Din Tai Fung Santa Monica

On the third floor of Santa Monica Place, this outpost of the Taiwanese chain seats diners in bamboo-steamer-shaped booths along a turf-lined patio with ocean views, next to a giant abacus by the entrance. The kitchen folds soup dumplings that arrive piping hot, alongside garlic string beans and chili-oil wontons. Unlike the chain's busier locations, reservations here are easy to get rather than booked out for weeks.