Food destinations within easy reach of Santa Monica. worth the train, the rental car or the early start.

Worth the trip

Venice (Abbot Kinney) ★ 4.7

10 minutes south by bike path or carRide the beach path south or take Main Street across the border

Famous for: Abbot Kinney's restaurant row: Gjelina, Felix and the Gjusta deli counter

Venice sits ten minutes south of Santa Monica, its Abbot Kinney restaurant strip stacking Gjelina's pizzas, Felix's pasta and Gjusta's bakery cases.

Venice (Abbot Kinney)

Malibu (Pacific Coast Highway) ★ 4.6

30-45 minutes northwest on PCHDrive Pacific Coast Highway north from the Santa Monica Pier

Famous for: Seafood shacks and dining rooms: Malibu Seafood, Broad Street Oyster Co and Nobu

Malibu strings seafood along PCH north of Santa Monica, from Malibu Seafood's fry shack to Broad Street's lobster rolls and Nobu on the water.

Malibu (Pacific Coast Highway)

Culver City ★ 4.4

20 minutes east via the 10 or the E LineMetro E Line from Downtown Santa Monica station to Culver City

Famous for: Helms Bakery district and a dense indie restaurant run from Folks Pizzeria to omakase

Culver City packs studio-adjacent dining twenty minutes from Santa Monica, Folks Pizzeria, Sushi Masuyoshi and the Helms Bakery district blocks.

Culver City

Sawtelle Japantown ★ 4.5

15 minutes east via Olympic or the E LineDrive Olympic Boulevard east or ride the E Line to Expo/Bundy

Famous for: Ramen and izakaya row: Tsujita, Furaibo and Daikokuya on a few dense blocks

Sawtelle Japantown lines a few West LA blocks near Santa Monica with ramen and izakaya, Tsujita's tsukemen and Furaibo's wings leading the crawl.

Sawtelle Japantown

Downtown LA (Grand Central Market) ★ 4.5

45-60 minutes east on the Metro E LineMetro E Line from Downtown Santa Monica to 7th St/Metro Center

Famous for: A 1917 food hall of carnitas, Oaxacan plates and specialty coffee under one roof

Grand Central Market has fed Downtown LA since 1917, an easy train ride from Santa Monica for carnitas at Tacos Tumbras a Tomas and Oaxacan moles.

Downtown LA (Grand Central Market)

Koreatown ★ 4.6

35-50 minutes east via the 10 or MetroDrive the 10 east or take the E Line and transfer at 7th St/Metro Center

Famous for: Korean BBQ, gukbap and late hours across a three-mile grid

Koreatown rewards the drive east from Santa Monica with sizzling gukbap at Jinsol, Kobawoo's bossam and barbecue rooms that run later than the beach.

Koreatown

Ojai ★ 4.3

About 90 minutes northwest via the 101Drive the 101 to the 33 through Ventura, or train to Ventura and taxi up

Famous for: Olive oil ranches, small wineries and farm-to-table dining in a citrus valley

Ojai turns a Santa Monica day trip into a valley of olive oil ranch tours, casual winery tastings and farm-driven kitchens under the Topatopas.

Ojai

Pasadena ★ 4.2

About 50 minutes northeast via the 134 or MetroDrive the 10 to the 110 north, or Metro E Line and A Line via downtown

Famous for: Old Town dining plus Armenian bakeries: Old Sasoon, Chaaste Family Market and Loli Farms

Pasadena repays the crosstown haul from Santa Monica with Old Sasoon's Armenian pastries, Chaaste's Filipino counter and Loli Farms' Peruvian plates.

Pasadena
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