Milo + Olive

This California-inspired bakery and restaurant isn't the first place you might think when you think “Italian cuisine,” but Milo + Olive’s wood-fired pizzas, housemade pastas and seriously delicious garlic knot have made this an all-day restaurant an indisputable Santa Monica mainstay. The pizza here uses a mix of Sperry organic and whole wheat flours, a lower-than-normal oven temperature and a two-day fermentation process to create a thick, chewy crust that’s one of the best pizzas in the city. Beyond that, the wickedly good bolognese and chicken milanese on the menu rival many of the more Italian-Italian options around town. The modern industrial ambience isn’t much to look at, but if you can look past the somewhat casual environs, the simple-sounding pastas here do more than merely please a crowd—they demand a standing ovation. For dessert, look to the gianduja budino, bourbon-laced tiramisu and an affogato made with Sweet Rose Creamery vanilla ice cream and your choice of Bonito Coffee Roasters espresso or Nekohama matcha.