Fine dining vet Dave Beran serves up an elevated French bistro experience on Main Street Santa Monica. Favorites like the chicken liver-stuffed foie de canard brioche, steak au poivre, and whole-pressed duck continue to please longtime regulars, while the rest of the menu offers California-influenced takes on classic French fare. Pasjoli is one of the most reliable upscale places to eat on the Westside, with service and ambience to match the next-level food.

This Ocean Avenue staple is neither cheap nor particularly hip, but that’s no concern for owner Bruce Marder, a longtime Los Angeles restaurateur, and this tiny restaurant’s unending stream of customers who work through a menu of fine wines, robust pastas, and wood-grilled meats

This Tokyo import from one of the chefs who popularized izakayas in Japan opened steps from Third Street Promenade. Expect a solid sake menu, well-sliced sashimi plates, and an incredible seared filet of mackerel that fills the room with the aroma of blackened fish skin. Sitting at the counter affords the best view of the action from the open kitchen.