Tar & Roses, Santa Monica : Une institution de Santa Monica qui continue de briller

The Restaurant

There's a particular kind of Santa Monica restaurant that has been around long enough to become part of the neighbourhood's fabric — the kind of place that locals recommend without hesitation, that fills up on a Tuesday, and that doesn't need to announce itself. Tar & Roses is that restaurant.

Chef Andrew Kirschner opened Tar & Roses on Santa Monica Boulevard in 2012, and the concept has remained consistent ever since: a wood-fired oven at the heart of the kitchen, a menu built around the best of Southern California's produce, and a dining room that feels like a neighbourhood gathering place rather than a destination restaurant. Jonathan Gold of the Los Angeles Times once wrote that Tar & Roses "may also mark the first time in our nation's history when cauliflower became more delicious than prime steak" — a line that captures both the kitchen's ambition and its approachability.

The room itself is warm and unpretentious: exposed brick, pendant lighting, an open kitchen that lets the wood smoke drift through the dining room. It's the kind of space that works for a birthday dinner, a date, or a long solo meal at the bar.

The Food

The wood-fired oven is the engine of everything at Tar & Roses, and Kirschner uses it with real intelligence. The heat is not a gimmick — it's a technique, and the results are consistently better than what a conventional kitchen produces.

The crispy fried snapper is the dish that defines Tar & Roses. Served whole, standing upright, the fish is fried to a shattering crispness that gives way to clean, sweet flesh. It arrives at the table looking dramatic and tastes even better than it looks. Daniel's note: "They're very famous for their crispy fried snapper, which is fried and it's sort of standing up the whole fish." If you order nothing else, order this.

The chicken liver mousse is a study in restraint — silky, rich, and precisely seasoned, served with toast and a sharp accompaniment that cuts through the fat. It's the kind of dish that reminds you how good simple food can be when the technique is right.

Octopus skewers are a regular on the menu and consistently well-executed: charred at the edges, tender through the centre, with enough acid in the accompaniment to keep the dish bright.

Sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes) appear regularly on the menu and are worth ordering when available. Daniel's take: "I think they're called Jerusalem artichokes in other countries. They're called sunchokes here. But yeah, the food was excellent."

The steak for two rounds out a serious meal — well-sourced, properly rested, and served with the kind of confidence that comes from a kitchen that knows what it's doing.

The Wine List

The wine list at Tar & Roses is one of its underrated strengths. It's California-forward without being parochial, with strong representation from the Central Coast and Santa Barbara County alongside a well-chosen selection of European bottles. The by-the-glass options are genuinely interesting — not the usual suspects — and the staff know the list well enough to make useful recommendations.

For a Santa Barbara County driving weekend, the list offers a natural extension of the wine country experience: many of the same producers you'd visit on the Santa Ynez Valley roads appear here, poured by the glass in a Santa Monica dining room.

Practical Details

Address: 602 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Reservations: Via OpenTable — recommended, especially on weekends
Hours: Dinner nightly; check the website for current hours
Best dishes: Crispy fried snapper (whole), chicken liver mousse, octopus skewers, sunchokes
Wine: Strong California focus, excellent by-the-glass selection
Best for: Birthday dinners, date nights, serious food lovers
Price point: Mid-to-high; plan for $80–120 per person with wine

Staying nearby? The Fairmont Miramar is a short walk and offers the best beach address in Santa Monica, with FIG restaurant as a strong breakfast option the morning after.