The 10 Best Restaurants in Santa Monica, Ranked

Cream and I ate our way through the blocks around the Promenade during our month living in Downtown Santa Monica in early 2025. By the end we had a sushi spot we went to three times a week, a grandma slice I still think about, and our first ever soup dumplings!

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In this guide 7 sections

I'd sum it up like this. You can get any food you want in Santa Monica at any price and all the food is good.

We scored every place out of 10, and our ten best restaurants in Santa Monica all got an 8 or higher.

The Best Restaurants in Santa Monica: My Quick Answer

• One dinner: Mon Roll House. Fresh, tender sushi, and one of the cheapest meals in town.
• Pizza: Joe's Pizza on Broadway. Get the grandma slice.
• A night out: Dan Modern Chinese for soup dumplings and noodles. Dinner for two was $79 with tax.
• Cheap lunch: Papi Tacos & Churros. Carne asada tacos, then the dulce de leche churros.
• On the pier: Pier Burger, our 10 out of 10 for a burger and a shake.
• Coffee and a pastry: Demitasse, then take it to the benches over the ocean.
• Skip: Ye Olde King's Head. Cool pub, expensive fish and chips.

#	Restaurant	Where	Order	Our score
1	Mon Roll House	4th St	Spicy tuna or a yellowtail roll, plus an eel roll	10/10
2	Joe's Pizza	Broadway	The grandma slice	10/10
3	Dan Modern Chinese	2nd St	Soup dumplings and shrimp noodles	10/10
4	Pier Burger	Santa Monica Pier	A burger and a shake	10/10
5	T's Thai Restaurant	4th St	Pad thai and a curry	9/10
6	Papi Tacos & Churros	Wilshire Blvd	Carne asada and birria tacos, dulce de leche churros	8/10
7	Rita's Gate of India	5th St	Butter chicken, saffron rice, and naan	8/10
8	Silverlake Ramen	Third Street Promenade	The Classic ramen	8/10
9	J's Mexican Grill #3	Santa Monica Blvd	The steak taco plate	8/10
10	Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.	Santa Monica Pier	Fried shrimp and fish	8/10

We walked to almost every one. If you want to as well, I'd stay at one of these three.

For this list I'd pick the Hampton Inn & Suites, because it's on Colorado Avenue by the Metro and right in the middle of these restaurants. If you'd rather be by the water, The Pierside is at the pier entrance near Pier Burger and Bubba Gump. Shutters on the Beach is the splurge on the sand south of the pier.

The 10 Best Restaurants in Santa Monica, Ranked

1. Mon Roll House // The Best Sushi in Santa Monica for the Price

Mon Roll House was our regular spot one to three times a week! It was one of the cheapest places to eat in Santa Monica and its sushi is up there with the best we've had anywhere in the US.

It's a small sushi restaurant on 4th Street a block from the Promenade, and most nights we were the only people there. The fish was so fresh! We'd get one simple roll and one fun eel roll, and always a Thai iced tea.

Every roll we kept ordering is in our full Mon Roll House review.

• Who it's for: sushi lovers, anyone on a budget, and a quiet date night
• Skip it if: you want a big, buzzy room; it's small and calm
• Order: a spicy tuna or yellowtail roll, an eel roll, and a Thai iced tea
• What we paid: about $20 for the two of us in 2025; about $30 before tax and tip on today's menu
• Where: 1509 4th Street, a block from Third Street Promenade

2. Joe's Pizza // The Grandma Slice

Joe's Pizza got a 10 from us and the grandma slice is the reason. It's the best New York-style slice I've ever had!

We went about five times and always got slices, and every time the crust was thin and perfectly cooked and the slices were huge. Cheese and pepperoni were good too, so I'd just get whatever they have that day.

My one complaint is the seating. There are a few chairs outside and that's it!

It has the same name but it's a different business from the famous Joe's Pizza in New York. That grandma slice gets its own story in our Joe's Pizza Santa Monica review.

• Who it's for: pizza lovers, and anyone who wants a cheap, fast lunch
• Skip it if: you want a sit-down dinner
• Order: the grandma slice, plus a cheese or pepperoni
• Price: slices from $4.75 for cheese to $6.50 for the grandma on the online menu (October 2026)
• Where: 111 Broadway, near Ocean Avenue

3. Dan Modern Chinese // Our First Soup Dumplings

This was amazing! Dan Modern Chinese is known for its soup dumplings (xiao long bao). They have hot broth sealed inside. We asked our server what to get and ordered a bunch of different ones, and it was our first time ever having soup dumplings and we really enjoyed them. We tried four kinds from pork and crab to spicy pork.

But the noodles surprised us. We also ordered the shrimp dan mein and for both of us they were our favorite thing on the table. They were so flavorful and had a nice chewy texture. We got Thai milk tea, too. I know it's not Chinese, but we wanted it!

It's a little pricey. Dinner for two came to $79 with tax (before the tip) in March 2025. We enjoyed every bite! It's the one on this list I'd pick for a night out.

• Who it's for: a night out, and anyone who has never had soup dumplings
• Skip it if: you want a cheap meal
• Order: three or four kinds of soup dumplings, plus the shrimp dan mein
• What we paid: $79 for two, with tax (2025)
• Where: 1403 2nd Street, a block from Ocean Avenue

4. Pier Burger // The Best Meal on the Pier

Our favorite meal on the pier was at Pier Burger, a walk-up stand right on the Santa Monica Pier, and we loved the burger (there's a keto version too!).

