Best Restaurants to Close a Deal in Santa Monica 2026
Published · Updated
The 2026 deal-closing pick in Santa Monica is Fia Steak on Wilshire Boulevard. Editorial runners-up: Water Grill, Citrin, The Penthouse, 1 Pico, Mélisse.
Fia Steak runs two dining rooms and a Carrera marble bar two blocks off the 10, and it is the Westside table for a steak and a signature. Six Santa Monica rooms carry a deal, from that Wilshire steakhouse to two Michelin stars on the same street.
Six Santa Monica Tables to Close a Deal
The Westside deal steakhouse at 2458 Wilshire Boulevard at 25th Street, in the 2025 Michelin Guide and run by chef Tim Cardenas. Two dining rooms, a Carrera marble bar and a tucked-away patio give you a choice of how visible the table is; dinner runs about $180 to $280 a head. Reserve the back room on OpenTable for a private conversation over a dry-aged ribeye.
The premium-seafood standard at 1401 Ocean Avenue, a half block from the pier with a raw bar that flies in oysters and king crab daily. Whole fish and chilled towers run $80 to $150, and the room is bright and easy to talk across. The reliable, neutral business table when you do not know how your client eats but know they will be impressed by the seafood.
Chef Josiah Citrin's One Michelin Star room at 1104 Wilshire Boulevard, the more conversational front half of his Wilshire compound. Modern French-Californian cooking runs $150 to $250 a head, à la carte enough to keep a working dinner moving. The table that impresses a client on the Michelin name while still letting you order a course at a time and talk terms between them.
An 18th-floor rooftop room at The Huntley Hotel, 1111 2nd Street, with panoramic ocean views from nearly every seat. New American plates run $120 to $180, and the bar stays open late for the after-dinner half of the deal. The view table for a client from out of town who should leave remembering Santa Monica, not just the contract; book a window booth at sunset.
The signature room at Shutters on the Beach, at 1 Pico Boulevard right on the sand. Handmade pasta, fire-grilled steak and coastal seafood run $140 to $220, with the Pacific filling the windows. Book on Resy and ask for an ocean-side table; it is the hotel-grade business room for a relaxed, relationship-building dinner where the setting carries the conversation.
Josiah Citrin's Two Michelin Star flagship, behind Citrin at 1104 Wilshire Boulevard, and the trophy table for sealing a major relationship. A long modern-French tasting runs $400 to $800 a head with a cellar to match. Not the room for a live negotiation, but the one to book when the deal is done and the relationship is the point; reserve weeks ahead for the chef's counter.
How to Book
Mélisse and Citrin book weeks out on their own site, especially the chef's counter; reserve those first. Fia Steak and 1 Pico open tables on OpenTable and Resy about a week ahead, and The Penthouse holds back window booths for hotel and dinner guests. Water Grill usually seats a business party within a few days.
Take Fia Steak or Water Grill at 6:30pm for an à la carte working dinner you can pace yourself. For a view that does the impressing, book The Penthouse or 1 Pico at sunset. Save Mélisse for the night the deal is already closed and the dinner is the reward.
Frequently Asked Questions
The 2026 editorial pick is Fia Steak at 2458 Wilshire Boulevard, a Michelin Guide steakhouse with two dining rooms and a marble bar that suits an à la carte working dinner. For a seafood alternative, Water Grill on Ocean Avenue is the neutral, impressive standard, with a raw bar and whole fish a half block from the pier.
The Penthouse on the 18th floor of The Huntley Hotel has panoramic ocean views from nearly every seat, and 1 Pico at Shutters on the Beach sits right on the sand with the Pacific in the windows. Both are best booked at sunset, when the view carries a relationship dinner and leaves an out-of-town client remembering the city.
Plan on $80 to $280 a head at Water Grill, Citrin, The Penthouse, 1 Pico and Fia Steak, depending on the order placed: steak, seafood or the Michelin room. Mélisse is the splurge at $400 to $800 a head for its two-star tasting, so a serious deal dinner is achievable well below the flagship tier.
Fia Steak at 2458 Wilshire Boulevard is the Westside business steakhouse, in the 2025 Michelin Guide under chef Tim Cardenas, with two dining rooms and a private back room for a deal. For steak with an ocean view, 1 Pico at Shutters fire-grills its beef on the sand, a more relaxed setting for a relationship dinner.