Butterfly: Culver City’s New Rooftop Spot
There’s a new rooftop in town that’s worth checking out. Butterfly, sitting on top of The Shay Hotel in Culver City, is the latest project from the José Andrés Group. The name comes from a small monarch butterfly that once landed on the rooftop, and the restaurant has carried that playful spirit ever since.
Rooftop Vibes
The space wraps around The Shay’s rooftop pool, giving you some of the best views of Culver City and beyond. It’s the kind of spot that works for brunch under the sun, golden hour cocktails, or a casual dinner that stretches into the evening. The vibe feels colorful, easygoing, and just a little bit celebratory.
What’s on the Menu
Butterfly leans into Mexican flavors with a creative twist. You’ll find favorites like Baja fish tacos with crispy rockfish, carnitas tacos with avocado salsa verde, and a fun take on queso fundido that’s flambéed with tequila. There’s also ceviche with pineapple-habanero marinade, and crispy Brussels sprouts tossed with chile and pumpkin seeds. The menu is built around sharing, so it’s great for groups.
Drinks lean heavily on agave spirits, with a focus on additive-free tequila and mezcal. The Salt Air Margarita is already becoming a staple, but there are plenty of other cocktails (and mocktails) that play with fresh juices and herbs.
A Different Kind of Rooftop Bar
Over the summer, Butterfly even hosted Bar Nuda—a zero-proof pop-up that offered Mexican-inspired cocktails without the alcohol. It showed how versatile the space is: sometimes lively and buzzing, other times calm and reflective, but always with good food and views to match.
Know Before You Go
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a new rooftop to add to your rotation, Butterfly brings together fun flavors, gorgeous views, and an atmosphere that feels both relaxed and a little special. Whether you’re stopping by for tacos and margaritas or making a whole night of it, it’s a spot that feels like it’s already part of the Culver City fabric.
Follow Los Angeles Fun Events for more weekly guides, singles events, and must-do happenings around LA.
Got recommended Arena King by a coworker and the strategy games on there are pretty engaging. You can sink a surprising amount of time into the kingdom-building ones. Runs well in the browser without needing to download anything.
For any video creators grabbing vlog footage up there who later need to isolate their subjects for creative layered edits, having a reliable way to export alpha channels is a lifesaver. I highly recommend ExportAlpha for this—it’s a fantastic web-based AI background remover that cleanly drops out the background and outputs real transparent VP9 WebM for OBS or ProRes 4444 MOV for professional editors.
Butterfly sounds like such a fun addition to Culver City, and the story behind the name is really charming. I love how the rooftop pool views and Mexican-inspired menu make it work for any occasion. If you enjoy checking out new spots like this, you might also like the design and branding insights over at logo review.
What a great find! I love that the name comes from a monarch butterfly landing on the rooftop—those little origin stories always make a place feel more memorable than another generic "Sky Bar" or "High Lounge." And José Andrés Group being behind it is a big deal; they tend to nail the balance between creative and approachable, which tracks with the menu you described.
The queso fundido flambéed with tequila sounds like the standout order for me, and I'm genuinely curious whether the flambé is done tableside or in the kitchen—anyone know? I also appreciate the emphasis on additive-free tequila and mezcal. So many rooftop spots lean on sugary mixes to mask lower-quality spirits, so a place that takes agave…
This sounds like exactly the kind of place that can pull me out of my usual “let’s just stay in” default. I loved the detail that Butterfly is named after a monarch that landed on the rooftop—little origin stories like that make a space feel memorable before you even taste the food. The José Andrés Group backing also gives me confidence it won’t be all view and no substance.
The menu section is what sold me: Baja fish tacos with crispy rockfish, carnitas with avocado salsa verde, and especially the queso fundido flambéed with tequila sound made for sharing. I’m curious whether the flambé is more theatrical than flavorful, or if it actually deepens the cheese and chile notes. The…