Where Los Angeles Celebrates the Season: 3 Standout Restaurants for Holiday Private Dining

In Los Angeles, the holiday season comes with its own pace and personality. With mild winter evenings and an emphasis on shared experiences, private dining becomes less about formality and more about atmosphere, generosity, and intention. For hosts looking to plan a seasonal gathering that feels elevated yet personal, these three Southern California restaurants offer tailored private dining experiences that balance culinary point of view with a strong sense of place. Each one brings something distinct to the table, making them compelling choices for holiday celebrations across Los Angeles and Orange County.

Set in Santa Monica, Cosetta reflects the evolution of Los Angeles Italian dining through a contemporary Cal-Italian lens. Led by acclaimed chef and restaurateur Zachary Pollack, whose influence helped shape the city’s Italian food scene through Alimento and Cosa Buona, the restaurant offers a spacious and welcoming environment designed with private entertaining in mind.

For the holiday season, Cosetta stands out for its flexibility. Groups ranging from 30 to 150 guests can choose between the heated patio or the cozy indoor dining room, with options for cocktail-style receptions or seated dinners. The outdoor patio remains comfortable year-round thanks to heat lamps, while an adjacent fire pit lounge can be reserved for added privacy and even configured with a separate entrance for a more discreet arrival.

Menus are customized to suit each gathering. Passed bites may include Cosetta’s signature crudos or smoked mozzarella sticks finished with caviar and truffles, alongside stations featuring Zachary Pollack’s well-known pizzas and larger shared plates. A personalized bar program rounds out the experience, pouring house favorites such as the Margherita Margarita and Cannoli Negroni, with the option to develop bespoke cocktails for the occasion. The result is a holiday celebration that feels generous, social, and distinctly Southern Californian.

Located within the newly opened Maydan Market in West Adams, Maydan introduces an intimate private dining concept just in time for the holidays. At the heart of the experience are Moroccan-inspired Bedouin tents designed by chef and owner Rose Previte, drawing from her extensive travels throughout the Middle East.

Ideal for groups of six to eight guests, with the ability to accommodate up to ten, the tented dining experience feels transportive and intentionally removed from the pace of the city. Quilted textiles, beaded entrances, candlelit tables, and warm lantern light set the tone for gatherings centered on connection and conversation.

Once seated, guests share Maydan’s signature tawle feast. Tawle, which translates to “table” in Arabic, is a family-style menu designed to encourage abundance and communal dining. The spread includes salads and dips, seasonal vegetables, grilled kebabs, fresh-baked Tone bread, and a centerpiece dish such as whole lamb shoulder or branzino, all meant to be passed and enjoyed together. For larger holiday events, Maydan also offers full buyouts of its indoor dining space, extending the same sense of warmth and generosity to bigger celebrations.

For holiday hosts in Orange County, Michelin-recognized and James Beard Award-nominated Poppy & Seed offers a private dining experience rooted in hospitality and craft. Located in Anaheim, the restaurant is led by husband-and-wife team Michael Reed and Kwini Reed, who welcome guests with a sense of ease that feels especially fitting for seasonal celebrations.

Poppy & Seed’s greenhouse-inspired setting allows for a range of private dining configurations, including partial and full buyouts of the dining room, patio, garden, pergola, and fire pit areas. Holiday gatherings can take shape as seated chef tasting menus indoors or relaxed cocktail parties and wine dinners under the open sky, all curated by Chef Michael Reed.

Menus showcase signature dishes that balance technique with comfort, such as duck confit tacos with a rye crepe shell and pickled chilis, mixed seafood ceviche paired with a tapioca pearl crisp chicharron, housemade garganelli with spicy and sweet pickled pepper and pork, and slices of Wagyu hanger steak finished with sorrel, mustard greens, aged balsamic, and extra virgin olive oil. The setting and approach make Poppy & Seed a natural choice for hosts seeking a holiday gathering that feels both polished and genuinely welcoming.

Across Los Angeles and Orange County, these three restaurants approach holiday private dining with a shared understanding of what makes the season meaningful. Thoughtful menus, adaptable spaces, and environments designed for conversation take priority, allowing hosts to focus on bringing people together. In a region where winter feels lighter, these dining rooms embrace the moment with warmth, intention, and a clear sense of celebration.