What to order at Michael's Santa Monica

Must order
Whatever the market plates are that week; the garden room is the point
Editor tip
Alumni include Jonathan Waxman and Nancy Silverton; chef Job Carder now runs the hyper-seasonal menu. Book on Resy.
CuisineCalifornian
Price$$$
NeighborhoodDowntown
HoursTue-Sat happy hour 16:00-18:00, dinner 17:00-21:00; closed Sun-Mon
Last verified

Fine dining: tours, tastings and classes in Santa Monica

Gourmet Hollywood Walking Food Tour★ 3.2 (2)

Guided tour · 3 hours

Gourmet Hollywood Walking Food Tour

Step into the glamor of old Hollywood as you dine at historic restaurants once graced by silver screen legends. Explore top-rated contemporary fare and diverse immigra...

from$167 Check dates

See all 166 bookable experiences in Santa Monica

Location

Address: 1147 3rd Street, Santa Monica, CA 90403

Also in downtown

Elephante ★ 4.3

$$$ ItalianDowntown

Elephante stacks a coastal Italian kitchen onto a 2nd Street rooftop in Santa Monica, whipped eggplant, pizzas and pasta with the ocean over the rail.

OrderWhipped eggplant dip with flatbread, then a pizza as the sun drops

TipGo before sunset for the light and stay for the DJ; weekend mornings it runs ricotta pancakes from 09:00.

Full downtown food guide →

More fine dining in Santa Monica

Capo ★ 4.5

$$$$ ItalianOcean Avenue

Capo is Bruce Marder's almond-wood-fired Italian room on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, open since 1998 with a cellar of more than 2,500 wine selections.

OrderRigatoni with white truffle meat sauce and something off the wood fire

TipThe wine list has held Wine Spectator's Grand Award every year since 2015; budget accordingly.

Chinois on Main ★ 4.4

$$$$ Asian fusionMain Street

Chinois on Main is Wolfgang Puck's 1983 Santa Monica original, still folding Chinese tradition and French technique into California produce on Main Street.

OrderThe whole sizzling catfish and the Chinois chicken salad

TipExecutive chefs Junuen Saldana and Ramiro Saucedo keep the classics on; book OpenTable or phone the room.

The Georgian Room ★ 4.4

$$$$ SteakhouseOcean Avenue

The Georgian Room, in the 1933 Georgian Hotel on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, pairs Tuscan chophouse cooking with live jazz around a Steinway grand.

OrderNew York strip, then the spumoni-style baked Alaska

TipFriday and Saturday it runs to 02:00 with live music; Spaghetti Sunday closes the week with a set menu.

Water Grill Santa Monica ★ 4.5

$$$$ SeafoodOcean Avenue

Water Grill Santa Monica works a daily-changing seafood list on Ocean Avenue, live Alaskan king crab tanks, shucked-to-order oysters and wild local fish.

OrderLive spot prawns in season, plus a dozen cold-water oysters

TipAsk what came off the boats that day; Santa Barbara spot prawns are charcoal-grilled when the traps are running.

1 Pico ★ 4.3

$$$$ CalifornianOcean Avenue

1 Pico is the oceanfront dining room at Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica, coastal Californian cooking with Southern Italian leanings above the sand.

OrderWhatever the seasonal coastal tasting plates are, with a Route 66 centennial cocktail

TipAsk for a window table at sunset; the Coast cafe downstairs covers the casual all-day beach service instead.

Elephante ★ 4.3

$$$ ItalianDowntown

Elephante stacks a coastal Italian kitchen onto a 2nd Street rooftop in Santa Monica, whipped eggplant, pizzas and pasta with the ocean over the rail.

OrderWhipped eggplant dip with flatbread, then a pizza as the sun drops

TipGo before sunset for the light and stay for the DJ; weekend mornings it runs ricotta pancakes from 09:00.

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