When people think Beverly Hills, they think ultra-expensive bistros and bottle-service clubs. While, yes, the 90210 does have its fair share of swanky places, it’s also home to some of the best food trucks in all of L.A., not to mention some of the established and up-and-coming eateries this side of the Pacific.
Some of these are famous, while some are hidden gems that might take you some time to find. To help you on your next gastronomic adventure, we’ve come up with a list of some of the best casual restaurants in Beverly Hills.
The Grill on the Alley
Sometimes, all you want is to sit down and eat something familiar, hearty, and uncomplicated. Luckily, The Grill on the Alley focuses on delivering just that with some of the best comfort food in Beverly Hills in its laid-back, New York City Borough-esque aesthetics, complete with a menu that hasn’t changed in over 30 years.
This is not the place for molecular gastronomy; The Grill on the Alley serves honest-to-goodness comfort food: Cobb Salad, Chicken Pot Pie, Shrimp Cocktail, all in big, hearty, dinner-plate sized servings and all rounded out by a selection of classic desserts like Key Lime Pie or Rice Pudding. Because it’s Beverly Hills, don’t be surprised to some of Hollywood’s shakers and movers frequenting the place. I mean, hey, they’re people that need some good, old fashioned, comfort food too!
Located at: 9560 Dayton Way
Viviane
Brunch is that unique time of day when the best breakfast food meet the best Lunch food to combine into, in my opinion, the most underrated dining course ever: brunch, and Viviane’s has arguably the best brunch menu in Beverly Hills.
Executive Chef Michael Reed, of Poppy + Rose fame, helms this Kelly Wearstler-designed restaurant to create some classic brunch food from brown butter waffles, buttermilk fried chicken, and wild mushroom frittatas. Round it up with their famous Bloody Mary because, hey, if you have time for brunch, you probably have time for a pre-lunch drink. Viviane is located at Avalon Hotel, which offers visitors day passes for their pools, so you can enjoy your brunch pool-side.
Located at: 9400 W Olympic Boulevard
Ocean Prime
Located just off the famous Rodeo Drive, Ocean Prime is THE best power lunch restaurant in all of Beverly Hills. It is the place to go when you want to impress clients (or a mid-day date), thanks to its swanky ambience: cushioned booths, gilded fixtures, sleek wood tables, this steakhouse has it all. The dishes are classic steakhouse without a side of pretense (bone-in filets doused with a very generous amount of truffle butter) and the servings are more than respectable. Their Sunday Brunch special includes a $60 Surf-and-Turf menu as well as a wide selection of seafood-themed entrees and bottomless mimosas.
Located at: 9595 Wilshire Boulevard
The Belvedere
With its mild weather and stunning views, Beverly Hills is perfect for al fresco dining, which is why many restaurants in the 90210 make outdoor dining a huge part of their experience, and none do it better than The Belvedere. Located in Peninsula Beverly Hills along the world-famous Santa Monica Boulevard, The Belvedere distinguishes itself in the patio dining scene with its gorgeous landscaping, French limestone fountain, an outdoor fireplace, all shaded by a well-placed and dramatic tree. It’s truly one of the best patio dining restaurants in Beverly Hills, maybe even all of L.A.
The Belvedere has everything you’ll want in al fresco dining: a romantic setting and a stunning Mediterranean-inspired menu by executive Chef David Codney. Whether it’s a relaxed breakfast of avocado toast with tomatillo salsa or a hearty dinner of lobster paella and smoked duck, The Belvedere does it while giving you some of the best views of the city.
Located at: 9882 S Santa Monica Boulevard
Culina
Hotel restaurants naturally need to be top-of-their-class; after all, they’ll be acting as representative and flagship of that hotel, and the Four Seasons probably has the best flagship of them all: Culina.
Culina has a simple mission: use only the best quality local California products and blend it with exotic ingredients from executive chef Luca Moriconi’s home country of Italy. Chef Moriconi, a product of a multi-generational farming family from the Lucca Province in Italy, brings classic Italian comfort food to California: roast beef and prosciutto pasta, creamy butternut squash soup fortified with mascarpone, Swiss chard flan in fondue, and many more. The food is decadent without being complicated, and is designed to evoke comfort and a sense of home, something very important to Chef Moriconi, which is probably why Culina is one of the best hotel restaurants in Beverly Hills.
