Eating out in Beverly Hills can cost a pretty penny. Fine dining meccas like Spago and Maude reflect the monied tastes of residents and visitors alike. However, there are some more approachable places with excellent quality, like a new Japanese curry spot, as well as Instagram-ready focaccia sandwiches. For a swanky day in LA’s fanciest zip code, here are the 18 essential restaurants in Beverly Hills.
Read MoreThe 18 Essential Beverly Hills Restaurants
A superb collection of restaurants in LA’s swankiest zip code
Funke
Evan Funke’s elegant Beverly Hills restaurant marries the best of Venice’s Felix and Hollywood’s Mother Wolf. Combining fresh, handmade pasta and a wide menu of pan-Italian specialties — including pizza — Funke’s multi-level extravaganza could only work in a neighborhood like Beverly Hills. The ground floor is more restrained ’90s minimalism while the boisterous mezzanine works for a younger, more energetic crowd. Expect top-quality service that will guarantee a great experience for folks trying Funke’s food for the first time. There’s even a rooftop with a cocktail bar for an open-air vibe. With a neighborhood chock-full of Italian restaurants, Funke might be its most ambitious.
Nate 'n Al
This iconic Beverly Hills deli serves reliably good pastrami and corned beef sandwiches. The extensive breakfast offerings that include cheese blintzes, matzo brei, and plenty of smoked fish are also worth checking out. The deli nearly closed in past years before gaining new ownership, hopefully giving it a long future ahead.
Lorenzo
Lorenzo is helping to lead an LA focaccia sandwich revolution. The shop sells loads of focaccia sandwiches daily from its tiny cafe space, with a focus on Italian cold cuts like mortadella, prosciutto, and salami.
Sushi Note Omakase
The Valley’s popular Sushi Note found a lovely underground alcove at the valet parking area of a large Beverly Hills retail building. Sporting a near-hidden entrance, this place seats fewer than 20 diners, with just six or so at the bar, but serves some of the highest-end nigiri in the city. The bonus part of the experience lies in the wine pairings, meant to add a completely different element to most other omakase dinners that tend to feature sake. Just follow the sommelier and let the glasses flow with the high-end sushi.
Also featured in:
Crustacean
Modern Vietnamese fare by chef Helene An is what it is all about at Crustacean. Nearly every smart table will start with the smoky tuna tartare cigars and the crispy crab bites. Don’t sleep on the famous garlic noodles or the garlic-roasted Dungeness crab served in or out of its shell — go big and get both. Lunch is the best time to try more of the dishes at an affordable price while dinner is best for splurge meals. The best part is seeing An herself working the dining room and making friends with everyone.
Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura
Massimo Bottura’s Michelin-starred restaurant could be the most stylish in Los Angeles, with staff decked out in Gucci sneakers, suits, and apparel from head to toe. The fashion sensibilities on the table are impressive too, including polished pasta, inventive Italian fare, and excellent wine pairings. In addition to the style, Gucci Osteria may have the best service anywhere in LA. Bottura’s restaurant feels a tad forgotten sometimes given its balcony perch above a flashy luxury boutique, but maybe that’s half the charm — it’s for those in the know.
The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills
The show-stopping sandwiches at the new Cheese Store of Beverly Hills are rightfully garnering a lot of attention. Nestled within crusty bread find options like fried zucchini and pesto, prosciutto and coppa, and of course, tons of high-quality cheese.
Also featured in:
Mr. Chow
Mr. Chow, named after restaurateur Michael Chow who now goes by artist M, helped usher in a new era of Chinese fine dining in Los Angeles with its debut in 1974. Immortalized in celebrity rags and even a Steely Dan tune, this throwback dining experience has plenty of naysayers for its high prices. But Chow set out to redefine what American Chinese food could be — a departure from the more casual fare passed down from immigrants and instead inspired by upscale preparations in pre-revolution China. The Beijing duck, served tableside, would impress any fan of Chinese food, but the dumplings, noodles, and stir-fry all taste terrific. Just make sure either the corporate card has plenty of leeway or someone who doesn’t mind a splurge is picking up the tab.
Dante Beverly Hills
New York City transplant Dante takes over the gorgeous rooftop space of the Maybourne hotel with unfettered views of the Hollywood Hills. The place is mainly famous in New York for its cocktails, like the spritzes and shaken drinks, but the food is very good, from the blistered wood-fired pizzas to the generously portioned pastas. What Dante succeeds most in is the ambience, with plush banquettes or airy balcony seating for an effortlessly chic Beverly Hills experience.
