Courtesy of Birdie G’s at Fairmont Century Plaza

Where to Eat During AFM 2026: Century City and Beverly Hills’ Best Restaurants

by · Variety

AFM 2026 is in the center of the independent film business dealmaking world and close to many of the entertainment biz’s favorite restaurants. Century City and nearby Beverly Hills are home to the major agencies, law firms and financing entities, which equals power lunching and see-and-be-seen gathering spots close to the confab. Throw in some legendary eateries, and AFMers are perfectly positioned to dine where Hollywood dealmakers, agency foot soldiers and bold names eat out.

Century City’s dining options start at the host venue: Birdie G’s is the Fairmont Century Plaza’s new full-service restaurant. Expect classic American cooking in a relaxed setting. There will be mobile coffee stations and daily grab-and-go items near the Fairmont’s lower-level conference rooms. Choices include hearty breakfast burritos, creative salads and an array of sandwiches.

At the adjacent Westfield Century City, where AFM badge holders can take advantage of a discount program, more than 65 food outlets populate the multi-level, open-air mall.

Specializing in dim sum, Din Tai Fung (10250 Santa Monica Blvd., second level, dtf.com) excels in Taiwan-style, handmade soup dumplings and flavorful noodle dishes. Waits can be extensive, so sit at the bar, reserve ahead or use yelp.com to join the real-time waitlist.

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Terra, the restaurant at Eataly Los Angeles (10250 Santa Monica Blvd., Eataly.com), boasts ample outdoor seating to enjoy Terra’s wood-fired Italian dishes and craft cocktails. The Monday-Friday happy hour on the bar terrace features $10 glasses of wine, cocktails and Aperol spritzes paired with grilled appetizers.

On the lower level of the nearby Century Building, Hinoki & the Bird (10 W. Century Dr., hinokiandthebird.com) attracts the high-powered lunch crowd, including CAA agents along with their clients and execs from the Fox studio lot. Serving globally inspired California cuisine, lunch favorites range from sashimi starters to the ever-popular crispy jidori chicken to the kale salad topped with spiced cashews. Enticing dinner entrees include the hinoki-scented black cod and dry-aged Peking duck. The tucked-away location provides privacy; the sheltered, heated outdoor patio is open year-round. Reservations are highly recommended. Monday-Friday happy hour runs 5-7 p.m.

Beverly Hills excels at chic hotel dining. Opened in May, Gemma on the rooftop of the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills (9850 Wilshire Blvd., waldorfastoriabeverlyhills.com) has unequaled views across Beverly Hills. The upscale pan-Asian fare (highlights: dim sum, seafood raw bar, lobster burger and Singaporean noodles) and fanciful cocktails more than satisfy the rooftop’s stylish crowd. Edoardo Baldi’s Tuscan steakhouse Baldi (baldi.com) brings the restaurateur’s signature hospitality and famed pasta to the Waldorf’s first floor.

The Maybourne Beverly Hills (225 N. Canon Dr., maybournebeverlyhills.com) boasts a caviar and oyster bar at its cozy Maybourne Bar. Tradition and old-school service reign on the leafy patio of the Beverly Hills Hotel’s Polo Lounge (9641 Sunset Blvd., dorchestercollection.com), a go-to for Hollywood’s elite for decades.

Mastro’s is celebrating 25 years, and the Garden at the Penthouse at Mastro’s Steakhouse Beverly Hills (246 Canon Dr., mastrosrestaurants.com) welcomes power players like Michael B. Jordan, Emily Blunt and John Krasinski to its clubby third-floor indoor-outdoor dining room. For dinner, there are massive steaks and chops and a heady assortment of seafood.

For those seeking a flowery, photo-ready indoor-outdoor space that feels miles away, take the world’s prettiest elevator to the rooftop restaurant Monsieur Dior by Dominique Crenn (323 N. Rodeo Dr., monsieurdiorbeverlyhills.com). The inventive lunch, dinner and lounge menus come from Michelin-starred restaurateur/chef Dominique Crenn, paired with elegant interiors by architect Peter Marino. Sip on a glass of Chateau Minuty, the house rosé wine from Provence, France, to embrace the French ambiance.

The businessperson’s lunch crowd flocks to Avra Beverly Hills (233 N. Beverly Dr., theavragroup.com) for the prix fixe, three-course Mediterranean-style lunch special priced at $41.95. Start with a Greek salad, then move on to the grilled salmon and then finish with a baklava, all served in Avra’s bright, open-air setting populated by the city’s elite.