Best Restaurants in Santa Monica

Santa Monica is known for its famous pier and lively neighborhood charm, and the restaurants of the neighborhood follow that charm and uniqueness. From fine dining to cozy patio restaurants serving Italian food, to Mexican cantinas with a focus on sustainable ingredients and all night diners with fine dining focus, people can enjoy the cultural variety of restaurants and cafes in Santa Monica all day and night. Many restaurants boast award winning chefs and successful restaurateurs as well as passionate owners inspired by their home countries. Because of the beaches and beautiful mix of cultures, Santa Monica is a diverse neighborhood with lots of food options to discover.

The OpenTable Team

10 Restaurants

Updated January 19, 2022

Restaurants:	Piccolo Santa Monica, Caffe Delfini, Lunetta…
Price Range:	$$ - $$$
Cuisines:	Italian, Californian…
Neighborhoods:	Santa Monica…

Piccolo Santa Monica

$$$$

Italian

Santa Monica

4.8

467 reviews

Established in 2004 by famous chef and owner Chef Antonio Murè, this high end Italian restaurant draws diners in with a welcoming blue outside facade, while inside nature meets industry with warm light colored woods on gray concrete walls. Chef Murè offers starters like carpaccio d'Oro or calamari with roasted garlic. Pasta here is made fresh every day for dishes like Potato and fig tortelli or Black pepper tagliatelle with duck ragú. For mains try the pink trout or grilled rack of lamb.

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Caffe Delfini

$$$$

Italian

Santa Monica

4.8

394 reviews

Childhood friends Gianpietro Silardi and Alessandro Ercoli opened this romantic Italian restaurant back in 1990. The romantic and cozy restaurant is darkly lit with candles at each table, both inside in the dining area and outside patio seating, giving each table an intimate experience. Tucked in the Santa Monica canyon, the restaurant offers a variety of pasta dishes like the traditional linguine puttanesca, or choose from a variety of risottos like risotto saffron and shrimp. Caffe Delfinin also offers mains of meats, poultry, and seafood like scaloppine piccata or Mediterranean Bass.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Lunetta

$$$$

Californian

Santa Monica

4.7

1593 reviews

The all day and night fine dining establishment is owned by the famous chef and restaurateur by the same name, Raphael Lunetta. By day Lunetta is a diner with high quality ingredients serving up dishes like the OG breakfast sandwich, lemon ricotta pancakes and an assortment of sweets. By night, try hand cut gnocchi or the wood grilled BBQ salmon. Both concepts live in the same restaurant, with a vibrant blue bar and three patios to dine in. Lunetta is also open on the weekends for brunch and also does large party catering off site.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Tar & Roses

$$$$

American

Santa Monica

4.8

3539 reviews

Owner and Chef Andrew Kirschner opened this dimly lit and romantic small restaurant back in 2011. Walk into Tar and Roses and sit either at the bar/counter seating on plush red barstools overlooking the open kitchen, or dine intimately at one of the dark wooden tables resting on the brick wall. The menu consists of small and large plates to share like yellowtail crudo, dry aged ribeye for two, or wood roasted sunchokes. The menu is seasonal, so as the available ingredients change, so do the dishes on offer.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Via Veneto

$$$$

Italian

Santa Monica

4.7

989 reviews

Owner Fabrizio Bianconi opened this romantic and celebrity frequented Italian restaurant in 2001, along with investor and friend Duran Duran’s Warren Cuccurullo. Walking into the restaurant, the large crystal chandeliers catch the eye, and with stone flooring and candles everywhere, each table feels intimate, and tall ceilings allow for the space to feel bigger than it actually is. Chef Ruben and Oscar “the Pasta King” head the kitchen and create dishes like a variety of handmade pastas, spaghetti with langoustine and gnocchi with purple potatoes. For mains, choose seasonal dishes like grilled whole Dover fish, baked and breaded lamb chops, or aged bone-in NY steak.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Vito Restaurant

$$$$

Italian

Santa Monica

4.8

1244 reviews

Born in Naples, Roberto and Giovanna Somma came to America and opened Vito in 1980 with a passion for great and simple food. The rustic ambiance of the restaurant with arching wooden doorways, cream colored walls and large comfy leather booths help diners journey to Italy even before the dinner comes to the table. House favorite dishes include medaglioni al cognac, spaghetti della casa, and zuppa di pesce. Each dessert is housemade and changes often so inquire with the talented staff.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Orto Santa Monica

$$$$

Italian

Santa Monica

4.7

841 reviews

Italian chef and restaurateur Andrea Inio opened Orto, or vegetable garden, in 2018. His focus was on getting ingredients from local farmer’s markets, farms, and ranches, as well as growing his own herbs, to create unique Italian dishes. Each dish description on the menu tells that tale of where the organic meats come from as well as the farmer’s market vegetables and fresh herbs. For example, the Tagliatelle alla bolognese is made from Wisconsin black Angus meat, the Salmone con mostarda e dragoncello is created with wild caught salmon, and the Cioppino di lusso is made with Maine lobster and organic tomatoes. The light and bright restaurant features indoor and outdoor seating with neutral blue tables and natural setting with plants sprinkled around.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Manchego

$$$$

Tapas / Small Plates

Santa Monica

4.8

956 reviews

Opened in 2007 by Amir Ashkon, bringing Spanish style tapas to the neighborhood with a laid back atmosphere of rustic wooden tables, blue tiles, and a comfortable home-like feel. Ashkon normally returns to Spain to try new foods for inspiration as well as wines to bring back to the restaurant. From these trips, dishes like jamon wrapped dates, filet mignon meatballs, and spicy garlic shrimp offer a combination of traditional Spanish tapas with California ingredients. The hand selected wine list is all from different regions of Spain and accompanies the tapas perfectly, just ask the talented team for pairing suggestions.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

Socalo

$$$$

Mexican

Santa Monica

4.6

651 reviews

Award-winning chefs and owners Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken opened this Mexican pub and canteen back in 2019 and have been featured in local newspapers and media making it a true neighborhood favorite. The team focuses only on sustainable ingredients to offer dishes like jackfruit tinga tacos, beef brisket enchiladas, and slow cooked Baja sea bass. The bright and industrial design is combined with wooden tables with bench seating and large wooden sliding doors leading out to the patio.

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Fia

$$$$

Italian

Santa Monica

4.7

1981 reviews

Owner Michael Greco and Chef Brendan Collins opened this large indoor and secret garden patio Italian restaurant in 2019. The rustic indoor seating feels cozy with wooden ceilings, brick walls, and simple dining after walking into what looks like a large wooden farmhouse. Then, the large patio filled with greenery and romantic lighting opens up with a bar outside and plenty of heaters on cool evenings. Homemade pasta dishes include sweet corn agnolotti and lobster capellini. While mains include offerings from the grill, which change with what the chef finds at the market, and other favorites such as roast branzino and seafood risotto.

At the moment, there's no online availability within 2.5 hours of your request. Do you have another time in mind?

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