Nobu Malibu offers world-renowned Japanese cuisine with Nobu Matsuhisa’s signature dishes like yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño and black cod with miso. Executive Chef Gregorio Stephenson adds Malibu flair with plates like ribeye in yuzu truffle butter. Sweeping ocean views from nearly every seat create a dining experience as stunning as the food.

Élephante brings the spirit of coastal southern Italy to Santa Monica with breezy, lounge-like spaces and ocean views. Inspired by the flavors of Pantelleria and the Aeolian Islands, the restaurant serves seasonal Italian dishes in a chic, transportive setting.

Few chefs can work a hearth like Brian Dunsmoor, who cut his teeth at Southern star Hatchet Hall before opening his namesake restaurant in 2022. The long tables adorned with flickering candles make the restaurant an ideal place for a date, as do fiery dishes like wood-roasted oysters and mushroom-crusted pork chops. The cornbread, slathered in cultured butter, is the stuff of dreams.

This tasting-menu gem is as exciting as ever—Somni’s reboot has earned exclusive three-MICHELIN-Starred status for acclaimed chef Aitor Zabala’s highly imaginative take on Spanish cuisine. With just 14 seats at a wooden chef's counter, the intimate space sets the stage for experimental dishes that blend Zabala’s Catalan and Basque heritage with Southern California ingredients. A deep selection of Spanish wine and location off a lush courtyard add to the transportive experience.

The Musso & Frank Grill offers an authentic Old Hollywood dining experience, evoking the glamour and charm of early 20th-century Los Angeles. The iconic restaurant blends classic dishes with timeless atmosphere.

The rolled lasagna at Don Angie launched a thousand Instagram posts when the West Village Italian-American restaurant from wife-and-husband team Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli opened in 2018. It was also named one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants that same year, and the owners received James Beard Award nominations in 2019, 2020, and 2022. Since day one, the bustling dining room with classic black-and-white checkered floors and a curved bar has been one of the city’s most coveted reservations.

Chez Fifi, a French bistro on the Upper East Side, serves Parisian classics with a Basque twist from Executive Chef Zack Zeidman. Set in a historic townhouse, it offers refined dining downstairs, while upstairs Salon de Fifi features inventive cocktails by Yumi Nemoto with elegant small plates.

The sophomore restaurant from Don Angie's Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli points its focus at the sea, taking a spirited spin on traditional coastal Italian-American favorites. We’re talking crab-and-mortadella dip spiked with dill, pasta alle vongole given a shot of heat with aji amarillo, and shrimp parm with a sweet and sour arrabbiata. Although the menu leans playful, the sexy dining room and serious cocktails make this a decidedly grown-up second effort.

The James Beard–recognized restaurateurs from Frenchette, Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson, took over one of the oldest French restaurants in New York when they restored and reopened Le Veau d’Or in 2024. Take comfort in the wood-paneled walls, red leather booths, and red-and-white checkered tablecloths, and get ready for a polished prix-fixe menu of pâté en croûte, poached lobster, and île flottante, among others. Catch a nightcap at the cozy bar—it’s a tiny treasure with only five seats.

Noodles are the star at this Thai East Village gem that got raves from Eater and the New York Times after it opened in 2020. You'll find them in a host of regional dishes like the spicy ba mii pu (dry crab noodles) and chicken khao soi. Pair them with equally exciting cocktails like the tequila and tamarind syrup-based Pay-Thai in a neon-lit space that'll make you feel you're at one of Bangkok's famed street-food markets.