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Steamed black bass at chef John Fraser’s Ardor.
Steamed black bass at Ardor.
Ardor

15 Splurge-Worthy Special Occasion Restaurants in Los Angeles

Save up and savor these exquisite LA dining experiences

by Eater Staff Updated
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Steamed black bass at Ardor.
| Ardor
by Eater Staff Updated
2 comments / new

Whether celebrating a new job, an important anniversary, a milestone birthday, or just surviving the week, head to the places on this list for exquisite culinary experiences and memorable hospitality. Advanced reservations, and sometimes even monetary deposits, are required for a table at many of these establishments, so plan ahead for a night of revelry. From high-end Japanese fare to French-leaning tasting menus, here now are 15 of the most fabulous restaurants to splurge on in Los Angeles.

Added: Bar Sawa, Fia Steak, PastaBar, Pasjoli, Michael’s on Naples, Ardor

Removed: Manzke, Orsa & Winston, Angler, Cut by Wolfgang Puck, Jean-Georges Beverly Hills

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Pasta|Bar

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After reopening in April 2021, Phillip Frankland Lee’s Italian tasting menu is back in full force. Chef Nathan Tauer is in the kitchen now, after cutting his teeth at San Francisco dimes including Coi and Petit Crenn. The 10-course tasting menu starts at $125.

16101 Ventura Blvd #255, Encino, CA 91436
(818) 208-1805
(818) 208-1805
Lobster pasta at Pasta Bar Liam Brown

Also featured in:

Morihiro

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Superstar chef Morihiro Onodera brings his classic sushi style to Atwater Village. Opt for the omakase experience at this Michelin-starred spot, which goes for $350 to $400 per person and features seasonal delicacies from various regions in Japan.

3133 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039
(323) 522-3993
(323) 522-3993

Also featured in:

Ardor

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Having dinner at Ardor is like having a main character moment for an entire evening. It’s tough to outdo both the views from the hillside and chef John Fraser’s nonstop-tasty crudos and ceviches. Market fish, done up with capers and shaved fennel, costs $44, and the 14-day-aged lamb runs $62, so be ready to cut a check to match the paramount sights and tastes.

9040 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
(424) 310-1572
(424) 310-1572
Milk bread at Ardor in West Hollywood. Matthew Kang

Also featured in:

Providence

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Providence orchestrates one of the most pleasurable gastronomical experiences in the city. Chef Michael Cimarusti’s exceptional cooking is perfectly matched with Donato Poto’s warm and efficient service. Seafood is chef Cimarusti’s forte, so be prepared for dazzlingly fresh fish, scallop, and sea urchin preparations. The chef’s tasting menu is priced at $275 per person.

5955 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 460-4170
(323) 460-4170

Also featured in:

Sushi Ginza Onodera

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Head to West Hollywood for Michelin-starred Edomae-style sushi. The $400 omakase includes fish flown in twice a week from the Toyosu fish market and rice seasoned in red vinegars from Niigata prefecture. Dinner seatings are available Tuesday through Saturday at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. 

609 La Cienega Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
(323) 433-4817
(323) 433-4817

Also featured in:

Maude

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Curtis Stone’s Michelin-starred restaurant Maude reopened in February and behind the stove is chef Osiel Gastelum. Gastelum trained at Dominique Crenn and was the chef de cuisine at Somni before coming to Maude. Gastelum incorporates his roots in Sinaloa and Southern California throughout the nine-course $195 tasting menu with ingredients like nopales and masa.

212 S Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310) 859-3519
(310) 859-3519

Also featured in:

Bar Sawa

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A sushi restaurant beneath Little Tokyo is about as cool a place as any to get powerfully good seared toro nigiri. Cocktails are no joke here, either; order negronis with Roku gin and umeshu or highballs made with green tea-infused vodka. The omakase costs $170 per person with a $45 option for drink pairings.

111 S San Pedro St sawa, Los Angeles, CA 90012
(323) 381-5858
(323) 381-5858
Slicing fish at Bar Sawa with chef’s knife.
Expertly slicing fish at Bar Sawa.
Wonho Frank Lee

Fia Steak

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Chef Brendan Collins’ love letter to butcher shop-style cuts and grilling is worth every indulgently spent penny. A bistecca porterhouse runs a jaw-dropping $350, though it could feed three or four people. This shop is a contender for best steakhouse on the Westside, though there are plenty of other prize-fighters.

2458 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90403
(424) 355-5437
(424) 355-5437
Large format steaks at Fia Steak over flaming wood grill.
A large-format steak at Fia.
Wonho Frank Lee

Kato Restaurant

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Chef Jon Yao draws from his Taiwanese roots and Los Angeles upbringing at this latest iteration of Kato inside the former M. Georgina space at Row DTLA. Dinner starts at $195 per person and can include dishes like scallops in a fish fragrant sauce, snapper with Chinese mustard, and strawberry shaved ice.

