FIG Santa Monica

FIG Santa Monica: The Verdict

Most people assume FIG is a hotel restaurant coasting on a convenient address inside the Fairmont Miramar. That assumption undersells it. Chef Damon Gordon runs a farm-to-table kitchen that has earned back-to-back recognition on the Opinionated About Dining Casual list for North America in 2024 and 2025, which puts it in credible company across a city that takes ingredient-driven cooking seriously. If you are staying at the Fairmont or working from Santa Monica's Wilshire corridor, this is a genuinely good restaurant, not just a convenient one. If you are driving in from elsewhere in LA specifically for farm-to-table cooking, the case is more conditional — but still worth making for the right timing.

First-Timer's Guide to FIG

Walk in expecting a hotel dining room and you will be pleasantly surprised by the spatial feel. FIG occupies an airy, open-plan room with access to an outdoor terrace, which is the seat to request. The layout is relaxed rather than formal — tables are comfortably spaced, lighting is warm without being theatrical, and the room reads as a proper restaurant rather than an afterthought tacked onto a lobby. For a first visit, request a terrace table when you book; the Santa Monica weather makes outdoor seating practical for much of the year, and it separates the experience from the hotel interior entirely.

The kitchen's focus is seasonal California produce executed with clear technical discipline. Farm-to-table as a category has been diluted across Los Angeles by restaurants that list local suppliers on the menu without letting that sourcing drive what ends up on the plate. FIG's OAD recognition signals it is not in that group. The comparison to note here: at the high end of LA's ingredient-driven spectrum you have venues like Providence, where the produce story is woven through a full tasting format at a much higher price point. FIG operates at a more accessible register, closer in format and ambition to what Lazy Bear does for San Francisco's mid-tier farm-focused dining, and better positioned than most hotel restaurants in the same city for that kind of cooking. For a broader look at where FIG sits in the city, see our full Los Angeles restaurants guide.

When to Go

Saturday is the strongest day to visit. FIG runs its full breakfast, brunch, and dinner service on Saturdays, with a late close at midnight that makes it one of the more flexible options on the Westside for a dinner that does not need to end early. Sunday brunch from 11:30 am is worth considering if you are already in Santa Monica; the pace is slower, the terrace gets good afternoon light, and the brunch format suits the farm-to-table kitchen better than a rushed weekday breakfast. Monday runs breakfast only, so skip it for anything other than a morning meal. For the most complete experience, Tuesday through Friday dinner or Saturday dinner are the calls to make. Avoid Monday-only visits unless your hotel checkout is the context.

How FIG Compares in the Farm-to-Table Category

Against peers using seasonal California produce as a core premise, FIG holds its position through consistency and accessibility rather than ambition at the tasting-menu tier. Restaurants like Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg or The French Laundry in Napa operate in the same broad tradition but at a commitment level , financially and logistically , that is several steps removed. FIG asks less of you and returns a reliable, well-sourced meal in a room that works. That is its actual value proposition. Among LA hotel restaurants specifically, it outperforms the category average, and the OAD casual ranking is a meaningful signal that it is being evaluated seriously beyond the hotel context. For farm-to-table cooking outside California, Smyth in Chicago and Lake Placid Lodge are useful reference points for how the same seasonal approach plays in different climates and price tiers. Other Los Angeles options worth knowing: Osteria Mozza for Italian produce-focused cooking, Kato for ingredient precision in a different tradition, and Somni if you want to see what California sourcing looks like pushed into a more technical format. Further afield for comparison: Le Bernardin in New York City, Emeril's in New Orleans, and Atomix in New York City all sit in adjacent territory of serious, sourcing-led cooking worth benchmarking against.

Practical Details

Reservations: Easy to book; no significant lead time required for most sittings, though Saturday dinner is worth booking a few days ahead. Address: 101 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401, inside the Fairmont Miramar. Hours: Monday breakfast only (7–11 am); Tuesday–Friday breakfast (7–11 am) and dinner (5–10 pm); Saturday breakfast, brunch, and late dinner (5 pm–12 am); Sunday brunch and dinner (11:30 am–11 pm). Awards: Opinionated About Dining Casual North America, ranked #790 (2025) and #789 (2024). Google rating: 4.4 from 548 reviews. Price range: Not published in our data; expect mid-range hotel restaurant pricing for Santa Monica. Dress: No data on dress code; the room reads smart casual based on the hotel setting. Explore more of what the city has to offer through our Los Angeles hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide.

FAQ

• Is lunch or dinner better at FIG Santa Monica? Saturday brunch (11:30 am–3 pm) is the most complete midday option and takes advantage of the terrace in good weather. For a full-format meal, Saturday or weekday dinner is the better call , the kitchen has more time and the menu typically opens up in the evening. Weekday breakfast is functional but not the reason to come.
• What should I order at FIG Santa Monica? Specific dishes are not confirmed in our data, so we will not invent them. What the OAD recognition does tell you is that the kitchen's seasonal California sourcing is its main strength , lean toward whatever is being highlighted as market-driven that week. Ask your server directly what is coming in fresh; the answer will tell you whether the kitchen is actually working that way.
• Is FIG Santa Monica good for solo dining? Yes. The terrace and the room's open layout make solo dining comfortable rather than awkward, which is not always the case in hotel restaurants. The mid-range price point keeps a solo meal from becoming an expensive commitment, and the easy booking means you can decide same-day without much friction. If you are solo in LA and looking for more counter-focused solo dining, Hayato is worth knowing, though at a very different price and formality level.
• Does FIG Santa Monica handle dietary restrictions? No specific menu data is confirmed, but farm-to-table kitchens that work with seasonal produce generally have more flexibility on dietary requests than fixed tasting-menu formats. Call ahead or note requirements at booking , the Fairmont hotel context means the restaurant is accustomed to accommodating guest needs. We do not have a direct phone number in our data, so contact through the Fairmont Miramar hotel directly.
• Can FIG Santa Monica accommodate groups? No private dining room data is confirmed. For groups, book as early as possible for weekend dinner , Saturday late service until midnight gives flexibility. The hotel setting suggests the restaurant can handle event-size requests through the hotel's events team. For large groups in LA with more confirmed private dining infrastructure, venues like Osteria Mozza may be a more direct option.
• What should a first-timer know about FIG Santa Monica? Do not write it off as a hotel restaurant before you go. The OAD casual ranking puts it among taken-seriously casual dining in North America, which is a higher bar than the address suggests. Request a terrace table, go for Saturday dinner or brunch for the fullest experience, and treat the seasonal menu as a guide to what the kitchen is actually doing well that week. Price and exact dress expectations are not confirmed in our data, so come prepared for smart-casual Santa Monica standards and mid-tier hotel restaurant spend.