Social Profile: 
✔️Lunch ✔️Dinner ✔️Dine in
… View more
Citrin is a one Michelin-starred modern Californian cuisine restaurant by Chef Josiah Citrin. The attention to detail and pursuit of excellence that defined Josiah’s landmark Mélisse restaurant for 20 years thrives in this new space. Citrin is a fun, welcoming, and approachable experience. A large bar and the choice between our à la carte menu and prix fixe brings a fresh take on our love of hospitality and passion to deliver exciting and delicious food.
Hours
| Friday | 5:30–9 PM |
| Saturday | 5:30–9 PM |
| Sunday | Closed |
| Monday | Closed |
| Tuesday | 5:30–9 PM |
| Wednesday | 5:30–9 PM |
| Thursday | 5:30–9 PM |
Address and Contact Information
Address: 1104 Wilshire Blvd Suite A, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Phone: (310) 395-0881
Website: http://citrinandmelisse.com/
Menu Photos
Order and Reservations
Reservations: opentable.com
Photo Gallery
Related Web Results
Citrin and Mélisse
Citrin is a modern Californian cuisine restaurant by Chef Josiah Citrin … Santa Monica, CA, 90401. FAQs. For private dining & party inquiries, email us …
Citrin – Santa Monica – a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant
Chef Ken Takayama’s cuisine sends forth signature combinations of French technique with an abundance of California’s seasonal produce.
Citrin Restaurant – Santa Monica, CA | OpenTable
Citrin offers a superb dining experience with “fantastic food and service.” The ambiance is “calm, warm, inviting,” perfect for romantic or business dinners.
Reviews
David Lim
Citrin started strong with comfortable seating and an appealing, well-curated menu. With a Michelin-starred restaurant, I naturally came in with certain expectations for precision, depth of flavor, and seamless service.
Overall, the menu composition was thoughtful and promising. However, several dishes lacked the level of flavor and refinement I anticipated. I was especially excited about the lobster pasta with additional truffles, which carried a significant premium. Unfortunately, the tomato sauce was overpowering, completely masking the aroma and taste of the truffle. Instead of a layered and balanced dish, it felt like a straightforward tomato pasta that could have been found at a neighborhood restaurant. Given the additional $70 for the upgrade and truffles, this was particularly disappointing.
Service also felt disjointed. There did not seem to be a dedicated server, and different individuals delivered each course. While everyone was polite, the experience lacked cohesion. Dessert arrived before the coffee that had been ordered, and the coffee never came, even after dessert was finished.
The highlight of the evening was the steak, which was well-prepared and genuinely enjoyable. Aside from that course, however, nothing stood out in a memorable way.
… moreOverall, the menu composition was thoughtful and promising. However, several dishes lacked the level of flavor and refinement I anticipated. I was especially excited about the lobster pasta with additional truffles, which carried a significant premium. Unfortunately, the tomato sauce was overpowering, completely masking the aroma and taste of the truffle. Instead of a layered and balanced dish, it felt like a straightforward tomato pasta that could have been found at a neighborhood restaurant. Given the additional $70 for the upgrade and truffles, this was particularly disappointing.
Service also felt disjointed. There did not seem to be a dedicated server, and different individuals delivered each course. While everyone was polite, the experience lacked cohesion. Dessert arrived before the coffee that had been ordered, and the coffee never came, even after dessert was finished.
The highlight of the evening was the steak, which was well-prepared and genuinely enjoyable. Aside from that course, however, nothing stood out in a memorable way.
Don Chan
Had dinner at Citrin. The food, service and atmosphere were pretty good. Baker parking available. We tried their steak and chicken, both were delicious. Overall, we are pleased with the food and dining.
… moreBoris Kazarez
We really enjoyed the tasting menu. The food, atmosphere, and service were all wonderful — truly one of the best Michelin-level dining experiences we’ve had.
… moreAudrey An
By far the worst Michelin 1 star dining experience.
No dress code.
Next door was wearing red converse.
Wine didn’t come before the appetizer.
