Local Kitchen & Wine Bar

We stopped in without reservations and were lucky to grab the last two seats at the bar. Food was excellent - great variety of mains, pastas, apps, and pizzas. Don’t skip on the pizza it’s some of the best crust we’ve had in LA. Hanger steak was second best perfectly cooked with a great crust. We got the special pasta (lobster) and noodles were fresh.

One of my favorites new restaurants on Ocean Park, only a few blocks away from my house. It's great to have such a nice restaurant within walking distance. Not only convenient but excellent food, cocktails and wines. One of my favorites is the mussels with sourdough bread. Great for sharing, but you must pay extra for the toasted sourdough bread which you must have to dip into the wonderful seafood broth (perfectly spiced and seasoned.) The second is the mushroom truffle pizza. Ghisallo, known for their pizza, is a block or 2 away, but i think Local's pizza is better. Better cheeses, less oily, crispier, thinner crust. The best IMO. Lastly, the 24 oz bone-in aged ribeye. This is a great dish to share. I love the chef's version of this classic dish. Again, other places can serve bone-in ribeye steak, but the smoky, grilled flavor is amazing. The only negative is that sometimes the ribeye may have a lot of fat. Sometimes, I'm cutting away 20% of the steak. I'll have to search back and find a picture of their ribeye and post it. Overall, as a local, I enjoy eating here and trying their different dishes. They're all pretty good. Coming out of the pandemic, they had the best outdoor patio seating arrangement: cozy, front patio and a large parking lot patio, all with ample patio heaters. I prefer the indoor seating but it can get really loud when busy. I also gave only 4-stars for service, because sometimes, they seem understaffed. The service staff are good and friendly, but can be overwhelmed during peak hours. Thus we eat early and leave early, often taking our leftovers and walking back home. It's great to take a nice walk after dinner.

Local Kitchen and Wine Bar is under new management and has a new chef. I am happy to report they have really upped their game. The service was great and the food was delicious. We had the mussels, the burrata and the cobbler. We will be back!

I had a 3 hour dinner here with a group of 5. The service, food, and atmosphere were all great. The staff was so friendly and the roof was retractable, giving us direct sunlight and a lot of fresh air. I had the chicken under brick dish which was pretty good. We also shared a cheese board and olive oil cake, both of which were amazing.

Where do I begin? Everything was phenomenal. The vibe is laid back, but sharp. Wanna dress up for a date? Do it. Wanna wear jeans and a t-shirt to hang out with a friend? Do it. The welcome was genuine and friendly and the menu… we wanted to order all of it! Since we aren’t gluttons, we settled on the mushroom toast, fried artichoke hearts and an arugula salad with a truffle mushroom white pizza. In a word: delish! All of it was expertly prepared and I was darned close to licking the plates. Now that I think of it, that’s the one thing I regret not doing. Also, well over half their wines are available by the glass. It’s a great selection from California, France, Italy and Spain (and maybe some other places in Europe) Lastly, the olive oil cake was probably the best I’ve ever had. It wasn’t too sweet and the blueberry compote was a perfect addition. We will definitely go back.

Great italian local place. Design and ambiance is really cool. Nice bar plus indoor and outdoor seating. The paste with wild mushroom was very tasty. So was the artichoke and the meat balls. Pizza is good but ask it them to make it well done.

I recommend making a reservation for Local Kitchen + Wine Bar on Resy in advance. It’s located on Ocean Park Blvd in Santa Monica, and we were easily able to find metered street parking. As far as food, I strongly recommend Chicken Under Brick ($28) with balsamic chile glaze, charred onions. shishito peppers, & pan jus. Bonus points if you order it singing “Brick House” by Commodores like I did. I strongly recommend the chilled Stolpman Vineyards 2021 vintage So Fresh G.G.T. chilled red blend of Grenache, Gamay, & Trousseau, which is primarily composed of Grenache. $72/bottle. For those looking to explore bolder reds, the Cabernet “Cab” Franc from Idiot's Grace vineyards in the Columbia Gorge AVA paired well with the heartier dishes. Also $72/bottle.

My specific review is about the Margherita Pizza at Local Kitchen & Wine Bar. The pizza was almost neopolitan, but with a a different cheese layer. The crust was pretty delicious because it was a fine balance of fluffy and form. Crust 5/5 The sauce was thin layer. The basil was not really present because it was cut into pieces and when you cut herbs it reduces the fragrance. The cheese was was tasty. Cheese 3/5 I expected more based on the price, prior reviews, and quality of restaurant.