777 S Alameda St Building 1, Suite 114, Los Angeles, CA 90021
(213) 797-5770
(213) 797-5770
Dish from Kato.
Kato Restaurant.
Kato

Also featured in:

Hayato

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Head to the Row DTLA for a hyper-traditional kaiseki dinner orchestrated by chef Brandon Go. Specializing in washoku (traditional Japanese cooking), a meal at Hayato lasts nearly three hours and costs $295 per person.

1320 E 7th St #126, Los Angeles, CA 90021
(213) 395-0607
(213) 395-0607

Also featured in:

N/naka

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Chefs Niki Nakayama and Carole Iida-Nakayama serve a 13-course modern kaiseki nightly for $310 per person. The menu changes with the seasons, along with the chef’s whims, while the flow of the meal adheres to Japanese traditions. The three-hour experience is beautifully orchestrated and paced just so, leaving diners pampered, satisfied, and feeling thoroughly justified for indulging in something so extravagant.

3455 Overland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 836-6252
(310) 836-6252
Amuse bouches at n/naka, Los Angeles
N/naka
Wonho Frank Lee

Mélisse Restaurant

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Fine-dining chef Josiah Citrin and chef de cuisine Ian Scaramuzza know how to dazzle diners. Snag a table at this 14-seat restaurant for a two-and-a-half hour, seven-course culinary experience that can include a scallop carpaccio, crab and shrimp toast, and lamb with morels. The two-star Michelin meal costs $295 per person.

1104 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 395-0881
(310) 395-0881

Shunji Japanese Cuisine

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Chef Shunji Nakao is settling in nicely to Santa Monica after moving from his original West LA location last year. For the most exquisite experience, book a seat inside the chef’s tasting room that fits just six diners. The $250 omakase is served personally by Nakao and comes with hot and cold small dishes, sashimi, and variety of nigiri sushi.

3003 Ocean Park Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90405

Also featured in:

Pasjoli

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Enough cannot be written about Pasjoli, Dave Beran’s Michelin-starred French restaurant. The soufflé au chocolate is an LA signature dessert, and Beran’s pressed duck can be called an LA signature dish. Again, this restaurant is worth each and every one of your dollars.

2732 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405
(424) 330-0020
(424) 330-0020
Beef tartare at Pasjoli.
Beef tartare at Pasjoli.
Wonho Frank Lee

Also featured in:

Michael's on Naples

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This Long Beach staple has been on radars for well over a decade and for good reason. This is the restaurant that brought in a more-or-less bottomless mimosas approach to white truffle shavings, after all. But, naturally, that addition costs $300 per table — so expect to pay a pretty penny for this luxurious restaurant’s finest fare.

5620 2nd St, Long Beach, CA 90803
(562) 439-7080
(562) 439-7080
Michael's on Naples, Long Beach
Michael’s on Naples, Long Beach

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Pasta|Bar

16101 Ventura Blvd #255, Encino, CA 91436

After reopening in April 2021, Phillip Frankland Lee’s Italian tasting menu is back in full force. Chef Nathan Tauer is in the kitchen now, after cutting his teeth at San Francisco dimes including Coi and Petit Crenn. The 10-course tasting menu starts at $125.

16101 Ventura Blvd #255, Encino, CA 91436
(818) 208-1805
(818) 208-1805
Lobster pasta at Pasta Bar Liam Brown

Morihiro

3133 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Superstar chef Morihiro Onodera brings his classic sushi style to Atwater Village. Opt for the omakase experience at this Michelin-starred spot, which goes for $350 to $400 per person and features seasonal delicacies from various regions in Japan.

3133 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039
(323) 522-3993
(323) 522-3993

Ardor

9040 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069

Having dinner at Ardor is like having a main character moment for an entire evening. It’s tough to outdo both the views from the hillside and chef John Fraser’s nonstop-tasty crudos and ceviches. Market fish, done up with capers and shaved fennel, costs $44, and the 14-day-aged lamb runs $62, so be ready to cut a check to match the paramount sights and tastes.

9040 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
(424) 310-1572
(424) 310-1572
Milk bread at Ardor in West Hollywood. Matthew Kang

Providence

5955 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038

Providence orchestrates one of the most pleasurable gastronomical experiences in the city. Chef Michael Cimarusti’s exceptional cooking is perfectly matched with Donato Poto’s warm and efficient service. Seafood is chef Cimarusti’s forte, so be prepared for dazzlingly fresh fish, scallop, and sea urchin preparations. The chef’s tasting menu is priced at $275 per person.

5955 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 460-4170
(323) 460-4170

Sushi Ginza Onodera

609 La Cienega Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069

Head to West Hollywood for Michelin-starred Edomae-style sushi. The $400 omakase includes fish flown in twice a week from the Toyosu fish market and rice seasoned in red vinegars from Niigata prefecture. Dinner seatings are available Tuesday through Saturday at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. 

