Close Icon
Gear IconImportant Notice:We have made the tough decision to say goodbye to the Foursquare City Guide mobile app, effective December 15, 2024, with the web version to follow in early 2025. Visit our FAQ for more information or to download our Swarm app.
Learn more
Guide to Santa Monica's best spots

1. Third Street Promenade

9.2
1202 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica, CA
Shopping Plaza · Downtown Santa Monica · 284 tips and reviews

YeyenYeyen: Lots of tourists here but a good blend of local Angelenos.

2. Santa Monica Food Truck Lot

7.6
2612 Main St (at Ocean Park Blvd.), Santa Monica, CA
Food Truck · Ocean Park · 20 tips and reviews

YeyenYeyen: Great place to bring your friends and hang out. Especially during the summer. Food @ the food trucks, drinks @ the victorian.

3. Cafe 212 Pier

212 Pier Ave (btwn 2nd & Main St), Santa Monica, CA
Café · Ocean Park · 39 tips and reviews

YeyenYeyen: Get to know the owner, he's really cool

Areal Restaurant is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

4. Areal Restaurant

2820 Main St (At Ashland), Santa Monica, CA
American Restaurant · Ocean Park · 77 tips and reviews

5. Santa Monica Pier

200 Santa Monica Pier (at Ocean Ave), Santa Monica, CA
Pier · Santa Monica · 483 tips and reviews

YeyenYeyen: Play volleyball here.

AMC Santa Monica 7 is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

6. AMC Santa Monica 7

6.7
1310 3rd Street Promenade (at Arizona), Santa Monica, CA
Movie Theater · Downtown Santa Monica · 37 tips and reviews

7. El Cholo

8.2
1025 Wilshire Blvd (at 11th St.), Santa Monica, CA
Mexican Restaurant · Wilshire-Montana · 78 tips and reviews

YeyenYeyen: High end mexican restaurant. I wouldn't say it's the most authentic mexican restaurant. But they still have really good food, drinks, and a very nice atmosphere.

Upper West is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

8. Upper West

8.5
3321 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica, CA
American Restaurant · 87 tips and reviews
Santa Monica State Beach is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

9. Santa Monica State Beach

9.4
1432 Palisades Beach Rd (at Colorado Ave), Santa Monica, CA
Beach · Downtown Santa Monica · 335 tips and reviews

10. Holy Guacamole

7.2
2906 Main St, Santa Monica, CA
Taco Restaurant · Ocean Park · 49 tips and reviews

YeyenYeyen: If you are there with a friend, just buy the super burrito for ten bucks and split it half. More bang for your buck than buying two regular sized burritos for 7 bucks each.

Panini Garden is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

11. Panini Garden

2715 Main St (at Hill St), Santa Monica, CA
Sandwich Spot · Ocean Park · 19 tips and reviews
Bergamot Station Arts Center is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

12. Bergamot Station Arts Center

8.2
2525 Michigan Ave, Santa Monica, CA
Art Gallery · 21 tips and reviews
Santa Monica Stairs is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

13. Santa Monica Stairs

8.6
4th and Adelaide (4th Street), Santa Monica, CA
Track · 52 tips and reviews
Real Food Daily is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

14. Real Food Daily

514 Santa Monica Blvd (at 6th St), Santa Monica, CA
Vegan and Vegetarian Restaurant · 103 tips and reviews
Whole Foods Market is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

15. Whole Foods Market

500 Wilshire Blvd. (at 5th St), Santa Monica, CA
Grocery Store · 38 tips and reviews
Palisades Ocean Walkway is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

16. Palisades Ocean Walkway

9.2
(Ocean Ave and Marguerita), Santa Monica, CA
Hiking Trail · North of Montana · 10 tips and reviews
Santa Monica Farmers Market is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

17. Santa Monica Farmers Market

8.3
2640 Main St (at Heritage Sq), Santa Monica, CA
Farmers Market · Ocean Park · 49 tips and reviews

18. Thai Dishes

7.5
2628 Wilshire Blvd (at 19th St), Santa Monica, CA
Thai Restaurant · 28 tips and reviews

YeyenYeyen: Get the silver noodles with extra veggies and tofu, with prick pow sauce, so good. You'll never wanna go back to pad thai.

