Head-to-Head · Los Angeles
Somni vs Providence
Los Angeles's two three-star tables, both crowned in 2025. Somni is a 14-seat avant-garde counter; Providence the grand seafood room. Book Providence for the occasion.
The Verdict
These are Los Angeles's first and only three-Michelin-star restaurants, both promoted in the 2025 California guide. Somni is Aitor Zabala's fourteen-seat counter in West Hollywood, an avant-garde, Spanish-rooted tasting from a chef who trained under Jose Andres and at elBulli, where the cooking is theatre and the menu runs around 495 dollars before pairings. Providence is the grander, more classical room: Michael Cimarusti and Donato Poto's seafood institution on Melrose in Hollywood, open since 2005, with a tasting from 325 dollars. Book Providence for an occasion, Somni for the spectacle.
The split is counter versus dining room. Somni seats fourteen for a long, conceptual run of small, precise courses, intimate and intense. Providence is a full dining room with table service and a seafood-led menu built on Santa Barbara spot prawns, Big Island abalone and the best of the Pacific. One is a front-row seat on a chef's imagination; the other is the city's reference fine-dining room. See both in the Los Angeles dining guide.
Scores, Side by Side
| Score | Somni | Providence |
|---|---|---|
| Food | 10 / 10 | 10 / 10 |
| Atmosphere | 9 / 10 | 9 / 10 |
| Value | 6 / 10 | 7 / 10 |
Which One for Which Occasion
| Occasion | Editorial Pick |
|---|---|
| A milestone or anniversary | ProvidenceA grand dining room with full table service is the more classical setting for a celebration. |
| Impress clients or close a deal | ProvidenceTable service and a seafood menu read more clearly to a guest than a counter-paced tasting, and it is easier to talk across. |
| A once-in-a-lifetime tasting | SomniThe fourteen-seat counter and Zabala's avant-garde cooking make for the more singular evening. |
| Seafood lovers | ProvidenceThe menu is built on the Pacific, so a seafood diner is far better served here. |
| Solo dining | SomniA counter is built for one and points you at the kitchen rather than an empty chair. |
Price Comparison
Both sit at the top of LA pricing. Somni runs about 495 dollars per person before pairings, with a non-alcoholic option pushing the all-in figure higher and wine flights climbing well beyond. Providence opens lower, from around 325 dollars, with a longer chef's tasting and pairings above that. Providence is the gentler way into a three-star meal in the city. Weigh them against the best seafood restaurants worldwide and Spanish restaurants worldwide.
How to Book
Somni's fourteen seats are the harder table. It books through its own site and prepays, and the counter turns over few seats a night, so dates open weeks out and the prime evenings go first. Read the Somni review in full before you commit.
Providence, a larger dining room, holds better availability, especially midweek, and books direct and through its usual reservation platform. It is the easier of the two to land at shorter notice. Read the Providence review first.
For occasion fit beyond this pairing, weigh them against the best LA tables to impress clients and to close a deal. For more Los Angeles match-ups see Providence vs Melisse and Spago vs Providence, and browse the full set on the compare index.