The Westsider Father’s Day Guide 2026: Where to Take Dad on the Westside
Father’s Day lands on Sunday, June 21 this year — which, conveniently, is also a World Cup weekend, peak beach season, and one of the best Sundays of the LA calendar to be outside. Whether your dad is a steak-and-silence guy, a sunrise-walk guy, or a sit-on-a-patio-until-2pm guy, the Westside has the plan. Here’s how to do it right, plus a few last-minute saves for the rest of us who forgot to book.
If the Move Is Brunch
The default, and for good reason: a long Westside brunch is hard to beat on a June Sunday. The key on Father’s Day is booking ahead — the good tables go fast, and walking in at noon with Dad in tow is a recipe for a 90-minute wait. Our roundup of the best brunch spots in Santa Monica has the patios, the ocean views, and the places that actually take a reservation. Aim for an earlier seating if you want to keep the afternoon open for the beach or a match.
If the Move Is a Steak Dinner
For a lot of dads, the gift is a great steakhouse. Brentwood finally has a destination-worthy one in The Wilkes — the kind of dim-lit, leather-booth room built for an occasion like this. If you want range beyond a chophouse, our guide to the 15 best restaurants in Santa Monica covers the special-occasion tables across the Westside. Book by midweek; Father’s Day dinner reservations dry up faster than people expect.
“The best Father’s Day gift on the Westside isn’t a thing you wrap — it’s an unhurried Sunday outside with him.”
If the Move Is Getting Outside
Some dads would trade any restaurant for a morning that starts at the water. Make it a beach day — our locals’ guide to Santa Monica Beach covers where to set up beyond the Pier crowds. If he’d rather swing a club, Heroes Golf Course is the under-the-radar par-3 tucked into West LA that’s perfect for a low-key round. And for the simplest win of all, an evening walk through Palisades Park at sunset costs nothing and beats most dinner reservations for sheer payoff.
The Last-Minute Save
Forgot to plan? You have options. Most Westside steakhouses and brunch spots keep a few seats back for walk-ins if you go early or late — call, don’t just show up. A morning at the beach followed by an afternoon at a World Cup fan zone (our opening-week guide has the free ones) is a genuinely great no-reservation day. And if it comes down to a gift: a great bottle, a tee time, or tickets to something he’d never buy himself almost always beats another grilling gadget he didn’t ask for.
