Santa Monica has some of the best hotel restaurants in Los Angeles, which is not a claim I would have made five years ago. The pattern has shifted: several of the best standalone restaurants on the Westside are now either inside hotels or adjacent to them, and the hotel dining experience has improved enough to warrant treating it as a dining destination rather than a convenience. Here are the three I keep returning to, what to order at each, and exactly where to find them.
Fig at the Fairmont Miramar
Fig is the most consistently good hotel restaurant in Santa Monica. The menu is market-driven California fare: whatever is excellent at the Wednesday farmers market tends to appear on the menu that week. The brunch program is the strongest meal period. The eggs are from local farms and it shows, and the pastry and produce selection changes by season. We have been for weekend brunch three times, and the outdoor garden seating is the right place to sit in warm weather. It reads as a relaxed neighborhood bistro that happens to sit inside a luxury hotel, which is exactly the balance you want.
On the menu, the dishes lean seasonal Southern Californian. Brunch standouts include the Smoked Salmon Benedict and the Crab Cake Benedict, and the kitchen does a strong burrata-and-heirloom-tomato starter when tomatoes are in season. Prices sit in the upscale-hotel range, with most brunch plates landing in the high-$20s to high-$30s and a few splurge pastas higher, so it is a treat rather than an everyday stop.
- Address: 101 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401 (at the Fairmont Miramar)
- Phone: (310) 319-3111
- Hours: Breakfast daily 7–11am; Brunch Saturday–Sunday 11:30am–3pm; Dinner Tuesday–Saturday 5–10pm.
- Order this: The weekend brunch, especially a Benedict and whatever the seasonal market plate is.
- Good to know: Dress is California casual and reservations are recommended, especially for weekend brunch. Ask for garden seating in good weather.
The Bungalow at the Fairmont Miramar
More bar than restaurant, but it is worth including because the outdoor space is the best hotel bar experience in Santa Monica. String lights, fire pits, and a lawn that fills on Friday evenings without becoming unpleasant. The cocktail menu is well-made, and the indoor-outdoor layout makes it feel like a stylish house party rather than a hotel lobby bar. We have started and ended evenings here enough times that the staff recognize us.
- Address: At the Fairmont Miramar, 101 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401
- Hours: Generally evenings into late night Monday–Friday (from 5pm), with earlier weekend openings (around noon Saturday and Sunday).
- Good to know: It can get busy on weekend nights, so go early to claim a fire-pit spot. Best for drinks and atmosphere rather than a full dinner.
Sugar Palm at the Viceroy Santa Monica
The Viceroy property on Ocean Avenue went through a renovation, and its dining concept is now Sugar Palm Santa Monica, an indoor-outdoor restaurant whose terrace and poolside seating is one of the better hotel lunch settings near the beach. The menu is light and coastal, built around salads, shared plates, and good cocktails, and the ocean proximity makes it the right place for a long lunch when you want to feel like you are in a coastal city rather than a city that happens to be near a coast. Food and drinks are served under the shade of palm trees on the terrace, and service is reliably good for a hotel restaurant.
- Address: 1819 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90401 (at the Viceroy Santa Monica)
- Phone: (310) 260-7500
- Hours: Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; the terrace and poolside scene is at its best at midday.
- Order this: A shared plate or two, a salad, and a cocktail on the terrace.
- Good to know: This is the current concept that replaced the property’s previous restaurant, so book under the Sugar Palm name. Reservations help at peak times.
How to Choose the Right One
Each of these serves a slightly different occasion. Go to Fig for the best food, especially a leisurely weekend brunch in the garden. Go to The Bungalow when the evening is about drinks, fire pits, and atmosphere rather than a sit-down meal. And go to Sugar Palm at the Viceroy when you want a light, beach-adjacent lunch on a shaded terrace. Two of the three are at the same hotel, the Fairmont Miramar, which means you can pair a Fig brunch with a later Bungalow drink without moving your car.
Tips for Hotel Dining in Santa Monica
- Reserve ahead for weekends. Brunch and Friday-evening crowds are real; book a table rather than risk a wait.
- Ask for outdoor seating. The gardens, terraces, and lawns are the whole point at all three; the indoor rooms are a fallback.
- Validate or plan for valet. These are hotel properties, so budget for valet parking or ask about validation.
- Time it for the weather. Santa Monica mornings can be overcast; a late-morning or midday reservation usually catches the best light and warmth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which has the best brunch? Fig at the Fairmont Miramar, by a comfortable margin, thanks to the market-driven menu and local-farm eggs.
Do you have to be a hotel guest to dine? No. All three are open to the public; you can book a table or stop in for a drink without staying overnight.
Which is best for a special night out? Fig for dinner, or The Bungalow for a stylish drinks-focused evening with the fire pits and lawn.
Are these good for families with kids? Fig and Sugar Palm both work well for a daytime meal with children, especially with outdoor seating that gives kids a little room. The Bungalow is better suited to an adults’ evening out.
The Bottom Line
If you are in Santa Monica and looking for a reliable dinner, a great weekend brunch, or a beautiful place for drinks, the hotel restaurants in this city now belong in the same conversation as the standalone options. That has not always been true here, and it is worth knowing. Start with Fig for the food, add The Bungalow for the atmosphere, and keep Sugar Palm in mind for a beach-side lunch.