Santa Monica Beach Lifeguard Stand 13 is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

19. Santa Monica Beach Lifeguard Stand 13

Beach, Santa Monica, CA
Beach · Ocean Park · No tips or reviews
Santa Monica Community Gardens is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

20. Santa Monica Community Gardens

8.0
2300 Main St (at Hollister), Santa Monica, CA
Garden · Ocean Park · 5 tips and reviews
Beach Beauty Culture is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

21. Beach Beauty Culture

15 Rose Ave Apt 1 (Speedway), Venice, CA
Hair Salon · 1 tip
Shoop's European Deli is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

22. Shoop's European Deli

7.2
2400 Main St Ste A1, Santa Monica, CA
Deli · Ocean Park · 31 tips and reviews
Library Alehouse is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

23. Library Alehouse

8.5
2911 Main St (btwn Kinney St & Ashland Ave), Santa Monica, CA
Gastropub · Ocean Park · 137 tips and reviews
Mindfulnest is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

24. Mindfulnest

2711 Main St (at Hill St), Santa Monica, CA
Arts and Crafts Store · Ocean Park · 5 tips and reviews
Basement Tavern is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

25. Basement Tavern

8.0
2640 Main St (at Ocean Park Blvd.), Santa Monica, CA
Speakeasy · Ocean Park · 61 tips and reviews
Sweet Rose Creamery is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

26. Sweet Rose Creamery

9.1
225 26th St (at San Vicente Blvd), Santa Monica, CA
Ice Cream Parlor · 115 tips and reviews
3 Square Café + Bakery is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

27. 3 Square Café + Bakery

1121 Abbot Kinney Blvd (btw San Juan Ave. & Westminster Ave.), Venice, CA
Café · 101 tips and reviews
Sunny Blue is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

28. Sunny Blue

8.7
2728 Main St (at Hill St), Santa Monica, CA
Japanese Restaurant · Ocean Park · 77 tips and reviews
Santa Monica Place is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

29. Santa Monica Place

9.1
395 Santa Monica Pl (at 3rd St), Santa Monica, CA
Shopping Mall · Downtown Santa Monica · 134 tips and reviews
Finn McCools is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

30. Finn McCools

2702 Main St (at Hill St), Santa Monica, CA
Irish Pub · Ocean Park · 56 tips and reviews
Blue Plate Santa Monica is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

31. Blue Plate Santa Monica

1415 Montana Ave (btwn 14th St. & 15th St.), Santa Monica, CA
American Restaurant · North of Montana · 60 tips and reviews

32. Vidiots

302 Pico Blvd (at 3rd St), Santa Monica, CA
Video Store · Ocean Park · 8 tips and reviews

YeyenYeyen: Best place for video rentals! Lots of underground movies!

Gilbert's El Indio is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

33. Gilbert's El Indio

8.6
2526 Pico Blvd (26th street), Santa Monica, CA
Mexican Restaurant · 69 tips and reviews
LF Stores is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

34. LF Stores

1426 Montana Ave (at 15th St.), Santa Monica, CA
Boutique · Wilshire-Montana · 5 tips and reviews
Stella Barra is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

35. Stella Barra

8.3
2000 Main St (btw Bay St & Bicknell Ave), Santa Monica, CA
Pizzeria · Ocean Park · 108 tips and reviews
Cha Cha Chicken is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

36. Cha Cha Chicken

9.1
1906 Ocean Ave (at Pico Blvd.), Santa Monica, CA
Caribbean Restaurant · Ocean Park · 172 tips and reviews
Lifeguard Tower 28 is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

37. Lifeguard Tower 28

8.7
Venice Beach, Santa Monica, CA
Surf Spot · Ocean Park · 8 tips and reviews
FIG Santa Monica is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

38. FIG Santa Monica

8.3
101 Wilshire Blvd (at Fairmont Miramar Hotel), Santa Monica, CA
Mediterranean Restaurant · Wilshire-Montana · 80 tips and reviews
R+D Kitchen is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

39. R+D Kitchen

8.4
1323 Montana Ave (at 14th St), Santa Monica, CA
Gastropub · North of Montana · 115 tips and reviews
Espresso Cielo is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

40. Espresso Cielo

8.3
3101 Main St (at Marine St), Santa Monica, CA
Coffee Shop · Ocean Park · 51 tips and reviews
Mt. Holyoke Ave Scenic Spot is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

41. Mt. Holyoke Ave Scenic Spot

7.1
401-499 N Mt Holyoke Ave (Earlham St.), Pacific Palisades, CA
Scenic Lookout · 3 tips and reviews
Ocean Park is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

42. Ocean Park

Santa Monica, CA
Neighborhood · 5 tips and reviews
Nordstrom is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

43. Nordstrom

8.3
220 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA
Women's Store · Downtown Santa Monica · 33 tips and reviews
Patrick's Roadhouse is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

44. Patrick's Roadhouse

7.5
106 Entrada Dr (Pacific Coast Hwy), Santa Monica, CA
Breakfast Spot · 30 tips and reviews
Santa Monica Farmers Market is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

45. Santa Monica Farmers Market

8.5
Arizona Ave (btwn 2nd & 4th St), Santa Monica, CA
Farmers Market · Downtown Santa Monica · 78 tips and reviews
Via Veneto is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

46. Via Veneto

8.8
3009 Main St (marine), Santa Monica, CA
Italian Restaurant · Ocean Park · 26 tips and reviews
Bru's Wiffle - A Waffle Joint is one of Guide to Santa Monica's best spots.

47. Bru's Wiffle - A Waffle Joint

8.5
2408 Wilshire Blvd (at 24th St), Santa Monica, CA
Breakfast Spot · 123 tips and reviews