Hibachi at Home in Santa Monica
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.
Simple Flat-Rate Pricing
$29.90 per child 5–12 · $5 for kids under 5 · $599 event minimum
Weekday Special: $45.90/adult for Mon–Thu parties with 15+ guests.
The first 50 miles from our base are free — most Santa Monica addresses have no travel fee at all. Past that it is $1 for each mile beyond the free 50, calculated from your address and shown upfront in your quote.
Every Santa Monica booking includes
- Professional hibachi chef & mobile teppanyaki grill
- 2 regular proteins per guest (chicken, steak, shrimp, salmon, or tofu)
- Garlic butter fried rice, fresh vegetables & house salad
- Live cooking show — fire tricks, egg toss, chef entertainment
- Complete setup and cleanup
What Your Santa Monica Quote Actually Includes
Mobile hibachi pricing in Southern California clusters around the same headline number. The difference between services shows up in the line items underneath it, so here are ours.
A $19.90 deposit — not $150
That is all it takes to lock your date, and it is fully refundable with 72+ hours notice. Plenty of mobile hibachi services ask for $150 or more up front.
Setup and cleanup are in the price
No per-guest setup surcharge. Some services add $8–$10 per guest for table and chair setup, or leave the teardown to you.
The first 50 miles are free
No travel fee at all inside 50 miles of our base, which covers most of Los Angeles and Orange County. Beyond that it is $1 per additional mile, calculated from your address and shown in your quote before you pay. Other services in this market start charging at 20 miles, or add a flat fee around $75.
The price is on this page
$59.90 per adult, published, no form required. Several services in this market quote only after you hand over your contact details.
Popular in Santa Monica
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.
Where We Cook in Santa Monica
We have set the grill up in most kinds of Santa Monica space there is. These are the three we see most.
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.
Parking, Space & Setup 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 roughly a 6x8 ft flat area 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.
Serving Santa Monica & Nearby Areas
Our chefs cook throughout Santa Monica and the surrounding Los Angeles County communities.
The Santa Monica Hibachi Menu
Every guest picks two proteins, and everyone gets the full plate — garlic butter fried rice, grilled vegetables, house salad, and sauces. Guests can each choose differently; the chef cooks to order at your table.
Included proteins — pick 2 per guest
- Chicken
- Steak
- Shrimp
- Salmon
- Tofu
Premium upgrades
- Filet Mignon+$8
- Premium Sea Scallops+$6
- Spiny Lobster Tail+$12
Per guest, added to the flat rate. Entirely optional.
Extra sides
- Gyoza+$15
- Edamame+$10
- Noodles+$5
Ordered by the tray for the table, not per guest.
Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free guests are served at the same per-person rate — just tell us when you book. Our standard soy sauce is not gluten free, so a gluten-free guest should have their own on hand and we'll cook their portion with it. We can't promise a nut- or sesame-free table: the sauces and gyoza are commercial products and both sauces contain egg, so tell us the allergy and we'll check the labels in use for your date. See the full menu for photos and details.
The Best Time of Year for a Party in Santa Monica
This is a hibachi party in your own yard, so the weather decides more than the calendar does. The numbers below are six years of daily observations for Santa Monica (2019–2024) — not a general Southern California average. Ten miles inland around here can mean fifteen degrees, so a July evening in Santa Monica is its own question.
Best months for an evening party
June through November
Best months for a lunch party
April through November
July in Santa Monica averages a high of 81°F, against 64°F in January. No month here averages above 93°F, which is why 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 precipitation. That is not a reason to avoid the month — it is a reason to have a plan: a 10'x10' pop-up tent over the chef's station, or seat your guests indoors and let the chef cook on the patio.
Evenings run longest in June, when the sun sets around 8:07pm. If you want the show finishing as the light goes — which is the version everyone photographs — start about ninety minutes before sunset for your month and work back from the table below.
