LAReview
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Interstellar
Included In
In a city full of all-day cafes, Interstellar is a statistical anomaly. Not only is the food downright phenomenal, this small Korean-ish fusion spot steps from the Third Street Promenade has the elegance of a sculpture gallery. The dining room is wrapped in concrete walls, mirrored pendant lights, and a cascading row of hanging plants that could pass for an art installation. Even more impressive is the menu—it’s bolder, braver, and more ambitious than most cafes within walking distance of the Promenade, pulling off dishes from many different cuisines during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. No matter when you come, this one-of-a-kind Santa Monica spot will leave you wondering how so much great food can come out of a place that’s the size of a studio apartment.
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
photo credit: Emi Kitawaki
photo credit: Emi Kitawaki
photo credit: Emi Kitawaki
photo credit: Emi Kitawaki
Interstellar works for a morning mocha latte, but we prefer to drop by in the evening when the restaurant becomes a quieter, semi-casual dinner destination with tasty shochu cocktails. If the double-sided menu was a Venn diagram, its various entrees would land within interlocking circles of Korean, Italian, Japanese, and American food—each one attractively plated and large enough to share. You’ll get everything from marinated, tender galbi to a lobster roll that tastes like it just rolled down a water slide lined with fish sauce, and the full experience is well worth the price. It's sexy, it’s unfazed, it’s exciting—and even if the last activity you did that could qualify as any of those adjectives was trying a new show on Netflix, Interstellar will make you feel like you are all of those things, too.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Lobster Roll
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Chicken Katsu Curry
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Creamy Mentaiko
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Galbi Bowl
photo credit: Jessie Clapp
Black Truffle Kimchi Fried Rice
photo credit: Jessie Clapp