The most romantic Valentine’s Day dinners in Los Angeles

Menu: Though normally closed on Wednesdays, Max Boonthanakit and Lijo George's Michelin-starred French bistro in the Arts District are holding their usual monthly Steak Frites dinner series on Valentine's Day. $95 will get you bread and butter, salad, an eight-ounce steak, half a lobster tail, frites, and a four-ounce serving of bubbly. 

Why you should book: This new-school fine dining spot is one of the city's best restaurants, thanks to its amazing cocktail program, stylish white-and-blue interior, first-rate pastry program, and last but not least, an elegant, sumptous bill of fare that subtly nods to Asian cuisine. The high-touch service and chic interiors make it perfect for Valentine's Day, especially for those who appreciate a modern take on French cuisine.  

Price: $95 per person plus beverage, tax and gratuity. 

Reservations: Book online via Resy.

Menu: Wolfgang Puck's newest L.A. restaurant is offering a three-course dinner menu for Valentine's Day. Nosh on a set of appetizers for the table that includes Kusshi oysters, bluefin tuna crispy rice and nigiri before diving into entrées like Peking duck for two or New York strip steak with Himalayan morel fried rice. All tables will receive a dazzling coconut rose dessert for two.

Why you should book: Thanks to stunning views of the hills, this hotel restaurant atop the Pendry West Hollywood is one of the most romantic restaurants in the city. Puck's trademark Cal--Asian-French cuisine may no longer be approach, but the Merois team still strives to flawlessly execute the celebrity chef's vision—and typically delivers. 

Price: $150 per person plus beverage, tax and gratuity.

Reservations: Book online via Sevenrooms. Note that all pre-paid bookings are non-refundable. 

Menu: Walter and Margarita Manzke's critically acclaimed Californian French eatery is offering a multi-course tasting menu with a full wine pairing, $85 glasses of Krug champagne and supplemental Périgord truffles. Though the exact menu is yet to be determined, expect lots of seasonal produce, high-quality meat and seafood. (Note that vegans can’t be accommodated.)

Why you should book: République has long been one of L.A.’s best restaurants, and though many might have turned towards the newer Manzke and Bicyclette, the charming former Campanile space is still an excellent place in terms of both atmosphere and cuisine to spend Valentine’s Day.

Price: $225 per person plus beverage, tax and gratuity. 

Reservations: Pre-pay and book online via OpenTable.

Menu: The iconic Wolfgang Puck restaurant is pulling out all the stops for Valentine's Day with a seven-piece band and live singer on the patio alongside a three-course meal. Sit up close outdoors for an extra $20 on top of the prix-fixe menu, or opt for the "VIP" showroom for $50 more. You can also add on chocolates, flowers and champagne to your evening.

Why you should book: Spago is an icon, and the glitzy 90210 locale will make your partner feel like a million bucks (in other words, within spitting distance of affording a regular-sized home in this city). While we don't think the kitchen will be particularly experimental on a day like Valentine's Day, the Asian-inflected Californian cuisine here never fails to deliver on gourmet ingredients, executed in a delicious way and a perfect fit for special occasions. 

Price: $270 per person plus beverage, tax and gratuity.

Reservations: Book online via Sevenrooms. Note that all pre-paid bookings are non-refundable. 

Menu: Suzanne Tracht's iconic chophouse on Beverly Boulevard will offer a three-course menu for Valentine’s Day. Start off with New England clam chowder, a Belgian endive Caesar salad or roasted beets before moving onto Tracht's well-executed takes on rib eye, halibut or braised pork shank. Choose between red velvet raspberry, heart-shaped chocolate raspberry or sorbet for dessert. Jar will also offer half-bottles of Dumangin and Billecart-Salmon brut rosé champagne.

Why you should book: Jar's famously sleek interiors and mood lighting have made it famous through on-screen appearances, including key scenes in La La Land and I Love You, Man, and the modern steakhouse still reads just as luxurious today. The classic cuisine here never fails to satisfy either—and we've been to dozens of steakhouses across town. If you’re looking for an impressive, timeless meal for Valentine’s Day, go here.

Price: $165 per person plus beverage, tax and gratuity. 

Reservations: Book online via OpenTable.

Menu: Walter and Margarita Manzke's traditional bistro will offer a six-course Valentine's menu highlighting seasonal ingredients and signature favorites from Bicyclette's regular menu.

