There’s something different about Tartine Santa Monica after sunset. The bakery that fuels mornings with croissants and coffee now hums with the low murmur of conversation and the scent of fermenting dough turning into something new. For the first time, the California bakery institution is offering dinner—pizza, salads, and savory plates paired with wine and beer—available Wednesday through Sunday from 5 to 9 p.m.
The Santa Monica outpost, housed in a converted 1933 Tudor Revival chapel, is the only Tartine in Los Angeles serving dinner—a thoughtful expansion that feels less like a pivot and more like a natural evolution of its bread-making philosophy. The back patio—an ivy-lined courtyard warmed by string lights and soft conversations, feels like a West Coast translation of The French Laundry’s understated charm: quiet music, clean design, and service that lets you breathe between bites. It’s a setting built for both connection and conversation, perfect for date night or an evening with friends when you want time to slow down just a little.
The Pizza: Tartine’s Fermented Signature
Dinner here starts with the smell of warm dough, a hint of toasted grain and sea salt. The pizza crust—developed using the Biga method, where 80% of the flour ferments before being mixed with Tartine’s famous sourdough starter—is crisp, light, and flavorful. It’s the kind of crust that speaks before the toppings do.
The margherita lands classic and confident: crushed tomato, mozzarella, and basil layered over a dough that blisters perfectly at the edges. The pineapple-pepperoni pie, topped with black garlic plum tomato sauce, walks the line between sweet and smoky without apology. My favorite, the pepper pizza, balances arrabiata heat with shishitos, sweety drop peppers, and chermoula, each bite carrying a subtle fire cooled by the airy chew of the crust.
Every pizza feels like a baker’s experiment made with a chef’s restraint—a continuation of Chad Robertson’s levain technique, refined for dinner plates instead of bread boards.
Beyond the Pie
The rest of the menu extends the story. A steak tartare tartine—finished with a shoyu egg, pickled celery root, and crispy lotus root—hits the table like a conversation starter. The roasted spatchcock chicken, paired with gigantes beansand smoked tomatillo purée, is rustic, clean, and deeply satisfying. For lighter moments, the signature country bread with whipped ricotta or smoked trout dip is simple but quietly indulgent, while salads built around local produce offer balance between the richer plates.
Dessert stays true to Tartine’s DNA. The peach polenta cake with vanilla gelato is warm and fragrant; the chocolate rye devil’s food cake walks the edge of bitter and sweet; and the butterscotch budino, paired with walnut butter cookies, is what you want to linger over as the patio lights dim.
The beverage list keeps things easy and intentional: a Spritzetto spritz on the rocks, chilled Ora Collective valpolicella, and local craft beers like Fort Point’s kolsch and East Brother’s IPA. It’s the kind of menu that fits any pace—casual enough for a post-beach meal, polished enough for an anniversary dinner.
Dinner That Feels Like Home
What makes Tartine Santa Monica work at night isn’t just the food—it’s the feeling. It’s the comfort of shared bread, the glow of a courtyard that feels far removed from the city just beyond its walls, and a menu that honors simplicity without losing depth.
This isn’t a reinvention. It’s Tartine doing what it does best—slowing things down, letting flavor speak for itself, and giving Los Angeles one of its most quietly romantic dinner settings.
Tartine Santa Monica
Address: 1925 Arizona Ave, Santa Monica
Contact: (424) 238-8125
Hours: Wednesday–Sunday, 5–9 p.m. | Café: 8 a.m.–4 p.m. daily
Follow them @tartinebakery
Photo credits: Photos courtesy of Nicola Parisi
