BOA Steakhouse

$125 per person puts BOA Steakhouse in higher-spend dinner territory, so choose it when the night calls for a modern American steakhouse and seafood dinner in Santa Monica. The basics are direct: business-casual dress, evening hours all week, and a menu centered on steakhouse and seafood signatures.

The strongest reason to choose BOA Steakhouse is the kitchen’s clear center of gravity: dry-aged beef, A5 Japanese Wagyu, lobster, and salmon. At this spend level, that clarity matters because the most satisfying order will likely lean into what the restaurant is built to do. For a first visit, the 40-Day Dry-Aged New York Strip is the cleanest read on the steakhouse side; seafood-focused diners also have signature routes, with Live Maine Lobster and Cedarplank Salmon listed among the core dishes. The menu gives both steak and seafood diners an obvious path without making them search for the restaurant’s point of view.

Book for dinner

This is a dinner play, not a lunch fallback. Service starts in the evening all week: Monday through Thursday from 5:30 PM to 10:00 PM, Friday from 5:30 PM to 10:30 PM, Saturday from 5:00 PM to 10:30 PM, and Sunday from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM. Those hours shape the experience: plan around it rather than squeezing it between daytime plans. Treat the dinner as the night’s anchor, especially if the goal is a full steakhouse and seafood meal rather than a quick dinner.

The ideal order stays close to the restaurant’s confirmed strengths. Steak-focused diners should consider the 40-Day Dry-Aged New York Strip or A5 Japanese Wagyu; seafood-focused diners can look to Live Maine Lobster or Cedarplank Salmon. The cuisine is modern American steakhouse and seafood, so BOA is a better fit for a substantial dinner than a quick casual meal. The most coherent visit accepts that identity upfront: choose it when you want a protein-centered dinner, not simply the easiest nearby option.

Good choice for occasions, not casual value

For a special occasion, BOA Steakhouse makes sense if the priority is a business-casual steakhouse dinner in Santa Monica with a clear steak-and-seafood focus. At $125 per person, judge it as a complete evening rather than a bargain steak dinner. The value is not in the lowest-cost meal, but in a format that fits an occasion where dinner can take up real space in the night.

The tradeoff is value. At this price level, the strongest fit is a planned dinner built around signature steak or seafood dishes. For a quick casual meal, the spend will feel high; for a more considered dinner in Santa Monica, it is easier to understand. Diners who know they want dry-aged beef, Wagyu, lobster, or salmon have a clearer reason to be here than diners comparing generic dinner options.

Readers comparing broader Santa Monica dining can use our full Santa Monica restaurants guide; for a wider night out, Pearl also has Santa Monica bars, Santa Monica hotels, Santa Monica wineries, and Santa Monica experiences.

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