It’s not a stretch to say that there are a lot of freaks on Hollywood Blvd. The freakishness comes in especially hot when you’re walking (sometimes running) between Highland and Vine. Well, now we can eat in joy and bravely watch very talented freaks in action at the wonderfully twisted new immersive restaurant experience, Karnevil.
Think American Horror Story – Freak Show meets gothic Julia Child. The restaurant is the brainchild of Zach Neil, creator of the Beetlejuice-themed restaurant Beetle House. It is a delectably weird journey back to the best parts of a 1920’s French steam circus, with elements of pop culture effortlessly woven into its fabric.
A look at the ceiling’s design of circus cages, smiling clowns that would give Pennywise a run for its money, and big tents transports you into a world of the surreal.
While dining on savory cotton chicken lollis, an odd combination of dark meat chicken, root beer, candy sprinkles and cotton candy that somehow works, we were treated to an eye-popping stage show featuring sword swallowers, fire eaters, contortionists, psychics, burlesque, freaks and weirdos.
So where to begin.
After walking the red carpet with my guest and being treated like a VIP by a friendly hostess, we were seated at a table in between the bar and stage. Perfect!
Like tourists we found ourselves gawking at the Karnevil servers and performers walked among the table mingling with the guests. We found ourselves treated to spectacular, Instagram-worthy cocktails such as the Kettle Corn Old Fashioned – brown butter washed Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon, Salted Caramel, Angostura Bitters. Old Fashioned Style. Yum?
The Fried Oreo (You read that right) – Cocktail Crushed Oreos, Whipped vodka, Oat milk, chocolate syrup, And a pinch of salt. Just enjoy it. Don’t look back.
The Food
The food is to die for. Maybe a poor choice of words here, but the tapas-style menu is creative, odd and sometimes just weird. But everything is delicious.
There’s The Lobster Boy. Love, love, love this combination of crispy truffled lobster and the Mac n Cheese. When the server approached us asking if we wanted more, we never said no.
Then there are the Corndogs. You won’t find these at the LA County Fair. These are Wagyu beef hot dogs dipped in funnel cake batter and topped with strawberry jalapeno ketchup and Champagne Mustard. These are definitely made for “Karnie” lovers.
For the Vegan, don’t feel left out. We tried the aptly titled Cold Hearted. This was a delicious serving of Hearts of palm cold noodle salad. pickled ginger, sesame oil, sweet pineapple teriyaki, nori Goma and scallion
The Show
And then there’ s the jaw-dropping, awe-inducing show. Hosted by a very funny Karnevil Ringmaster, who entertained with what amounts to dirty “Dad” jokes. He was the perfect host to introduce a show nothing short of eye-popping and sexy.
In this case, dangerous is the new sexy as we witnessed performers juggle fire, insanely contort and squeeze through tiny metal rings, swing and spin from drapes, balance chairs on their heads, dance from a suspended birdcage, and even spray sparks from an electric saw hitting her own costume.
We were legit under the big top. Just without the animals. Watch a sampling below:
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Getting In
Karnevil offers three-tier pricing for admission. The basic package that gets you in the door is $50/ticket which includes two plates and a cocktail. You can also upgrade the package to add more drinks and plates or choose to do Ala carte for additional items. Plates and drinks average prices are $12 – $20.
There are three packages you can choose from once on-site.
The Fire Eater. The base package includes a reserved table, admission to the show,
your choice of any two plates and any one cocktail. $50
The Ring Master. The intermediate package includes a reserved table, admission to the show, your choice of any four plates and any one cocktail. $75
The Bigtop. The premium package includes a reserved table, admission to the show, your choice of any six plates and any two cocktails. $125
All reservations are required to choose one of the three packages per person. You may also order additional cocktails and plates ala carte.
The doors are open and tickets can be purchased here. Trust us, you will be thrilled, shocked, and excited by our truly one-of-a-kind experience.
Bottom Line: Karnevil is a REEL SEE.
Colin Costello is the West Coast Editor of Reel 360. Contact him at colin@reel360.com or follow him on Twitter at @colinthewriter1