Waiter interrupted me to ask me to taste wine while I was in the middle of enjoying the appetizer.
When i cheered with my bf to drink, once again interrupted by “excuse me” to take away our plates.
Waiter insisted to try each other’s first course without giving extra plates or bowls for soup and pasta.
Soup tastes like watered down can food.
Waiter who still served the bread after we refused bread service even though its included in the fixed menu didn’t understand when i said “i’m good on the bread.”
bc he appears to speak espanol only.
Gave us a poker card for our to go order of the desserts bc they cant keep track?
Waiters were lost to deliver dishes to which table.
Mastro’s service is way better.
Javier’s clientele, restaurant size and organization are way better.
Citrin doesn’t deserve a Michelin star especially on Christmas eve.
We’ve been to Melisse. This is very disappointed.
… moreNo dress code.
Next door was wearing red converse.
Wine didn’t come before the appetizer.
Waiter interrupted me to ask me to taste wine while I was in the middle of enjoying the appetizer.
When i cheered with my bf to drink, once again interrupted by “excuse me” to take away our plates.
Waiter insisted to try each other’s first course without giving extra plates or bowls for soup and pasta.
Soup tastes like watered down can food.
Waiter who still served the bread after we refused bread service even though its included in the fixed menu didn’t understand when i said “i’m good on the bread.”
bc he appears to speak espanol only.
Gave us a poker card for our to go order of the desserts bc they cant keep track?
Waiters were lost to deliver dishes to which table.
Mastro’s service is way better.
Javier’s clientele, restaurant size and organization are way better.
Citrin doesn’t deserve a Michelin star especially on Christmas eve.
We’ve been to Melisse. This is very disappointed.
Macaulay Bruton
Wonderful experience at Citrin for Dine LA! Terrific food and Nathan our waiter and support staff were affable an on point. We came early and sat in the outside patio, which was lovely. All the dishes were interestingly complex and beautifully presented. We did the wine paring as well, which was worth the up charge and added to the experience. It’s so nice to go to a Resturant where the staff is well trained and knows the menu.
… moreScott Patton
This is a great spot for a special meal.
To start, the food is incredibly well done, with complex flavors, high-quality ingredients, and everything is very well executed. The halibut, and desserts were definitely the highlights of the meal.
The service is incredibly friendly and attentive as one expects from a Michelin restaurant.
The atmosphere is refined and elegant but casual. If you are used to more formal NYC fine dining, it might be too casual. But for those who go to fine dining here on the West Coast, it’s on par with most places out here.
All in all, I highly recommend going here. The food is great, the service better, and all around a great dining experience.
… moreTo start, the food is incredibly well done, with complex flavors, high-quality ingredients, and everything is very well executed. The halibut, and desserts were definitely the highlights of the meal.
The service is incredibly friendly and attentive as one expects from a Michelin restaurant.
The atmosphere is refined and elegant but casual. If you are used to more formal NYC fine dining, it might be too casual. But for those who go to fine dining here on the West Coast, it’s on par with most places out here.
All in all, I highly recommend going here. The food is great, the service better, and all around a great dining experience.
Jessi Kopp
Citrin is a Michelin restaurant that serves elevated american style fare. I found it to be on the low end of a Michelin experience. The dining area is very average and service was just okay compared to other Michelin level places in other parts of the country / globe. The menu was nice and the food was well prepared but plating wasn’t particularly innovative. This is review should be taken in context – this is a 4 out of 5 star Michelin experience, but obviously the food is heaps better than a typical restaurant.
… moreSiming Zheng
Went there for the valentine menu a little while ago, one of the worst fine dining restaurant experiences. For a menu of $350 per person, the food is straight-up not good. After we got seated, we waited at least 30min for the server to come take the order (valentine’s day I guess). Our server didn’t seem very confident regarding explaining the dishes and wines, while the other staff looks angry or frustrated as a whole. The food tasted average at best: the avocado on the crudo was oxidized visibly. The bread tasted store-bought and were all stone-cold, which I have never experienced in any restaurant ever. The whole menu feels like a last-minute effort to get rid of the leftover ingredients. The lamb tasted stale. The steak’s temperature was not what I ordered and when I asked, the server told me they are sure this is what I ordered. I have to explain and prove that I got the wrong order which I had to send back and get a new one. It also tasted way too dense and unappetizing. I’ve been to many fine-dining places including multiple Michelin starred restaurants, and in fact I visited one just a few days before with a similar price range, and my experience was infinitely better. For starred restaurant named after the chef, it certainly was a huge disappointment.
