Élephante

So, I recently found this awesome restaurant called Elephante on Instagram. Their pics of the ocean view and food looked so good that I had to make a reservation. I called ahead to check about high chairs and walk-ins, and the person who answered was super nice and said we could come in without a reservation.

When we got there, we were blown away by the ocean's view and seated at a table with a perfect view. The staff was attentive and quick to get a high chair for our little one. Our waiter was helpful and recommended we try their signature ONE WAY TICKET drink, which was terrific. It had rye whiskey, brucato woodlands, amaro ciociaro, and lemon oils, and it set the tone for the rest of the meal.

We started with the WHIPPED EGGPLANT with Puccia and olive oil, which was so creamy and delicious. For our main course, we went with the GULF SHRIMP with salsa rosa, and it was cooked perfectly. The salsa rosa added a tangy flavor that made the dish. We finished with the SPICY VODKA and canestri pasta, calabrian chili, basil, and Parmigiano. The pasta was cooked just right, and the spicy vodka sauce had perfect heat.

Overall, Elephante was terrific. The ambiance was great, the staff was attentive, and the food was perfect. If you're looking for a great dining experience, I highly recommend Elephante!

This place is absolutely stunning! It’s situated in between Santa Monica pier and the 3rd street promenade. There’s valet parking and also a public parking structure across the street ($28 all day).

You go in on 2nd street and take elevator up to rooftop. It’s super busy and lively. I do feel tables are super close to one another but overall it’s beautifully designed.

The food was delicious. I opted for the scramble with strawberry mint mock tail. We had the eggplant as an appetizer as well and it was of the heavens!!

Pricey but the food and views are great. I definitely recommend the whipped eggplant appetizer - it was really amazing. For five people, we were able to try what we wanted and get enough food with three entrees and four appetizers. Public parking lots are across the street but I do believe they have valet.

Super beautiful interior, the experience was awesome. The atmosphere was vibrant and energizing — a fabulous place to catch up, do 1:1’s, business meetings / meals, dates, birthday celebrations. I loved the ambience. The food is definitely intentionally made with effort and quality, it’s heavy in flavor. Not sure if it’s my favorite kind of flavor since I enjoy lighter and cleaner dishes but it is an Italian restaurant and pasta is usually full with cream/flavor at those restaurants. The food is decent — it’s good, depending on your taste. I got the cacio e Pepe and it was pretty good, the portion sizes are not big but are filling bc of the heavy sauce / cream. My friend had the meatballs and potatoes — the potatoes were pretty good. They have a cute bar area and overall it’s a great social setting. Would totally come back for the vibes and for fun!

One of the places that’s definitely worth the hype as their food is truly amazing. We went for a spontaneous brunch & were lucky to get a nice table in their sunset room. Loud music in the AM for sure has a vibe, it can get a bit tricky though to talk to each other… so we just enjoyed the ocean views even more.