Hibachi at Home in Santa Monica

Santa Monica parking is the hardest of any city we serve. Nearly everything north of Pico is permit-only, meters run late, and the chef arrives with a grill and coolers that need to be within about a block of your door. A guest permit, a driveway space, or a garage spot held for the chef is the single most useful thing you can arrange — without one, load-in can add twenty minutes to your start time.

Rooftop and building-deck parties need property sign-off, and Santa Monica buildings are stricter than most: some allow propane on a roof deck, some do not, and the answer usually comes from the HOA or property manager rather than the front desk, so ask early. For yards we need a flat area about the size of a king-size bed and about 10 ft of overhead clearance. The marine layer means evenings cool off fast, so a heater or a slightly earlier start makes dinner more comfortable than it sounds. It also keeps midday pleasant here for most of the year — lunch and early-afternoon bookings work in Santa Monica when they would be unbearable inland, and those slots are much easier to get than weekend evenings.

Not sure your space works? Send a photo with your quote request and we will confirm the setup spot before your date.

We need a flat outdoor area about the size of a king-size bed and about 10 ft of overhead clearance. Best evening months in Santa Monica: June through November; best lunch months: April through November.

July averages a high of 81°F against 64°F in January. No month here averages above 93°F, so Santa Monica takes daytime bookings comfortably across most of the year. Rain is worth planning around in March, when about 28% of days see measurable rain — a 10×10 pop-up tent over the chef station saves the party, and guests can eat indoors. Evenings run longest in June (sunset around 8:07pm); start 90 minutes before sunset for the golden-hour show.

Travel: none for Santa Monica — it sits inside our free 50-mile radius, so your quote carries no travel fee at all.

Averages from the Open-Meteo historical archive, 2019–2024.

Beef: USDA Choice Angus top sirloin. Choice is the grade above Select. We buy Angus program beef rather than whatever is cheapest that week.

Shrimp: BAP-certified. Best Aquaculture Practices — an independent certification covering the farm, the hatchery, the feed and the processing plant.

Salmon: Atlantic salmon fillet, skinless. Portioned fillet, not trim or belly offcuts.

Chicken: Boneless, skinless breast. Hatched, raised and harvested in the USA. Breast meat only — no thigh substitution.

Lobster tail: Wild-caught Caribbean spiny lobster. Our premium upgrade. Wild-caught, not farmed.

Sauces: House-made yum yum sauce and ginger dressing. Made by us, fresh every week — the ginger dressing from fresh onion, carrot, ginger, orange and lemon. Both contain egg; the ginger dressing also contains soy and wheat.

Allergies: Our standard soy sauce is not gluten free, so a gluten-free guest should have their own gluten-free soy and teriyaki on hand and we'll cook their portion with it; our ginger dressing is made with regular soy sauce, so their salad comes without it. We can't promise a nut- or sesame-free table — the gyoza are a commercial product and contain sesame, and our house-made sauces use store-bought ingredients. Both sauces contain egg. Tell us the allergy when you book and we'll check the labels in use for your date.

Sunset Dinner Parties. Golden hour on a west-facing deck with a live teppanyaki show — the reason people move to Santa Monica.

Rooftop Celebrations. Birthdays and engagement parties on condo rooftop decks, with a setup sized for the space and cleared with your building.

Beach House Gatherings. Ocean Park and Venice rentals where the after-beach dinner becomes the main event.

Intimate Date-Night Dinners. Anniversaries and proposals with a private chef — we've been the surprise more than once.

See how each celebration plays out: birthdays, pool parties, family reunions and more party ideas.

Rooftop & Building Decks. Ocean Avenue and Wilshire-corridor buildings with shared roof decks. Approval for open-flame cooking is the one thing to confirm early.

North of Montana Backyards. Hedged yards with real privacy and room for a long table — our most common Santa Monica setup for dinner parties.

Ocean Park & Sunset Park Patios. Smaller lots, closer neighbors, and usually a sunset start time. We keep setup quiet and compact.

Sunset over the Pacific, a private chef at the grill, and nobody has to find parking on Ocean Avenue. Hibachi at home in Santa Monica means rooftop decks, courtyard patios, and North of Montana backyards turned into the city's most exclusive teppanyaki table.

Our chefs are pros at compact coastal setups — smaller patios, ocean breeze, and building rules included. We bring everything and leave the space spotless.