Chinois on Main is an asian fusion restaurant in Main Street, Santa Monica.
Editorially verified August 18, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Must order: The whole sizzling catfish and the Chinois chicken salad
Tip: Executive chefs Junuen Saldana and Ramiro Saucedo keep the classics on; book OpenTable or phone the room.
Address: 2709 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405
Le Great Outdoor grills everything outside in the Bergamot Station yard in Santa Monica, lamb chops and tartines off open fire at long picnic tables.
Order: Blistered lamb chops and the goat cheese tartine
Tip: The kitchen is entirely open-air in the arts-centre parking lot; book Resy for dinner, walk in at lunch.
Cosetta cooks wood-fired Italian on Ocean Park Boulevard in Santa Monica, porcini-rubbed wagyu tri-tip and vodka arrabbiata shells with burrata.
Order: Pasta shells in vodka arrabbiata with burrata
Tip: Two hours of validated parking off 31st Street takes the sting out; happy hour runs 16:00-17:00 on weekdays.
Shirube runs a charcoal-grill izakaya on Wilshire in downtown Santa Monica, corn ribs in shoyu butter and blowtorched mackerel with most plates under 25.
Order: Shoyu butter corn ribs and the mentaiko udon
Tip: Sit at the bar for the courtside view of the charcoal grill; the mentaiko udon disappears early on weekends.
Fitoor grills contemporary Indian food near the Santa Monica Pier, kebabs, kulchas and seafood from the ROOH team's fire-led Ocean Avenue kitchen.
Order: Kebabs and kulchas from the tandoor, plus the seafood plates
Tip: Founders Anu and Vikram Bhambri staff the kitchen almost entirely with chefs trained in India; the halal menu suits groups.
Piccolo Ristorante hand-rolls its pasta on Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica, chef Antonio Mure's Venetian-leaning dinners with a deep Italian cellar.
Order: Homemade pasta of the day with a glass from the Italian list
Tip: The room is candlelit and small, better for two than six; Prosecco by the glass opens the night properly.
Ghisallo blisters Neapolitan-and-New-York-style pies on Ocean Park Boulevard in Santa Monica, with arancini, radicchio salads and a semi-hidden back patio.
Order: Squash blossom pizza in season, the diavola year-round
Tip: The back patio is the seat; squash blossom pizza when it is on, diavola otherwise. Wine list stays well priced.
