Best BYOB Restaurants In Los Angeles
For many diners, bringing your own beverage is an important experience to the meal. More and more Los Angeles restaurants invite guests to bring in a special bottle of wine, a bottle of beer or what have you. Before shopping at your local liquor store or wine cellar, call the restaurant of choice to confirm corkage fees and preferences. Remember that it's not just about the BYOB of it all. Seek out great restaurant choices with inspired foods, fresh ingredients and inventive creations.
The Courtyard Kitchen
1211 Montana Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90403
(310) 587-2333
www.courtyardkitchenla.com
One of the newer outdoor cafes on the chic Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, The Courtyard Kitchen features a full dinner menu with every item pairing beautifully with wine. No corkage fee is the bonus, along with European-style table starters such as crostini (faves are prosciutto/arugula/goat cheese and blue cheese/fig jam/marcona almonds) and a selection of charcuteries and cheeses. The ambience is beachy magical with twinkle lights, greenery and vintage flair.
Darren's
1141 Manhattan Ave.
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(310) 802-1973
www.darrensrestaurant.com
Darren's is a Manhattan Beach standout that encourages wine as part of its fine dining destination. In addition to offering a boutique wine list, Chef and owner Darren Weiss (from Rockenwagner and Café Catalina) welcomes guests to bring their own favorite vintages. The corkage fee is $25, except on Wednesdays - the restaurant waives it. Known for its Mediterranean and Pacific Rim-infused new American fare, Darren's has a certified in-house sommelier available to make pairing suggestions.
2117
2117 Sawtelle Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 477-1617
www.restaurant2117.com
This Japanese-inspired tapas restaurant is a gem on Sawtelle. Chef Hideyo Mitsuno invites guests to bring their own alcohol (reasonable corkage fee applies to those who bring in personal wine selections) and to enjoy his emphasized culinary style of small plates and entrees, just the same. For starters, try any of these aromatic dishes: hamachi and salmon sashimi chef's style; fried calamari ready for dipping in a garlic parsley sauce; Japanese tai snapper carpaccio complemented with fried noodles, cucumbers and cilantro tossed in a sesame soy vinaigrette; duck egg roll with orange sauce; organic beet salad created with apples, pine nuts and goat cheese; as well as a tossed crab salad with avocados, baby greens and a house vinaigrette with wasabi sauce.
Related: Best Udon Noodles In Los Angeles
Post & Beam
3767 Santa Rosalia Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90008
(323) 299-5599
www.postandbeamla.com
Post & Beam's California cuisine invites personal wine favorites in addition to the restaurant's specialty and artistic cocktail menu. The restaurant does charge a corkage fee if you decide to bring your own bottle. With many delicious options at Post & Beam, each plate is created from ingredients sourced locally from the restaurant's on-site garden and the South Central Farmers Cooperative. The menu features everything with a little bit of Southern hospitality from warm cornbread, hickory-smoked pork ribs and shrimp grits to buttermilk fried chicken, mac n cheese, black eyed peas with smoked bacon and roasted yams and the restaurant's signature hand-stretched 11" pizzas.
Strand House
117 Manhattan Beach Blvd.
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(310) 545-7470
www.thestrandhousemb.com
Executive Chef Greg Hozinsky and his Strand House guests regularly enjoy bringing wine to the restaurant. With a $25 corkage fee per bottle (with the stipulation that the wine cannot be featured on the The Strand House's wine list), bringing your own wine elevates the culinary experience. Daily menus inform diners when the Western sun rises and sets, as well as offer an elegant meal created by Chef Hozinsky. Strand House supports several local California farmers including Flora Bella, Weiser Farms, Magrath Family Farms and more.
