We are flying into Los Angeles this Friday night, getting into LAX around 9 pm. Where is a good place to dine late? I heard there were late-night cafes on Sunset Blvd. where you can go eat and people-watch. What about something in Santa Monica? Any suggestions would be appreciated. We're not looking for anything formal or fancy, just a fun cafe or bistro.

Well, LA is not a late night dining place for the most part. I think Cravings in Sunset Plaza on Sunset Blvd.is open late ( nice spot).

If you want to eat in Santa Monica and people watch, go to the Third Street Promenade. It is an outdoor mall with plenty of restaurants, street entertainers, and great people watching.

I've only been to a few late night spots recently: Lunaria for dinner/jazz, Kate Mantilini (great celebrity spotting location) and of course, Jerry's Deli (nothing special). Some of these on this link have websites so I'd check menus/hours/locations:
http://www.dinecity.com/cgi-bin/late_night.asp

Good luck!

Kate Mantilini is in Beverly Hills on Wilshire (sort of a business/residential district) but has nice "comfort-style" American cuisine at low prices in an upscale modern environment. I've always liked the food and the "scenery".

Do you specifically want Santa Monica or Sunset Strip area? If not, Canter's deli on Fairfax is open 24 hours and has a very interesting late night crowd...deli punk.

Kate Mantilini's is a good suggestion as is Cravings. I hardly ever go to Santa Monica so I can't help you there.

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I think I'm going to try Kate Mantilini's. I called and they said reservations aren't needed and the kitchen stays open 'til 1:30 am.

Cravings sounds interesting too.

Kate Mantilini is very nice and in a nice area, too, good menu. I would skip the Strip--unless you prefer watching an environment more low class (with a few exceptions like the Sky Bar). Or, you can simply drive over to the Strip and just drive East and West a few times until you think you've seen enough (LOTS of heavy traffic on Fri/Sat/Sun nights!) If you choose to park somewhere and then walk around a bit, good luck! And be ON GUARD!! You can even pop into the Hyatt on Sunset (next to the Comedy Store) for another drink, if you want. Ditto for the newer Standard Hotel as well (young, I'm-so-hip crowd!).

Directions: After you leave Kate Mantilini, continue West on Wilshire Blvd. until you come to Doheny Drive. Turn right on Doheny and go all the way to the top of the hill until you hit Sunset and then turn right and just drive (this marks the beginning of the Strip from West to East)! Have fun!

How about real late night Thai like people from LA. Toi on Sunset is open til 4:00!! There is also the Standard Hotel which has a hip crowd. You could do Mel's Diner on Sunset. There is also Barney's Beanery in West Hollywood for late night drinks and dinner. If you want to people watch, do the strip. The other area of town is dead at night.

We did eat at Kate Mantilini Friday night. My flight was late, and I met my party and got to Kate's about 10:45 pm. The place was packed but we were seated in about 10 minutes. The atmosphere and food was great, too. It was trendy, but not too much so, saw a couple TV actors, but it was mellow and we didn't feel out of place or anything. Excellent recommendation! We had a great stay in LA - can't wait to go back.

Glad you enjoyed - can you give us some specifics about your trip? I'm from LA so like to hear what visitors find fun.