8 californian spots in Downtown, editor-picked by TableJourney. All of Downtown's food · All californian in Santa Monica.
Melisse ★ 4.9
1104 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Melisse is the 14-seat tasting counter hidden behind Citrin in Santa Monica, a two-Michelin-star room from Josiah Citrin and chef partner Ken Takayama.
Tip: Around 800 dollars for two before wine, with a strict no-cancellation policy; book two to three weeks out.
Melisse ★ 4.9
1104 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Melisse is the 14-seat tasting counter hidden behind Citrin in Santa Monica, a two-Michelin-star room from Josiah Citrin and chef partner Ken Takayama.
Tip: Around 800 dollars for two before wine, with a strict no-cancellation policy; book two to three weeks out.
Citrin ★ 4.8
1104 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Citrin is Josiah Citrin's modern Californian flagship on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica, a Michelin-starred dining room built on market produce.
Tip: Book the a la carte room; the 14-seat Melisse counter behind it is a separate, pricier reservation.
Citrin ★ 4.8
1104 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Citrin is Josiah Citrin's modern Californian flagship on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica, a Michelin-starred dining room built on market produce.
Tip: Book the a la carte room; the 14-seat Melisse counter behind it is a separate, pricier reservation.
Rustic Canyon ★ 4.6
1119 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Rustic Canyon is Santa Monica's farmers-market dining room on Wilshire, now cooking seasonal Mexican-Californian food a few blocks from the Wednesday market.
Tip: Last seating is 21:00 most nights; the menu shifts weekly with the Arizona Avenue market haul.
Michael's Santa Monica ★ 4.5
1147 3rd Street, Santa Monica, CA 90403
Michael's Santa Monica has run since 1979, Michael McCarty's garden dining room on 3rd Street where a long line of famous chefs cooked market-first food.
Tip: Alumni include Jonathan Waxman and Nancy Silverton; chef Job Carder now runs the hyper-seasonal menu. Book on Resy.
Michael's Santa Monica ★ 4.5
1147 3rd Street, Santa Monica, CA 90403
Michael's Santa Monica has run since 1979, Michael McCarty's garden dining room on 3rd Street where a long line of famous chefs cooked market-first food.
Tip: Alumni include Jonathan Waxman and Nancy Silverton; chef Job Carder now runs the hyper-seasonal menu. Book on Resy.
Tar & Roses ★ 4.3
602 Santa Monica Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Tar & Roses has held its downtown Santa Monica corner since 2012, a wood-fire kitchen of oxtail dumplings and whole fried snapper that improves with age.
Tip: The whole fried snapper with cold soba is built for two; smaller plates share better than they look.