Birdie G's

Since opening in 2019, the newest member of the Rustic Canyon restaurant family has become Santa Monica’s most destination-worthy restaurant. Named for head chef Jeremy Fox’s daughter and grandmother, Birdie G’s serves market-driven New American food with Jewish and Eastern European flourishes out of a large, industrial space at art gallery hotspot Bergamot Station. A matzo ball soup using carrot miso adds an umami twist on a Jewish classic, and there’s a must-order lamb “a la Saless,” which comes to the table on a thin bed of impossibly crispy rice flavored with dill and other Persian spices. We also enjoy their koji-marinated flatiron steak, pickle-marinated fried chicken and dishes that incorporate seasonal produce. Plus, the cocktails here are excellent, from the creamy, well-balanced Not Your Grandmother’s Grasshopper to seasonal creations like the Appletini (which features housemade walnut liqueur and spiced pear).