The Full Story
What Dave Beran has built on Main Street is a quiet masterpiece of intention. After establishing Seline as one of the most talked-about fine dining experiences in Los Angeles — a fifteen-course tasting menu in a 38-seat room that earned him a James Beard Award and the admiration of the national food press — Beran could have coasted. Instead, he opened Pasjoli directly below Seline and conceived it as the French restaurant he actually wants to eat in: fun, serious enough, relaxed without being lazy, and built around food that reveals its craft on the third bite rather than the first photograph.
The Michelin inspectors noticed. Pasjoli carries recognition in the guide not as a tasting-menu destination but as exactly what it is: a neighbourhood bistro of uncommon quality, where the cooking is rooted in classic and modern French traditions and elevated by market-driven seasonal produce from the farmers market Beran has patronised for years. The Pressed Duck — a tableside preparation that requires advance ordering and rewards patience with one of the most technically demanding dishes on the westside — is the statement item. The Cordon Bleu Chicken Wings are the argument for returning again and again. The burger, built on a brioche bun with marrow aioli, is quietly among the best in the city. And the bar programme — precise, Gallic in spirit, and genuinely inventive — has become a destination in its own right.
What to Order
Begin with the Chicken Liver Mousse Brioche, which arrives as an early declaration of the kitchen's values: classical, precise, uncompromising on quality, and deeply satisfying. The Cordon Bleu Chicken Wings are non-negotiable — a reimagining of a mid-century French classic that is both nostalgic and original. If you are dining with someone who deserves to be impressed by something theatrical, pre-order the Pressed Duck: a traditional Parisian preparation that Beran has adopted and refined into one of the most memorable experiences in the city. The wine list skews French with depth in natural and low-intervention producers that pair well with everything on the menu.
The bar at Pasjoli is a perfectly legitimate destination in its own right. Walk-in seats at the bar are available most evenings, and the abbreviated bar menu — oysters, charcuterie, the famous wings — pairs well with the cocktail programme's French-inflected classics.
Best Occasion Fit: First Date
Pasjoli operates in exactly the register a first date requires: charming, unhurried, and just serious enough. The room — hung with plants, softly lit, animated without being loud — creates the intimate atmosphere that good conversation needs, while the food gives you something to genuinely discuss. The Pressed Duck, if you dare pre-order it for a first meeting, is a perfect conversation piece; the wings and cocktails work just as well for a more spontaneous evening. The Main Street location, between Venice and Santa Monica proper, feels like a discovery rather than a defaultto which makes arriving feel deliberate and considered rather than obvious.
Good to Know
Pasjoli is located at 2732 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405. Reservations via OpenTable are strongly recommended for the dining room; the bar is walk-in friendly. Pressed Duck requires 48 hours advance notice — call the restaurant directly to arrange. Open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Price range for dinner with wine is approximately $100–$160 per person. The restaurant is on the ground floor of the same building as Seline, Beran's fine dining tasting menu restaurant, which operates through a separate entrance above. Phone: 424-330-0020.