The Resy Guide to the Westside’s Coolest Spots

One of the most anticipated new openings of 2024, RVR (pronounced “River”) marks a welcome return for acclaimed chef-owner Travis Lett (formerly of Gjelina and MTN) after a years-long hiatus. The Japanese-Californian izakaya hits the mark with excellent food and drink, plus cool vibes (think a wall full of vinyl records). Executive chef Ian Robinson, formerly of Skippa in Toronto, prepares an exciting menu of hyper-seasonal dishes influenced by farmers markets (grilled Japanese sweet potato dressed with miso butter and showered with katsuobushi), binchō-tan charcoal-grilled meats and seafood, and handrolls that play with everything from bluefin tuna to natto. And the dynamic wine program, from Maggie Glasheen (formerly of Anajak Thai), is not to be missed.

What started as a pandemic pop-up is now the seafood and biodynamic wine mecca of the Westside, doling out raw bar faves, Italian-inspired crudo, tuna tartare toast, and glorious caviar nachos. Co-owners Leena Culhane and Brian Bornemann care about actually cool things like focusing on minimal waste and zero plastic, equitable pay for employees, and supporting farmers and fishers who are doing things sustainably. And if you’re blowing most of your income on your Ocean Park rent, the restaurant offers a $15 noon to 2 p.m. weekday lunch special that scores you a half vegan Caesar (sprinkled with furikake, a nice touch), along with your choice of oysters, prawns a la plancha, or a half tuna toast.

Calgary native Sean MacDonald and crew turn out airy, beautifully blistered pizza at this 900-square-foot jewelbox of a wine bar located a block away from the ocean in Santa Monica. There’s also cicchetti (snacks) and specials on the tiny-but-mighty menu, including a  recent showstopping A5 Wagyu cap with a funky, fish sauce-tinged agrodolce. Don’t sleep on the dipping sauces for your pizza bones, and the wine list made up of bottles that you don’t see on every single natty wine list across town (so refreshing).  The lighting is dim, dripped-out diners spill onto the front patio, and you’ll be kissing elbows with your neighbors whether you like it or not (we do).

Dudley is a proper oyster bar and seafood restaurant with low-intervention wine and big dinner party vibes. There’s a DJ most nights, and vinyl playing in the mornings, too, when artist and coffee fanatic Nicely Abel takes over for his pop-up, Hooked Venice. The wait for a table is consistently very long, but also very worth it. Good thing you’re a half block from the beach, so go on a quick stroll to the water then come back for a stunning tuna crudo, Peruvian scallops, and whole fried fish, which was more likely than not caught earlier that day by the seafaring Dudley crew.

We’re big fans  of the stunning A-frame building on Washington Boulevard that Best Bet now occupies, which was originally built in the 1960s as an IHOP. Chef Jason Neroni — who previously cooked at Osteria La Buca, Superba Snack Bar, and The Rose, to name a few — is generating buzz on both sides of town with his new-school Italian-American restaurant with a pizza focus. The servers wear black ties and bright-red jackets à la Musso & Frank, there’s an actual vintage Pizza Hut lamp near the host booth (it seems we’ve reached peak ‘80s children’s pizza parlor aesthetic), and the menu features a bunch of unexpected ingredients, like peaches on pizza and espresso powder sprinkled over duck agnolotti.

More information here. 

This is the third location of Kris Yembamroong’s stellar family of Thai restaurants, and it’s every bit as great as the Silver Lake version and Sunset Boulevard original. The decor includes animal-print tablecloths, neon walls, and beaded curtains, and the menu features possibly the city’s best chicken wings (they’re Eric Warheim-approved), pungent curries, larbs, and a creamy khao soi to write home about. Wine is, of course, natural, with a solid array of skin-contact options.

Coucou delightfully mimics the bars and bistros of Paris. Get cozy inside one of the Cognac-colored leather banquettes, or perch atop one of the eight stools at the wooden triple-arched bar. There are, of course, classics like steak frites and mussels mariniere, as well as caviar-and-potato chip service and a memorable martini. But what you can’t miss — for Instagram purposes as much as pleasure — is the soft-serve sundae made with Strauss Creamery milk, finished with a chocolate hard shell drizzle. “As soon as the sun goes down, we turn the music up and it’s a lot of fun,” say co-owners Hayley and Jesse Feldman, who conveniently live around the corner and are actively contributing to the improved neighborhood vibe (we thank you and salute you!).

A perfect pork katsu sandwich ain’t easy to come by (pour one out for Konbi), but Interstellar’s is flawless, and owners Angie and Daniel Kim go above and beyond by sourcing their Japanese milk bread from Ginza Nishikawa bakery. The Korean-owned spot opened during peak pandemic, and if you missed it then, it’s absolutely worth a visit now. Morning and dinner menus are entirely different, but each deserves to be explored, particularly the creamy mentaiko pasta, katsu curry in all its forms, and black truffle kimchi fried rice. There’s also a dedicated dog menu, which is convenient when you consider your dog to be your best friend, child, and soulmate — and treat them accordingly.

The Crudo e Nudo team opened Isla this spring  in the former Little Prince space, their second — but we suspect not final — Westside venture. Both the indoor and outdoor seating options are certifiably sexy, and the wood-fired oven is where ingredients like kanpachi and cauliflower take on a beautiful char. A selection of charcoal-grilled skewers include wild-caught blue Mexican shrimp, quail, and duck breast, and the cocktail menu is filled with proper libations from Kent Thompson (Here’s Looking at You, Tasting Kitchen). Come between 4 and 6 p.m. and you’ll hit golden hour, when drinks are around $10 and served with little snacks like olives, nuts, and potato chips.

Chef Pedro Mori, a São Paulo native, linked up with Strasbourg-born chef Rudy Beuve to conceive of this non-traditional restaurant, which feels like an intimate barbecue hosted in your creative-and-hot friend’s Venice backyard. But this isn’t your friend’s Venice bungalow, it’s a large patio at Bergamot Station, where farmers market finds—from wild mushrooms to head-on tiger shrimp—are charred on an open grill and kissed with olive oil, lemon, and a bit of za’atar here and chimichurri there. The menu is simple, and so is the concept, but there’s something refreshing about a super-chill, unfussy spot on the Westside that’s unapologetically bucking any outdated restaurant conventions.

More information here. 

Enrique Olvera’s Venice outpost captures the breezy, minimalist vibe of the original, which always felt more L.A.-y than N.Y.-y anyway. It has a huge, beautifully landscaped outdoor space, and a cute bar perfect for solo dining adventures. There’s a mushroom dish bathed in a salsa verde that’ll leave you questioning whether an abuelita from Mexico City flew in to concoct it; the suadero taco and michelada are both on point; and the butter-bathed lobster burrito is as decadent as it sounds. The churros are glorious, which is par for the course at an Enrique Olvera restaurant, and here they come with a chocolate dipping sauce spiked with Maru espresso and Xtabentún, an anise liqueur from Yucatán.  Atla is also literally next door to Felix, so that whole block is now a major destination for those looking to see, be seen, and eat very well.