If you want to really impress a date and you’re willing to spend some dough, take them to one of the high-end restaurants for dinner in Beverly Hills. These are my favorite restaurants, along with some other great activities to do there with a date, day or night!
1. Spago
Probably the most famous high-end restaurant in Beverly Hills (and perhaps the world) is Wolfgang Puck’s Spago. If you really want to impress a date (especially a foodie), this is the ultimate place to take them to.
The fame behind Spago is not hype. The food there really is amazing, even if the ambiance does resemble that of a hotel restaurant. Of course, the service is great, and as a bonus, you might see a celebrity or two while you’re there (we saw Kate Hudson).
Read my full review of Spago.
2. Funke
The trendiest restaurant of the moment in Beverly Hills is probably Funke, which just opened in 2023. Saying that chef Evan Funke has a passion for pasta is a gross understatement; in his own words, he is “maniacal” about it. You can even watch a documentary movie about his pasta journey.
Adding to his restaurants, Felix in Venice and Mother Wolf in Hollywood, Funke is a 10,000-square-foot space where no expense was spared. Like Felix, it has a glass “pasta lab” where you can watch the masters at work making the pasta. On the roof, you’ll find Bar Funke, with panoramic views of the surrounding area.
Needless to say, you’ll score huge points if you bring a date here!
3. Il Cielo
Undoubtedly one of the most romantic restaurants on all of the West Side, Il Cielo is adorned with thousands of tiny lights on the walls. Reviewers describe the ambiance as “magical” and “enchanting”. If you are looking for an amazing date experience for a special occasion, it would be hard to do better than Il Cielo unless you’re a foodie seeking out a famous chef like Wolfgang Puck.
4. The Hideaway
If you want to impress someone but not make it look like you’re trying to, take them to The Hideaway on the bottom level of the Rodeo Collection mall (below ground level). It’s a casual restaurant but actually has a super romantic vibe both during the day and at night. I love how the roof opens up to the sky. At night you can see the bistro lights above.
And they serve great Mexican food! This place really is a hidden gem, so let’s keep The Hideaway our little secret!
5. Cut (Inside the Beverly Wilshire Hotel)
Cut is Wolfgang Puck’s take on the classic steakhouse, and earned a Michelin Star in 2019. Of course, it’s insanely pricey. But, the food, ambiance, and service are outstanding (of course). Plus, dining here is a great excuse to explore the exquisite Beverly Wilshire Hotel.
If you just want a drink at the hotel, check out the Cut Lounge.
6. Avra (Greek and seafood)
Avra is by far the most expensive Greek restaurant that I’ve been to, but the food and ambiance are darn impressive there.
Located in a huge indoor/outdoor space on Beverly Drive in the heart of Beverly Hills, Avra was packed on a Sunday night when many other restaurants in the area were barely one quarter full.
It’s got a great ambiance and lively atmosphere. It’s a tad noisy, but still OK for date conversation across a table.
My wife and I were honestly taken aback at the prices for a Greek restaurant. Typical main courses started at almost $50 each, not including sides, which are kind of necessary for some dishes. There was also no salad for under $20. But, this is Beverly Hills.
But, we loved the jumbo prawns with eggplant moussaka, as well as the Chilean seabass. Both were cooked perfectly.
At the recommendation of our server, we chose the walnut cake with vanilla gelato for dessert and were not disappointed! The cake had kind of a baklava flavor to it.
So if you don’t mind forking over the dough, Avra is a lively choice with great Greek and seafood cuisine.
7. Other Great Date Restaurants in Beverly Hills
Of course, there are many other great high-end date restaurants in Beverly Hills. Some of my favorites include La Dolce Vita, Crustacean, Ocean Prime, Il Fornaio, Mirame (Mexican), Matu (steak), Nua (Middle Eastern, inside the Crescent Hotel), and Il Pastaio.
For great ambiance and views, Sant’olina at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel is a good choice. The Mediterranean restaurant is super romantic at night, and you just might see a celebrity.
For probably the best views in Beverly Hills, check out The Rooftop by JG, at the top of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel just next door to the Beverly Hilton. The views and ambiance are acknowledged by all to be outstanding, while some say the food is overpriced. In any case, you can’t go wrong if you just go for drinks.
Keep reading for some ideas on what to do after dinner in Beverly Hills.
8. After-Dinner Walk at Beverly Cañon Gardens
There are not a lot of things to do in Beverly Hills at night after dinnertime, but taking a stroll through Beverly Cañon Gardens can be a great way to extend a dinner date that is going well (or salvage one that isn’t). I wouldn’t go to the trouble of driving here just for this, but if you’re already in the area, it’s worth a walk-through.
The attractions at the gardens are constantly changing, but when we were there it was very Instagrammable, with brightly colored signs, light shows, and even a heart-shaped selfie station!
It’s only one city block wide, so it’s not huge, but it’s good to keep this place in mind as a great after-dinner hangout.
9. After-Dinner Walk at Via Rodeo
Via Rodeo, probably the biggest tourist attraction in Beverly Hills, is another good place for an after-dinner stroll. The shopping area there is officially called 2 Rodeo. It’s a very short street, and at night pretty much all of the stores will be closed, but you can still window shop and take selfies along with the tourists to prolong the experience.