Located at: 300 S Doheny Drive
Crustacean
L.A. has a naturally diverse culture, thanks to the multitude of people from all over the world calling the City of Angels their home. This influx of different cultures has led to the creation of unique fusion cuisines, and not a lot of restaurants do fusion Asian better than Crustacean. Run by the An family of restaurateurs, this iconic restaurant on the corner of Bedford and Santa Monica has been serving Beverly Hills with classic Vietnamese dishes touched by European and American influences for over 20 years, from their classic garlic noodles and Dungeness crabs to tuna-stuffed brick de feuille cigars dipped in tobiko. Every dish in Crustacean is carefully thought out, professionally prepared, and beautifully presented. Crustacean carefully balances both its food and its ambience between casual dining and haute cuisine, and thanks to three generations of An family management, it has turned Crustacean from neighborhood treasure to one of the best fusion restaurants in all of Beverly Hills.
Located at: 468 N Bedford Drive
Sotto
This classic Italian restaurant falls near the Cheviot Hills and Century City side of Pico, but don’t be fooled: from its clientele to its ambience, Sotto is pure Beverly Hills. Sotto takes the idea of ‘classic Italian’ seriously, with its gorgeous wood panel walls and flickering candle light. Sotto is the perfect place for large groups like family or friends, thanks to its homey feel and its simple, yet sophisticated menu filled with classic Italian fare, from house-made bread and other antipasti, to beautifully cooked pasta, and their oak-wood fire oven cooked pizzas. Calling a place one of the best Italian restaurants in Beverly Hills can be contentious, but one visit to Sotto’s, and even the most skeptic foodie will be convinced.
Located at: 9575 W Pico Boulevard
Mulberry Street Pizzeria
West Coast residents have a lot to boast about, but sometimes you get a hankering for something East coast. In Beverly Hills, Mulberry Street Pizzeria is all about New York-style pizza, and as far as pizzas go, it’s probably one of the best pizza slices in all of Beverly Hills. This quaint pizzeria is run by Brooklyn transplant Richie, who still uses a marinara recipe passed down from mother to son. It’s been a Beverly Hills icon for over 20 years, and it’s now world-famous sauce is even available for purchase, should you want to try making their famous slice at home.
Located at: 347 N Canon Drive
Tempura Endo
Tempura is one of those dishes that is hard to mess up, but also hard to master. Luckily, Tempura Endo creates tempura like you’ve never tasted before. Tempura Endo is a Kyoto-style tempura restaurant that boasts of having the best tempura in Beverly Hills, thanks to their secret blend of finely textured and blended flour with mineral-rich hard water to create a unique batter that is effervescently light, crisp, and flavorful. Tempura Endo isn’t just about shrimp tempura; they’ll wrap their batter around other seafood like Abalone with Cheddar, Sea Urchin, or my personal favorite, Scallop with caviar.
One pro-tip: make reservations way ahead of time, as this omakase tempura restaurant only seats 8 people at any given time.
Located at: 9777 S Santa Monica Boulevard
Avra
At 1,000 square feet, Avra is not only one of the best seafood restaurants in Beverly Hills, it’s also the biggest. But despite its size, Avra retains many aspects of the Beverly Hills charm: the layout is elaborate, the interior is classical Greek and elegant, and the dishes, well, are expensive. Taking its cue from open-air Grecian villas with its lemon trees, stone-washed walls, and imported limestone, Avra serves up Mediterranean classis like Sea Bass Souvlaki, Grilled Octopus, Zucchini and Eggplant Chips, and live lobster. Avra also boasts a wide and varied seafood display where customers can choose the fish they will dine on for tonight.
Located at: 233 N Beverly Drive
Mastro’s
Ask anyone where the best steak in Beverly Hills is, and chances are they’ll say Mastro’s. It’s not an easy feat to accomplish, but Mastro’s does serve some of the most succulent and perfectly cooked steak in the city, with their bone-in ribeye receiving legendary status for L.A. foodies. Mastro’s serves only the best cuts of beef –marbled with just the right ratio of fat to meat –and cooked with just the right balance of char to create steak that is evenly pink all throughout (depending, of course, on how you like your steak).
It’s a classic steakhouse with classic sides done just as perfectly as their steaks: try their lobster mashed potatoes which is just the right amount of decadent without being overpowering, or their classic creamed spinach, which is cooked to retain the spinach’s natural peppery deliciousness.
Located at: 246 N Canon Drive
Somni
Beverly Hills is home to some pioneer chefs and innovative culinary practices, and one of the most ambitious menus can be found at Somni. Somni promises a dining experience that isn’t just about taste: it’s a multi-sensory extravaganza that pushes the boundaries of what most people know about food. To start, Somni seats its customers at a half-moon counter that peers into a kitchen built for exhibition. This breaks down the wall between guest and chef, inviting guests to become a part of not just the dining experience, but also the cooking process.
Dishes can range from compressed apples shaped into a cow, onion and mushroom pastries, or a rainbow of fish roe, all served in servingware that is custom-made to enhance each dish’s aesthetic appeal.
Located at: 465 La Cienaga Boulevard
