Rooftop Terra in Los Angeles

Terra: Italian grilling on the roof of Eataly

A terrace above Century City

In the Century City business district, next door to Beverly Hills, Terra occupies the top level of Eataly, the big Italian marketplace in the Westfield mall. It's the only restaurant in the complex with an open-air terrace: string lights, fire pits, plants, umbrellas and a greenhouse-style bar. From the tables near the railing, the view stretches toward the Los Angeles Country Club and the Hollywood Hills to the north, and toward the office buildings of Century City.

Wood fire takes center stage

Everything revolves around a wood-fired grill: tagliata, gamberi alla plancha, artichokes seared over the embers, skewers, lamb chops, alongside house-made pasta and burrata. At lunchtime on weekdays, the neighborhood's business crowd fills the terrace; on weekends, it's time for brunch, served from 10:30am to 2:30pm.

At the bar, house cocktails cost $17 to $19 (the Guava Fizz, with mezcal and guava, and the Scarlet Lady, with vodka and elderflower), a few signature creations go up to $24, and gin and tonics are $16. Monday through Friday, from 3pm to 6pm, happy hour brings $10 cocktails and wine by the glass, $6 beer and small plates, like wood-fired oysters or lamb skewers. Eataly also hosts classes and dinners around the grill here, and the terrace can be booked for private events.

Practical information

Open Monday through Thursday from 11:30am to 10pm, Friday from 11:30am to 11pm, Saturday from 10:30am to 11pm and Sunday from 10:30am to 10pm. Online reservations are available. To get there, head upstairs from the Eataly market, inside Westfield Century City (10250 Santa Monica Boulevard). There's no Metro Rail station in the immediate area: come by bus or car. The terrace is heated on cool evenings.