Wolfgang Puck at Hotel Bel-Air
The experience: Dangling bougainvillea and crackling fireplaces set a romantic tone on the terra cotta–tiled patio for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Additional garden seating is open Wednesday through Sunday from 3:30 to 10 p.m., bringing the capacity to 102.
Menu: Mainstay items include tortilla soup, Nancy Reagan Chopped Salad, Bel Air Club, veal Wiener schnitzel, caviar tasting, and Austrian chocolate cake.
Pro tip: Book ahead for the newly popular fried-chicken supper on Sunday as they sell out quickly. Or opt for a lawn picnic near the swan-filled pond. You can also roast marshmallows and sip wine by one of the firepits for the new Bel-Air under the stars service.
Jean-Georges at Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills
The experience: An elegant ambiance, dotted with subtle greenery, fountains, and ivy-covered patio walls, awaits on the newly reopened ground-floor patio. Soft jazz and dim lighting accompany 30 seats that include cozy sofa-style banquettes with freshly cut roses on each table.
Menu: The eight-course tasting menu includes toasted egg yolk topped with caviar, yellowfin tuna noodles with avocado, king crab risotto, black cod in green curry sauce, ribeye cap from Snake River Farms, and chocolate lava cake, all with wine pairings.
Pro tip: If you’re not up for the full tasting experience, five tables are set aside in a makeshift lounge area on a first-come, first-served basis for cocktails, light appetizers, and a la cart items from the tasting menu. You can also head up to the JG Rooftop for a nightcap, such as Chef Jean-Georges’ favorite ginger margarita, overlooking Beverly Hills.
waldorfastoriabeverlyhills.com
The Polo Lounge at The Beverly Hills Hotel
The experience: The discreetly placed booths that line the patio parameters make for a perfect socially distanced breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The outdoor expansion into the bungalow gardens can now seat 142 people.
Menu: The famous McCarthy Chopped Salad is still the most ordered dish at lunchtime, but new to the offerings is mushroom pappardelle with black truffle butter and 24-month Parmesan, saffron-poached halibut, crispy-skin salmon, pan-roasted branzino, and organic chicken piccata.
Pro tip: Take a stroll to the pool area to view photographer Gray Malin’s new cabanas or his fine art series “Dogs at The Beverly Hills Hotel,” available in the gift shop.
dorchestercollection.com
Terra at Eataly Century City
The experience: The spacious blue and white–clad terrace above Eataly holds 85 seats, and makes a perfect spot for dining under the stars.
Menu: The new Per La Tavola experience at Terra is designed to be shared with the table. The visible woodburning grill is the vehicle for rotating seasonal ingredients and a traditional Tuscan Bistecca Fiorentina with a Snake River Farms 32oz American Wagyu porterhouse paired with a Barolo or Chianti.
Pro tip: Arrive a little early for your reservation and shop the Eataly market downstairs, which is still fully open for picking up rare Italian imports, dry pasta, wines, cheese, condiments, charcuterie, and candy to take home.
Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura Beverly Hills
The experience: The intimate, 50-seat patio setting feels like a private estate in the Italian countryside with plush red velvet banquettes, antique mirrors, and Gucci décor, including black leather place settings and toile Champagne buckets.
Menu: After closing in March 2020 almost immediately after its grand opening, the original menu remains intact, including the legendary tortellini with Parmigiano Reggiano cream and the Emilia Burger, whcih originated in Florence by three-Michelin-star chef Massimo Bottura but overseen in L.A. by chef Mattia Agazzi.
Pro tip: After a long, lingering lunch with wine, slip downstairs via the elevator for a browse in the store and avoid the long lines on Rodeo Drive during business hours.
gucci.com
Nobu Malibu
The experience: Teak tables and comfy wicker armchairs overlook the crashing waves on one of the world’s most famous beaches. While you can still book the private room with a terrace in a limited capacity of 14 people, the reconfigured layout has 130 patio seats available.
Menu: Miso black cod, yellowtail jalapeno sashimi, and rock shrimp tempura with creamy ponzu sauce are signature staples, and the multicourse omakase menu is continually evolving.
