Mélisse Restaurant

The story

Mélisse Restaurant in Santa Monica: Modern French Tasting Menu with Two Michelin Stars

Mélisse Restaurant at 1104 Wilshire Blvd. in Santa Monica is a modern French kitchen with a Californian streak, and it holds two Michelin stars (2026). Chef Josiah Citrin runs the restaurant as a restaurant inside a restaurant, sharing the building with the Citrin dining room.

The kitchen and its cooks

Josiah Citrin trained in Paris at Vivarois and La Poste before returning to Los Angeles, and the rules of traditional French cooking still anchor his menus. Chef and partner Ken Takayama came up through the same kitchen, starting as an extern and rising to chef de cuisine. The menu draws on farmers from San Diego to Napa Valley, and the dishes mix global flavors with classic and contemporary technique.

Dishes and the wine list

The sample menu changes often, but a recent version included Miyazaki wagyu with sake lees, a Croque Madame with truffle Gruyère fondue, and Santa Barbara spot prawn with white asparagus and lemon basil. Quail appears twice, once with celeriac and black garlic and again as a ragout with cavatelli. The wine list received Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence in 2025.