It used to be that if you were staying at a hotel, you knew to never, ever step foot into the hotel restaurant –- especially if it was just called "The Restaurant." Then one day, it became suitable to visit a hotel as a non-guest -- but just for a drink on the rooftop bar. But now, locals in Los Angeles are valeting their vehicles at hotels just to "visit the restaurant," and we're ranking the top 12 hotel restaurants in which to do so. (We suppose we have Las Vegas to thank for this.)
12. FIG (01 of12)
The Fairmont Miramar doesn't have an outside entrance to the restaurant, but the extra leg work to get to FIG is well worth the farm-to-table dinner (and cocktails!) you're soon to enjoy. The menu is reflective of what's growing well in California today. Plus, with adventurous offal like braised beef tongue and sweetbreads, chef Ray Garcia obviously isn't playing down to any hotel diner's unaccustomed palate. And make an effort to visit LA's greatest Happy Hour: Fig at Five, wherein the entire menu is 50% off from 5 to 6pm. Fig at Fairmont Miramar Hotel, 101 Wilshire Boulevard, at Ocean Avenue (310-319-3111 or figsantamonica.com)Photo courtesy of FIG.
11. The Polo Lounge (02 of12)
Visiting The Polo Lounge at Beverly Hills Hotel will forever be a beloved tradition among Hollywood's elite - and those that wish to see Hollywood's elite. It's inspired its fair share of Rat Pack binges, and even today, you might see Jennifer Aniston taking up a half-moon booth to satisfy an interview request or Demi Moore pushing her breakfast around whilst discussing her next big wow-'em move. And breakfast, by the by, is what to eat while star-gazing. Hello, Nutella-stuffed French toast.The Polo Lounge at Beverly Hills Hotel, 9641 Sunset Boulevard, at North Crescent Drive (310-276-2251 or beverlyhillshotel.com/the-polo-lounge)Photo courtesy of The Beverly Hills Hotel.
10. Coast (03 of12)
Shutters on the Beach is the other hotel for big Hollywood deal-making. But Ben Affleck's meetings notwithstanding, Coast is the tranquil beachfront restaurant whose wine list has been taken over by the Bastianich family for the summer. Indeed, Lidia (the god-mama of Italian cooking) and her son Joe (hello, Mozza) produce Italian varietals which Coast matches with a three-course tasting menu -- as dictated by Lidia herself. Don't kid yourself with her ravioli.Coast at Shutters on the Beach Hotel, 1 Pico Boulevard, at Appian Way (310-587-1707 or shuttersonthebeach.com/santa-monica-beach-restaurants)Pictured: fish and asparagus. Photo via Shutters on the Beach.
9. 25 Degrees (04 of12)
We love to drink at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Lindsay Lohan does too -- when she's not ankle-cuffed. But alas, we cannot live on a liquid diet, which is why we eat massive burgers at 25 Degrees. Some would argue that the 24-hour burger parlor is serving LA's best burger; here, you're allowed to build your own -- feel free to put a fried egg on it and both available Cowgirl Creamery cheeses. And oh, why stop drinking? Get a spiked milkshake.25 Degrees at Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Boulevard, at North Orange Avenue (323-785-7244 or 25degreesrestaurant.com)Photo via Facebook: 25 Degrees.
8. Vu (05 of12)
There's no monopoly on molecular gastronomy in LA; the highbrow cuisine is quietly cooking your food with liquid nitrogen in a little inn in the Marina. Chef Kyle Schutte trained under the reality-TV authority of molecular gastronomy himself, "Top Chef's" Richard Blais, so, yeah, he can deconstruct and reconstruct your caprese salad all day. You'll find sous vided eggs, lamp "lollipops," and backwards food for thought like chicken-fried watermelon.Vu at Jamaica Bay Inn, 4175 Admiralty Way, at Palawan Way (310-439-3033 or vurestaurantmarinadelrey.com)Photo courtesy of Vu.