Why you should book: We named Bicyclette our Best New Restaurant the year it opened, and while the upstairs tasting menu at Manzke is great for those who like to go all out on Valentine's Day, the downstairs bistro's green-and-wood interiors still offer more relaxed, still romantic Parisian vibes. Plus, everything on the menu is delicious and covered in butter. 

Price: $225 per person plus beverage, tax and gratuity. 

Reservations: Pre-pay and book online via OpenTable.

Menu: Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne’s rooftop restaurant at the Downtown L.A. Proper will serve a three-course prix fixe meal for Valentine’s Day.

Why you should book: With amazing views of Downtown, Cara Cara is one of our favorite rooftop restaurants in the city. After dark, the space transforms into a moody, dimly-lit restaurant perfect for Valentine’s Day.

Price: $120 per person plus beverage, tax and gratuity.

Reservations: Pre-pay and book online via OpenTable.

Menu: There may be no more maximalist V-Day prix-fixe menu in town than Angelini Osteria, where guests can choose from 10-plus options for their appetizer, entree and dessert. Each diner also receives a trio of stuzzichino to start the meal of marinated salmon, fregola sarda and chunks of Parmesan in saba, a balsamic-like condiment made from fermented grape juice. For those who prefer to dine outside, this traditional Italian trattoria off Beverly Boulevard also has a quiet, string-lit back patio.

Why you should book: L.A. is a city full of great Italian restaurants, but Gino Angelini’s eponymous neighborhood eatery keeps the mood feeling cozy and casual with excellent service and even better cuisine. If you’re looking for an unfussy dinner that still manages to feel special, this place is it. 

Price: $135 per person plus beverage, tax and gratuity.

Reservations: Book online via OpenTable or call 323-297-0070, extension 1.

Menu: Curtis Stone’s Hollywood chophouse will offer a decadent six-course surf and turf menu with menu details still to be announced.

Why you should book: Soft-lit, understated and elegant, the feel of Curtis Stone’s second L.A. restaurant is absolutely made for special occasions like Valentine’s Day, provided you and your date enjoy the taste of high-quality red meat and any and all methods of eating animals. 

Price: $195 per person plus beverage, tax and gratuity. 

Reservations: Book online via Resy.

Menu: David Beran's Santa Monica bistro is offering two different menus this Valentine's Day: A four-course dinner menu with supplemental oyster and caviar courses for $185 or an $80 drink and snack bocom that includes a glass of sparkling wine with your chose of cheese plate or a slice of gâteau opéra, a chocolate-glazed, coffee-soaked almond sponge layer cake that interperses ganache and buttercream. You can also celebrate one day earlier and get the same dinner menu for $40 cheaper. 

Why you should book: It's true, Pasjoli is one of the most expensive French restaurants in town—and the ambience, while charming enough, isn't exactly transportive. Nevertheless, Beran's excellent kitchen churns out some of the city's best cooking for those willing to pay, and the service team makes any night feel special. If your Valentine's doesn't care that much about ambience but appreciates a classical French cuisine, head to Pasjoli.

Price: $185 per person plus beverage, tax and gratuity.

Reservations: Pre-pay and book online via OpenTable.

Menu: Neal Fraser's stunning Downtown restaurant, located in an old Roman Catholic cathedral, will offer a three-course Valentine’s Day tasting menu (with vegetarian options) in Redbird’s main dining room and lounge. Choose from decadent appetizers like shigoku oysters with blood orange migonette to start, plus a rack of Australian lamb with borlotti beans as a main.

Why you should book: The breezily elegant rooms behind a former Catholic cathedral bring to mind romance, and Fraser's cuisine—whether you're doing the prix-fixe or the chef's tasting—wows with plenty of global flourishes whether or not it's Valentine's Day. 

Price: $185 per person for the main dining room prix-fixe.

Reservations: Book via OpenTable. 

Menu: While menu details are still to be announced, Downtown’s oldest rooftop restaurant and bar will serve a four-course prix fixe menu for Valentine’s Day.

Why you should book: This rooftop bistro is one of the prettiest in town—patterned tile floors, a dead-on view of City Hall, potted trees full of twinkly lights (and not to mention beautiful Downtown locals, plus a few hundred of their closest friends). 

Price: $135 per person plus beverage, tax and gratuity.

Reservations: Pre-pay and book online via OpenTable.

