Calabra is a mediterranean restaurant in Downtown, Santa Monica.
Editorially verified August 18, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Must order: Challah french toast at brunch, mezze and crudo at night
Tip: Proper Hour runs 16:00-17:00 weekdays and 15:00-17:00 weekends; the poolside alcoves take groups up to twelve.
Address: 700 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Xuntos fills a 1926 Art Deco building in downtown Santa Monica with Sandra Cordero's Galician tapas, razor clams, percebes and vermouth over two floors.
Order: Razor clams, jamon iberico and a porron of Basque cider
Tip: The menu runs from jamon iberico to Galician empanadas; ask for the mezzanine seats above the bar.
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.
Order: Oxtail dumplings, then the whole fried snapper with soba
Tip: The whole fried snapper with cold soba is built for two; smaller plates share better than they look.
Xuntos fills a 1926 Art Deco building in downtown Santa Monica with Sandra Cordero's Galician tapas, razor clams, percebes and vermouth over two floors.
Order: Razor clams, jamon iberico and a porron of Basque cider
Tip: The menu runs from jamon iberico to Galician empanadas; ask for the mezzanine seats above the bar.
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.
Order: Oxtail dumplings, then the whole fried snapper with soba
Tip: The whole fried snapper with cold soba is built for two; smaller plates share better than they look.
Holy Basil brought its Bangkok street-food kitchen west to Santa Monica Boulevard in late 2025, crab fried rice and pad kee mao with natural wine and sake.
Order: Bangkok crab fried rice and pad kee mao moo krob
Tip: Owners Deau Arpapornnopparat and Joy Yuon plan seven-day service and brunch in 2026; until then dinner books out.
Cobi's cooks Southeast Asian food in a florid Main Street bungalow in Santa Monica, a Bib Gourmand room of curries, dumplings and wood-grilled plates.
Order: Pork dumplings, nasi goreng and a wok-tossed curry
Tip: The Michelin Bib Gourmand crowd books ahead on Resy; the weekend brunch sitting is the calmer way to get a table.
Crudo e Nudo runs a chalkboard of daily raw fish on Main Street in Santa Monica, chef Brian Bornemann dry-aging ikejime catch from Baja up to Monterey.
Order: Daily crudo flight and the tuna tartare with seeded loaves
Tip: Wine director Simona Topuzovska pours biodynamic small growers; the daily happy hour 15:00-17:00 is the value window.
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.
Order: Live spot prawns in season, plus a dozen cold-water oysters
Tip: Ask what came off the boats that day; Santa Barbara spot prawns are charcoal-grilled when the traps are running.
