La Monique
Wilshire/Montana Neighborhood Coalition, Santa Monica
Restaurant in Santa Monica, United States
Book with PearlThe Read
Dress
Smart Casual
Why go
La Monique is worth considering for a polished Santa Monica dinner when location and hotel setting matter more than a defined cuisine brief. It is a stronger fit for an easy Ocean Avenue evening than for diners chasing named dishes, awards, or a known chef counter.
About La Monique
La Monique is a Santa Monica dinner option. It is open nightly from 5:30–10 PM, and the dress code is smart casual. For a first visit, treat it as an evening choice when the city and timing fit your plan, rather than as a pick defined by a specific cuisine, chef, signature dish, award, or price tier.
Choose it for a Santa Monica dinner, not a cuisine-specific mission
La Monique is open daily from 5:30–10 PM, and the dress code is smart casual. It does not feature a named chef, specific cuisine, signature dishes, awards, service format, or published price level. The recommendation is therefore direct: consider it when you want a Santa Monica dinner and the evening schedule works, not when you need a highly specific dining brief.
Lunch hours are not offered, so this is not the place to anchor a midday plan. Build the visit around dinner hours instead. For broader planning around the city, use Our full Santa Monica restaurants guide, plus Our full Santa Monica hotels guide if the dinner is tied to a stay.
Who should put it on the shortlist
First-timers should consider La Monique if they want a Santa Monica dinner with clear nightly hours and a smart casual dress code. It is less useful for diners who need specific details on cuisine, price, a particular menu format, or award-backed destination status before choosing a restaurant. In that case, compare it with other dining rooms before locking the plan.
If the goal is to keep the evening simple, stay focused on Santa Monica rather than building the night around cross-city travel. Pearl's related city pages for Santa Monica bars and other Santa Monica planning can help shape the rest of the evening. For comparison, consider La Monique alongside Dogtown Coffee, Soko, The Penthouse, and The Veranda at Oceana, depending on what kind of outing you want.
Located inside
HotelOceana Santa Monica, LXR Hotels & ResortsFull hotel guidePlanning details
- Location
- Restaurant Inside Oceana, 849 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90403
- Reservations
- Book on OpenTable
- Website
- hoteloceanasantamonica.com
- Phone
- +13106566000
The take
The Take
The Vibe
La Monique reads like a hotel dining room that refuses to rest on its address. It occupies a framed coastal site on Ocean Avenue—facing Palisades Park and the Pacific—but the copy stresses the kitchen’s ambition rather than the view as the primary draw. The room presents a composed, classic hotel-restaurant atmosphere: refined without being showy, designed to complement the seaside context rather than be defined by it. The result feels intentional and measured, a polished dining experience for those who value serious cooking wrapped in an urbane, scenic setting.
Best For
La Monique is best encountered in the evening when the menu’s larger-format dishes and luxe ingredients make the most sense. The address and tone position it for hotel guests, couples on elevated date nights, and visiting professionals seeking a reputable business dinner; the dining room’s seriousness and coastal setting also suit celebratory meals for out-of-town visitors. Because the restaurant is anchored to a hotel on Ocean Avenue, it functions as both a neighborhood destination and a convenient stop for travelers who want a refined, course-driven dinner near the water.
Ordering Tips
Lean into the signature items named for the clearest sense of the kitchen’s approach. Start with the Le Plateau Royal to sample a variety of refined bites, and consider the Escargot Poppers as a textural, playful starter. For pasta, the Linguine Vongole showcases the restaurant’s seafood handling, and for a show-stopping main choose the A5 Wagyu Ichibo. These dishes reflect the menu’s emphasis on high-quality proteins and composed preparations—order a mix of shareable starters and a singular, carefully prepared main to experience the kitchen’s strengths.
Venue details
Ambiance
Deep tones, discerning art, soft lighting creating a rare and personal atmosphere with jewel-toned maximalism and Great Gatsby glamour.
Tags
Vibe
Best For
Experience
At the Table
- Dress Code
- Smart Casual
- Noise Level
- Conversational
- Service Style
- Upscale Casual
- Meal Pacing
- Leisurely
- Capacity
- Intimate
Signature Dishes
- Le Plateau Royal
- Escargot Poppers
- Linguine Vongole
- A5 Wagyu Ichibo
Know before you go
Know Before You Go
- Getting there
- Restaurant Inside Oceana, 849 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90403
Planning details
Location
Restaurant Inside Oceana, 849 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90403 · Directions
Also consider
Where to go if La Monique is not the right fit
Pick The Penthouse if the group wants a more view-led Santa Monica night. Choose Dogtown Coffee instead if the plan is casual, daytime, and value-driven rather than dinner-focused.
Restaurant context
How La Monique compares in Santa Monica
Choose La Monique when the priority is dinner inside a polished hotel setting near Ocean Avenue. The Veranda at Oceana is the closest cross-shop if staying within the same property orbit feels useful, while The Penthouse is the stronger fit when the room and Santa Monica view are the main event.
For value and speed, Dogtown Coffee is a different category entirely: better for a casual daytime stop than a composed dinner. Soko is the better comparison if the decision is driven by a more specific food format rather than hotel ambience.
The practical read: La Monique is the easy dinner choice for first-timers who want the Ocean Avenue setting without building the night around a destination restaurant. Cross-shop The Penthouse for a more scene-forward night, Dogtown Coffee for casual value, and Soko when cuisine specificity matters more than the hotel backdrop.
Explore Santa Monica
Around this place
Discover more on Pearl
Unlock the full La Monique guide in Pearl, including awards, comparisons, FAQs, planning details, and nearby places.
Compare La Monique
| Venue | Location | Awards |
|---|---|---|
| La Monique | Santa Monica | No published awards |
| The Veranda at Oceana | Los Angeles | No published awards |
| The Penthouse | Santa Monica | 2025 Michelin Plate2025 Black Diamond 1 Diamond2024 Michelin Plate |
| Dogtown Coffee | Santa Monica | No published awards |
| Dogtown Coffee | Los Angeles | No published awards |
| Soko | Los Angeles | No published awards |
.png?width=1200&quality=80)
How La Monique Santa Monica compares with similar nearby venues.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is lunch or dinner better at La Monique?
Dinner is the clear choice, because La Monique's listed hours run 5:30–10 PM every day in Santa Monica. Lunch is not offered, so plan around an evening visit.
What should a first-timer know about La Monique?
Plan on dinner in Santa Monica, with hours listed every day from 5:30–10 PM. The dress code is smart casual, and it does not feature a specific cuisine, chef, signature dish, price tier, or award.
What are alternatives to compare with La Monique?
For comparison, look at The Veranda at Oceana, The Penthouse, Soko, and Dogtown Coffee, depending on the kind of outing you are planning. La Monique is a dinner option with nightly hours from 5:30–10 PM.
Is La Monique good for solo dining?
It does not specify a solo-dining setup, counter seating, or service format. If the timing works for you, La Monique is open nightly from 5:30–10 PM in Santa Monica.
What should I wear to La Monique?
Smart casual is the dress code. For dinner between 5:30 and 10 PM, choose neat, polished clothing.
