Best Restaurants for People Watching in Santa Monica

50 restaurants available nearby

1. Meat On Ocean

4.7

Exceptional(3435)

Price: Expensive

• Steakhouse • Santa Monica

Booked 57 times today

Meat On Ocean is a meat-centric, modern steakhouse in Santa Monica that offers both a sense of adventure and breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean. Beyond the offerings of a world-class steakhouse, Meat On Ocean features an artisanal charcuterie bar, an exhibition dry-aging room and a variety of prime beef – from dry-aged domestic cuts to Japanese A-5. Integral to the operation is a highly trained crew of servers and butchers, who communicate directly with Guests about the beef, organically farmed chickens, house made sausages, choice seafood and more.Located on the corner of Ocean and Broadway, Meat On Ocean is steps from the action - including the Santa Monica Pier, shopping and hotels.Starting May 2024, Meat On Ocean is also your headquarters for private dining and events, with customizable spaces that are perfect for social events, corporate meetings, birthday parties, anniversary celebrations, wedding receptions and ceremonies, with full audio/visual connectivity.

2. Blue Plate Taco

4.4

Awesome(975)

Price: Moderate

• Mexican • Santa Monica

Booked 27 times today

Blue Plate Taco is a coastal Baja-meets-Santa Monica destination on Ocean Ave. We are dedicates to creating all our food from scratch including the agua frescas and margaritas from the bar, the tortillas are made by hand fresh all day, and our salsas are made daily. The entire menu is fresh, light and delicious. We hold most of our tables for walk-ins so if you don't see any reservations, don't fret! We'll get you seated after a short wait while you're admiring the Pacific and taking in the famous Santa Monica pier.Reservations are limited to 90 minutes, we hold reservations for 10 minutes.

A photo of Élephante Santa Monica restaurant

3. Élephante Santa Monica

4.5

Awesome(1419)

Price: Expensive

• Italian • Santa Monica

Booked 205 times today

Chic destination for elevated Italian cuisine in breezy, loungelike dining areas with ocean views.

A photo of Calabra at Santa Monica Proper restaurant

4. Calabra at Santa Monica Proper

4.8

Exceptional(1579)

Price: Expensive

• Mediterranean • Santa Monica

Booked 33 times today

Calabra at Santa Monica Proper Hotel (One MICHELIN Key 2024) is located on the hotel's rooftop. The elevated garden terrace provides an inspiring atmosphere, with the ocean as a backdrop. Whether from the pool sundeck or circular bar, the views are best enjoyed with dinner, boutique wines, seasonal cocktails, and small-batch spirits. Serving Mediterranean & Californian cuisine with a view. Seating arrangements for all reservations at Calabra may include outdoor dining, bar area, as well as our indoor/ outdoor covered lounge space. Be sure to dress warmly.**Dinner reservations are for dining only. Drinks will be accommodated upon first come first serve at the bar area. Private Couch Alcoves are available with a rental and minimum spend**

5. 1212 Santa Monica

4.7

Exceptional(1786)

Price: Expensive

• Californian • Santa Monica

Booked 109 times today

1212 Santa Monica is a unique New American Cuisine restaurant located in the heart of Downtown Santa Monica on the Third Street Promenade. Our menu highlights the palette and diversity of the SoCal landscape. Complimenting the food, our beverage program includes select wines and creative cocktails to enhance your dining experience.Join us for All Night Happy Hour starting daily at 5pm & Bottomless Brunch every Friday, Saturday and Sunday with bottomless mimosas for only $28. On specific Saturdays & Sunday brunches we charge a $10 Entertainment Fee for those enjoying drag shows in our Main Dining Area.Enjoy the beautiful beach weather on the patio, or indoors in our massive dining room. Plan a private event or meeting on our Balcony, Private Dining Room or Patio.

A photo of Wally's Santa Monica restaurant

6. Wally's Santa Monica

4.8

Exceptional(114)

Price: Expensive

• Californian • Santa Monica

Booked 23 times today

Experience Santa Monica’s favorite location for fine food and wine. Wally’s Santa Monica is a hybrid concept that encapsulates the finest food, beverages, and gourmet foods to provide a one-stop shop for everything delicious. From chill afternoon apps and cocktails, to decadent caviar service—whether you’re in a tuxedo, or just coming from the office—our vibe is ideal for any occasion that calls for enjoying great food and drinks. You can explore our peerless selection of rare spirits, extraordinary seasonal menu, over 100 wines available by-the-glass, and shop the gourmet counter for specialty meats, cheeses, and artisanal chocolates.