Pro tip: After one too many sake flights or bottles of Matsuhisa Beluga vodka martinis, walk next door to Nobu Ryokan and book an ocean-view room with a Japanese wooden soaking tub on the terrace.
noburestaurants.com
Tartine Santa Monica
The experience: The partially canvased outdoor trellis set up on the old chapel lawn looks and feels more like the South of France than the corner of 20th and Arizona.
Menu: Country loaves and pain au chocolat from the front pastry case fly out the door by midday. For a sitdown experience, order Mushroom Conserva Tartine, Vietnamese plum salad, or the smoked salmon sandwich.
Pro tip: The shop sells custom-designed ceramics from Knotwork LA, plus Escoffier cookbooks, linen aprons, and cast-iron cookware worthy of a Top Chef, so take a closer look after you order.
Caravan Swim Club at Hotel June Playa Vista
The experience: Baja California road trip inspired the décor from Christian Schultz of Studio Collective (also responsible for the revamp of historic Hotel Figueroa downtown), with colorfully woven lounge chairs and hand-painted wall murals covering two floors.
Menu: Steve Livigni of Scopa and Dama fame curated an agave-based spirits list with over 100 options and a cool wine list that includes sparkling Chardonnay from the California Central Coast. Graze on June Chopped Salad with Brentwood Corn, a squash blossom quesadilla, rockfish ceviche, or an array of all-day breakfast tacos served until 4 p.m.
Pro tip: On Wednesday evenings, special pairing dinners feature wine, gin, mezcal, and whiskey producers. These intimate events are limited to 18 guests seated at separate tables.
L.P. Rooftop and Las Palmas West Hollywood
The experience: All tables on this dual-rooftop dining and drinking experience are spaced six feet apart with ample views of the Hollywood Hills and Sunset Blvd.
Menu: The signature carne asada skewers, lemongrass black pepper wings, and calamari at sleek L.P. are still on offer. The more rustic Tulum-inspired Las Palmas has just added brunch that includes shrimp and street corn grits, chorizo breakfast burritos, and lobster quesadillas, plus plenty of pitchers with tequila Palomas or bourbon honey–laden rosé sangria.
Pro tip: For the best of both worlds, start your evening with after-work happy hour cocktails (beginning at 4 p.m.) and snacks on the L.P. side of the roof, then move to Las Palmas for dinner and more drinks while the sun sets.
The Roof at The West Hollywood Edition
The experience: Some tables from the open-air restaurant entrance have been removed, but 23 tables remain with sweeping West Hollywood and Pacific Design Center views.
Menu: An entirely new reopening menu includes South American specialties. Don’t miss the sweet potato–stuffed taquitos with red mole, pork al pastor tacos or the Peruvian-inspired lomo saltado with beef tenderloin, and Cinco Leches Cake for dessert.
Pro tip: Book table 209 above the glass-partitioned area lining the pool for a private and romantic rendezvous shaded under your own birch tree in a settee for two.
Picnic Society by Gwen
The experience: Tucked away inside Rick Caruso’s outdoor shopping mecca, The Grove, 42 umbrella-shaded tables are prime for people watching and window shopping.
Menu: Celebrity chef Curtis Stone is behind the grilled lobsters served in the shell, Gwen Burgers, fried chicken, and lavender-hued cocktails.
Pro tip: The rooftop space can be configured safely for 36 guests and booked for small, private parties. You can even have the team pack a custom picnic basket filled with treats to-go, such as lobster rolls, gourmet potato chips, and layered parfait desserts in jars.
Fingers Crossed Hollywood
The experience: Behind a mysterious curtain and down a long hallway lies a piazza-style Italian eatery with cane chairs and a shiny gold bar, surrounded by wrought-iron gates in the shadow of the Dream Hotel.
Menu: This is award-winning executive chef Evan Funke’s love letter to Rome. Since we can’t travel there right now, order his wafer-thin Napoli pizza with Sicilian oregano and anchovies, squash blossoms bursting with Parmigiano Reggiano, 18-hour braised oxtail meatballs, and Cacio e Pepe pasta with pecorino Romano.
Pro tip: Order an off-the-menu Negroni with Campari-soaked espresso beans to jump-start your evening. And you can feel good about whatever you order as the restaurant will donate a percentage of its profits each month to nonprofits such as the Independent Restaurant Coalition and Black Lives Matter.
fingerscrossedhollywood.com
