper because both my roommate and I failed to see 16% gratuity is automatically added, so don’t get suckered into double tipping as we did). Service was a little slow and hard to reach at times, but luckily it was a nice leisurely lunch, so it didn’t affect the experience too much. I would say skip this place if you are in a little more of a time crunch or have plans right afterward.
Overall, I enjoyed Queen Violet. I think the aesthetics and presentation of the meals are what have caused it to become popular among West L.A. TikTok users. I would go back and try more of their menu and drinks, but I am not rushing to create my next reservation. It’s a great place to take pictures and go with friends, and given its convenience to UCLA, it’s not something that should fall under your radar. Definitely go when the weather is nice and you have time to spare and get transported to a little purple escape for a meal whether it is breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. Eat it or beat it?: I say eat it.