7. Wabi on Rose

4.5

Awesome(1318)

Price: Expensive

• Sushi • Venice

Booked 26 times today

This local hot spot suffered a fire in 2018 and triumphantly returned in 2020. With Chef Rain's innovative cuisine and vibrant bar scene, Wabi on Rose embodies the Rose Avenue lifestyle. Sexy, contemporary design, frames this hip spot with a chic outdoor seating area. Neighborhood regulars enjoy the fresh-caught, Pacific Rim, sushi inspired menu,and live fire grill. Swimsuit to business suit, all are welcome.

8. Manchego

4.8

Exceptional(1125)

Price: Moderate

• Tapas / Small Plates • Santa Monica

Booked 22 times today

Manchego also offers walk-ins!Manchego is a Spanish Tapas restaurant in Santa Monica that focuses on delicious small plates and a cozy atmosphere. We recently relocated a few doors down, to a larger space with a romantic patio in the back.Manchego has always been one of the best kept secrets in Santa Monica, and now locals can enjoy our bigger, more accommodating space that offers outside dining on our beautiful patio. Always a great spot for romantic dates or meeting up with friends and family.We also added a specially curated Spanish wine list that offers mainly small-production, unique wines. Our Spanish wine distributor spends his time traveling the Spanish countryside, sourcing hard to find wines from small, mom-and-pop wineries. The wine list also includes a few South American selections and a great local, organic wine.Follow us on instagram at instagram.com/manchegorestaurant

9. Farmshop LA

4.9

Exceptional(569)

Price: Expensive

• Californian • Brentwood

Booked 27 times today

In 2010, chef Jeff Cerciello opened Farmshop in a space that denotes rustic elegance. Located in the beautiful Brentwood Country Mart, bordering Santa Monica, the restaurant has become a dining destination featuring the very best local ingredients, simply prepared, served in casual fine dining style.

A photo of The Waterfront Venice restaurant

10. The Waterfront Venice

4.3

Awesome(192)

Price: Expensive

• Californian • Venice

Booked 13 times today

The Waterfront Venice is a California Beer Garden with views of the Pacific Ocean. Situated between Rose and Navy on the famous Venice beach Boardwalk, our food & beverage menus celebrate California with carefully selected seasonal produce from local farms.

See what locals rave about

From verified diners like you

A
Ali
New York City •4 reviews
4.0
Dined 2 days ago
Food was fine. Nothing wrong, just a bit bland. Makes sense for this location - touristy. Service was outstanding. Busboy made extra efforts to keep us warm by repositioning the heat lamps and refilling them with propane. Nice touch.
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Blue Plate TacoPrice: Moderate• Mexican• Santa Monica
•
4.4
W
William
Los Angeles •2 reviews
5.0
Dined 5 days ago
An epic steakhouse with a wonderful staff, fantastic menu and outstanding atmosphere. Ocean view tops it all off nicely. Have been wanting to go here for a while and found a good excuse to gather a bunch of friends for lunch - a perfect venue for a lively, comfortable social gathering - food was absolutely delicious and bar cocktails are unique and satisfying. I think I speak for our group when I say I can't wait to come back soon.
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Meat On OceanPrice: Expensive• Steakhouse• Santa Monica
•
4.7
J
JimVIP
South Carolina •115 reviews
5.0
Dined 5 days ago
Great service and good. Christin is a top notch server!
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1212 Santa MonicaPrice: Expensive• Californian• Santa Monica
•
4.7
J
James
Los Angeles •14 reviews
5.0
Dined 6 days ago
Our dining experience was quite outstanding. Food was excellent; service was excellent; ambience was very nice - nice view, heaters worked well. Although it is quite expensive, for an quality experience, I would recommend it.
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Calabra at Santa Monica ProperPrice: Expensive• Mediterranean• Santa Monica
•
4.8
N
Nadia
New York City •7 reviews
5.0
Dined on 23 Dec 2024
Food was excellent and the ambience and view was amazing. But the only thing is the lady outside told us there were no tables available so she put us on the waitlist. We waited for an hour, but when we looked up on OpenTable, there were lots of spaces available so don’t rely on the people on the front desk and check OpenTable for reservations and availabilities.
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Élephante Santa MonicaPrice: Expensive• Italian• Santa Monica
•
4.5

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Santa Monica

Best Restaurants for People Watching in Santa Monica

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50 restaurants available nearby

1. Meat On Ocean

2. Blue Plate Taco

3. Élephante Santa Monica

4. Calabra at Santa Monica Proper

5. 1212 Santa Monica

6. Wally's Santa Monica

7. Wabi on Rose

8. Manchego

9. Farmshop LA

10. The Waterfront Venice

See what locals rave about

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