Best Family Style Restaurants in Downey / Norwalk / Santa Fe Springs

It was our first time there, and it will not be our last. The food was phenomenal. The handmade pasta was superb. Excellent cocktails, too. Our server, Jonte, was gregarious and so engaging. Can't wait to go back, and also to take the pasta making class!

For full disclosure, we were already huge fans of their Tsubaki. With Camelia, Chef Charles Namba and the superb Courtney Kaplan have created a remarkable dining experience. The menu offers choices for everyone at the table. By offering small plates or larger communal options, Camelia allows you to enjoy an exciting and delicious dinner. My husband and I happily cruised through just a small part of the menu. Starting with Chef Charles' version of Uni toast and his spin on Dungeness crab on purple yam blini, we were primed for the elevated Chicken liver mousse toast that followed. These small bites each built flavors and tastes. Our meal was further enhanced with Courtney's perfect choice of sake. Her deep knowledge and instinct for what a guest will enjoy is unique. If there is any such thing as a "Sake Sommeiler," Courtney would be the grand master. We moved to larger plates with Scallops, dashi lime cream, maitake & king trumpet mushrooms, Tokyo negi, and chestnut date purée, a series of complex tastes. And the Abalone and Florida wild pink shrimp pot pie!!! A perfect sized bowl of magic! We finished up with the Koshihikari risotto, grilled Monterey Bay squid was a perfect ending, creamy with and rich with deep flavors. The grilled squid were lightly spiced, crisp, soft and with a bit of chew all at the same time. GM Kristen Dumandan leads a warm and welcoming staff. Everyone was knowledgeable and helpful guides through the menu. Happily, dinner was perfectly paced, without more plates arriving to distract from what we were enjoying or getting cold. We didn't leave room for dessert. But we're coming back because there is so much more we want to enjoy.

SUPER IMPRESSED!!! Can’t wait to be back! The food were amazing. Our server were great as well. I believe his name is Michael. The service provided elevated our experience tonight. To the point I had to write this glowing review right away. We did the pre fixed menu. Out of everything the Tteok & Grilled King’s Cut Short Rib were the highlight of our dinner. We would come back just for those two items. Thank you for a great night!!!

That was the best meal I’ve ever experienced. Every dish had layers of flavors that were so delightful. I don’t have a refined palate to know where all of the flavors were coming from, but each bite was savored and appreciated. We ordered the naan, green beans, beets, chick peas fritters, poke, bass, short ribs noodles, pork belly, sesame cookie ice cream and the sundae. For drinks we had the goat fashioned, espresso martini, spa day, bees knees, and some Cadillac’s. There were four of us and there wasn’t a morsel left on any plate. The service was very friendly, attentive, comfortable and informative. The ONLY thing I would do different is make sure to get the naan first to scrape up every last bit of every sauce. If I could’ve gotten away with it I would have licked each plate clean ;) I’ve been wanting to try this restaurant for a very long time and tonight did not disappoint. I loved watching Chef Stephanie on Top Chef but have never had the chance to taste her food. And until tonight I’d never realized how truly elevated and special her dishes are. Thank you so much for an absolutely beautiful meal 💛

Tasty variation on the traditional with great flavors and presentation. I plan on dining here again soon!