Hatchet Hall Friendsgiving Dinner: $37 Turkey Meatloaf

Hatchet Hall, at 12517 W. Washington Boulevard on the Culver City side of Mar Vista, has the most Friendsgiving-ready dish in Los Angeles hiding on its fall menu: Meatloaf and Mash made with free-range turkey and a smoked tomato glaze, for $37. Pair that with a private dining room built around one long communal table for 18 seated guests, behind sliding barn doors, and the restaurant becomes an easy choice for a Friendsgiving dinner that feels like a holiday without a turkey to carve.

Hatchet Hall cooks over wood, and its menu leans Southern, from cast-iron cornbread to fried green tomatoes and collards. The restaurant is part of LAM Ryan Hospitality, and its in-house Old Man Bar says it has spent 11 years hand-selecting single barrels of whiskey, more than 70 so far. The official address is in Los Angeles 90066, though the restaurant describes itself as Culver City, so tell guests to navigate by the street number rather than the neighborhood name.

The private dining room is the reason to come with a group. The events page describes sliding barn doors that enclose a cozy, candlelit space with one long communal table. For a party bigger than 18, the main dining room and inner patio seat 60, the main patio seats 120 and a full buyout handles up to 350, which covers almost any Friendsgiving from a dozen close friends to a full company crew.

The fall dinner menu lists Cast Iron Cornbread at $21, big enough to share across the table, and Deviled Eggs at $13. Fried Green Tomatoes are $16 and Braised Collard Greens are $15, both classic Southern sides that land well next to the meatloaf. The Half Blackened Chicken is $39 for a table that wants a second main, and the Peking Duck at $68 is the dish to order when the group wants a centerpiece.

For a splurge, the 26-ounce Dry Aged Ribeye is $175, sliced and passed around. An honest call: skip the ribeye if the group is ordering the duck and two meatloaves, since that combination already covers a table of eight with leftovers. The menu says substitutions and modifications are politely declined, so warn picky eaters in advance rather than asking the server to rebuild a dish at the table.

The deviled eggs deserve a word for a holiday table. They are a Thanksgiving appetizer in a lot of Southern homes, and at $13 a plate they are the cheapest way to make the meal feel like a family gathering from the first minute. Order two plates for a table of eight and put them out with the cornbread while everyone finds a seat and the first drinks arrive. It sets the tone before the bigger dishes come out of the wood fire.

Here is a workable Friendsgiving order for eight: two turkey meatloaves, a half chicken, the duck, two cornbreads, the collards, the fried green tomatoes and deviled eggs. That spread reads like a holiday table, with a turkey dish, greens, bread and something rich, and it keeps the meal moving from the first round of drinks to dessert.

A 20% gratuity is automatically added to parties of six or more, so a group of five pays a lower total than a group of six for the same food. Corkage is $45 per bottle, with a maximum of two bottles per table. The restaurant says it always holds space for walk-ins, which is useful for a small, last-minute Friendsgiving, though a group of eight or more should book the private room or a reservation ahead.

Plan B: if the private room is booked, the Old Man Bar at Hatchet Hall makes a cozy alternative for a smaller group, with a fireplace and vinyl playing all night. It runs a burger night on Sundays and Mondays from 6 pm until the burgers sell out, an easy way to gather friends the week before or after Thanksgiving without a reservation.

Hatchet Hall serves dinner Monday to Saturday from 5 pm to 10 pm and Sunday from 5 pm to 9 pm, with weekend brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 2:30 pm. The Old Man Bar is open Tuesday to Saturday from 6 pm to 1 am and Sunday and Monday from 6 pm to midnight. The phone number is (310) 391-4222. The E Line's Culver City station is about two miles away, so most guests drive or share rides.

The restaurant sits on a stretch of Washington Boulevard with neighborhood shops and restaurants, and parking is mostly on the street nearby. Groups coming from the Valley or downtown should allow extra time in evening traffic on the 405 and the 10.

Before dinner, the Mar Vista Farmers' Market on Grand View Boulevard runs on Sunday mornings, a good place to pick up flowers or a pie for the table if the group is gathering at someone's home later. In the afternoon, Culver West Alexander Park on Wade Street is a small neighborhood park near the restaurant for a short stroll before the group heads in.

After dinner, the Old Man Bar is right there under the same roof, which makes it the natural last stop of the night. The fireplace and record player make it easy to linger, and the group can finish with a nightcap from one of the single barrels the bar has selected over the years.

Hatchet Hall, 12517 W. Washington Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90066, on the Culver City and Mar Vista border. Phone (310) 391-4222. Dinner Monday to Saturday 5 pm to 10 pm, Sunday 5 pm to 9 pm, weekend brunch 10 am to 2:30 pm. Private dining room for 18 seated. A 20% gratuity applies to parties of six or more, and corkage is $45 per bottle, two maximum. Turkey Meatloaf and Mash $37.