Orla by Michael Mina
Restaurant · Ocean Park
1700 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Highlights
Mediterranean dining with bold flavors and ocean views
Mediterranean dining with bold flavors and ocean views
"Chef Michael Mina’s Orla hits all of the perfect brunch notes. Daily breakfast offers traditional fare that ranges from light yogurt, oatmeal, and fresh fruit to frittatas. But the weekend $65 prix fixe menu is where one gets to see the celebrity chef shine with za’taar cured salmon, a wagyu Egyptian-inspired pita burger, or prawns wrapped in shredded phyllo dough strands, coconut, spicy mango, with lime leaf. They’re even launching a summer brunch menu, a prix fixe two-course menu with a la carte shellfish add-ons available. Why bother with a mimosa when one can have a tradition-bucking Negroni called Arabian Nights made with Ford’s Gin, Campari, Darjeeling tea, toasted coconut cardamom, and ginger spice? Did we fail to mention the view? It overlooks the Pacific Ocean and Santa Monica’s sprawling bike path." - Mona Holmes
"Michael Mina’s modern Egyptian restaurant, plucked out of Vegas’s Mandalay Bay, has landed at the luxurious Regent Santa Monica Beach hotel. One of America’s most prolific fine dining chefs, Mina’s menu at Orla reflects his upbringing eating homestyle Egyptian and Greek fare, like crispy falafel with bigeye tuna; gnudi and lamb meatballs; and kebab platter with filet mignon, lamb kofta, and chicken dolmas. A stark contrast to the Vegas edition, the AvroKO-designed Orla in Santa Monica offers fantastic, nearly unfettered ocean views from its outer tables, while the luxe interior boasts shapely tan leather banquettes. — Matthew Kang, lead editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest" - Rebecca Roland
"Orla is a hotel restaurant, a flashy Middle Eastern spot with 24k gold baklava sundaes, and (our preferred description) a pleasant place to snack on mezze near the ocean. Located inside the Regent Santa Monica, this beachfront spot has five-star service and beautifully plated mezze that you should enjoy on their breezy outdoor patio. The lighter-than-air hummus comes dusted with pistachios, and a classic Greek salad is drenched in high-quality olive oil. We like the sharable grilled entrees, too, including the juicy lamb chops with bessara, which tastes like hummus and green goddess dressing had a love child. Just make sure dinner takes place in the outdoor area—Orla’s main dining space is in the ground-floor lobby, so otherwise you’ll trade ocean views for a close-up of the elevators." - brant cox, arden shore, sylvio martins, cathy park
"Michael Mina’s modern Egyptian restaurant plucked out of Vegas’s Mandalay Bay has landed at the luxurious Regent Santa Monica Beach hotel. One of America’s most prolific fine dining chefs, Mina’s menu at Orla reflects his upbringing eating homestyle Egyptian and Greek fare, like crispy falafel with bigeye tuna; gnudi and lamb meatballs; and kebab platter with filet mignon, lamb kofta, and chicken dolmas. A stark contrast to the Vegas edition, the AvroKO-designed Orla in Santa Monica offers fantastic, nearly unfettered ocean views from its outer tables, while the luxe interior boasts shapely tan leather banquettes. — Matthew Kang, lead editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest" - Rebecca Roland, Matthew Kang, Mona Holmes
"It took six years for chef Michael Mina to open Orla in the Regent Santa Monica Beach hotel. The project was worth it — Orla offers one of the region’s most stunning views of the Pacific Ocean, an ideal complement to Mina’s seafood-centric menu. He incorporates recipes by his mother and aunts while highlighting the cultural similarities between Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines in dishes like Turkish chile pepper (urfa) big eye tuna and salt-baked seabream; the Yemeni spice hawaij flavors the prime New York strip. The round bar is the perfect place to sip on an Arabian Nights Negroni while watching the sun set over Santa Monica." - Matthew Kang