You can also window shop at the expensive stores on almost any of the streets in the Golden Triangle area.
At this point, I’ll be talking about daytime date ideas in Beverly Hills.
10. Picnic at Will Rogers Memorial Park
To be clear, I’m not talking about the Will Rogers hiking trail in the Santa Monica Mountains here. But rather, I’m talking about the charming and secluded historic Will Rogers Memorial Park in Beverly Hills just south of Sunset Boulevard.
Constructed in 1912, this was the first public park in Beverly Hills. The small, triangle-shaped park features wonderful trees surrounding a central pond with a fountain. It’s the perfect spot for a quiet picnic or a short walk (it’s not very big) after brunch with someone special.
You really feel like you’ve been transported to some other time and place when you’re in this lovely oasis. Conveniently, it has an on-site restroom too. Parking is usually available on the surrounding streets.
11. Daytime Stroll at Beverly Gardens Park (The Beverly Hills Sign)
You’ve probably passed Beverly Gardens Park on Santa Monica Boulevard a million times on your way to West Hollywood from West L.A. It’s the long strip of grass and trees along SM Blvd. in Beverly Hills.
I passed it a bunch of times too before stopping to check it out. Turns out, it’s quite a charming park! It’s got shaded pathways, outdoor sculptures, a rose garden, and of course, an Instagram-ready Beverly Hills sign. There’s free two-hour parking in the adjacent residential streets. The downside of this park is that it’s adjacent to busy Santa Monica Boulevard, but somehow the road noise isn’t as bad as you’d expect and this park can actually be serene.
I admit this place is somewhat touristy, but it’s still a lovely place to walk off a meal after having lunch in one of the fine restaurants in Beverly Hills, or even to go for a picnic, which I have done as well.
12. Mr. Brainwash Art Museum
This new pop art museum gets high marks for fun and humorous exhibits, with 4.5 stars on Yelp! Mr. Brainwash is French artist Thierry Guetta, previously known in the Beverly Hills community for his street art throughout the city.
You have to buy tickets online, but often you can get them on your phone, usually on the same day. Cost is $20 with discounts for seniors and students with ID. It takes about 45 minutes to an hour to go through the museum. Check the website in advance because they are only open on a few days of the week.
13. Coffee
If you want to meet up for coffee in Beverly Hills, there are lots of good options.
In the “Golden Triangle” area of Beverly Hills, there’s the ever-popular Alfred Coffee, the most convenient place to get coffee if you want to walk across the street to Beverly Gardens Park to take a selfie in front of the Beverly Hills Sign. The only downside is that there is usually a significant line.
Other nearby coffee options include Euro Cafe, Avva Coffee, La Colombe Coffee Roasters, and Cafe’ Sheera.
For a coffee house with a surprisingly Bohemian vibe, check out Croft Alley. It’s more out-of-the-way on Brighton but still in the Golden Triangle. They have a great matcha latte.
The area of South Beverly Boulevard that is south of Wilshire is surprisingly walkable with lots of coffee options including Blue Bottle, Philz Coffee, and Urth Caffé, one of my favorite local coffee chains. The only problem with Urth is that it is often very crowded. If it is when you go, a great alternative is the warm and charming Pascal on Beverly with its great coffee and excellent French pastries.
14. Greystone Mansion Park
The historic Greystone estate is owned by the City of Beverly Hills and the grounds are usually open to the public for free! You can’t usually go inside the mansion; the charm here is to simply walk the beautiful gardens and grounds just like you would with a regular park. Nothing more, nothing less.
The mansion was built between 1927 and 1929 by Edward Doheny and sold to the City of Beverly Hills in 1965 for $1.3 million. If you’re into TV and movies, a huge number of them were filmed here.
The hours are 10 AM to 5 PM most days except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and special events. This place is well worth a visit! There is ample free on-site parking.
Surprisingly, this place is usually pretty quiet. You almost feel like you’re trespassing when you’re on the property, which adds to the fun. It’s usually not very crowded so you could even film your own little skit here, just for fun!
15. The Beverly Hills Farmers Market
I think farmers’ markets are fun to go to on dates, and Beverly Hills has a good one every Sunday (except for major holidays and during the LA Marathon) from 9 AM to 1 PM. It’s located along the 9300 block of Civic Center Drive, between Third Street and Santa Monica Boulevard. There’s free 2-hour parking at the Civic Center parking structure (enter on Rexford Drive)!
16. Virginia Robinson Gardens
If you’re older, you might remember the Robinson’s department store. Well, the folks who founded that department store created the first estate in Beverly Hills in 1911, later gifted to Los Angeles and now known as Virginia Robinson Gardens.
If you enjoy touring exquisite estate gardens, and you want a quiet getaway, you’ll enjoy this. You can only access the grounds through a tour, and by reservation only. Tours cost $15 per person.
If you’re not sure whether you’d be into this, you can check out Greystone Manor for free!
More Date Ideas in the Surrounding Areas
As you can see, Beverly Hills is not just a destination to go for expensive dinners. There are also a surprising number of interesting things to do there during the day as well! Questions? What are your favorite spots in Beverly Hills? Please leave a comment below!
Check out more great date ideas in these nearby areas:
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