DINING ON RODEO DRIVE
Eating in the area and along Rodeo Drive can be a delicious and fun experience. Along the throngs of thousands of shoppers, sight seers, occasional celebrity and traffic are quite a few dining options for those looking to grab everything from a quick bite to enjoying a full out luxury meal. Visitors to Rodeo Drive will find walking the length of Rodeo from Santa Monica Blvd to Wilshire is about 10 to 15 minutes. There are two options for dining. One is to eat right on Rodeo and another is to dine at the many restaurants just off of Rodeo. Dining on Rodeo can be a little trickier as there are only 3 solid places. Dining off of Rodeo is a little more straight forward with numerous restaurants and eateries.
Dining on Rodeo
Those visitors hell bent on dining on Rodeo can pick from 3 top choices. The patio along the Luxe Hotel, right on Rodeo, the 
Regent Beverly Wilshire at the end of Rodeo Drive or in #2 Rodeo located at the intersection of Rodeo Drive and Wilshire Blvd. Café Rodeo is located at the Luxe Hotel Beverly Hills on Rodeo Drive. With tables arranged on an open patio on Rodeo, diners can enjoy the crowds and cars walking just feet from them. The menu at the Café Rodeo includes crabcakes, seabass, fillet Mignons, a variety of soups and signature deserts that include fudge cake and a Raspberry Panna Cotta. At the very end of Rodeo Drive is the Beverly Wilshire Hotel (can't be missed wherever you are on Rodeo). The hotel offers a choice of two different restaurants (three for guests), Cut, The Blvd and The Pool Bar and Café (available to guests). Cut is fairly known throughout Los Angeles and offers a steak menu by known chef Wolfgang Puck. Cut is usually crowded and is full of locals from the LA scene including agents, celebrities and just onlookers. The prices can be high and Cut is only open for dinner (530pm to 10pm). The Blvd is open all day for dining and offers a variety of American foods.
The Blvd also is home to a bar and offers outdoor seating along the Wilshire Blvd and Rodeo Drive intersection. Diners looking to stay indoors can still enjoy the views of the Wilshire Blvd and Rodeo intersection through gigantic windows. Visitors looking for a solid seafood meal will enjoy dining at McCormick & Schmicks. Located across the street from the Beverly Wilshire, McCormick & Schmicks is located in the #2 Rodeo Corridor famous for its European influence in architecture and cobblestone streets. The restaurant offers an outdoor patio that makes for amazing people watching and has panoramic views of the south end of Rodeo and Wilshire Blvd. The restaurant serves a variety of seafood menus from shrimp to salmon to crab cakes.
Next to McCormick &Schmicks and also providing outdoor seating is a cafe called 208 Rodeo. 208 Rodeo specializes in meals throughout the day with a European style breakfast and full steak lunches and dinners. Their outdoor seating arrangment overlooks the cobblestone streets of #2 Rodeo as well as busy Wilshire Blvd where it crosses Rodeo. Their breakfast/brunch are delicious, and somewhat healthy (eggs, egg whites, fruite, wheat toast) but a little on the expensive side. If through in a brochuto baken your looking at a bill over $30.
Dining off of Rodeo
Rodeo Drive offers a wide assortment of dining options just off the main drive. Not even a 2 minute walk off of Rodeo are Beverly and Canon Drives just one and two blocks east respectively and crossing perpendicular to Rodeo Drive is Brighton Way and Little Santa Monica Blvd. All three of these streets 
are loaded with a variety of dining choices, from pizza to cheese steaks to sandwiches. Beverly Drive is home to Nate n'Al Delicatessen. Dating back to 1945 this casual dining atmosphere is a sit down deli with all the makings of an old coffee shop, from the orange booths to carpeting. However this establishment continues to have a faithful following amongst the local Beverly Hills crowd and Hollywood elite. Frank Sinatra was a local and called it "The best deli in the world" Larry King enjoys a meal here almost every day. Long waits are common.
Along little Santa Monica Blvd that runs parallel to Santa Monica Blvd on the north end of Rodeo are variety of dining options from chain locations such as Baja Fresh to unique mom and pop boutiques that have been a part of the Beverly Hills scene forever.
The Euro Café located just to the west on Little Santa Monica Blvd off of Rodeo is home to the best Italian panninis west of the Missisippi. The store also has a full on bakery of a variety of European sweet treats. On the smaller end there isn't too much room to sit and there is a small outdoor patio allowing visitors to take in the sights of Rodeo from afar (although little Santa Monica Blvd is quite the scene in itself with traffic and people). During summer soccer season the Euro Café comes alive with local Europeans visitors crowding the café to route on their home country's team from the televised game on the suspended TV. Just west of the Euro Café are a variety of more traditional sit down restaurants catering to all tastes including French, Italian and American. Da Pasquale Trattoria is a favorite among locals, located at 9749 Little Santa Monica Blvd, this Italian restaurant offers up a variety of Italian dishes, from Panini Sandwiches to Margherita thin crust pizzas.
One of the most talked about food places along Little Santa Monica Blvd near Rodeo Drive is Sprinkles Cupcakes. Opened in 2004, Sprinkles has taken Beverly Hills, LA and now the nation by storm. Offering a variety of delicious cupcakes, from red velvet to peanut butter to pumpkin, Sprinkles is really a must see for those visiting Beverly Hills and looking for an afternoon treat when sightseeing or visiting. There is usually a line, although the wait is never more than ten minutes, and worth it.
On the east side of Little Santa Monica Blvd and near the intersection with Rodeo Drive is Rustic Pizza. With another location east in West Hollywood and other locations around the country such as Miami, Pizza Rustica serves hearty square cut slices of a variety of pizzas for every taste. Also along this strip is a Baja Fresh and Jamba Juice for those looking for familiar culinary delights.
Fans of Bravo's hit show "The Real housewives of Beverly Hills" may get a kick out of checking out Lisa Vanderpump's restaurant, Villa Blanca. Located t the intersection of Camden Drive and Brighton Way, Villa Blanca is less than a 30 second walk from the main shopping area of Rodeo Drive. Offering seating both indoors and outdoors, guests on the patio can enjoy the shade the bright white cabanas the tables are located under provide while enjoying the passing crowds at the exquisite stores of Camden and Brighton Way. The restaurant just rolled out a new menu that include Japanese Mushroom Chicken, Grilled Prime T-Bone Steak and Roasted Chilean Sea Bass to name a few. The restaurant is also a popular place during Sunday Brunch.
Map of key dining points on Rodeo Drive-click below for larger version.
