Photo courtesy of Theía Restaurant.
Valentine’s Day is this Sunday and we have some dining suggestions for you! Though many Los Angeles restaurants have opened for outdoor dining again, not everyone is ready to return to restaurants at this point. On that note, we’ve provided plenty of options for enjoying a special restaurant meal at home, along with a number of eateries that will be serving on patios and terraces over Valentine’s weekend. You’ll find choices, from decadent luxuries to meals with more accessible price points, below.
On Valentine’s weekend, Chef Akasha Richmond’s healthy comfort food will be available for takeout, delivery, and patio dining. Some Akasha standouts: several amour-themed cocktails (Blood Orange Love Potion, Passion Project, Old Fashioned Hanky Panky, and more); champagne and pea risotto; and a Valentine’s Sweet Box ($20) with a variety of cookies and truffles, many vegan or gluten-free. For delivery or to-go, order via TOCK 24 hours in advance. The newly reopened patio will be open from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. on February 12-14.
Savor a luxurious Valentine’s dinner at home courtesy of Brentwood’s Baltaire restaurant. Dinner includes ahi tuna poke, mache and endive salad, your choice of prime filet mignon and lobster tail or blue crab crusted Chilean sea bass, along with dauphinoise potatoes and roasted baby vegetables, and dessert: strawberry and chocolate tart, plus a strawberry dipped in white chocolate. Choose between Laurent Perrier La Cuvee Brut Champagne or Joseph Swan RRV Pinot Noir. This feast for two, $220, is available both February 13 and 14 and can be ordered here.
Carbon Beach Club at Malibu Beach Inn is offering an elegant Valentine’s Day weekend prix fixe menu featuring Burrata Calabrese or salad, roasted rack of lamb or Ora King salmon, beetroot chocolate cake or panna cotta, and a limoncello digestif. Dinner is $76 per person or $90 each paired with two wines. You can order this dinner to go by calling 800.426.5438.
Celestino Ristorante‘s special Valentine’s Day offering is a five-course prix fixe meal for $75, or $100 with wine or prosecco. Dinner includes sweet corn soup, mushroom souffle, and risotto with beets and goat cheese paired with heart-shaped ravioli stuffed with shrimp in lobster sauce. Then, savor sea bass or chicken roulade, and finish with a surprise Valentine’s Day dessert. Located in Pasadena, the patios at Celestino’s will be open all three Valentine’s weekend evenings. The menu can also be ordered for pickup or delivery by calling 626.795.4006.
Valentine’s Day Picnic Box. Photo courtesy of Destroyer.
Destroyer is the daytime-only cafe from Chef Jordan Kahn, the Michelin-starred chef behind Vespertine. Destroyer’s special Valentine’s Day picnic box, $55, includes three artisanal cheeses, a baguette, honey, jam, pickles, nuts, and a slice of devil’s food cake. Available for pickup or delivery, you can order through Destroyer’s online store for pickup or local delivery between Friday, February 12 and Sunday, February 14.
Authentic Italian cuisine is the order of the day at Downtown’s Drago Centro. The four-course prix fixe Valentine’s dinner includes hamachi crudo or roasted beet salad, seafood risotto or mushroom ravioli, New York steak or seared scallops, and chocolate cake or cheesecake for dessert. Priced at $95 per person, this dinner is available on Drago Centro’s patio February 12-14 and for takeout or delivery on February 12 and 13. To order directly, call 213.228.8998.
Gastro Garage, a lively dining pop-up atop the W Hotel in Hollywood, returns on weekends in February and March, including Valentine’s Day weekend! This progressive dinner, cooked with blowtorches, takes place on the W’s rooftop, offering views of the Hollywood sign, DTLA, and the Griffith Observatory. (You can find a review with more info here). On Valentine’s weekend, enjoy Gastro Garage at 8:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and at 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Valentine’s Day. Tickets, purchased through Eventbrite, are $100 per person.
One of LA’s earlier health-minded eateries — it’s been around since the 1970s — Hugo’s in West Hollywood and Valley Village is offering three different Valentine’s Day meal packages priced at $35-60 for two. Options include salad and lamb shank, Caesar salad and pan-roasted salmon, and quinoa beet salad with falafel plates. A margarita kit, a martini kit, and prosecco or wine are optional add-ons. You can schedule your order here.
Soulmate Box. Photo courtesy of Krispy Rice.
