There is something wonderfully unexpected about arriving at LouLou. Pass through the increasingly quiet corridors of Santa Monica Place, take the elevator to the rooftop, and the shopping center seems to disappear. In its place is an open-air terrace beneath a sprawling canopy of bamboo, its warm pendant lights glowing against the deep blue of the evening sky. A soulful band is playing. At one table, a birthday celebration spills into dancing. At another, strangers catch one another’s eye and smile. For a few hours, it feels less like a rooftop above a mall than a little corner of the Mediterranean dropped onto the California coast.

That sense of escape is hardly accidental. LouLou was opened in 2022 by French husband-and-wife team Erik and Florence Chol, who have since brought a similar Riviera sensibility to Azur in Beverly Hills. The setting does much of the initial seduction. Bamboo and woven textures soften the rooftop architecture, while low lighting and loosely suspended chandeliers cast a flattering golden glow over wood tables and relaxed seating. It evokes the informality of a Mediterranean beach club without trying too hard to impersonate Saint-Tropez. Santa Monica already supplies the sea air and sunsets; LouLou merely gives them the right backdrop.

But atmosphere alone does not explain why the room feels so convivial. Live music is integral rather than decorative. On our evening, a soulful band slowly changed the energy of the terrace until a few guests abandoned their chairs altogether. What could easily have become forced restaurant entertainment instead felt spontaneous. The good mood seemed almost contagious. The staff deserves some credit for that. Service throughout the evening was warm without becoming rehearsed, the sort of genuine friendliness that makes a restaurant feel hospitable rather than merely efficient.

The menu follows the room’s European leanings, moving comfortably between France and the Mediterranean while allowing California to creep in around the edges. We began with the beef tartare, mixed with cornichons, capers, shallots, parsley and organic egg yolk and served with thick, grilled sourdough. It was beautifully fresh and clean tasting, though more restrained than some of the dishes that followed. Rather than overwhelming the beef with seasoning, the kitchen lets the quality and texture of the meat carry the dish.

The accompanying lychee martini was anything but restrained. Made unusually with both vodka and gin, it was among the better interpretations of the ubiquitous cocktail we have encountered: sweet and tangy, but above all wonderfully floral, with the perfume of lychee lingering after each sip.

Then came the mussels, and this was where the kitchen seemed to take off its gloves. Bathed in white wine, shallots, parsley and butter, and accompanied by garlic toast, they were among the strongest dishes of the evening. There was no timidity to the broth: savory, buttery and deeply aromatic, it practically demanded that the toast be used to capture whatever remained after the shells were empty.

For the main courses, LouLou demonstrated how easily its menu moves between coastal Mediterranean cooking and French comfort food. The salmon pizza begins with dough proofed for three days and emerges topped with smoked salmon, crème fraîche, delicately sliced shallots, fior di latte, dill, capers and salmon caviar. It could easily have become excessive, but the combination works because of its balance: the cool richness of crème fraîche against smoke and salt, the capers providing acidity and the caviar a final briny pop. The long fermentation also gives the crust enough character to stand up to those luxurious toppings rather than merely serving as their vehicle.

At the opposite end of the spectrum is the steak frites, one of those dishes that exposes a kitchen because there is nowhere for poor execution to hide. Here, hanger steak arrives with fries, chimichurri and mixed greens, the beef exceptionally tender and yielding beneath its charred exterior. It is straightforward, generous and satisfying; the sort of French classic that makes experimentation seem temporarily unnecessary.

Dessert brought us back firmly to France with profiteroles. Crisp pastry is paired with vanilla-bean gelato, warm Valrhona chocolate sauce and toasted hazelnuts. Much of its pleasure comes from contrast: warm chocolate meeting cold gelato; airy pastry giving way to creaminess; toasted nuts providing crunch against everything soft and melting. It is familiar, certainly, but familiarity is hardly a liability when something is this pleasurable.

Perhaps that is ultimately LouLou’s particular charm. None of its individual elements is entirely unfamiliar; French-Mediterranean food, live music, sunset cocktails and rooftop dining are hardly undiscovered territory in Los Angeles. What distinguishes it is how naturally they come together.

— Ghalib Dhalla

LouLou Rooftop Restaurant & Lounge
395 Santa Monica Place, Suite 300
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Phone: (323) 859-7089
Website: loulousantamonica.com