7. Bar Marmont (06 of12)
While access to Bar Marmont requires exiting the Chateau abode clad in unthinkable heels and something tight, the grub at the hotel's signature restaurant will complement your Hollywood uniform only ironically. The kitchen is led by Carolynn Spence (of New York's Spotted Pig), so naturally, her pub food is undainty and the burger is right. So right, she calls it the Damn Good Burger on her menu, and no one has ever dared argue with her. And her homemade BBQ potato chips? You can't eat just one.Bar Marmont at Chateau Marmont Hotel, 8171 West Sunset Boulevard, at Marmont Avenue (323-650-0575 or chateaumarmont.com/barmarmont)Photo via Flickr: cowbite
6. Cleo (07 of12)
The heat that Cleo is packing is in a paper bag -- every table ought to get one (order a dip) -- which contains just-out-of-the-oven naan-like bread (thank Allah). The modern Middle Eastern fare at Cleo amplifies the kind you're used to eating alone (falafel to-go) or served out of the frozen-foods aisle (Trader Joe's spanakopita hors d'oeurves). Here, you'll eschew babaganoush for decadent lebaneh with feta; explore the explosive flavors of a beef cheek tagine or a roast lamb responsibly sourced from Sonoma.Cleo at The Redbury Hotel, 1717 Vine Street, at Hollywood Boulevard (323-962-1711 or cleorestaurant.com)Photo via Cleo.
5. Scarpetta (08 of12)
It's all about the $24 spaghetti at Scarpetta. What chef Scott Conant can do with a simple sauce and basil should only entice a Beverly Hills palate to explore his Italian menu further; we suggest snagging seats at the chef's counter inside the pristine kitchen of Scarpetta and outfit your night with a multi-course tasting menu. Every dish will likely come with truffles shaved tableside, but it's the housemade tagliatelle your mouth will not soon forget.Scarpetta at Montage Beverly Hills Hotel, 225 North Canon Drive, at Dayton Way (310-860-7970 or montagebeverlyhills.com/beverly-hills-restaurants)Photo via Flickr: Yogma
4. WP24 (09 of12)
Wolfgang Puck and his Chinese food ... he gives it that Puck punch, which, in turn, requires the notorious addition of a few dollar signs, and -- poof! -- elevated Cal-Asian drug food. He wooed Santa Monica long ago with Chinois; now, he's serving Sichuan chicken "Dan Dan" dumplings in a Ritz-Carlton skyscraper. You're required to order a tasting menu (three or four-course), but you're free to select off the full menu. No question you're ordering the whole roasted Peking duck.WP24 at Ritz-Carlton Hotel, 900 West Olympic Boulevard, at Georgia Street (213-743-8824 or wolfgangpuck.com/restaurants/fine-dining/57129)Photo courtesy of WP24 Restaurant and Lounge.
3. CUT (10 of12)
Oh, Wolfgang -- you again. The man cannot help himself but dominate hotel kitchens worldwide; for years now, he's been wheeling around the best cuts of global meat at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel's CUT and flaunting it rare for diners to pre-select their dinner. When a decrepit steakhouse is no longer charming in that old-school way, CUT offers us an unstuffy, unparalleled steakhouse experience that, frankly, we've been needing since the '90s. Come and get your kobe beef.CUT at Beverly Wilshire Hotel, 9500 Wilshire Boulevard, at North Rodeo Drive (310-275-5200 or wolfgangpuck.com/restaurants/fine-dining/3789)Photo via Facebook: Wolfgang Puck
2. The Bazaar and Tres by Jose Andres (11 of12)
Bazaar food is beautiful. Look at it -- beautiful. Eat it -- beautiful. The Bazaar is LA's hyper-iteration of an El Bulli; food arrives in ever-playful ways -- via miniature cones, ham sandwiches wherein the ham (jamon iberico) is wrapped around the (air) bread, and cotton candy that is spun around foie gras. Bite for bite, chef Jose Andres delivers the most flirtatious dinner in the city. Tres, its casual little sister in the lobby, is also worth visiting if not simply for its octopus taco wrapped in butter leaves. The Bazaar and Tres by Jose Andres at SLS Hotel, 465 South La Cienega Boulevard, at Clifton Way (310-246-5555 or thebazaar.com)Photo via Flickr: tannazie.
1. Culina (12 of12)
Naturally, the restaurant at the Beverly Hills Four Seasons would be nothing short of a culinary revelation. Serving Cal-Italian fare, you might find that you'll crave this spaghetti over another (ahem), all preceded by an impressive tour of crudo (the lobster crudo, fanned out like that, will take your breath away). We like that Culina's risotto uses carnaroli rice; we like that we can order a margherita pizza with a white or wheat crust; and we like that we can order a kobe meatball sub at a big-deal lunch meeting. Oh, and we also like that there's a $27 salad named after the founder of Hustler.Culina at Four Seasons Hotel, 300 South Doheny Drive, at Burton Way (310-860-4000 or culinarestaurant.com)Photo via Culina Restaurant.
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