609 La Cienega Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
(323) 433-4817
(323) 433-4817

Maude

212 S Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90212

Curtis Stone’s Michelin-starred restaurant Maude reopened in February and behind the stove is chef Osiel Gastelum. Gastelum trained at Dominique Crenn and was the chef de cuisine at Somni before coming to Maude. Gastelum incorporates his roots in Sinaloa and Southern California throughout the nine-course $195 tasting menu with ingredients like nopales and masa.

212 S Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310) 859-3519
(310) 859-3519

Bar Sawa

111 S San Pedro St sawa, Los Angeles, CA 90012

A sushi restaurant beneath Little Tokyo is about as cool a place as any to get powerfully good seared toro nigiri. Cocktails are no joke here, either; order negronis with Roku gin and umeshu or highballs made with green tea-infused vodka. The omakase costs $170 per person with a $45 option for drink pairings.

111 S San Pedro St sawa, Los Angeles, CA 90012
(323) 381-5858
(323) 381-5858
Slicing fish at Bar Sawa with chef’s knife.
Expertly slicing fish at Bar Sawa.
Wonho Frank Lee

Fia Steak

2458 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90403

Chef Brendan Collins’ love letter to butcher shop-style cuts and grilling is worth every indulgently spent penny. A bistecca porterhouse runs a jaw-dropping $350, though it could feed three or four people. This shop is a contender for best steakhouse on the Westside, though there are plenty of other prize-fighters.

2458 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90403
(424) 355-5437
(424) 355-5437
Large format steaks at Fia Steak over flaming wood grill.
A large-format steak at Fia.
Wonho Frank Lee

Kato Restaurant

777 S Alameda St Building 1, Suite 114, Los Angeles, CA 90021

Chef Jon Yao draws from his Taiwanese roots and Los Angeles upbringing at this latest iteration of Kato inside the former M. Georgina space at Row DTLA. Dinner starts at $195 per person and can include dishes like scallops in a fish fragrant sauce, snapper with Chinese mustard, and strawberry shaved ice.

777 S Alameda St Building 1, Suite 114, Los Angeles, CA 90021
(213) 797-5770
(213) 797-5770
Dish from Kato.
Kato Restaurant.
Kato

Hayato

1320 E 7th St #126, Los Angeles, CA 90021

Head to the Row DTLA for a hyper-traditional kaiseki dinner orchestrated by chef Brandon Go. Specializing in washoku (traditional Japanese cooking), a meal at Hayato lasts nearly three hours and costs $295 per person.

1320 E 7th St #126, Los Angeles, CA 90021
(213) 395-0607
(213) 395-0607

N/naka

3455 Overland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90034

Chefs Niki Nakayama and Carole Iida-Nakayama serve a 13-course modern kaiseki nightly for $310 per person. The menu changes with the seasons, along with the chef’s whims, while the flow of the meal adheres to Japanese traditions. The three-hour experience is beautifully orchestrated and paced just so, leaving diners pampered, satisfied, and feeling thoroughly justified for indulging in something so extravagant.

3455 Overland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 836-6252
(310) 836-6252
Amuse bouches at n/naka, Los Angeles
N/naka
Wonho Frank Lee

Mélisse Restaurant

1104 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401

Fine-dining chef Josiah Citrin and chef de cuisine Ian Scaramuzza know how to dazzle diners. Snag a table at this 14-seat restaurant for a two-and-a-half hour, seven-course culinary experience that can include a scallop carpaccio, crab and shrimp toast, and lamb with morels. The two-star Michelin meal costs $295 per person.

1104 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 395-0881
(310) 395-0881

Shunji Japanese Cuisine

3003 Ocean Park Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90405

Chef Shunji Nakao is settling in nicely to Santa Monica after moving from his original West LA location last year. For the most exquisite experience, book a seat inside the chef’s tasting room that fits just six diners. The $250 omakase is served personally by Nakao and comes with hot and cold small dishes, sashimi, and variety of nigiri sushi.

3003 Ocean Park Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90405

Pasjoli

2732 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405

Enough cannot be written about Pasjoli, Dave Beran’s Michelin-starred French restaurant. The soufflé au chocolate is an LA signature dessert, and Beran’s pressed duck can be called an LA signature dish. Again, this restaurant is worth each and every one of your dollars.

2732 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405
(424) 330-0020
(424) 330-0020
Beef tartare at Pasjoli.
Beef tartare at Pasjoli.
Wonho Frank Lee

Michael's on Naples

5620 2nd St, Long Beach, CA 90803

This Long Beach staple has been on radars for well over a decade and for good reason. This is the restaurant that brought in a more-or-less bottomless mimosas approach to white truffle shavings, after all. But, naturally, that addition costs $300 per table — so expect to pay a pretty penny for this luxurious restaurant’s finest fare.

5620 2nd St, Long Beach, CA 90803
(562) 439-7080
(562) 439-7080
Michael's on Naples, Long Beach
Michael’s on Naples, Long Beach

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