Haute Top 5: The Los Angeles Power Lunch Spots of 2017

Everyone who is anyone in L.A. is power lunching at Soho House West Hollywood. In addition to having a great restaurants, this members-only club has several private nooks and crannies, perfect for conducting secret deals—while still seeing and being seen, of course. The menu literally offers everything you could possibly be in the mood for, from veggies and brown rice to turkey clubs to filets, so your every wish is fulfilled—if you stop wheeling and dealing long enough to eat, that is.

The Polo Lounge, like its home at the Beverly Hills Hotel, is timeless and refined, a step back in time to the golden era of Hollywood. It's no wonder that so many members of Tinseltown's elite, from actors to agents to filmmakers, showrunners and producers, would choose to have a civilized conversation here—the entire experience spans a career, after all. You'll be sitting in a restaurant rooted in the past (the Pink Palace is over a century old), talking about the future while eating a very modern L.A. meal (a staple here is the West Hollywood Salad of quinoa, farro, kale, spinach, hearts of palm and sunflower seeds).

Chateau Marmont is a hot spot for celebrity spotting, and if you look closely, you may see that whichever star you're peeping isn't just hanging out, being his or her fabulous self—come lunchtime, said celeb is no doubt breaking bread and cutting a business deal. This storied hotel restaurant features an intimate indoor dining area as well as an idyllic garden terrace, which is the place of choice on any given day in L.A. Our pick (though not always the most graceful of choices) is the avocado on country bread, served with pickled squash, feta and sunflower sprouts.

There are some entertainment bigwigs that come to Culina every single day, rain or shine. And whether they're sitting inside the grand dining room or outside on the sun-dappled patio, you're guaranteed to run into someone you've seen on TV taking a meeting, talking shop or simply having lunch. It's a fan favorite for several reasons, including—in equal parts—its ambiance, fare and location—it's smack, dab in the center of Beverly Hills, which makes it a prime location to lunch.

Malibu's latest Soho House outpost, Little Beach House, makes our best of list within a year of opening simply for its sheer fabulousness. Yes, Malibu is a hike for most, though many of Hollywood's top players live there along the mile-long stretch of sand known as Billionaire's Beach. And this spot is beyond exclusive: no typical Soho House membership works here. No, existing members have to be approved by a special panel in order to gain membership in the 'Bu. But once you're in, you're in luck. There's not a more beautiful place to talk shop with the waves of the Pacific cresting just beyond. Though this can be a great spot for a liquid lunch, you don't want to miss the food—it's light, healthy and purely SoCal, using ingredients from local farms.