Geoffrey’s Malibu

On our lists of the best special-occasion restaurants and restaurants with a view in Los Angeles.

The dining terraces sit on the site of the Holiday House, a 1948 motel designed by architect Richard Neutra that drew Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe before financier Harvey Baskin bought it and opened Geoffrey's in 1983. Every table on the cliffside patio, balcony, and courtyard looks out over the Pacific, with fire pits lit for dinner and waterfalls running through the plantings. The kitchen serves steamed Maine lobster, ahi tuna tartare, and spicy fried oysters at dinner, with eggs benedict and an apple tart on the weekend brunch menu. Groups over twelve can book a private event menu.