Menu Guide

Providence Menu — What to Order in Los Angeles

Published

Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Sourced from providencela.com, the MICHELIN Guide and Gayot · How we work · Corrections

The verdict. Book Michael Cimarusti's two-star seafood room, take the eight-course tasting from $295, and add the uni egg — LA's benchmark seafood meal.

Not for: a casual walk-in or a budget night. It is a coursed tasting-menu room at the $$$$ register, formal and paced — wrong for a loud group or a quick a la carte dinner.

What the Providence Menu Actually Is

Providence sits at 5955 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, and Michael Cimarusti has cooked precise, sustainable seafood there since 2005. The menu is a tasting format that changes daily around the best wild-caught fish of the day, held to two MICHELIN stars. Our Providence review and scores rate it at the top of the LA seafood file. Donato Poto runs the floor, and the pairing of Cimarusti's kitchen and Poto's service is the reason the room has held its stars for two decades.

What to Order at Providence

The eight-course tasting from $295 is the way in, and it changes daily, but the signatures to seek as add-ons are worth knowing. The soft-poached egg with uni and breadcrumbs is the dish diners return for, a long-running Providence classic. The tart of lobster mousse and box crab in a crab beurre blanc is the other, and in season the salt-roasted Santa Barbara spot prawns are the supplement to add.

Roasted monkfish with cauliflower and shaved black truffle appears when the season allows. Pricing runs at the $$$$ register: the eight-course starts at $295 before wine, tax and tip, with a longer chef's tasting above it. The wine and sake programme is deep, and pairings add meaningfully to the bill. Take the tasting and let the kitchen choose, because it is the clearest read on what Cimarusti is doing.

When to Go and How to Book

Prime weekend slots go first, so book as early as the calendar allows. Our guide to booking a table at Providence covers the release window and the counter as an alternative. The room is formal and paced; dress smart and leave the evening open.

The Smart Play

Take the eight-course, add the uni egg and the spot prawns when they are on, and choose the pairing at least once, since the sake list is built for the fish. It is the definitive LA room for a proposal dinner or for impressing clients, and it anchors our reading of the world's great seafood kitchens and the wider French fine-dining field Cimarusti's technique draws on. Set it against Bavel's Middle-Eastern grill and read the fuller Los Angeles dining guide before you commit. Menu-guide sibling: what to order at Le Bernardin.

Some booking links are affiliate links. RFK may earn a commission. Our verdicts are editorial and never paid.

View Providence on Restaurants for Kings →

Frequently Asked Questions

What should you order at Providence?

Take the eight-course tasting, which changes daily around the best wild-caught seafood, and add the signatures where you can. The soft-poached egg with uni and breadcrumbs is the dish diners return for, and the tart of lobster mousse and box crab is the other long-running classic. In season, the salt-roasted Santa Barbara spot prawns are the supplement to add. Our Providence review scores the kitchen and the room.

How much is the tasting menu at Providence?

As of 2026 the eight-course tasting at Providence starts from $295 per person, before wine, tax and tip, and it changes daily. A longer chef's tasting sits above it, and seasonal supplements such as spot prawns or black truffle add to the total. The wine and sake pairings are deep and lift the real bill well past the menu price, so budget the full evening for this two-star room.

What is Providence known for?

Providence is known as the benchmark seafood restaurant in Los Angeles, holding two MICHELIN stars under chef Michael Cimarusti since 2005. The kitchen is built on pure, precise cooking of sustainable, wild-caught fish, and the soft-poached egg with uni is its most famous single dish. Donato Poto's floor and one of the city's best sake and wine programmes round out a room that has held its stars for two decades.

How far ahead do you book Providence?

Reservations open roughly a month out, and prime weekend evenings go quickly, so book as early as the calendar allows and consider a weekday for an easier seat. Our full booking guide covers the release window and the counter as an alternative to the dining room. The room is formal and paced across many courses, so leave the whole evening open and dress smart when you plan the night.