… moreJessica
The food at Citrin was excellent, and I highly recommend the crab risotto, duck, and steak. We enjoyed the duck and steak so much that we decided to try the Dirty Chicken for Two, but it turned out to be much larger than expected. The service and ambiance were decent; we were seated on the patio because we had our service animal with us. The only downside was the “health service charge,” which we discovered was the restaurant owner passing on the cost of providing healthcare to their full-time employees. This felt a bit off-putting, as we believe it’s the owner’s responsibility to take good care of their staff. Despite that, we still enjoyed our meal at Citrin.
… moreAlex Sherer
You would never know this lil spot is there, and walking into the restaurant, you would be forgiven if you thought this was just another ordinary bar/restaurant in LA.
But I assure you, the food, service, and experience are anything ‘but’ ordinary.
Even selecting the DineLA option, my partner and I were able to enjoy the full Michelin Star experience.
Our server (Sebastian) was impeccable in terms of guiding tastes, taking us through the meal, and providing the most excellent of service.
The entire restaurant staff were outstanding and we were never left waiting, wanting, or wondering.
The meal itself was remarkable. Every single bite, every flavor, everything on the plate was designed to elevate the dish. While there was a foam on top of the Lobster Bolognese, it was so far beyond the tired “foam for the sake of foam.”. It was truffle infused and actually complimented the dish (a rarity whenever I see foam applied to a meal).
The restaurant accommodated the amuse bouche for me (allergic to oysters) and there was never anything that felt forced or contrite. Our wine pairing with the entire meal (through every course) was exquisite and was very well thought out.
My partner and I opted to each get different things from the DineLA offerings, and there was not a single bad bite or a “well that didn’t work as a concept.”
In terms of dining, we had;
1st Course
– Egg Caviar
– Citrus Cured Hamachi Crudo
2nd Course
– Cassoulet de Lotte
– Lobster Bolognese
3rd Course
– Snake River Farms Sirloin
– Seed Crusted Liberty Farms Duck
Dessert
– Lemongrass Ice Cream
– Panna Cota
– Meringue and Berries
The meal itself was very expensive, but truly unforgettable in the best of ways.
… moreBut I assure you, the food, service, and experience are anything ‘but’ ordinary.
Even selecting the DineLA option, my partner and I were able to enjoy the full Michelin Star experience.
Our server (Sebastian) was impeccable in terms of guiding tastes, taking us through the meal, and providing the most excellent of service.
The entire restaurant staff were outstanding and we were never left waiting, wanting, or wondering.
The meal itself was remarkable. Every single bite, every flavor, everything on the plate was designed to elevate the dish. While there was a foam on top of the Lobster Bolognese, it was so far beyond the tired “foam for the sake of foam.”. It was truffle infused and actually complimented the dish (a rarity whenever I see foam applied to a meal).
The restaurant accommodated the amuse bouche for me (allergic to oysters) and there was never anything that felt forced or contrite. Our wine pairing with the entire meal (through every course) was exquisite and was very well thought out.
My partner and I opted to each get different things from the DineLA offerings, and there was not a single bad bite or a “well that didn’t work as a concept.”
In terms of dining, we had;
1st Course
– Egg Caviar
– Citrus Cured Hamachi Crudo
2nd Course
– Cassoulet de Lotte
– Lobster Bolognese
3rd Course
– Snake River Farms Sirloin
– Seed Crusted Liberty Farms Duck
Dessert
– Lemongrass Ice Cream
– Panna Cota
– Meringue and Berries
The meal itself was very expensive, but truly unforgettable in the best of ways.