Fia is on Wilshire in Santa Monica, behind a gate you could easily walk past without knowing a restaurant is there. Inside is a garden courtyard under big, leafy trees that feels deliberately removed from the street, and it is the reason we keep going back.
We have been more than ten times now: six weekend brunches, two dinners with Brad, and two weekend lunches with Madeline and Charlotte. This is everything those visits have taught us, from what to order at dinner and brunch to getting a garden table and saving about 20% with the inKind app.
The Garden Is the Whole Point
The first thing you notice walking through Fia’s front doors is the temperature drop. The patio sits under massive, leafy trees that filter the California sun into something softer than the sidewalk you just left.
The one thing to know: when you check in, the host may offer you a table in the interior dining room. It’s pretty, dark wood, velvet booths, but it’s not why you came. Ask for the garden. If it’s chilly, the patio heaters are strong enough that it won’t matter.
Getting a Table at Fia Takes Real Planning
Fia books through OpenTable, and weekend garden tables go fast. A few things that have helped us:
- Book two weeks out. Looking three days ahead for an 11:30 Sunday slot is usually too late.
- Turn on OpenTable’s notify feature. People cancel morning reservations constantly: usually the night after they’ve overdone it somewhere else.
- Plan a month ahead for groups of six or more. Garden tables that size are rare, and it’s the first thing to book up before a birthday.
Dinner at Fia: What to Order
The Tuna Crudo is thinly sliced, topped with crisp radish and microgreens, and the acidity is well-judged: bright without overpowering the fish. Chef Brendan Collins clearly has a point of view at Fia.
It’s a warm, crusty toasted baguette, a good vessel for the sauces still to come.
If you order one thing, at Fia, make it the Handmade Gnocchi with Black Truffles. These are light, pillowy potato gnocchi in a rich, creamy sauce, finished with a generous shaving of fresh black truffle — the aroma reaches the table before the plate does.
For a main, I had the Grilled Swordfish over Orzo: good char on the fish, bright citrus notes, orzo cooked precisely al dente and soaking up the pan juices.
Madeline and Charlotte get the same level of service as the adults. They ordered a simple pasta, and the kitchen served the tomato sauce on the side in a small copper pot without us asking — a genuinely useful move for picky eaters who want control over their own plate.
It’s a dark chocolate sphere sitting in bright orange sauce, surrounded by chocolate crumble that mimics soil. When the warm sauce is poured over it tableside, the sphere melts away to reveal what’s hidden inside, the kind of dessert that gets neighboring tables looking over.
Is There Anything to Skip?
Not really. Across four visits I haven’t had a dish I’d tell you to avoid. What I order at Fia mostly depends on my mood that day: the gnocchi when I want something rich, the swordfish when I want something lighter. If it’s your first time, start with the Tuna Crudo and the garlic bread, get the Handmade Gnocchi with Black Truffles, and save room for the Chocolate Sphere.
Brunch at Fia: Is the $39 Special Worth It?
What $39 Actually Gets You
The brunch special includes a basket of house-made pastries for the table, a mimosa or daily mocktail, and a main entrée. The pastry basket alone, buttery croissants and whatever’s in season, would run close to $15 on its own if you ordered it separately, and the mimosa is a real one, not the cheap-champagne-and-Tropicana version.
Where it adds up: several mains carry a $10 supplement. The lobster tartine is good, but that puts it at $49 once you add the supplement. If you’re not set on lobster, the Southern Fried Chicken is included in the base $39 and, honestly, is the better value of the two.
What to Order, and What to Skip
Order these:
- The Dutch Baby. This is the dish Fia is known for: a puffed pancake baked in a cast-iron skillet and topped with roasted apple butter. It takes 20-25 minutes, so tell your server as soon as they introduce themselves. It’s big enough to split if one person wants sweet and the other wants savory.
- Chilaquiles Rojos. A lot of restaurants over-polish chilaquiles until there’s nothing left of the original dish. Fia keeps the soul of it, farm-fresh eggs, a red sauce with real kick, without going overboard.
- The Waldorf Salad. It’s rare to see one on a menu at all these days. Good, lighter option if you want something that isn’t rich, especially in summer.
Skip these:
- Shrimp and green grits. Fine, but it’s the kind of dish you could make just as well at home for a fraction of the price.
- The fruit plate. Pleasant, forgettable, and not worth using your one entrée slot on unless you’re on a specific diet.
- Crab Louie salad. I’ve never been fully confident the crab is as fresh as it should be for the price. Ask your server before ordering if you’re unsure.
A Word on the Bottomless Mimosas
For an extra $28 you can upgrade to bottomless mimosas. My honest advice, nurse hat on for a second: it’s a fast way to turn a nice Sunday into a rough Monday. I stick with the single mimosa that’s already included, then switch to their coffee or a mocktail. It keeps the morning feeling like a reset instead of a recovery project.
What Fia Costs, and How We Save
What a Meal at Fia Costs
Our most recent meal for the four of us came to $257.59, and that was without a single drink. That’s a real number for a family meal, especially with nothing to drink on the bill. Add wine or cocktails and it climbs quickly, which is where the inKind credit earns its keep.
Making Fia Cheaper
Fia is a partner restaurant on the inKind app, which sells dining credit at a discount — think $200 for $250 in credit. For a meal with fresh truffles on the table, that adds up. I opened the app when the check came, paid through it, and saved roughly 20% on the bill. Worth checking your balance before you go. It makes ordering that second round of gnocchi feel a lot less indulgent.
Parking Is Its Own Project
Santa Monica parking is never simple. Valet runs $15-20 and is easy but slow. The 2nd Street structures are a short walk away and give you the first 90 minutes free. If you’re doing the bottomless mimosas, skip driving altogether: we’ve had good luck with Waymo specifically, usually just a few minutes’ wait on both ends, and it costs about the same as valet plus tip.
So, Is Fia Worth It?
Yes. For brunch, Fia is a 9 out of 10 for us: it wins on atmosphere, the $39 special is a good deal, and the only real knock is how hard the reservation is to land. For dinner, across four visits we have not had a dish we would tell you to avoid. It is polished enough for a dinner with just Brad and relaxed enough that the girls get their own tableside moment when the Chocolate Sphere arrives. It is not cheap, but between portions built for sharing and the inKind discount, it does not sting the way some other Westside splurges do.
