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Summary

I Went To SUR Restaurant From 'Vanderpump Rules' & Here's What You Don't See On The Show

The famous goat cheese balls were NOT worth the $18.

Staff Writer Brittany Cristiano outside of SUR restaurant. Right: Tom Sandoval, Guillermo Zapata, James Kennedy, and Tom Schwartz outside of SUR.

Staff Writer Brittany Cristiano outside of SUR restaurant. Right: Tom Sandoval, Guillermo Zapata, James Kennedy, and Tom Schwartz outside of SUR.

Brittany Cristiano | Narcity, @surrules | Instagram
Texas Staff Writer

The views expressed in this Opinion article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.

Whether you've been following the Vanderpump Rules cast on Bravo TV for the past ten seasons, or you just can't get away from the recent "Scandoval" cheating drama on your social media timeline, you might have heard of SUR restaurant already, the spot where it all started.

Restaurant matriarch and former real housewife Lisa Vanderpump owns this "Sexy Unique Restaurant" on a corner in West Hollywood, CA, offering a modern American dining experience, beautiful-looking craft cocktails, and an overall gorgeous ambiance that became popular on the reality TV series.

After being a big fan of the show since 2013, I decided it was finally time to see if the eatery lived up to what we see on the show.

Yes, I've seen the infamous "Jax getting a girl preggo in Vegas" incident, the "Miami Girl" storyline, and all the "WeHo gay pride parade drama" episodes many times over, so I was excited to stop by for brunch when I was last in L.A.

Here's what my meal at SUR Restaurant and Lounge was actually like, and what you might not see on TV:

The goat cheese balls are so overhyped.

The goat cheese balls from SUR.

The goat cheese balls from SUR.

Brittany Cristiano | Narcity

For years now, we've heard about these "delicious" and "to-die-for" fried balls of goat cheese SUR has, so you know I had to order them with my meal.

Sorry, Stassi Schroeder...you overhyped this appetizer. I even like goat cheese, but these three little balls you receive for $18 are not worth it. They were kinda tasteless and had me thinking, "this is what everyone raves about?"

You aren't guaranteed a front row seat to the cast drama.

While many of the reality shows' iconic scenes do actually take place inside of SUR, you aren't guaranteed to see any of the juicy drama going on.

It's all set around filming schedules, and according to timelines seen on VPR, they typically film in the summer months, as in from May through August.

I visited during Saturday brunch in July, and no cast interactions were being filmed onsite.

You might not even see a cast member while visiting.

Cristiano and SUR co-owner Guillermo Zapata. Right: Cristiano's mom with Jeremy Madix.

Cristiano and SUR co-owner Guillermo Zapata. Right: Cristiano's mom with Jeremy Madix.

Brittany Cristiano | Narcity

Although most of the main cast has moved on from their actual serving and bartending jobs, IG posts and different scenes in "Pump Rules" show that they all head back there at some point.

When you visit, you aren't guaranteed to meet a cast member or even have one of them as your server — our waitress was a local that isn't seen on the show.

However, you just may be lucky enough to catch a few of them during their shifts, like how we met co-owner Guillermo Zapata and former VPR star Jeremy Madix, who were happy to take pictures with us. Zapata actually went from table to table, greeting fans with a smile on his face.

You automatically won't be filmed for the show because you're eating there.

When watching Vanderpump Rules, you also see a lot of shots of people eating at SUR or even exclusives of servers asking diners for their orders.

If you eat there, don't immediately expect to spot yourself on the next season of the show. There were no cameras in sight when I went.

The ambience is just divine, but nothing special.

The front bar at SUR.

The front bar at SUR.

Brittany Cristiano | Narcity

SUR is the stunning LVP masterpiece that you would expect it to be. It's accurate to the boho-chic hotspot Bravo depicts, full of gorgeous decorations, fresh flowers, and a foxy ambiance.

However, I think a meal at SUR is only worth it for super-fans of the show who want to see all the iconic spots we've seen over the years and maybe even meet a few cast members.

Unless you are a super rich individual or you have nothing better to do in L.A., then I think SUR could be skipped!

  • Staff Writer

    Brittany Cristiano (she/her) was Narcity USA's first full-time Texas Staff Writer. She's a lifelong Houstonian but enjoys every corner of the Lone Star State. Brittany is passionate about highlighting the beauty and rarities in the places we live in or visit–whether it’s showing North American readers something they never knew existed in the South, or helping Texans appreciate the beauty that’s been there the whole time. Oh, and she also loves to spill the tea on the latest trending figures in Texas and beyond. She previously served as an Editorial Intern for Houstonia magazine and as Editor-in-Chief of the University of St. Thomas’ student newspaper.

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