The best rooftop restaurants in L.A.
Because rooftop bars aren't the only way to enjoy breathtaking views.

Written by Patricia Kelly Yeo

When it comes to Los Angeles rooftops, restaurants and bars are as alike as apples and oranges: Sure, they both get the job done, but in entirely different ways. Unlike many of best L.A. rooftop bars in the city, these mostly open-air rooftop eateries offer food that runs the gamut from excellent to decent (rather than barely tolerable), gorgeous views and, in most cases, basically require a reservation to nab a table. More than a handful are in the skyscrapers of Downtown, and some are better suited for a breezy brunch than a romantic dinner. In rarefied air, things get pricey fast, so budget accordingly before enjoying a meal at one of L.A.’s best-in-class rooftop restaurants. 

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The best L.A. rooftop restaurants, ranked

1. Merois at the Pendry
Pan-Asian
West Hollywood
price 4 of 4
Merois at the Pendry
Photograph: Courtesy Christian Horan
Though other WeHo hotel restaurants might possess a similar winning combination of ritzy, ultra-chic interior design and breathtaking urban vistas (plus the glitzy patrons to match), only Wolfgang Puck’s newest fine-dining endeavor strives to do more than just coast on its looks. Pairing aesthetics with actual substance, Merois demonstrates that later works in a longtime celebrity chef’s oeuvre, even one as expansive and commercialized as Puck’s, can still delight and outright impress seasoned diners. French Californian dishes with plenty of Asian culinary influences, all atop the Pendry's rooftop? Sounds like a date to us. 

2. Bar Funke
Cocktail bars
Beverly Hills
price 3 of 4
Bar Funke
Photograph: Courtesy Eric Wolfinger

Pasta maestro Evan Funke’s hotly anticipated three-story 90210 restaurant is one of the best restaurants in the city and this pink marble rooftop bar is the cherry on top. Monday through Thursday, Bar Funke serves the restaurant’s full menu, though you can also enjoy light bar bites and drinks on the weekends as well. Given the lack of height, the views while seated at Bar Funke aren’t much to look at, but the well-executed premium cocktails and bar bites still translate into a delightful, though pricey, rooftop bar experience. Spiked with olive oil (the Firenze) or infused with the vaguest wisp of tomato (the Napoli), the smooth house concoctions just might justify their prices—the majority of which are north of $25.

3. LA Cha Cha Chá
Mexican
Downtown Arts District
price 3 of 4
LA Cha Cha Chá
Photograph: Time Out/Michael Juliano

This mostly outdoor second-story Arts District restaurant from Mexico City boasts stunning design, impeccable cocktails and, of course, great food. We love its tequila-forward cocktail list, dinner menu emphasizing fresh seafood and dessert menu by Ellen Ramos, including the passionfruit-topped arroz con leche and white chocolate mousse covered in soursop shaved ice. The addicting house-made tortilla chips, thicker than most you find in this city, make an order of guacamole an essential for any table. Combine that with a couple rounds of drinks and tacos and the sunset, and it’s the perfect way to spend a relaxed evening out in the city. 

4. Cabra at the Hoxton
American creative
Downtown Fashion District
price 3 of 4
Cabra at the Hoxton
Photograph: Courtesy Stan Lee
This 10th floor Downtown rooftop comes courtesy of Stephanie Izard, whose Girl & the Goat outpost in the Arts District has also drawn rave reviews. In similar Chicago-to-L.A. fashion, Cabra is the second location of the Top Chef winner’s Peruvian-inspired small plates concept, with Izard’s usual sharp, playful takes on dishes like striped bass ceviche and lomo saltado. From appetizers to dessert, there’s something memorable and delicious for everyone to love at Cabra. The quinoa and beet salad’s cornucopia of bright flavors and textures particularly won us over, and caramel-covered picarones—sweet potato doughnuts topped with puffed rice—stood out on the dessert front. 

