Best Restaurants for Foodies in Culver City

We came for their Christmas Day dinner. It was unbelievable as every dish was 5 stars. Their steak is a must. Butternut squash soap is delicious and obviously you can’t go wrong with their milk bread.

We go here for my wife's birthday which is on Christmas Eve. Not many places are open then and we really like the food and hospitality of AOC. Even though they don't take requests, they had a nice table for us indoors. It made it extra special to have carolers as well.

We had booked a reservation for Christmas Eve a month in advance, but when we arrived we were not seated for 30 minutes past our reservation time. Nevertheless, once we were seated the service was prompt and friendly, and all of the food was delicious. The various vegetable sides were terrific, including the broccolini, the kombucha squash, and the carrots.

Absolutely delicious! Congrats to Chef Mairinger for this Austrian-German gem of a restaurant. It was our 2nd visit with a slightly changed menu this time. My wife had the German veal schnitzel with mushroom sauce with Spätzle and the cucumber salad. I had the sausage sampler with Sauerkraut. We started with the Pretzel Basket. The spreads alone were outstanding. For dessert we got a box with a selection of cookies. I think these were a Christmas special?! Anyhow. We devoured them at home, and they were equally good. The place is a bit on the pricier side, but worth every penny!

The Vespertine experience is off the charts amazing. This was our second visit (our first was pre-pandemic). Some things have changed about the experience, but what you truly are there for, the food, hasn't and it is absolute art. I've been a Jordan Khan fan for a long time, and every time I'm at one of his restaurants, I'm always awed by his creativity. The menu items always work together to tell a story, but the flavor profiles are so different with each course. The service is first rate knowledgable and friendly. Both times we've visited we've had a great time with the service staff. They know the menu deeply, and love to talk about it, or any other fun topic that comes up. The restaurant isn't pretentious at all. It's a bit like being at home, especially if you sit upstairs with a larger party, sitting on your patio or deck and being served the meal of a lifetime. If you do sit upstairs, definitely bring a jacket b/c it's open air. There's heaters and blankets, but it still can be chilly. We went two days ago and all of us are still thinking about he experience, and not the cost. Which is pretty remarkable considering how costly this restaurant is, but both times I've gone to Vespertine, I've left thinking, 'That was totally worth it!'