Santa Monica’s Exclusive Semi-Private Club Is Already Packed With Steak-Loving Celebrities

Great news for folks living the luxury life at the edge of Santa Monica right near the ocean: H.Wood Group opened to their latest restaurant Mason last week. The tiny space is essentially semi-private enclave for well-heeled locals and anyone willing to pony up for a standing, paid reservation, but there will be some limited seating for anyone else who happens to wander past.

Mason takes over the former Sam’s By the Beach, right on Channel Road, which sat for years as a coastal California-Mediterranean spot with white tablecloths and lots of sunlight. Back in 2018, H.Wood Group founder John Terzian and company snatched up the space for a supper club, wherein longtime fans of Terzian’s other projects (everything from Shorebar next door to Bootsy Bellows, the Nice Guy, Poppy, and the Peppermint Club) could pay for standing reservations at one of the 14 tables inside. The whole thing works sort of like the infamous Rao’s in New York City, except regular folks can still slide into Mason at the bar or, occasionally, at a table themselves.

In all, the Built Inc.-designed space has room for 50 seats, making it slightly larger than, say, the tiny Tsubaki in Echo Park. Food comes from the group’s culinary director Maynard Llera (formerly of Bestia), and chef de cuisine David Johns (formerly with The Rose in Venice). Expect lots of classic staples like negronis and daiquiris from beverage director Justin Campbell to go along with steaks, dover sole, and lots of seafood. For a similar look, check out the first Mason that H.Wood Group opened last summer in Chicago.

Mason Santa Monica is open now, keeping hours from 5:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Mason. 108 W. Channel Rd., Santa Monica, CA.

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