Reviews for Rustic Canyon in Santa Monica, CA
4.4/5 We went to the rustic canyon for a birthday celebration after reading great reviews about it. We ordered almost everything... on the menu as for the most part, the plates are on the smaller side. The best dish we tried was the pork chops with salmon roewhich were absolutely incredible. While a lot of the plates were good, some of them were also a little underwhelming. Theanchovies dish in particular was extremely salty. I understand that canned anchovies are salty, but there are ways to tone downthe salt levels like using acidity. All in all, the creativity was greatly admired, the service was great, and the pork chopswere incredible. We at the Zasón guide give them a Ç for creativity and the pork chop dish. Read more
Delicious dinner Should have gotten the beets and berries Overall very happy. Pasta and morels was favorite. Very rich,Smokey... and earthy. So amazing Read more
Come prepared to eat with both your eyes and your mouth. The good looking staff ( aspiring actors, perhaps ) will be a feast for... the windows of your soul, making up for the lack of colors in the food. The chef incorporates a great deal of local ingredients( California cuisine as it is referred apparently) as seen in all the brand names in the ingredients and concocts dishes thatare fresh and tasty. However, they really lack in presentation. Truly, the eyes need to eat before the mouth. Also, the staffand the kitchen could have done a better job at the order the food was brought out. We ordered multiple entrees to share betweenus 2 and some really strong flavor dishes came out before the milder flavored ones. Overall, I came for the one Michelin starand ended up subtracting a star from the overall score Read more
Reservations? Glad we had them. Granted, it wasn't too busy at 5:25pm on a Tuesday, but it got busy soon after. When I tasted... the food, I knew why. Fun fact, Michelin Star restaurants are called such due to their origin from the Michelin Tire companywhich started a guidebook featuring restaurants of high quality and taste. Rustic Canyon is a Michelin Star restaurant! Don't besurprised when you see the Michelin Man holding toothpicks at the door. That's a good sign. The staff? Knowledgeable, friendly,and quick. The food? Perfectly portioned, exquisite, and tasteful. Everything we ordered was delicious, even if some dishes weresurprising in their ingredients. Cousin to Birdie G's, make this a must in Santa Monica. Read more
Delicious and inspirational cuisine. The endive and pork chop dishes stood out as our favorites, but nothing disappointed.... Ingredients were fresh and well used in each. Complex and varied textures were a focus we both enjoyed. And while it amped upthe brightness, food was a tad salty on some dishes. Both drinks we ordered were delightful: Bloodshot and The Good Decision.Well balanced and interestingly nuanced. Service was very attentive and knowledgeable and decisively improved the experience.Great work here! Rustic Canyon was a wonderful way to enhance our anniversary night. Read more
Very tasty food with great, mindful service. They had a snap pea dish which was perfect. There was a unique dessert in the... photo. The fish was perfectly cooked.. This place deserves the Michelin star. Read more
Great food, great ingredients, and usually great execution. Rustic Canyon is easily one of my top 3 restaurants in the LA area... and I've been back again and again. Some of the dishes can be misses because they change their menu multiple times a week, butthe mainstays are all fantastic. While the cost is on the higher end, the pricing is easily fair for what you get. Thebeets/berries, sourdough pasta, gem salad, and bread are all wonderful. I personally did not enjoy the chicken that they are sowell known for, it was too sweet and not balanced which was a surprise and I have not ordered it again. I also recommend tryingmultiple desserts as their dessert chef is quite good! Read more
This restaurant is contemporary Californian, with a unique wine list and unique dishes, or the way they are prepared. Fried pork... belly with pickled veggies was not my favorite, as the overall taste was pickled veggies. Pork chop and sourdough pasta werereally good. Deserts were also very unique and different. Definitely a different experience. Read more