Margot

Since its opening, this stylish restaurant has provided one of LA’s best outdoor dining experiences. The sprawling patio atop the mixed-use Platform complex delivers 360-degree city views from tables and lounge seating amidst potted plants and rustic flourishes. The dinner menu includes grilled focaccia with your choice of accompaniments, house-made pastas that will have you licking your plate clean, and bone-in pork chops with black garlic miso. Brunch and lunch offerings include French toast with cinnamon ricotta and fried chicken with Calabrian chile-infused honey. Bonus: IB Hospitality’s sister restaurant Norah in West Hollywood is another contender for best outdoor dining, with two lush patios and excellent food to boot.

Part of Culver City’s Platform shopping center, this a beautifully designed rooftop restaurant features 360-degree city views and a bustling indoor space that spills into a sweeping outdoor area. The loud, lively vibe makes Margot ideal for large groups, and the Italian/Mediterranean/Spanish menu’s full of easy-to-share dishes with a little something for everyone. Start with the excellent crudo bar (citrusy hamachi, juicy oysters, and jamon iberico are on offer) and tasty small plates (like cheese-stuffed piquillo peppers and ricotta-topped focaccia), then move onto heavier fare like their famous pastas (we recommend the yolky carbonara peppered with salty morsels of guanciale and the saffron-flavored, crab-filled tagliarini). Oh, and you’d be remiss not to order from the lineup of elevated cocktails too -- such as the bright, dandelion-infused vodka or creamy matcha colada.

Cap off your trip to the Platform dining and shopping complex with a visit to the rooftop, where you’ll find the airy and spacious Margot restaurant. With decor that takes inspiration from the white sand beaches and stunning ruins of the Mediterranean, Margot will make you forget that you’re actually in the bustling center of downtown Culver City. Enjoy views that stretch from the beach to inland valleys, while munching on small tapas plates in a boho-chic setting.