Élephante Beach House is a rooftop restaurant and bar in Santa Monica, California. The restaurant is well known for its sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean, Italian cuisine, and its Italian / North African decor. ^[1]

Elephante was founded by serial restaurateur Nick Mathers, who previously launched Eveleigh, Goldie’s and Little Ruby, in Los Angeles, California. Mathers, who was the lead architect and designer on the project, was inspired by a recent trip to Southern Italy, specifically the picturesque island of Pantelleria, which sits between the coast of Italy and Tunisia. The Élephante name comes from Arco dell’Elefante, a rock structure just off the coast of Pantelleria in the shape of an elephant. On June 28, 2018, Élephante first opened with an exclusive launch party. Celebrity guests who attended the event include Claire Holt, Becca Tobin, Kilo Kish, Ireland Baldwin, Katherine Hughes, Reeve Carney and Paris Carney. The event was also attended by industry influencers including Anita Patrickson, Brent Bolthouse, Riawna Capri and Renee Bargh. Élephante later opened to the general public on July 10, 2018.

Élephante's decor came from Southern Italy and North Africa. Nick Mathers partnered with designer George Garrow to create the design for Élephante, which features custom teak cabinets, wicker furnishings, limestone walls, tigerwood and terrazzo stone flooring, and Brazilian teak. The decor also includes Buhera baskets, garlic gourds and tobacco boxes flown in from Zimbabwe, stools and wooden bowls from North Africa and vintage rugs from Morocco.

Élephante's menu lead by Australian chef, Thomas Lim, features a blend of flavors from California and Southen Italy, resulting in light salads, grilled meat and vegetables, handmade pastas and pizza, and cocktails. Summer dishes include crispy artichokes and marinated castelvatrano olives for small plates; tuscan kale salad with apples, pepitas, radish, and a gorgonzola / buttermilk vinaigrette; and broccolini with crispy shallots, chili oil, and cashew and lemon pesto.

The lunch and dinner menu includes pastas like saffron spaghetti with lobster and basil; tajarin with summer truffle and pecorino; and a classic garlic oil spaghetti. The menu also includes enjoy Veal Milanese, bone-in rib eye steak, or whole lobster with Italian-drawn butter and lemon.

Élephante is also well known for its pizza (created by Angelo Womack) inspired by the traditions of Naples and made from a 12-year-old mother dough of Italian and American flours. Some of their pizzas include a classic margherita; a soppresata pie with mozzarella, truffle honey, crushed tomatoes, and chili oil; and a salad pizza topped with mozzarella, mixed greens, lemon, and extra virigin olive oil; among others.

Their dessert offerings include tiramisu; passion fruit pavlova; and seasonal fruit crostada with tres leches ice cream.