Butterfly

If you’re looking for a sit-down meal that comes with the best views in Culver City, this Mexican concept by Jose Andrés Group is your best option. The food and drink menu is small but somewhat similar to Oyamel, the hospitality group’s popular longtime Mexican concept in Washington, D.C. This includes the chef’s famous Salt Air Margarita, which features a cloud of sea salt-flecked foam. (The drink can also be made non-alcoholic.) The snacky menu includes crowd-pleasers like queso fundido, crispy brussels sprouts and sea bass ceviche, plus salads and tacos. The most interesting dishes, in my opinion, are the ahi tuna ceviche, which comes in a Maggi-based lime dressing and the shrimp in jet black mojo de ajo marinade. If I were you, I’d use this place as a stop for margaritas and light bites before heading elsewhere in the area—Roberta’s, Pasta Sisters or Zaytinya downstairs—for dinner.