Capo

Who Should Book Capo — and When

If you are planning a long dinner on the Westside with a serious bottle of wine and no interest in rushing, Capo is the right call. This is a dinner-only Italian steakhouse on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, run by owner and chef Bruce Marder, with a wine program deep enough to anchor the whole evening. It suits couples and small groups who want the kind of unhurried, candle-lit experience that is hard to find at more casual Italian spots on the Westside. If you are looking for a quick weeknight dinner, this is not that place.

The Space

Capo sits on Ocean Avenue, which means you are close to the water without being a tourist trap about it. The room is intimate by design — dimly lit, with the kind of layout that makes a table for two feel like the whole restaurant belongs to you. This is not a large, buzzy open-plan dining room. The scale is deliberately contained, which is exactly what makes it work for a long, slow dinner. If you have been once and came for the setting, that spatial intimacy is consistent , this is not a room that changes with the season.

The Wine Program Is the Real Draw

Wine Director and General Manager Frank Turrisi oversees a list with 2,725 selections and an inventory of 13,500 bottles. The strengths are California, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Tuscany, Piedmont, and the Rhône , which effectively means this is one of the more complete Italian and French-leaning lists in Los Angeles. Corkage is $75, which is on the higher end but fair given the depth of the list. If you are bringing your own bottle, call ahead and confirm the policy has not shifted. The wine pricing is in the $$$ tier, meaning a significant portion of the list runs above $100 per bottle, so budget accordingly.

Cuisine and Price Point

The menu combines Italian and steakhouse formats , think antipasti and pasta alongside cuts of meat. Cuisine pricing sits at the $$$ tier (above $66 for a typical two-course dinner, before drinks and tip), which puts this in the same price bracket as Osteria Mozza and Angelini Osteria, though Capo leans harder into the steakhouse side of Italian than either of those. Sommelier Mirco Pallotti is on the floor, which matters if you want help working through the list without defaulting to the obvious bottles.

Credentials

Capo has appeared on Opinionated About Dining's Leading Restaurants in North America list three consecutive years: recommended in 2023, ranked #348 in 2024, and ranked #317 in 2025. Pearl has also recommended it for 2025. For context, OAD rankings at this level reflect consistent quality across multiple visits by experienced diners , it is a credible signal, not just a one-time press mention.

Booking and Practical Details

Capo is open Tuesday through Saturday, 6–9 pm only. It is closed Sunday and Monday. Given the limited hours and intimate room size, booking ahead is advisable, though this is not the kind of reservation that requires a three-week lead time. Booking difficulty is rated easy. Reservations: Book a few days to a week out for weekday tables; weekend sittings may require slightly more lead time. Hours: Dinner only, Tue–Sat, 6–9 pm. Budget: $$$ cuisine, $$$ wine list , plan for $150+ per person with a bottle. Corkage: $75 if you bring your own. Address: 1810 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90401.

For Return Visitors

If you have been once and focused on the pasta or the more accessible end of the wine list, the second visit is worth using more deliberately. Ask Pallotti to help you find something from the Burgundy or Piedmont sections at a mid-range price , the list is large enough that there are well-priced bottles if you are willing to ask. The steakhouse side of the menu is worth exploring if you defaulted to Italian classics on your first visit. The room rewards a slower pace, so resist booking a 6 pm table if you have somewhere to be by 9.

For more on where to eat in Los Angeles, see our full Los Angeles restaurants guide. If you are exploring Italian specifically, Antico Nuovo, Bestia, and Bianca are all worth considering depending on the occasion. For wine-forward Italian dining in other cities, 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong and cenci in Kyoto offer a useful point of comparison internationally. Other Pearl-recommended destinations for a serious meal include Le Bernardin in New York, Lazy Bear in San Francisco, The French Laundry in Napa, Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg, Alinea in Chicago, and Emeril's in New Orleans. You can also browse our Los Angeles hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide to plan the full trip.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is lunch or dinner better at Capo? Capo serves dinner only, Tuesday through Saturday, 6–9 pm , there is no lunch service. If your schedule requires a midday meal, you will need to look elsewhere: Osteria Mozza and Angelini Osteria both offer lunch options. For dinner, Capo's $$$-tier pricing and serious wine list are leading suited to an evening when you have time to sit with a bottle and work through several courses.
• What should a first-timer know about Capo? The wine list is the centrepiece , 2,725 selections with deep Italian and French coverage, overseen by a sommelier on the floor. Budget above $150 per person with wine. The room is intimate and the format is slow-paced, which is a feature rather than a flaw. This is a dinner destination, not a drop-in spot. Capo has ranked on Opinionated About Dining's North America list for three consecutive years (#317 in 2025), which gives it credibility beyond neighbourhood reputation. Pearl has also recommended it for 2025.
• What should I order at Capo? Specific dishes are not confirmed in our data, so we will not invent them. What the record tells us: the kitchen runs an Italian-steakhouse format under chef Bruce Marder, which means the menu covers both pasta and meat. On return visits, it is worth working with sommelier Mirco Pallotti on a wine pairing rather than picking off the list independently , the depth of 13,500 bottles means there is almost always something better than the obvious choice at a given price point.