Best special-occasion restaurants for a date in Los Angeles
For the anniversary, the birthday, the big news.
201 spots · Jump to the list
For the anniversary, the birthday, the proposal. Every restaurant here sits at the top of the price range and treats dinner as the whole event. Book well ahead, mention what you're celebrating when you do, and plan for a longer meal than usual.
This guide ranks 201 special-occasion restaurants in Los Angeles, from Downtown Los Angeles to Beverly Hills and Hollywood. Editors' picks come first, then the rest by rating, and the plans below build a whole evening around the best of them.
The list
Editors' picks first, then by rating.
Manuela
4.8(14)Downtown Los Angeles · $$$
Spago
4.8(13)Beverly Hills · $$$$
Boathouse on the Bay
4.8(12)$$$
Baltaire Restaurant
4.8(11)West LA / Brentwood · $$$$
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar
4.8(9)Downtown Los Angeles · $$$$
The Little Door
4.8(6)Mid-Wilshire / Miracle Mile · $$$$
Chi Spacca
4.7(15)Hollywood · $$$$
Ristorante Per L’Ora
4.6(20)Downtown Los Angeles · $$$
Good Clean Fun
4.6(10)Downtown Los Angeles · $$$
Nobu Malibu
4.5(4)$$$$
Providence
4.4(7)Hollywood · $$$$
Redbird
4.3(21)Downtown Los Angeles · $$$$
NIKU X
4.3(19)Downtown Los Angeles · $$$$
Bottega Louie
4.3(11)Downtown Los Angeles · $$$
Soho House West Hollywood
4.3(7)Beverly Hills · $$$$
Water Grill
4.2(25)Downtown Los Angeles · $$$
Firefly
4.2(24)$$$
Rossoblu
4.2(18)Downtown Los Angeles · $$$
The Strand House
4.2(10)Manhattan Beach / El Segundo · $$$$
Water Grill
4.1(22)Santa Monica · $$$
Perch
4.1(17)Downtown Los Angeles · $$$
Rusty Pelican
4.1(16)$$$
Il Cielo
4.1(15)Beverly Hills · $$$$
Meteora
4.1(15)Hollywood · $$$$
Showing 169–192 of 201 spots
Good to know
- What's the best special-occasion restaurant in Los Angeles for a date?
- Our top pick is Manuela in Downtown Los Angeles, rated 4.8 out of 5. Spago and Boathouse on the Bay round out the top 3.
- Which Los Angeles neighborhoods have the best special-occasion restaurants?
- Downtown Los Angeles (10), Beverly Hills (3) and Hollywood (3) have the most spots in the top 24.
- Do I need a reservation?
- It depends on the spot. Book ahead for Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Nobu Malibu and Providence.
- What should we do before or after?
- Make it a big night out: drinks first, then the big dinner, then something sweet. The plans on this page pair each top spot with the best-rated places within about a 20-minute walk.