Editorial
Los Angeles built the rooftop restaurant before New York did and still runs more of them year-round than any other US city. The 10 below earn the elevator for the food and the view; our editors return for the plate first.
For the broader picture, see the best bars in LA 2026, the LA rooftop bars directory, and the LA cocktail bars guide. For the cross-country comparison, the NYC rooftop restaurants guide covers the East Coast equivalent.
A two-floor French rooftop in the Pershing Square Building with the most direct DTLA skyline view of any restaurant rooftop in the city. Mains $34 to $58. The Eater LA rooftop list has named Perch one of the city's most-recommended date rooftops every year since 2018. Reservations open 30 days out; the 6:30pm Friday sunset slot is the city's hardest-to-book DTLA rooftop dinner.
A Hollywood rooftop that runs from breakfast at 7am to last orders at 2am. The kitchen serves through the entire day (plates $14 to $32). The Time Out LA review called Mama Shelter "the city's most-recommended all-day rooftop". The crowd shifts hourly. Reservations open 14 days out; walk-ins move on weekday afternoons.
A 12th-floor Mediterranean rooftop above the Downtown Proper Hotel. Mains $28 to $46. The room runs an indoor-outdoor format with a 100-seat pool deck. The LA Times review called Cara Cara "the most ambitious DTLA rooftop opening since Perch". Reservations open 21 days out and the Saturday brunch slot books a week in advance.
Hollywood's hotel rooftops shape the city's image more than any other rooftop tier. The four below are the rooms our editors recommend for actually eating, not just photographing.
The Tao Group rooftop at the Dream Hollywood runs the city's most-recommended pool-deck dinner. The menu is American-leaning (plates $18 to $48). The Time Out LA rooftop guide consistently flags The Highlight Room as the city's defining party-rooftop dinner. Reservations open 21 days out and the 8pm Friday slot books fastest.
A two-floor concept with E.P. (Asian-fusion restaurant) downstairs and L.P. (rooftop bar) upstairs. The L.P. rooftop runs an open-air dining-room format (plates $16 to $32) with the most-photographed view of the West Hollywood hills. The Infatuation flagged the rooftop as "the city's most underrated post-dinner rooftop". Reservations open 14 days out for L.P.
The Phillipe Starck-designed Skybar opened in 1996 and set the LA rooftop template. The kitchen runs short and elevated (plates $18 to $36). The pool-side dining is the order. The LA Times retrospective called Skybar "the rooftop the city still measures itself against". Reservations open 14 days out; weekend nights require a 10-day lead.
A quieter rooftop than the Hollywood circuit, on top of the Hotel Wilshire on Miracle Mile. The menu runs Cal-Italian (mains $24 to $42). The room operates indoor-outdoor with a heated pool. The Eater LA review flagged The Roof as "the city's best low-key rooftop dinner". Reservations open 14 days out; Sunday brunch books a week ahead.
The three rooftops below run further from the Hollywood circuit and the menus run more serious. They are the rooms our editors book for a date or a corporate dinner that wants the view without the volume.
Jean-Georges Vongerichten's rooftop at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills. The menu runs French-Asian (mains $42 to $86). The Hollywood Hills view from the deck is the city's most-recommended Beverly Hills rooftop view per repeated Robb Report mentions. Reservations open 30 days out; the 7pm Friday booking is one of the hardest tables to secure in LA.
A multi-room indoor-outdoor restaurant on the Pacific edge of Wilshire. The menu runs Cal-Mediterranean (plates $18 to $42). Not a high-rise rooftop, but the upper-deck terrace looks straight at the Pacific. The Time Out LA review called The Bungalow "the city's most reliable beach dinner". Reservations open 14 days out.
An 18th-floor restaurant on top of the Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica. The view runs the Pacific north to Malibu. The menu is Cal-American (mains $32 to $58). The Eater LA review flagged The Penthouse as the city's most-recommended ocean-view rooftop dinner. Reservations open 21 days out and the sunset slot books a week ahead.
LA's rooftop scene runs year-round, which separates it from Chicago and NYC. The top tier (Perch, The Rooftop by JG, Cara Cara) requires 21- to 30-day reservation windows. Hollywood hotels (Highlight Room, Skybar, E.P. & L.P.) book 14 days out. Walk-ins are realistic at Mama Shelter on weekday afternoons and at The Roof on Wilshire on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.
October through March is LA rooftop high season. Summer Hollywood rooftops run hot until 9pm; the cooler half-year holds the most-recommended dinner windows per LA Times rooftop coverage. Santa Monica rooms (Bungalow, Penthouse) operate ocean breeze year-round.
For more, see the best bars in LA 2026, the LA rooftop bars directory, and the Chicago rooftop restaurants for the comparison.
One email every week. The bars our editors are recommending right now, across 60 cities worldwide.