Avra Beverly Hills Estiatorio
New York City import Avra serves up modern Greek fare in the heart of the Golden Triangle. Similar to its two East Coast outlets, the emphasis is on pristine seafood that’s beautifully displayed for guests to select their ideal catch. Be sure to load up on the stellar appetizers too, like grilled prawns, feta-tomato salad, and comforting manouri saganaki, filo dough stuffed with manouri cheese and laced with sweet honey and balsamic glaze.
Lawry's the Prime Rib
A classic Restaurant Row destination, Lawry’s is still going strong after more than 80 years. With spinning salads to start and juicy prime rib carved tableside, this is an excellent place for large parties and celebrations. The old-school dining room, accommodating service, and outsized portions make it one of the best crowdpleasers in town.
Spago
With an upscale bar near the front for cocktails paired with large and small bites, and a main dining room dedicated to tasting menus and a la carte options, there’s something for everyone at Wolfgang Puck’s flagship restaurant, which always packs celebrities who also want great food (Taylor Swift was recently there). Don’t be surprised to see Puck himself roaming the dining room and kitchen most nights of the week.
La Dolce Vita
Crooner Frank Sinatra once invested in this windowless Italian restaurant in Beverly Hills, and the incredible ’70s throwback charm is back. Expect a lavish, over-the-top interior and tables bunched in as tightly as possible, with tiny but well-made cocktails placed next to heaping plates of spaghetti and meatballs. Everyone will want to order the veal Parmesan, but the seared branzino is a sleeper hit. The decadent chocolate torte is a great finish to the meal.
Cut
Located on the ground floor of the ritzy Beverly Wilshire hotel, this modern steakhouse from Wolfgang Puck serves quality red meat with chef-driven flourishes like the bone marrow flan starter. The minimalist space and attentive service make it one of the most reliable dining options in Beverly Hills. Save room for the incredible chocolate souffle for dessert.
Steak 48 Beverly Hills
The original Mastro family (Jeff and Michael Mastro) has returned to Beverly Hills with a grand steakhouse that seamlessly fits into one of LA’s ritziest areas. Steak 48 takes a lot of the upscale, over-the-top sensibilities of Mastro’s and dials in the experience with finesse and execution. The seafood tower brims with terrific fresh shellfish on an elevated chilled platter while the chops are grilled exactly how you want them. The sides are refreshing and interesting too, from the corn brulee to Hasselbeck potatoes. Of course, the steaks are terrific, well-seared, and covered in hot butter. The dry-aged bone-in ribeye is the proper pick for beef aficionados.
Also featured in:
Maude
Curtis Stone’s Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant has found its form once again after a decade of operation (it was briefly an Aussie-style pie shop during the pandemic). With Stone and Osiel Gastelum, previously of Somni, at the helm, Maude remains one of the most coveted tasting menus in town, featuring seasonal ingredients and stellar wine pairings with some of the best service anywhere. A true dining destination with the intimate, almost hard-to-find location that Angelenos love.
Chubby Curry
Chubby Group’s rapidly expanding empire of Japanese wagyu restaurants has found a foothold in Beverly Hills with an ode to casual curry dishes. Using some meats from the group’s pricey Downtown restaurant Niku X in attainable curry dishes, diners can indulge in high-end wagyu without the elevated price tag. Curry udon noodles come in a hot skillet topped with maitake mushrooms and sliced wagyu round for less than $20. The thick, well-seared curry burger is easily one of the best new burgers in town. Many of the restaurants in Beverly Hills will break the bank, but Chubby Curry certainly won’t.
Also featured in:
Matū
Featuring only New Zealand-raised, grass-fed wagyu beef from First Light Farms, Matū is a steak-focused restaurant where most diners order a reasonably-priced tasting menu or pick their dishes a la carte. Of course, there’s wood-grilled steak — tender, minerally, and distinct from typical American-raised beef — but don’t forget to try some starters, like arugula-littered carpaccio or braised beef croquetas. The lunch- and bar-only Philly cheesesteaks are a great draw for those who don’t need a full dinner but want a taste of the delicious beef in a classic sandwich form.
Also featured in: