Restaurant in Los Angeles, United States
LA's best Central American fine dining, actually bookable.
Si! Mon landed at #54 on the LA Times 101 Best Restaurants 2024 list in its first year, bringing finer-dining Central American cooking to Venice from Panamanian chef José Olmedo Carles Rojas. The seafood is the reason to go. Booking is easy by LA standards, which makes this one of the more accessible high-quality openings in the city right now.
Si! Mon landed at #54 on the LA Times 101 Best Restaurants 2024 list in its first year of operation — that kind of early recognition usually signals a reservation grind. In practice, it doesn't. Booking is relatively direct, which makes this one of the more accessible finer-dining options in Venice right now. If Central American cooking done with technical precision is something you've been looking for in Los Angeles, this is the place to book.
Si! Mon occupies the former James Beach space on North Venice Blvd, a room that carries some neighbourhood history without being precious about it. The dining room and semi-enclosed patio are framed by clusters of lush plants and a ceiling pattern drawn from Panamanian Indigenous prints — the effect suggests a tropical setting without leaning into theme-restaurant territory. Noise levels are lively rather than deafening; this reads as a dinner destination where conversation is still possible, though it's not the quietest room in Venice. The energy suits a food-focused evening out more than a business dinner.
Chef José Olmedo Carles Rojas, who is Panamanian, built the concept around the culinary history of Panama and its Central American neighbours, and he brought in executive chef Christian Truong to execute the kitchen side. The collaboration shows in the seafood in particular: surf clams in a ceviche driven by culantro leche de tigre, shrimp dumplings with coconut milk and charred scallion oil, and grilled branzino amplified by miso butter and dried shrimp salt without obscuring the fish. The cocktail program runs through rum and passion fruit as you'd expect, but the "very MF cold" martini on the menu delivers on the label , an indicator that the bar is paying attention to what it's doing.
Hours and lunch availability are not confirmed in the current data, so the safest call is to verify directly before planning a midday visit. What is clear is that this is a restaurant whose identity is built around a finer-dining dinner format , the cooking, the room, and the Central American cocktail program all point toward an evening experience. If a lunch option exists, it would likely offer better value for a first visit given the venue's current buzz, but dinner is the version the LA Times reviewed and the one most likely to represent the full menu. For explorers who want to assess the kitchen before committing to a full dinner spend, calling ahead to ask about lunch is worth the effort.
Si! Mon is the right call if you want to eat somewhere doing something genuinely specific , not pan-Latin, not fusion-broad, but a defined interpretation of Central American flavours applied with finer-dining technique. The Google rating sits at 4.8 across 216 reviews, which is a strong signal of consistent execution for a restaurant still in its first full year. If you've eaten your way through the more established LA favourites , Providence, Osteria Mozza, Kato , and want something with a different regional foundation, this is a logical next booking. The hospitality group behind it (Louie and Netty Ryan, who also operate Hatchet Hall) has a track record in Los Angeles, which reduces the risk that comes with newer openings.
| Detail | Si! Mon | Kato | Camphor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuisine focus | Central American | New Taiwanese | French-Asian |
| Price tier | Not confirmed | $$$$ | $$$$ |
| Booking difficulty | Easy | Hard | Moderate |
| LA Times 2024 ranking | #54 | Listed | Listed |
| Google rating | 4.8 (216) | , | , |
| Leading for | Regional exploration, groups | Tasting menu commitment | French technique, date night |
Address: 60 N Venice Blvd, Venice, CA 90291. Booking is easy relative to comparable LA restaurants at this recognition level , no multi-week advance planning required in normal conditions, though weekends will fill faster as the venue continues to gain attention. Verify hours and any lunch service directly, as this data is not confirmed.
Los Angeles has strong depth in Japanese, Italian, and New American formats. What it has historically lacked is finer-dining representation from Central and South American traditions. Si! Mon fills that gap specifically. If you're building a trip around serious eating in LA, it earns a place alongside the broader options in our full Los Angeles restaurants guide. For context on comparable regional-cooking destinations across the US, see Lazy Bear in San Francisco, Atomix in New York City, and Emeril's in New Orleans , each doing regionally specific work at a similar level of ambition. For the full LA picture beyond restaurants, our Los Angeles hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide cover the surrounding picture. For those building a broader fine-dining itinerary and looking at reference points internationally, Le Bernardin in New York City, Alinea in Chicago, The French Laundry in Napa, Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg, Somni in Los Angeles, Hayato in Los Angeles, and Alain Ducasse at Louis XV in Monte Carlo give a calibration for what the leading of the category looks like globally. Si! Mon is not operating at that rarefied tier yet, but at its price point and booking difficulty, it doesn't need to be , it's doing something specific well, in a city that didn't have it.
Yes. The room and format suit solo diners reasonably well, particularly if bar or counter seating is available. The menu's seafood-forward structure works for one person ordering across several dishes. Booking is easy, so there's no penalty for going alone , you won't need to plan weeks out to secure a spot.
Bar seating availability is not confirmed in the current data. Given the cocktail program's quality (the bar is clearly a considered part of the experience), eating at the bar would be a reasonable approach if available. Call ahead to confirm before planning around it.
Based on the LA Times review that placed Si! Mon at #54 on the 2024 list, the seafood is the primary draw: the ceviche with culantro leche de tigre, the shrimp dumplings with coconut milk and charred scallion oil, and the grilled branzino with miso butter and dried shrimp salt are specifically noted. The "very MF cold" martini is worth ordering if you drink them. The salsa made from cachucha chiles alongside the branzino is flagged as worth requesting generously.
The venue's lively, social atmosphere and the hospitality team's broader event experience (Hatchet Hall, Menotti's Coffee) suggest it can handle groups without difficulty. Specific private dining or large-party policies are not confirmed , contact the restaurant directly for groups of six or more to discuss options.
No dress code is confirmed, but the setting (finer-dining format, LA Times top-100 recognition, Venice location) points toward smart-casual. Think the kind of outfit you'd wear to Hatchet Hall: put-together but not formal. Venice is not a neighbourhood that rewards over-dressing.
Book the dinner format for a first visit , that's the experience the 2024 LA Times review covers and the one that leading represents the kitchen's Central American-focused cooking. Sit on the patio if the weather allows; the semi-enclosed space with the plant-heavy design gives you more of the intended atmosphere than the dining room alone. The cocktail program is genuinely part of the meal, not an afterthought. Booking is easy by LA fine-dining standards, so you don't need a long lead time , but weekends will fill faster as word continues to spread.
| Venue | Awards | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Si! Mon | Si! Mon is a Central American restaurant in Los Angeles, offering a personal interpretation of the culinary history of Panama and its neighboring countries. Chef José Olmedo Carles Rojas' menu highlights exotic ingredients and unique flavors, exploring the connection between Central America and California through food in a lively and vibrant setting.; LA Times 101 Best Restaurants 2024 - Ranked #54. Last year Panamanian chef José Olmedo Carles Rojas partnered with Louie and Netty Ryan (whose projects include Hatchet Hall and Menotti’s Coffee) on a restaurant in the space that formerly housed Venice LGBTQ+ icon James Beach. As Si! Mon settled into its first year, the cooking has come into focus: This is a rare-for-L.A. feat of reimagined Central American flavors in a finer-dining setting. Carles Rojas and executive chef Christian Truong frame seafood strikingly. Surf clams wade in ceviche sunlit by culantro leche de tigre. Coconut milk and charred scallion oil add creamy-spicy contrasts to beautifully pleated shrimp dumplings. Miso butter and dried shrimp salt amplify the flavors of grilled branzino without overpowering the fish; be generous with the side of smooth salsa made from mild green cachucha chiles. Cocktails dip into the expected realms of rum and passion fruit. This martini drinker is very happy that the version on the menu labeled “very MF cold” delivers on its promise. Whether you sit on the semi-enclosed patio or the more cloistered dining room, look around at the clusters of lush plants and the ceiling pattern based on Panamanian Indigenous prints. They suggest the country’s tropical climate without ever devolving into kitsch. | — | |
| Kato | Michelin 1 Star, World's 50 Best | $$$$ | — |
| Hayato | Michelin 2 Star | $$$$ | — |
| Vespertine | Michelin 2 Star | $$$$ | — |
| Camphor | Michelin 1 Star | $$$$ | — |
| Gwen | Michelin 1 Star | $$$$ | — |
A quick look at how Si! Mon measures up.
Yes. The semi-enclosed patio and dining room both work well for solo diners, and the format — a la carte, not omakase — means you set your own pace and spend. The lush plant-forward room gives you something to look at without the awkwardness of a counter-only setup. For solo fine dining in LA, Si! Mon is a more comfortable and less expensive call than Hayato or Vespertine.
Bar seating details are not confirmed in the available data, so contact Si! Mon at 60 N Venice Blvd directly to check. What is confirmed: the venue has both a semi-enclosed patio and a more enclosed dining room, so there are at least two distinct seating zones depending on your preference.
The seafood dishes are where Si! Mon earns its #54 LA Times ranking. The ceviche with culantro leche de tigre, shrimp dumplings with coconut milk and charred scallion oil, and grilled branzino with miso butter and dried shrimp salt are all cited by the LA Times as standouts — order the green cachucha chile salsa generously on the side with the branzino. Cocktails lean on rum and passion fruit, and the menu's 'very MF cold' martini reportedly delivers.
The venue can handle groups across its patio and dining room, though private dining room availability is not confirmed in the data. For a group of 4-6, this is a reasonable choice — the a la carte format means varied appetites are easier to manage than at a fixed omakase. Larger parties should call ahead to confirm seating arrangements at 60 N Venice Blvd.
The room has a lively, plant-forward feel with ceiling prints based on Panamanian Indigenous art — not a stuffy white-tablecloth environment. Think put-together casual: the kind of outfit you'd wear to Camphor or Hatchet Hall (from the same ownership group as Si! Mon). A formal dress code is not indicated, but the finer-dining price point means jeans-and-sneakers may feel underdressed.
Si! Mon is doing something specific in LA: finer-dining Central American cooking with a Panamanian spine, not a broad pan-Latin menu. It ranked #54 on the LA Times 101 Best Restaurants 2024 list in its first year, which means it is already on locals' radar — book ahead rather than walking in. The room is in the former James Beach space on North Venice Blvd, and the vibe is lively without being loud. If you want a reference point, the ownership group behind Hatchet Hall runs this too, which gives you a sense of the aesthetic.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
