Javier’s is what it is, El Torito with prettier people watching. While not great food, the new Cantina Frida in BH does the same thing much better.
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Okay, I got a little more insight into why this place was chosen. They want to party and Javier’s has good music and a nightclub vibe. It’s a restaurant and nightclub for the mature set. 
I can get with that I guess.
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You know that thing where low expectations cause you to be pleasantly surprised? Well…
Drinks - I’m not sure why the drinks were the draw, but they do have some good tequilas, even in some of the house drinks. They’re strong, but I didn’t find them particularly tasty. They aren’t overly sweet which is a plus.
Appetizers - The Chips are poured out of a giant plastic bin into warming drawers. 
I’m sure this is done all over the city, but seeing it reminded me of a trash can. The Salsa is cold, bright, fresh, w/pretty good chile pepper heat. I like it. Nothing wrong with the guacamole. The Shrimp Ceviche Tostada was fresh but ok, shrimp was a little over “cooked”, chewy & salty, nice little heirloom tomatoes. The Sabor a Provincia (appetizer platter) is a pass unless you want to fill up on something while you’re drinking. I liked the Empanadas best (ground beef, potatoes). The Seafood Quesadilla (crab, shrimp, cheese) tasted like what melted cheese & seafood usually taste like together - fishy & not good.
Entrees - The Chile Verde was the winner by unanimous decision! 
Followed by the Milanese de Pollo w/Pure de Papa (mashed potatoes) & Chile en Rajas (poblanos, corn, onion, cream), coming in at a respectable 3rd was the Fajitas de Carne (tender, textured angus skirt steak & tasty marinade). The House Salad was a House Salad. I didn’t try the Chile Negro (short ribs braised in mole negro) but my friend said it was tender and had a nice sweetness in the sauce.
Dessert - They were out of Churros so we settled for Fried Ice Cream and Tres Leches Cake.
Mostly everything was pretty bright & fresh for such a large menu.
The decor was fine. Music was good w/a mix of Salsa & Old School R&B. There were definitely some hotties in da’ house… or hoochies (depends on how you see them). 
The service was very good. I didn’t really check the prices. Once we made the commitment there really wasn’t any point. This was about getting together and having fun… and we did!
Just a few photos…
Good thing for sunglasses. The sun set right on their faces.
Not sure we’d go back. Depends on the circumstances. But we had a really good time.
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Lunch…
Since I was pretty full and the ceviche was pretty cooked I took it home added veganaise, orange champagne vinegar (to cut the salt & lime), sriracha and repurposed it as seafood salad. Yep, still chewy and too much lime but a tasty lunch all the same.
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I’m glad you didn’t find the place as repugnant as I did. The place is so overpriced though given the quality of the food and the fact that it is far from fine dining in service that I think if you had checked the prices and were paying, you might have a different view.
Makes me think of my $80 lunch last week at Neiman Marcus (don’t ask - I found myself in Beverly Hills late afternoon and hadn’t had time for lunch and was starving, so dropping by Mariposa at Neiman’s seemed like a good idea at the time). One fish entree, one glass of wine and one dessert totaled slightly over $80 with tax and tip. The waiter was actually very nice and the place is pretty enough for dining in the middle of a department store, but I can think of a million other places where I’d rather plop down $80 for lunch. That same lunch at Javier’s (piece of fish, glass of wine and dessert) would have been at least $80 and probably more given the fish prices at Javier’s.
I work in Century City and there is nothing that would ever entice me back to Javier’s. Would rather get take out at Gelson’s.
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Holy sh*t.
That’s what I said when I saw the bill. I was starving so I wasn’t paying much attention to the menu prices and then although I don’t usually drink at lunch, a glass of wine sounded nice, and then mellowed out by a glass of wine, dessert sounded nice, and then the bill arrived and I also said “holy sh*t” and very much regretted my choice of lunch places because no way was the lunch worth that much money or anywhere near it.
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Yep, I hear ya’ @Omotesando.
We did actually pay for our own meal and kicked in for the guest of honor. We weren’t completely unaware of the prices. I’d seen this thread, plus the online menu does not list prices. That told me enough… they’re hiding prices and food is going to be mediocre. My comment was about - our friends wanting to go, we agreed, so no use fretting over negatives. Lemons into lemonade. With that mindset I didn’t look at the prices and was pleasantly surprised with a couple of good dishes. And except for the annoying act of nature (the sunset) we had a very good table and very attentive service. That colors things.
Left to our own devices husband and I wouldn’t choose Javier’s. He & I have a wish list and Javier’s ain’t on it. But I can’t say we wouldn’t go again if a similar circumstance arose (group dinner, someone’s bday, outvoted, etc).
Happy Eating!
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…to my husband. 
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Y’know, I understand the annoyance with this place (especially in the context of FTC), but it has a purpose. We live walking distance, we have a 3-year-old who loves chips and quesadillas, and the “organica” margarita does the trick for a weeknight dinner. My wife and I usually split “la tablita,” which is sort of a build-your-own taco platter, and it’s frankly pretty good. Yeah, it’s super expensive, but it’s Century City, and you can’t go to Din Tai Fung every week.
Having written all that I realize we’re totally not the target clientele, but whatever.
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You guys should go to Javiers in Crystal Cove in Newport Beach on a Thursday around 5-6pm. It’s seriously a great time. The food is fine, drinks are pretty good but Javiers has the higher per capita of OC cougars at any given time. Great people watching.
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… and Jim Rome.
Sneak in a few pounds of tuna poke at Bear Flag to go with the cougar watching! Or you can watch the glorious sunset over the Pacific in Laguna Beach
That’s funny @js76wisco. Yeah, CC had a few more young people than imagined and was probably more mixed then OC. But there was definite glam in the house - I’ll go with kardashian (as an adjective). It’s also a big, group occasion spot. Lots of balloons and waiters singing Mexican happy birthday. Yep, entertaining people watching.
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You could get a nicer lunch at Craft for less! I’ve done the Bloomies lunches, not Neiman’s, and never on my dime. Sounds the same, bland, safe and expensive. ~ If it’s not expensive, the quality must be poor. ~ 
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