Katsuya’s delivery-only sister restaurant Krispy Rice is offering three special sushi packages for Valentine’s Day… and the entire month of February, in fact. “Hold My Handroll,” “Plenty of Fish in the Sea,” and the “Soulmate” box, priced between $40 and $55, all include an array of krispy rice, nigiri, handrolls, and edamame. The truffle avocado krispy rice is a must-try. Krispy Rice is available via UberEats, Postmates, DoorDash, and GrubHub.
The beautiful courtyard at L’Antica Restaurant Da Michele is open for dining on Valentine’s weekend, with a menu curated especially for the Day of Love. Linger over two courses plus dessert ($65) or three courses, followed by dessert, for $100. You must have a reservation for dining in. Takeout is also available and can be ordered via Da Michele’s website.
Manuela, located in DTLA’s Arts District, just reopened their lush courtyard to diners and have devised a special menu for Valentine’s Day. This fixed-price dinner for two includes a cocktail, deviled eggs topped with caviar, salad, your choice of 18 oz. ribeye, whole loup de mer, or roasted hen with polenta, and passion mousse cake for dessert. Dinner is $90 per person and can be enjoyed on-site or to go. Click here to make a reservation or order for pick-up or delivery.
Manuela exterior. Photo credit: Sim Canetty-Clarke
Fancy dinner not in the budget this Valentine’s Day? Don’t fret: Mickey’s Deli in Hermosa Beach has brought back their charming heart-shaped pizza for Valentine’s Day. Mickey’s has been serving pizza since 1953, so they know a thing or two about it. Each pizza is $15.95, with additional toppings at $1.50 each. More information about Mickey’s can be found here. You can call to order in advance, pick it up to go, or order via a third-party delivery service.
Petit Trois allows lovebirds to dine at home on Chef Ludo’s tempting Valentine’s Day dinner. This prix fixe dinner features Dorasti Osetra Caviar, lobster bisque, beef wellington with spinach, and chocolate cake with raspberry. Dinner is $290 per couple (with an optional $99 add-on for wine pairings) and can be ordered here.
Brooke Williamson’s Playa Provisions will serve Valentine’s dinner on their patio this year. Specials from the “Top Chef” winner will include crab cakes with Meyer lemon crème fraiche and truffle trout roe; rigatoni with lamb ragout; and raspberry swirl cheesecake with chocolate cookie crust and chocolate cremeux. You can make a reservation here.
Rappahannock Oyster Bar at ROW DTLA will serve Valentine’s dinner all weekend long, from Friday to Sunday, both outdoors and for takeaway. Valentine’s specials include Filet Mignon Surf & Turf ($38), seared scallops ($36), and chocolate-covered strawberries ($10). You can find more information here.
Savoca Cottage at Savoca at The Ritz Carlton, Los Angeles. Photo courtesy of Savoca.
Savoca, the beautiful trattoria at the Ritz Carlton in Downtown LA, introduces an extra-private outdoor dining option for Valentine’s Day: The Cottages at Savoca. These partially enclosed cottages have heated table setups, allow fresh air to circulate, and are thoroughly sanitized between each group of guests. Valentine’s weekend guests can dine in the cottages or on Savoca’s expansive patio from February 12-14 from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Dinner options include Risotto Milanese, Roasted Prime Filet, seared scallops, and Vahlrona chocolate passion fruit tart. For more information, call 213.765.8600.
Greek restaurant Theia, located in Beverly Grove, is offering a sumptuous three-course Valentine’s dinner for $85, along with their regular menu. The special menu includes a half-dozen oysters with mignonette, Surf and Turf, and Pavlova with strawberry, chantilly cream, pink meringue, and Grand Marnier. More information about Theia can be found here.
Perfect for a casual evening at home, the “Umami & Chill” Valentine’s Day combo box from Umami Burger features an Umami Cheeseburger, an Umami Double Truffle Burger, Truffle Fries, Cheesy Tots, a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Netflix & Chill’d flavor, and a slice of red velvet cake. The box is $45 and will be available throughout February at all Los Angeles Umami locations. You can order the box for pickup or delivery here.
Vespertine is one of the very few Los Angeles restaurants awarded two Michelin stars. Though their Valentine’s diners are sold out, you can still experience Vespertine at home this weekend by ordering one of their brunch boxes. The savory box features baked eggs, avocado in brioche, duck-fat roasted millefeuille, Nueske’s bacon steak, and more. The sweet box includes French toast, apricot tea cake, and more. Serving two, each box is $95 and can be ordered via TOCK.
