DINE AROUND THE WORLD IN SANTA MONICA
Top Santa Monica Restaurants Host Special Chef Collaborations
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (June 3, 2025) – It’s no secret that in Santa Monica, you don’t have to travel the globe to taste world-renowned cuisine. From Marelle to Mélisse, Citrin to Rustic Canyon and Lunetta to the stalls of the Farmers Market, you’re never far from culinary excellence— and it’s all happening now.
Santa Monica’s most beloved restaurants invite top international chefs into their kitchens to showcase their regional flavors. You can find unique tasting menus, special collaboration dinners and rare culinary experiences that highlight international cuisine, all right here in Santa Monica!
This June, book your taste buds the ultimate staycation and visit one (or two or three) of the excellent restaurants doing their part to bring the flavors of the world to the West Coast.
Marelle and “The Guest List” (June 5-7)
Kickstart your summer in style at Marelle. While this coastal restaurant is a treat any time of year, you won’t want to miss out on this summer’s event series, “The Guest List.” Marelle at Sandbourne Santa Monica is hosting a series of legendary chefs from all around the world, and they’re starting off strong with a mash-up of Hawaiian and Californian flavors.
Their debut three-night event will feature a collaboration between Chef Alan Wong and Chef Raphael Lunetta. Chef Wong is renowned for his contributions to Hawaiian regional cuisine, while Marelle’s very own Chef Lunetta is a master of coastal Californian fare. Stop in Thursday, June 5 for a five-course meal highlighting the best of both worlds. Return Friday and Saturday evening for an à la carte dinner featuring specials, and pop in early that Saturday or Sunday for an extraordinary brunch service featuring a signature short rib dish. Thursday’s tasting menu is $160 per person, and is a perfect way to celebrate Marelle’s one-year anniversary!
santamonica.com/event/marelle-and-the-guest-list/
The Smoked Room x Mélisse (June 16)
If you’re looking for a taste of Spain, head to Mélisse on Monday, June 16 for a special collaboration dinner between Three Star Michelin Spanish Chef Dani García and Santa Monica’s very own Two Star Michelin Chef Josiah Citrin.
Of Chef García’s award-winning restaurants, The Smoked Room in Madrid might have the most dramatic flair. There, smoke is “the seasoning and the finishing touch” for every dish, making it the “indisputable beating heart” of the restaurant. Now, you can experience the unique, smoke-forward cuisine and Japanese aesthetics that earned this Madrid staple Two Michelin Stars in a mere six months of opening—without leaving Santa Monica.
This one-night-only event will combine The Smoked Room’s impactful Spanish flavors with Mélisse’s French elegance to create a rare and inventive tasting menu you won’t want to miss.
Tickets for this special event are $595 per person. Cookbooks from both chefs will also be available for purchase.
santamonica.com/event/smoked-room-collaboration-dinner
Casa Dani x Citrin (June 17)
The very next evening, Tuesday, June 17, Mélisse’s sister restaurant, Citrin, will host its own special collaboration dinner with Chef García, this one featuring his renowned Andalusian restaurant, Casa Dani. This tasting menu will carry you further south to the Iberian Peninsula, for a less smoky but nonetheless bold take on regional Spanish fare. As always, diners can expect Chef Josiah Citrin’s refined Californian sensibilities to place a modern twist on each dish.
This collaboration dinner is $165 per person. Don’t miss this opportunity to preview Chef García signature flavors ahead of Casa Dani’s newest location opening in nearby Century City later this year!
santamonica.com/event/casa-dani-x-citrin/
Rustic Canyon “Farmers Market Dinner” Series (June 14 & 17)
For cuisine that hits a little closer to home, visit Rustic Canyon on Saturday, June 14 or Tuesday, June 17 for its Farmers Market Dinner Series. Each evening of this two-night event will feature a four-course, family-style meal crafted entirely around the fresh, seasonal ingredients provided by a featured local farm.
Up first on Saturday is Flora Bella Farm, an all-organic farm in Three Rivers, CA growing fresh, hand-picked produce since 1991. Tuesday’s dinner will feature ingredients from Weiser Family Farms, a farm that began in Tehachapi, CA in 1977 and has since grown to the Bakersfield and Lucerne valleys tending to fresh fruits, vegetables and flowers. Producers from each farm will join guests to share stories, discuss their sustainable growing practices and answer questions while diners enjoy the literal fruits of their labor. Both of these intimate, twenty-person dinners will be hosted on Rustic Canyon’s beautiful patio.
This is a special opportunity to learn more about the relationship between farmers, restaurants and the food on your plate. For the ultimate farm-to-table experience, reserve your place now!
santamonica.com/event/rustic-canyon-farmers-market-dinner-series/
Santa Monica Farmers Markets
To learn more about California produce, stop in at one of Santa Monica’s four farmers markets taking place weekly all year-round, rain or shine. Each neighborhood market is truly special, with each day offering its own unique character.
The Downtown Farmers Market first opened in 1981 and now boasts over 60 stalls, making it not only one of the most diverse markets in California but also a favorite locale of Santa Monica’s top chefs. Drop in early on a Wednesday morning to brush shoulders with the city’s renowned culinary teams as they vie for some of the best produce California has to offer, or visit on Saturdays for the largest percentage of certified organic growers of any farmers market in the city. The Downtown Farmers Market is located at Arizona and 2nd St., open from 8am to 1pm.
Visitors will also enjoy the Pico Farmers Market filled with both local produce and delicious prepared foods for a family-friendly morning at Virginia Avenue Park each Saturday from 8am to 1pm. For artisanal goods and vibrant flowers alongside fresh produce options, stroll through the Main Street Farmers Market on Sundays from 8:30am to 1:30pm complete with live music and a picnic on the lawn at the California Heritage Museum.
santamonica.com/experience-santa-monica/farmers-markets
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