Restaurants in Santa Monica

The chefs at Prohibition Burgers & Beer named their gourmet burgers and sandwiches for notorious mobsters, celebrating the roaring '20s and the criminals that were famous for disguising themselves as sandwiches. They top beef and veggie burgers dubbed the John Dillinger, Frank Costello, or Fat Tony with ingredients such as smoked bacon, golden apples, and jalapeño cream cheese; and craft salads and sandwiches with names such as the Bonnie and Clyde and the Bugsy Siegel. Servers pair dishes with bottled beers and wines, as well as 14 imported European beers and American microbrews on draft, which they also serve atop wooden paddles in tasting flights. To further satisfy their customers, Prohibition also offers weekend brunches and tasting dinners.

A sleek, black elephant statue overlooks the dining room, its trunk raised in a silent trumpet of approval, or perhaps to catch whiffs of the fragrant Indian, Tibetan, and Indo-Nepalese foods filing out from the kitchen. Inside, surrounded by traditional tandoori clay ovens and simmering pots of lentils, a chef backed by 20 years of experience imbues each dish with a blend of traditional spices. He stuffs flaky, savory pastries known as chaat with beans, yogurt, and chutneys, and sprinkles pinches of curry powder into pans of lamb and vegetables. During lunchtime, waiters ferry massive trays of the chef's eats to the buffet, where diners can load plates with enough vegetable masala to make a perfect sauce-angel.

Does your mouth have a passport? If not, that’s ok. For nearly 25 years, La Bamba Island Cuisine has been sending taste buds on flight-free Caribbean excursions via dishes inspired by the culinary traditions of Cuba, Jamaica, and Mexico. Owner-chef Chris oven roasts shredded pork for menu items as varied as cuban sandwiches with ham and pickles to their popular St. Thomas burrito with guacamole and pico de gallo. Soft taco shells wrap themselves warmly around eight different meats, including chicken, fried cod, or grilled mahi-mahi. Wine and special seasonings flavor Panama shrimp with bell peppers, and, like the hermit crab who writes restaurant reviews for the New York Times, the seafood burrito stuffs mahi-mahi, shrimp, and salmon into its monstrous shell.

The Pacific Ocean ripples outside the broad windows of Cézanne’s dining room, which exudes elegance through its high ceilings, cream-colored upholstery, and white, Victorian lounge chairs. Inside this warmly lit space, chefs serve up French-Californian cuisine, including filet mignon, lamb chops, and seafood fillets kissed with 7-year balsamic reduction or creamy bordelaise. More than 20 wines by the glass pair with breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and more vintages are available by the bottle.

But Cézanne is only one petal in the Le Merigot blossom. Part of the JW Marriott franchise, the European-style luxury hotel offers direct access to beaches and the Santa Monica Pier. After polishing off a croque madame in one of Cézanne’s crown-shaped banquettes, guests can inquire at the front desk about Le Merigot’s world-class spa or the possibility of dividing up one night’s stay by occupying each of 175 suites for exactly 10 minutes.

For more than 30 years, Quiznos has toasted its submarine sandwiches to bring out the hidden flavors found in butcher-quality meats, cheese, and artisan breads. Its classic and signature subs take on a variety of shapes, sizes, and styles ranging from the prime rib mushroom and swiss to the classic italian donning black olives, mozzarella, red-wine vinaigrette, and plentiful sliced meats. Those closely monitoring their waistlines can take unabashed bites of sandwiches that have fewer than 500 calories, such as the pork-cuban, Baja-chicken, and veggie-caprese subs. Quiznos' Toasty Bullets and Torpedoes offer slimmer versions of sub fare and flaunt supreme aerodynamics when shot out of T-shirt cannons and into mouths. A selection of Flatbread Sammies, soups, and salads round out Quiznos' varied menu.

Before taking center stage in Star Chicken's menu of fresh tossed salads, flatbread wraps, and steaming rice bowls, whole chickens sizzle and slow cook inside the eatery's rotisserie ovens. The kitchen staff accents their meat with a signature citrus and herb marinade and half or whole pints of hearty sides, including homemade chicken noodle soup and steamed Cuban black beans and rice. Savory aromas waft through the casual diner's interior, or escape their cages to tickle the nose-buds of loungers relaxing in the shade beneath the outdoor tables' umbrellas. Catering services transport the whole culinary cast to parties, meetings, or general get-togethers.