Fia Steak

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Carne e Fuoco on Wilshire

Fia Steak operates under a simple but exacting premise: honor the steakhouse tradition while giving it a distinctly California soul. The restaurant's motto, carne e fuoco — meat and fire — sets the tone from the moment you arrive at 2458 Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica. Owner Michael Greco, who personally sourced the restaurant's collection of Murano cocktail glasses on a trip to Italy, has built a space where every detail carries intention.

The Room and the People Behind It

The main dining room is anchored by a stained glass window depicting St. Fiacre — the patron saint of gardeners and herbalists, and the origin of the name "Fia" — commissioned from the legendary Judson Studios. Across the Grill Room, a large-scale mural by local artist Jonas Never (Never1959) maps L.A. history onto the walls. A 56-pound, 28-wick candle poured by a local candle company sits at the center of it all. The result is a room that feels classy and a little old-school, as one regular put it, without a trace of pretension.

Executive Chef Tim Cardenas grew up in Boyle Heights and sharpened his skills at Lucques and Caldo Verde under Chef Suzanne Goin. At Fia Steak, his menus lean into seasonal ingredients and herb-driven, coastal Cal-Italian flavors. Chef de Cuisine Rudy Moreno and Pastry Chef Leila Guizar round out a culinary team that handles everything from steak tartare and hamachi crudo to sticky toffee pudding with brown butter ice cream.

What to Eat and Drink

Guests consistently single out the ribeye cap and the New York strip, both cooked to order and described as bursting with flavor. The steak tartare and hamachi crudo — served with lime leaf, coconut dressing, lemongrass, and serrano — have become reliable first-course anchors. From the gallery of dishes, a dry-aged Colorado lamb rack with celery root soubise and rosemary jus and a cascading tiramisu with mascarpone cream and chocolate sorbet speak to the kitchen's range beyond the grill.

The cocktail program carries the same spirit of playful precision. Drinks are named after cultural icons — a barrel-aged gin Negroni, a mezcal variation, a milk-washed bourbon punch — and the bar menu includes its own Wagyu burger dressed with Italian Taleggio and housemade spicy Russian dressing.

The wine list earned a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence, recognition that reflects the seriousness of the program. The restaurant also stages intimate wine dinners — a five-course Flanagan Winery pairing, for instance — that bring Sonoma County producers into direct conversation with the kitchen's cooking.

The Bigger Picture

Fia Steak has drawn notice from TimeOut Los Angeles, Eater LA, Thrillist, and InsideHook, which named it among the most romantic restaurants in the city. It is, in short, a steakhouse that earns its reputation dish by dish — warm, considered, and very much its own thing on the Westside dining scene.