I'd get a shake with it.

Heads up, the neon sign at the pier entrance came down in October 2026 for restoration. It's due back in late 2027. A smaller copy stands on the pier right before Pier Burger.² The rest of the pier is in our Santa Monica Pier guide.

• Who it's for: anyone on the pier, and keto eaters
• Skip it if: you want to sit somewhere quiet
• Order: a burger and a shake
• Where: on the Santa Monica Pier

5. T's Thai Restaurant // Pad Thai and Curry Near the Promenade

We went to T's Thai a few times and it was good every time, so I'd tell a friend to get the pad thai and a curry like we did. It's a casual neighborhood spot on 4th Street close to Mon Roll House, and I think it's a great dinner after a long day at the beach.

• Who it's for: an easy, casual dinner downtown
• Skip it if: you want a view or a fancy night out
• Order: pad thai and a curry
• Where: 1215 4th Street

6. Papi Tacos & Churros // The Churros We Couldn't Stop Buying

We went to Papi Tacos about five times and carne asada and birria were our favorite tacos.

They're so good, and they're affordable.

Then there are the churros! We always got the dulce de leche ones, and we got them as snacks way more than we should have. Our best tacos in Santa Monica page has the rest of our taco spots.

• Who it's for: a cheap lunch, a snack between walks, and anyone with a sweet tooth
• Skip it if: you want a long sit-down meal
• Order: carne asada and birria tacos, plus dulce de leche churros
• Where: 313 Wilshire Boulevard, near the north end of the Promenade

7. Rita's Gate of India // Butter Chicken and Naan

We ordered a few things to try at Rita's, so there was butter chicken with saffron rice and naan plus some grilled meat from the tandoor. It was good, but expensive! I'd get the butter chicken.

• Who it's for: Indian food lovers, and a sit-down dinner
• Skip it if: you're watching your budget
• Order: butter chicken with saffron rice, and naan
• Where: 1450 5th Street

8. Silverlake Ramen // Classic Ramen on the Promenade

We had the Classic at Silverlake Ramen (a creamy pork broth with egg) and it was good, and it's in a great spot right on Third Street Promenade in the middle of all the shops. For the best ramen in LA I'd go to Little Tokyo, but if you can't make it there this is a good option.

• Who it's for: ramen fans, and a warm bowl in the middle of a shopping day
• Skip it if: you're heading to Little Tokyo later in your trip
• Order: the Classic
• Where: 1319 Third Street Promenade

9. J's Mexican Grill #3 // A Steak Taco Plate

J's was good, but a little pricey! It was a high-quality steak taco plate, and the vibes were nice too. But the price was high. We switched once we found Papi Tacos.

• Who it's for: a sit-down Mexican dinner
• Skip it if: you want cheap tacos; go to Papi Tacos
• Order: the steak taco plate
• Where: Santa Monica Boulevard, near Ocean Avenue

10. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. // Fried Seafood on the Pier

We had the fried shrimp and fish at Bubba Gump and it was good, and if you don't know it, it's the big seafood chain on the pier named after the shrimp business in Forrest Gump. If you've been to one Bubba Gump you know what you're getting, but I think it's still fun on a first trip!

• Who it's for: first-timers, and a meal on the pier
• Skip it if: you've eaten at a Bubba Gump before
• Order: the fried seafood
• Where: on the Santa Monica Pier

The Best Coffee and Pastries in Santa Monica: Demitasse

Demitasse was the cafe we liked best in Santa Monica, a 9 out of 10, and the pastries were the reason. We'd buy their almond croissant and carry it over to the benches in Palisades Park, and then we'd eat it looking out over the ocean.

So nice!

Most mornings we made our coffee at home. Demitasse was our treat! It's at 1149 3rd Street.

Where We'd Skip: Ye Olde King's Head

We came for the fish and chips, and they were so expensive! They weren't the best, either. Ye Olde King's Head is a British pub on Santa Monica Boulevard and it has cool vibes. We gave it a 7. For the price, I'd skip it.

Cheap Eats in Santa Monica

Santa Monica isn't cheap, but we ate well here without spending much, and these were our cheapest favorites.

• Joe's Pizza: slices from $4.75, and they're huge.
• Mon Roll House: sushi for two for about $20 in 2025, about $30 on today's menu.
• Papi Tacos & Churros: tacos, plus churros for a snack.

If you'd rather have someone else pick, I'd browse food tours in Santa Monica and across LA.

Santa Monica Restaurants With a View

Our best view with food cost the price of a pastry, because it was that Demitasse croissant on a bench looking out over the beach! For the rest of that walk, see how to spend a morning in Palisades Park.

If you want a restaurant with the ocean right there you'll have to head out on the pier to Pier Burger or Bubba Gump. Downtown, most of our favorites are on side streets with no view at all.

Where Should You Eat First in Santa Monica?

I'd send a friend to Mon Roll House for dinner first, and then the next day I'd send them to Papi Tacos for tacos and a tray of those churros.

Both are affordable, just different vibes.

With more meals I'd fit in a grandma slice at Joe's and a night out at Dan Modern Chinese, and the best things to do in Santa Monica can fill the rest of your days.

And somewhere in there, I'd find time for a burger and a shake on the pier!

Next Steps for Your Santa Monica Trip

• The best things to do in Santa Monica
• Santa Monica Pier: what to know before you go
• Palisades Park, our morning walk
• Mon Roll House review
• Joe's Pizza Santa Monica review