Santa Monica is 38.6 miles from our base by road. That is inside our free 50-mile radius, so your quote carries no travel fee at all.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rainy days | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 64°F | 46°F | 19% | 6:08pm |
| Feb | 64°F | 45°F | 19% | 6:37pm |
| Mar | 65°F | 47°F | 28% | 7:02pm |
| Apr | 70°F | 51°F | 8% | 7:26pm |
| May | 70°F | 54°F | 5% | 7:49pm |
| Jun | 76°F | 58°F | 2% | 8:07pm |
| Jul | 81°F | 61°F | 1% | 8:05pm |
| Aug | 83°F | 62°F | 3% | 7:39pm |
| Sep | 82°F | 62°F | 6% | 6:59pm |
| Oct | 79°F | 57°F | 3% | 6:18pm |
| Nov | 72°F | 50°F | 8% | 5:49pm |
| Dec | 65°F | 46°F | 20% | 5:46pm |
Averages from the Open-Meteo historical archive, 2019–2024. “Rainy days” is the share of days with measurable rain. Driving distance via road routing from our base.
What We Actually Buy
Almost nobody in mobile hibachi will tell you the grade of what goes on the grill — you get “fresh ingredients” and a photo. Here is the actual spec for a Santa Monica party, because at $59.90 a head you should be able to check.
- 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
Terry Ho’s yum yum sauce and Japanese ginger dressing
The ones you already recognise from the restaurant. Both contain egg.
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. We can't promise a nut- or sesame-free table — the sauces and gyoza are commercial products, the gyoza contain sesame, and one sauce is made in a plant that also handles peanuts. Tell us the allergy when you book and we'll check the labels in use for your date.
How It Works
Get an instant quote
Tell us your date, guest count, and address — pricing and any travel fee appear upfront.
Lock your date
A $19.90 deposit reserves your chef. Full refund with 72+ hours notice.
We bring the restaurant
The chef arrives ~10 minutes early, sets up, performs, feeds everyone, and cleans up.
Santa Monica Hibachi FAQ
Can you cook on an apartment balcony or rooftop?
Often yes — we need about an 8x8 ft outdoor space, open air above the grill, and your building's OK for outdoor cooking. Send photos with your quote request and we'll confirm feasibility honestly before you book.
What about the ocean breeze?
We cook on the Westside year-round and bring windscreens for exposed decks. Evening marine layer is no problem for the grill or the show.
Can you cook on the beach?
Not on public sand — Santa Monica beaches don't permit private open-flame cooking. Private patios, decks, courtyards, and backyards all work great.
What does hibachi at home cost in Santa Monica?
$59.90 per adult, $29.90 per child 5–12, and a flat $5 for kids under 5, with a $599 event minimum — chef, grill, food, live show, setup, and cleanup included.
How much space do you need in Santa Monica?
About a 6x8 ft flat area for the grill plus roughly 10 ft of overhead clearance, in open air — a patio, deck, driveway, or yard all work. Enclosed rooms and covered balconies do not. Send a photo when you book and we'll confirm the setup spot before your date.
Is this an indoor or outdoor party?
The cooking is outdoors; the eating does not have to be. A live teppanyaki grill throws real smoke and grease and will set off a smoke alarm indoors, so the grill always stays outside — on a patio, deck, driveway, yard, or roof terrace, with about 10 ft of overhead clearance. Your guests can absolutely sit and eat inside. Plenty of Santa Monica parties run exactly that way: the chef cooks on the patio and plates come indoors, which is what we'd suggest on a hot afternoon or a cold night.
Can we book a lunch or daytime slot?
Yes. Because the party is outdoors, the right answer depends on your city and the season — midday stays comfortable near the coast for most of the year, while inland and Valley cities are best at lunch roughly October through May and better at sunset in high summer. Daytime slots are usually easier to get than weekend evenings. Tell us your date and preferred time and we'll tell you honestly whether it works.
What happens if we need to cancel or reschedule?
Cancel or reschedule at least 72 hours before your event and your $19.90 deposit is refunded in full. Inside 72 hours the deposit may become non-refundable. If rain is the problem, a 10'x10' pop-up tent over the chef's station usually saves the party — you provide the tent, we do not supply them — and guests can eat indoors while the chef cooks outside.
More questions? See the full FAQ
Ready to Book Hibachi at Home in Santa Monica?
Get your instant quote — date, guest count, address, done. A $19.90 deposit locks your chef.