Menu: This Valentine’s Day, Soulmate in West Hollywood will offer a special six-course prix-fixe menu courtesy of head chef Rudy Lopez. Each diner will receive oysters (an aphrodisiac) to start, before moving onto several seafood-centric courses, including uni toast and black truffle and lobster risotto. Dessert consists of flourless chocolate cake. Vegan and vegetarian options are also available.

Why you should book: Beyond its extremely fitting name, the feel of this beautifully designed West Hollywood space turns particularly sultry at night. The excellent Spanish-Mediterranean cuisine and impeccable indoor-outdoor space have earned it a spot on our most romantic restaurants guide, if you're into more of a scene-y atmosphere for V-Day.

Price: $160 per person plus beverage, tax and gratuity.

Reservations: Book online via OpenTable.

Menu: With elegant Bollywood-inspired cocktails and an elevated approach to South Asian cooking, this New York City import is bringing a more flavorful twist to Valentine's Day with a four-course dinner menu. Each table will receive canapes, an appetizer and a main course accompanied by dal, Brussels sprout foogath and garlic naan, plus dessert. Highlights include cauliflower 65, seabass with sweet corn moilee (a mildly spiced Kerala-style seafood preparation) and Sujan Sarkar's memorable take on butter chicken.

Why you should book: The team behind Baar Baar has imbued the former Faith & Flower space with the kind of grand dining room ambience worthy of Valentine's Day. Throw in the playful Bollywood-inspired cocktails, excellent cooking and relatively reasonable pricing, and you've got a great dinner spot on the date night to end all date nights. 

Price: $75 per person.

Reservations: Book via OpenTable.

Menu: This Cal-Italian staple in Santa Monica is offering its usual menu à la carte as well as a five-course dinner for $105 per person. For those opting into the prix-fixe, the menu includes lobster pappardelle, six freshly shucked oysters, butter lettuce salad with Point Reyes blue cheese and breakfast radishes and a nine-ounce top sirloin steak with parsnip purée, aged balsamic vinegar and chives. For dessert, there's strawberry hibiscus cake. 

Why you should book: If you're looking for a casual, seasonally inspired Italian dinner for Valentine's without leaving the Westside, Milo + Olive is the perfect destination for the holiday. The ambience here is fairly low-key and the delicious cooking never fails to satisfy.

Price: $105 per person or à la carte plus beverage, tax and gratuity.

Reservations: Book online via Resy.

Menu: This California-inspired French bistro in Hollywood is serving a four-course prix fixe menu that includes caviar toast (or a wild mushroom truffle tartlet for vegetarians), steak tartare and New York steak. Finish your meal with the house sundae, which mixes Nutella ice cream, coffee whipped cream, salted caramel, hazelnuts and kumquats or lemon poppyseed cake with marscapone mousse.

Why you should book: The jewel box interior transports you to an intimate New York City bistro, while the outdoor patio area offers string lights and plenty of heaters. Plus, the drinks here are top notch. If your date enjoys a scene-y restaurant (or works or aspires to work in the fashion, music or entertainment industries), Gigi’s just might be the place for Valentine’s Day.

Price: $150 per person plus beverage, tax and gratuity.

Reservations: Pre-pay and book online via Resy.

Menu: Walter and Margarita Manzke’s Michelin-starred tasting menu restaurant in Pico-Robertson will offer a multi-course special menu for Valentine’s Day with options for vegetarians and pescatarians.

Why you should book: With impeccable desserts, flawless service and a wealth of gourmet meat and seafood, this tasting experience is easily one of the most impressive (and expensive) ways to spend Valentine’s Day. Also, Manzke’s brioche with Rodolphe Le Meunier butter is our favorite bread courses of the city’s many tasting menus.

Price: $495 per person plus beverage, tax and gratuity. 

Reservations: Pre-pay and book online via OpenTable.

Menu: This Valentine’s Day, the always-romantic Il Cielo will pull out all the stops with fresh rose petals on every table and a decadent three-course meal. 

Why you should book: While the Italian fare here isn’t exactly our favorite, this Beverly Hills icon has long been considered one of the most romantic restaurants in the city. If your Valentine isn’t the type to care about food, but to really, really care about atmosphere, this is the place for you.

Price: $225 per person plus beverage, tax and gratuity.

Reservations: Pre-pay and book online via OpenTable.