5. Mother Tongue
Californian
Hollywood
price 3 of 4
Mother Tongue
Photograph: Courtesy Mother Tongue

Globally inspired wellness cuisine might be de rigueur by now, but this rooftop restaurant inside a luxury fitness club provides a more refined, elevated version of the L.A. dining genre popularized by Café Gratitude. Perched atop HEIMAT, Mother Tongue possesses an equally striking outdoor patio and the requisite seen-and-be-seen Hollywood clientele. The vegan-friendly menu integrates "functional ingredients" thought to confer health benefits, but the eclectic dishes stand on their own in terms of quality and flavor, from the shiitake mushroom larb to the rossejat de fideos, a pricey seafood vermicelli skillet for two. Weekend brunch or happy hour (Wed–Sun, 4–6pm) grants you access to killer daytime and sunset views in the warmer months, respectively.

6. Élephante
Italian
Santa Monica
price 3 of 4
Élephante
Photograph: Courtesy Bella Marie Adams
Located upstairs from Santa Monica's Laemmle Theater, Élephante is the best Westside rooftop restaurant, period. Inside, chic modern wood furniture and a selection of cacti and lush houseplants set the stage for a stunning view of the ocean from the aptly-named Sunset Room. Meet friends during the day for brunch and lunch, then bring a date at night for low-lit romance. Our go-to is the whipped eggplant dip with puffy flatbread, but there’s also excellent pizza, pasta and a sunny weekend brunch with the likes of soft polenta with eggs, crab and sweet corn. Given the excellent food and ambience, it's also nearly impossible to snag a table as a walk-in, so make sure you book in advance.

7. Catch LA
Seafood
West Hollywood
Catch LA
Photograph: Shutterstock
Perched above a glitzy nightlife-oriented stretch of West Hollywood, Catch LA is the West Coast outpost of the pan-Asian inspired NYC eatery. It's a definitive place to see and be seen, with a gorgous flower-lined hallway, an open-air dining room and patio, plus breathtaking views of the Hollywood Hils. Depending on the night you stop in, you'll typically find one or two papparazi staking out outside, if you're wondering what kind of crowd this attracts. Once you get upstairs, the sceney rooftop haven offers expensive, but decently made sushi, wood-fired seafood and other small plates, as well as an exorbitantly priced special occasion-worthy brunch. 
Book online

8. 71Above
American
Downtown Financial District
price 3 of 4
71Above
Photograph: Wonho Frank Lee
Situated high atop the US Bank Tower—71 floors, to be exact—71Above offers a stunning view of Los Angeles to accompany modern American fare from chef Javier Lopez. At this altitude, you won't find a better skyhigh dining experience anywhere else in the city. Prix-fixe meals can be had in either the dining room or at the bar, with dishes like poached oysters, agnolotti, steak tartar and scallops gracing the menu. While the overall menu skews conservative, the fine dining level food never fails to please, and the service at 71Above is always impeccable. For a more private, culinarily geared experience, opt for one of the two chef's table booths, which allows diners front row seats to the restaurant's open kitchen. 

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9. Dante Beverly Hills
Italian
Beverly Hills
price 3 of 4
Dante Beverly Hills
Photograph: Courtesy Giada Paoloni

This New York City cocktail bar has landed on the rooftop of the Maybourne—and while the coastal Italian cuisine can be hit or miss, the award-winning drinks, ritzy ambience and a ninth-floor vantage point have made Dante a rooftop restaurant destination to beat. We’ll be the first to admit mortadella atop white pizza and bucatini al pomodoro aren’t exactly groundbreaking, but these highlights from the kitchen sure taste delicious when you’re sipping the brand’s signature “fluffy” orange juice Garibaldi and taking in sweeping views of the Hollywood Hills. Open all day and already booked solid on weekends (though the bar is held for walk-ins), your best bet for a regular dinner hour reservation, released 30 days in advance, is to wake up early: Dante releases the next batch of tables on Resy at 8am.

Book online

10.Terra
Italian
Century City
price 3 of 4
Terra
Photograph: Courtesy Eataly Los Angeles
Perched high above Santa Monica Boulevard, Eataly's rooftop restaurant and bar offers surprisingly scenic views for an eatery inside a mall. Head upstairs from the Italian cuisine emporium’s second-floor market to find a gorgeous patio eatery offering homemade pastas, plus straightforward vegetarian-friendly grilled entrées, for a delightful plein air meal that just happens to be at Westfield Century City. Casual drinkers can post up for refreshing Italian spritzers at the bar, while Terra’s cozy fire pit is the ideal place to bring groups of four to six. Don’t miss the tableside gelato cart for dessert, complete with a bevy of traditional toppings, including amarena cherries and crushed almonds.