Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [141]
Coogies Beach Café (Map; 310-317-1444; 23755 Malibu Rd at Malibu Bluffs; mains $5-17; 7:30am-9pm Sun-Thu, 7:30am-10pm Fri & Sat; ) Even size 0 locals can’t resist Coogie’s famous whole-wheat pancakes packed with fresh strawberries and bananas. A great place to hit before or after the beach, this mall-based yet upscale diner serves breakfast until 3pm, tasty sandwiches and salads for lunch and fresh fish for dinner.
Neptune’s Net (off Map; 310-457-3095; 42505 Pacific Coast Hwy; dishes $6-10; 10:30am-8pm Apr-Oct, 10:30am-7pm Nov-Mar; ) If you’ve worked up an appetite driving up PCH in your convertible, stop by this landmark seafood shack and pit stop for surfers, Harley riders and families. The seafood dishes are superb, fresh from the tank and cooked up any way you like it. Order a cold beer and kick back on the ocean-view patio. Great clam chowder, too.
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TOP FIVE VEGETARIAN PICKS
Green Temple (Redondo Beach, Click here)
Inn of the Seventh Ray (Topanga Canyon, right)
Leaf Cuisine (Culver City, Click here)
Real Food Daily (Santa Monica, opposite)
Zephyr (Long Beach, Click here)
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MIDRANGE & TOP END
Allegria (Map; 310-456-3132; 22821 Pacific Coast Hwy, cnr Sweetwater Cyn; mains lunch $10-17, dinner mains $12-26, pizza $12-16; 11:30am-2pm Mon-Fri, 5-Mon-Fri, 11:30am-10:30pm Sat & Sun; ) This convivial trattoria near the Malibu Pier is often filled with patrons lusting after the pizzas tickled by wood fire just long enough to produce perfectly crispy thin crusts. Other dishes beckon too, including pretty pastas, tender osso buco and crispy fried calamari paired with a tomato sauce that’s got some kick.
Taverna Tony (Map; 310-317-9667; 23410 Civic Center Way, cnr Cross Creek Rd; mains $13-23; 11:30am-midnight Sun-Thu, 11:30-12:30am Fri & Sat; ) This lively Greek spot fronted by a flowery terrace packs them in day after day with finger-lickin’ fare that feeds both the soul and belly. For a serious indulgence, loosen your belt and order the Greek Feast ($33 per person; two-person minimum) with 15 different dishes. Reservations advised.
Nobu Malibu (Map; 310-317-9140; Ste 18a, 3835 Cross Creek Rd; sushi $6-12, dishes $14-38; 6-10pm Sun-Thu, 6-11pm Fri & Sat; ) Tucked in the Malibu Country Mart shopping center, Nobu coasts on its fame and famous clientele. Everyone else will still enjoy the creative Japanese fare but perhaps not the smallish portions, high prices, and the indifferent service we found here. Still, the stargazing, especially on the dimly lit patio, can’t be beat. Don’t dress up or you won’t blend in.
Inn of the Seventh Ray (Map; 310-455-1311; 128 Old Topanga Canyon Rd; mains lunch $12-20, dinner $22-34; 11:30am-3pm Mon-Fri, 10:30am-3pm Sat & Sun, 5:30-10pm daily; ) If you’ve lived through the ’60s, you might experience flashbacks at this New-Agey hideaway in an impossibly idyllic setting in Topanga Canyon. All of the food is organic, much is raw, most of it meatfree and some rather esoteric. The agave-glazed vegan duck ($23) is a perennial favorite.
Santa Monica
BUDGET
Counter (Map; 310-399-8383; 2901 Ocean Park Blvd; burgers from $6.50; 11am-10pm Mon-Thu, 11am-11pm Fri & Sat, noon-9pm Sun) Let your creativity fly at this crisp postmodern patty-and-bun joint where you build your own gourmet burger by mixing and matching your favorite bread, meat, cheese, topping and sauce. Apparently, this adds up to 312,120 burger combinations. Ponder that while munching on a bucket of tasty fries.
Real Food Daily (Map; 310-451-7544; 514 Santa Monica Blvd; mains $7-15; 11:30am-10pm; ) New World vegan-cooking-guru Ann Gentry gives meat and dairy substitutes an interesting inflection, although some of the dishes sound better than they taste (keep the salt within reach). Still, the lentil-walnut pâté is a complex starter and classics like