Elephante

Just a couple blocks from the beach, this downtown indoor-outdoor Santa Monica rooftop offers refreshing if expensive cocktails and a sizable wine list alongside an all-day menu of familiar Italian dishes. It’s hardly the most memorable take on small plates, pizzas, and pastas you’ll find on the west side, but you’ll enjoy pristine ocean views and sexy Mediterranean design (all the more swoon worthy after a couple of those cocktails). Groups of up sixteen can book the semi-private balcony with an ocean view. The cactus garden room is a quieter option with a glowing fireplace and seating for 30, but if we were you, we’d spring for the private ocean room instead, which seats 44.