Restaurants With Ocean View

[claire797]

We're taking a quick trip to Los Angeles in late June. Most of the trip will be business, but we have one evening free and I'd like to spend it at a nice restaurant with good food and a beach view. Is there such thing?

I'm clueless to the logistics of getting from Hollywood (where we are staying) to the beach....any beach, really -- so any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[Maison Rustique]

Will you have a car? What kinds of food do you like? Price range?

And don't forget that mornings, evenings and sometimes even the days in June at the beach can be very foggy and downright cold. We call it June gloom. Please be sure to bring layered clothing. You'll want a jacket or sweater at night!

[claire797]

Will you have a car? What kinds of food do you like? Price range?

And don't forget that mornings, evenings and sometimes even the days in June at the beach can be very foggy and downright cold. We call it June gloom. Please be sure to bring layered clothing. You'll want a jacket or sweater at night!

I'll definitely bring a sweater!

We will have a rental car, so driving a bit (no farther than 30 minutes) would be okay. I'm open to any kind of food so long as it's good. I'm more concerned about atmosphere, ocean view and distance from Hollywood and Highland, where we'll be staying. Like I said, I'm clueless as to how far it is from our hotel to the nearest beach. Guess I could go look at a map.....

[Chris Cognac]

Try the Lobster or Toppers in Santa Monica...both have great views and good food...I would do the lobster first....I dont need to say what they have!

[JFLinLA]

Not at the beach but the view from the Getty is to die for and the restaurant is very good. Just be sure to make reservations -- make sure it's for the restaurant and not the cafeteria (though this is definitely not your average cafeteria). Get there early and view the art and/or the gardens. Also, given LA traffic, the Getty will likely just make your 30 minute window coming from Hollywood & Highland. The "closest" beaches are probably another 10-15 minutes away depending on where you choose to go and how you get there.

[arkestra]

Sorry to take this a bit off topic, but I long for Alice's Restaurant at the Malibu Pier. Though not great, the food was pretty good and the setting was beautiful, especially if you got a seat by the window. I heard they're opening a new restaurant in that space. Does anyone know anything about that?

[hollywood]

For the most part, the good restaurants don't have ocean views (guess they don't need em). I've heard Moonshadows in Malibu has a view and a new chef doing good things. I'd give it a try.

[Jaymes]

Haven't driven it in a while, but could she get to Shutters in that time frame?

When I lived in the LA area, I don't recall being able to get ANYWHERE in a half-hour.

[Carolyn Tillie]

THE classic beach-view restaurant is Gladstone's in Malibu. Overrated, IMHO, but there's probably a reason it is still around.

Slightly pricey is Kinkaid's in Redondo Beach. It is located on the pier and has pretty decent food.

Just north of Redondo is Hermosa and Manahattan Beaches, both city have a plethora of restaurants on the beach - Hermosa is more laid-back where you will get burgers and suds for your ocean view. Manhattan Beach is more upscale and you can dine on finer fare while watching the waves.

[arkestra]

I've never been, but I heard a while back that the restaurant at the Casa Del Mar hotel is quite good (high end).

Casa del Mar

From Hollywood & Highland, it'll take you about 30 minutes just to get to the closest beach.

[claire797]

Thanks for all the suggestions! This helps a lot. Now I can Google every restaurant mentioned.

Arketstra, thanks for the link to Casa Del Mar. I clicked on it and it appears to be everything I'm looking for in a beachfront restaurant.

And thanks everybody for the time estimates. I had no idea how long it would take given traffic etc. It's hard to tell just looking at a map.

[ludja]

If you end up having any free time during the day...

For casual seafood: Malibu Seafood Fresh Fish Market and Patio Cafe on Highway One. Malibu Seafood

Ahi Tuna Burger, Scallop Ceviche, Fried Oyster Sandwiches, Crab or Shrimp Salad, Fish Tacos...

If nice weather, I always try to stop by here on trips to northern LA. Modest patio but nice views of the ocean; a great place for a casual lunch.

Edited April 27, 2004 by ludja (log)

[Carolyn Tillie]

From Hollywood & Highland, it'll take you about 30 minutes just to get to the closest beach.

Yeah at 1:00 a.m.! Give yourself an hour, seriously..

Depending on the beach you are heading to, you are probably looking at more than an hour commute.

The locals can do it a half hour, but there is fore-knowledge of back roads for that scenario.

[Jaymes]

Arketstra, thanks for the link to Casa Del Mar. I clicked on it and it appears to be everything I'm looking for in a beachfront restaurant.

Casa del Mar and Shutters on the Beach are sorta sister hotels in Santa Monica. They are both lovely. Exquisite, actually. With very fine restaurants. I haven't eaten at Casa del Mar but have eaten at Shutters several times. Excellent food. Very romantic. And wonderful beach there, too. Just perfect for sticking one's toes into.

Shutters on the Beach

[claire797]

Wow! I think I like Shutters even better.

[tissue]

Don't go to Lavande, nasty overpriced food.

You can try Geoffrey's in Malibu. It has a great view, you should reserve for brunch.

[arkestra]

claire:

shutters and casa del mar are literally across the street from each other. you can check them both out and decide at the last minute. i'm sure both are nice. i believe shutters has a more casual feel.

as for getting there, take highland south to la brea, turn left on la brea and take it to the 10 fwy. take the fwy west, get off at 4th street, turn left and go to pico, then right until you can go no more. you'll be at the beach, right between shutters and casa del mar. depending on traffic, anywhere from 30 to 55 minutes.

enjoy

[jschyun]

Try the Lobster or Toppers in Santa Monica...both have great views and good food...I would do the lobster first....I dont need to say what they have!

I hate to say this, but I didn't really like the food at Toppers much. What I found notable about Toppers the one time I went there, was the view from the women's bathroom. If I remember correctly (it's been a couple years) the ceiling to floor window in the bathroom extends to the end stall and you can watch people sunbathing, and it's possible that someone else is watching you do your thing.

Edited April 29, 2004 by jschyun (log)

[claire797]

Great info!

I've narrowed my choices to Shutters and Geoffrey's. Life is just full of tough decisions, eh?

We may end up going for lunch instead of dinner. This is sort of a "business" trip and we really only have one day to devote to sight-seeing. I've always wanted to drive up the Pacific Coast Highway :).

[mongo_jones]

jschyun will back me up here: the korean seafood places on the redondo beach pier are amazing. get the crab and sashimi, and watch bloated corpses of seagulls float past the lines of amateur fishermen while you eat.

[JFLinLA]

Then definitely Geoffrey's for the drive up PCH. Just give yourself plenty of time, relax and enjoy the ride and the scenery. While the ride out west on the 10 Freeway will be faster, you could meander along Sunset Boulevard for at least one direction of your trip. You will go from the heart of Hollywood, through the Sunset Strip, Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Brentwood and Pacific Palisades. Sunset will end at PCH at Gladstones. Turn right and continue on your way. Depending on the time of day, traffic, and how much stopping you do, it's easily over an hour but can be thoroughly enjoyable. If time allows, you might want to leave Hollywood/Highland around 10:00 which, even allowing for stopping along the way, should leave you plenty of time to get to Geoffrey's for lunch.

Enjoy and tell us how it goes.

Just another thought -- If the drive satisfies you scenic viewing curiosity, you could always eat at Granita in Malibu. It's a Wolfgang Puck place just outside of the exclusive Malibu colony. You don't get the view from the restaurant but you might get some good celebrity spotting and you could say you dined at a Puck restaurant.

[s'kat]

This is sort of a "business" trip and we really only have one day to devote to sight-seeing. 

[Chris Cognac]

If you want a nice steak or seafood dinner with a great view,try the Chart House in Redondo Beach....it sits right over the water and is very nice. I eat there several times a year.

[jschyun]

jschyun will back me up here: the korean seafood places on the redondo beach pier are amazing. get the crab and sashimi, and watch bloated corpses of seagulls float past the lines of amateur fishermen while you eat.

I only know of that one Korean owned joint on the pier, to be honest, but all my friends and family go there. Not fancy, not the type of place where you sip wine and eat langoustine pasta, as the ocean laps the sand below your table. So for claire797's purposes, this may not be the best place, esp if there's money to burn.

But if you have hungry people who like Korean style sashimi (hwe) and soju, this place is pretty decent. I wouldn't say it's the most fabulous sashimi ever, but I like it for casual dining with friends. For some reason, we never get crab, don't ask me why because i love crab. My brother gets crab and loves it. Inexpensive.

As a child, I used to crack crab at a restaurant on the pier that had a deck jutting right over the water. It's gone now. Without that Korean place, I probably wouldn't even go to Redondo these days.

[hollywood]

From Hollywood & Highland, it'll take you about 30 minutes just to get to the closest beach.

Yeah at 1:00 a.m.! Give yourself an hour, seriously..

Depending on the beach you are heading to, you are probably looking at more than an hour commute.

The locals can do it a half hour, but there is fore-knowledge of back roads for that scenario.

If I can just get off of that L.A. freeway

Without getting killed or caught

Down that road in a cloud of smoke

For some land that I ain't bought bought bought

If I can just get off of that L.A. freeway