Michael's Santa Monica Reviews

A bit late in posting this review, but we held our wedding at Michael’s Santa Monica in April 2023 and can’t rave enough about the caliber of our experience! Between the expert staff (with big shout-outs to Michael, Nathan, Inez, Evelyn, and Chef Job), gorgeous venue, and incredible food+drinks, we could not have been happier. As those who’ve been to Michael’s already know, the indoor/outdoor experience is magical – including transition from day to night – and they truly go above and beyond to make everything perfect. Without any hesitation, we HIGHLY recommend Michael’s for drinks/dinner or a special event. Our wedding had 96 guests and we even spiced it up with a live flamenco show. Could not have been better. Bravo!!!

This place was PERFECT for my Bachelorette dinner the Friday before my wedding! Laura (the events manager) was super accommodating when we were finding a last minute location in Santa Monica - not an easy feat! Laura and Michael (the owner) immediately started getting the details together to make this night one that me and my bridesmaids/girlfriends would never forget! It was private, the perfect ambiance, great food, delicious and generous cocktails, and very quick service!

Thank you again to Laura and Michael! It was the perfect spot to grab a bite, a drink, and prepare for a night of dancing and karaoke for my last bash!

I can't believe it's been almost a year since our amazing wedding at Michael's! I'm still getting comments about how amazing this experience was. People are STILL talking about how great the food was and how elegant, yet relaxed, the entire evening was. I'm extremely pleased with how this all came together. Michael's (and Laura) were so accommodating and worked with us to create a night we'll remember forever.

The whole experience at Michaels was amazing from beginning to end.
The outdoor patio was magical and the food was over the top, certainly not what you would expect at a wedding.
Laura was so sweet and great to work with as was the entire staff.
The atmosphere was romanic and intimate, yet easily held 100 guests.
Michael's art collection exhibited throughout the restaurant-even in the bathrooms, also added to the uniqueness of the space.
The night was perfect. thanks!!

We absolutely loved every minute planning our wedding at Michaels. Laura, the coordinator, is a dream to work with! She went above and beyond to help coordinate our perfect wedding. So many guests have since told us that our wedding was the best wedding they had ever been to, and we owe it all to Laura, Miles (the AMAZING chef), the wonderful staff, and the beautiful setting that Michael's offers. You will not be disappointed!!!

You know you've done well when your event planning friends and colleagues say, "This was seriously the best wedding I've ever been to!" When I asked what it was that made our wedding better then the rest, the answer was simple. THE FOOD.

Don't get me wrong. This venue has it all. In reflection of our experience, I am so glad that we chose Michael's. Having our wedding at a restaurant removed the stress of renting furniture, utensils, staff, etc. The art collection and gorgeous garden left nothing to be desired when it came to the decor. Laura, Michael, and the entire staff made us feel at ease as they had every detail under control. It was truly a no-stress day that was beautiful, delectable, and unforgettable.

Michael's was the perfect choice for our wedding. We had 75 guests seated family style in the restaurant's indoor/outdoor garden. We turned the inside of the restaurant into our dance floor, lounge area, and bar. The restaurant walls are already decorated with art by some of LA's most iconic contemporary artists, so we didn't need to change a thing. Michaels is a well-established high end restaurant, so the staff is beyond professional and each of our guests were treated like VIPs. Michael's Events Manager, Laura is thoughtful, organized, and on top of every detail. The owner Michael—a local celebrity—has had this Santa Monica landmark for over 30 years and he was there to welcome our guests and make them feel at home.

Finally, back to the food... the chef Miles Thompson (now nominated for a James Beard Rising Star Award) although incredibly busy, actually sat down with us before the wedding to make sure that the menu was exactly what we wanted. It was not a catered meal, or a rubber chicken dinner. It was mouthwatering perfection and all of our guests were in food heaven.

I will be forever grateful to Michael's for all that they did for us and I look forward to many anniversary dinners there in the future.

Michael’s hosted our wedding one month ago tomorrow, and it was the most magical evening! I spent most of the night kicking myself for being the bride and not getting to experience the most perfect party I’ve ever been to as a guest, which obviously would have been amazing. (Still okay as the bride though, I guess ;).) What makes Michael’s so great is that you can have a party there that feels totally intimate, refined, and lavish all at once, and I think at weddings, that is just such an impossible tone to strike. It was really important to me that my guests feel totally spoiled -- so many of them were making long trips across the country to get there -- and Michael’s totally, absolutely delivered on that. I have received an outpouring of unsolicited gratitude from almost every guest, commenting in particular on the ethereal space, the delicious and abundant food, and amazing drinks (especially our custom Bessito – named after our sweet pup, Bessa – crafted for us special based on 2 or 3 images I pinned on pinterest). Laura, the coordinator there, is an absolute wonder. She held my hand through the whole planning process and brought all of my half-baked ideas to life to every last detaikl, including seeing to it that we had custom-made signage that matched our signing poster (which I had ordered at the last minute off of etsy) and for our table numbers that matched our programs and placecards. We had just under 100 guests, but honestly I think the space is perfect for even a bit more than that. We had the most amazing, intimate candlelit dinner in the garden and terrace space with these amazing long tables and fruit/floral liners, which just perfectly complemented the lush walls around the garden. (Since we had our ceremony in the garden as well, the staff was totally wonderful about flipping the space fully and seamlessly during cocktail hour.) Thank you so much Michael’s for making our wedding night so memorable for us and our guests – highly recommend!

Thank you for over accommodating providing such great service!

I recently had my wedding at Michael’s and it was amazing! You get the whole restaurant to yourself. Our guests all raved about the food! Everything was tasty, but the peruviana beans stole the show. Whiskey selection was great.

The garden is beautiful and the events coordinator Laura was so easy to work with. From the very beginning to viewing the venue to wrapping up all the final details after the fact, she has made the whole process so easy.

I would highly recommend Michael’s for your wedding!

We were fortunate to have our rehearsal dinner at Michaels in summer 2016. We had it there because of the delicious food, affordability, and my bride's grandfather was married there many years ago. Everything went perfectly! We had about 80 guests and they shut down the whole restaurant for us. Weather was perfect, food was amazing, and the venue is beautiful. The staff was professional and stayed out of the way so we could enjoy the night. They even gave us a few bottles of wine and champagne at the end of the night to take home with us as a favor! The coordinator Laura is truly a professional. She knew everything about the place, got back to us with all our questions quickly, and was extremely helpful in the days leading up to the event. We are thrilled we had the rehearsal at Michael's and are planning on using it for bday parties and other small events in the future.

Our board had an amazing dinner out in the garden on a Thursday night. It is the best board dinner we ever had. The garden was just beautiful with the light and ambience, and the food was great. The staff quickly accommodated our last minute addition of kids by making them a special menu and treating them very sweetly. We spent a little bit more than we usually do on this event, and boy, the quality between our last event and this event was night and day. Also, the event manager was just so gracious and helpful. She has an excitement and pride about the place that made me know immediately we had made the right choice. I hope to do this event here every summer. ORDER THE FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE.