The Brief

There are few things that make us love L.A. quite like sipping a favorite beverage while taking in a view of the Pacific and scanning the horizon for dolphins. Even better when the surfers are out, or you've made it in time to catch the sunset.

LAist 89.3's AirTalk host Larry Mantle asked listeners to share their favorite places to eat and drink oceanside in and around L.A. The phone lines lit up, as they say, and those who didn't call clogged Mantle's inbox with recommendations. We've compiled many of them here and will continue gathering them in an evolving list.

Prepare to be shocked at how many Malibu suggestions show up.

Let me know if I missed your favorite: Email me at rlynch@scpr.org and I may add your suggestion to this list.

Malibu Farm Restaurant and Cafe

The ocean views are everywhere you look at The Malibu Farm restaurant, located at the Malibu Pier.

(

The Malibu Farm

)

The iconic Malibu Pier is the setting for these two restaurants, the cafe being the more casual of the two. Hit the cafe in the early hours for counter-service breakfast — Swedish mini pancakes, surfers rancheros and a fried egg sandwich. The restaurant is known for heartier fare, including pizzas, salads, lobster rolls, crab cake, oysters and bahn ‘bu tacos.

Malibu Seafood Fresh Fish Market & Patio Cafe

This spot is both a cafe and a fish market, so consider bringing a cooler with ice when you visit. “Every time we have visitors from out of town we take them to Malibu Seafood." says Kay Foster of North Hollywood. "In fact when people call and say they're coming to visit, they ask if we can take them there again.”

The cafe opens at 11 a.m. and boasts that the fish is uber fresh: “The reason we don’t serve breakfast is we’re out catching lunch,” says the menu. Located 1.5 miles north of Pepperdine University, the views are magnificent. The menu hits a variety of price points, including two fish tacos for $12.95 as well as a fried seafood combo of fish, shrimp, scallops, squid and fries, $24.95.

Belmont Brewing Company in Long Beach

Located at the foot of the Long Beach Pier, the Belmont Brewing Company lays claim to being the oldest brew pub in Los Angeles County. On tap: A strong stout called Long Beach Crude, an amber ale called Top Sail, and many others. Hand-crafted cocktails, too. For food, expect clam chowder, poke, ceviche, baja fish tacos (the batter's made with the house Marathon blonde ale), and also plenty of flat breads, burgers and sandwiches. If you like tomato soup, don't miss their take on it. Another favorite: The Belmont Burger, topped with onion strings, aioli and served on brioche.

Duke's in Malibu and Huntington Beach

"Recently drove to Malibu for a stolen weekday lunch at Duke’s. Lunch on the patio at the edge of the shore, lovely and reasonable," said Rick Teplitz of Westchester. There's also a Duke's in Huntington Beach, too. Reservations are recommended, unless you don't mind a wait. This place can get busy, but it's easy to see why: It's hard to beat the jaw-dropping coastal views. On Tuesday's, in Malibu, it's also hard to beat that view combined with their specials of the day: Two tacos (chicken, kalua pork, fish, or chef's special), plus chips and salsa, $14. Go ahead and tack on some house made guac ($7) and a margarita ($8) as long as someone else is driving. In Huntington Beach, it's Surf & Turf night, with specials on steak and seafood.

The Beach House in Seal Beach

Right on the sand. The menu at the Beach House in Seal Beach is tight, and hits all the favorites in beach dining, and then some. There are oysters, calamari, fish & chips, grilled salmon. But also loco moco, french onion soup and skillet corn bread made to order and served with butter, honeycomb and honey.

Captain Kidd's Fish Market & Restaurant in Redondo Beach

Captain Kidd's has an expansive menu — you choose the type of fish, how you want it prepared (charbroiled, sauteed, deep fried, tempura style), and even what spices you want. Specials include a crab cake sandwich, shrimp fajitas and the market priced lobster roll. There's New England chowder, Manhattan clam chowder, lobster bisque, seafood cioppino and chicken gumbo, and a variety of seafood kabobs. There are also burgers and steaks.

Bring a cooler and some ice. That way, after your meal, you can hit the fish market before you head home. The market menu encourages you to ask the staff about choosing the right type of fish, cooking methods and spices, so you can successfully experiment at home. The selection is huge — six varieties of crab, for example.

Neptune’s Net in Malibu

Neptune’s is half iconic Malibu beach shack, half biker bar (in the best possible way). “It's got wonderful fresh seafood … and a great beer selection,” said Jeff Willson of Playa del Rey. And so close to the beach, “You can watch the surfers.”

While many beach shacks go heavy on the deep fried, Neptune’s also goes heavy on the lighter fare, with several grilled fish salads. It sells its “world famous New England clam chowder” by the pint, starting at $8. There's also a seafood market, so consider bringing a cooler and some ice for your visit.

The Beachcomber at Crystal Cove

Located right on the beach at Crystal Cove, the Beachcomber is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Among the offerings: Breakfast beignets, omelettes, ranch skillets, coconut-macadamia pancakes; for lunch, clam chowder, grilled artichokes and Korean steak skewers, and for dinner, scallops and miso glazed butterfish. Be there to raise the flag and salute happy hour, with a cocktail at the Bootlegger Bar, serving margaritas, mojitos, martinis and more, with a bar menu that includes grilled artichokes, steak skewers and ahi nachos. If it's brunch, try one of the "big jar" cocktails, served in a big jar! A favorite is the Big Bad Bloody Mary, which is adorned with a crab claw and a jumbo shrimp, $21.

Terranea in Rancho Palos Verdes

There are several places to dine while watching the waves at the Terranea resort in Rancho Palos Verdes. Hillary Black of West Los Angeles recommends Nelson's, because it's "right on the beach," and offers SoCal favorites like chips and guac ($18), nachos ($28) and ceviche ($22) as well as housemade clam chowder ($20). But there's also Catalina Kitchen, where happy hour runs 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and includes poke nachos ($12) and Nashville hot chicken sliders ($10). For dinner, there's crab cakes, ahi tuna tartar, pizzas and a burger. For a higher-end experience elsewhere on the property there's also Mar'sel, (raw bar seafood selection $94, Chilean sea bass, $52), and you can sit alongside the garden growing the herbs and produce that end up on your plate.

Hot Dog on a Stick, Santa Monica Pier

Nothing says beach eats like corn dogs.

(

@hotdogonastick

/

Hot Dog On A Stick

)

"A deep fried, cornmeal-encrusted hot dog or cheese stick and lemonade, what more do you want??" asks Rob Takata of Valley Glen. A regular beef hot dog will set you back $6.25. You can also spring for the Cheetos Flamin' Hot version for an extra buck.

Geoffrey's in Malibu

Should you go to Geoffrey's at night, and dine beneath the fairy lights while listening to the crashing waves? Or go there for lunch, where you can actually see the crashing waves. Your choice. This place has everything seafood (and prices to match the view) including sauteed lump crap cakes, jumbo coconut shrimp, seafood paella, steamed lobster, brioche bread pudding and salted caramel butterscotch pot de crème.

Schooner Or Later in Long Beach

No reservations, Sundays and holidays are busy. Schooner or Later knows how to stay in its lane: They're only open until mid-afternoon. Nothing fancy, just solid breakfast and lunch fare, enjoyed while overlooking the marina. "Great for breakfast," said Dennis Atkinson of Los Alamitos. The menu is an expansive one, with omelettes, pancakes, waffles, burritos and no less than four different takes on eggs benedict. For heartier fare, there's burgers, soups, melts, salads and, of course, fish and chips. And schooners of beer!

The Reel Inn in Malibu

Casual dining, generous portions, a gorgeous view. That's the Reel Inn. "Fresh seafood, no frills, picnic tables inside and lovely patio seating where you can step down to the beach while you wait for your food," said Jordin Lang Johnson of Hollywood. "Amazing little place my Dad has been taking me (and everyone) to since I was a kid." If you want to keep it simple, you choose your seafood, you choose how you want it prepared — grilled sauteed or blackened — and then add on some sides and beverages. Done. Then, there's nothing left to do but sit down and enjoy the view. If you want more, there are chowders to choose from, crab cakes, tacos, a fish quesadilla, a variety of fried seafood platters and many grilled seafood specialities, too.

Beach House Tacos in Ventura

“Beach House Tacos on the pier in Ventura is always a favorite,” said Fern Zalin of Valencia. Just accept that there's gonna be a line. The stand is about an hour's drive from DTLA. Totally doable for lunch. Just accept that there will be a line for the tacos, burritos and bowls, and the don't miss street corn ($6). The crispy potato tacos ($7.50) are a favorite as is the spicy garlic shrimp burrito ($14). Get a cheesy grilled pasilla chile, too ($6.50). There's also 3 for $10 street tacos. On weekends, there's a beachside breakfast menu that includes breakfast tacos and churro donuts.

The Sea Chest Oyster Bar in Cambria

This is one of AirTalk host Larry Mantle’s favorites, in case you were wondering. The Sea Chest Oyster Bar overlooks Moonstone Beach, and is about a 4-hour drive from DTLA. So keep this one bookmarked for your next coastal trip. Dinner only. There’s often a line, and they don’t take reservations. But that’s part of the appeal, Mantle said, offering this pro tip: The restaurant is near several wineries, and guests are welcome to pull out folding chairs, and crack open a bottle or two in the parking lot while waiting for tables. (Just make sure someone else is doing the driving, of course.) So get there early, put your name on the list and get ready to watch the sunset. No takeout. Cash only. ATM on site. Offering all the seafood favorites: fresh oysters, steamer clams, seasonal fresh fish, clams linguini and a favorite, Gina’s Cioppino (previously known to faithful customers as Andy’s Ciop). No prices on the online menu.

BALEENkitchen at the Portofino Hotel & Marina in Redondo Beach

Check out the bar bites on the "Knotty Happy Hour Menu" at BALEENkitchen at the Portofino Hotel in Redondo Beach overlooking the marina: Hot crab dip, sliders and Korean-style chicken wings, daily 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. There’s plenty of seafood to be had elsewhere on the menu — the miso-glazed black cod is a favorite — but this is also a spot for those who want a burger with guac and an option to add on some candied bacon, or are in the mood for a roasted half chicken or coffee-rubbed, grilled rib-eye served with charred scallion chimichurri. Note that the online menu doesn't include prices.

West Toast Cafe in San Clemente

Serving all the toasts (Nutella, Avocado, $7-$12) as well as a breakfast burrito and bowls, smoothies and juices, burgers and salads. But the big surprise on the menu at West Toast Cafe in San Clemente is the Venezuelan Corner: Arepas! Cachapas! And Tequenos! ($8-$14) (The co-owners have Venezuelan roots.) At first, it was all a bit of an experiment. Now, "Believe it or not, we sell more arepas than burgers," said one of the co-owners and chef, Adrian Real, who worked in Miami before heading West. He says it's because of their signature green sauce, which they are about to start selling by the jar because it's such a hit with diners. Located near the popular surfing spot, T Street Beach, West Toast caters to the local crowd. Serving Panther Coffee, from Miami. IYKYK. Dine right on the beach, with your toes in the sand.

Brophy Bros. in Ventura

It's about an hour's drive from DTLA to Brophy Bros. in Ventura, known for its beer battered fish and chips, clam strips and clam chowder, cioppino, and ahi tuna poke. An hour is nothing for the way we drive in L.A., so Brophy's is the perfect excuse for a day trip to get away from the grind.

The Cliff in Laguna Beach

Boasts 180-degree whitewater views from the multi-level patio. “The Cliff in Laguna Beach sits above the water and has great, fresh food and live music in the evenings,” said Gena Hamamoto of Alhambra. House specialities include chicken and waffles for breakfast, clam chowder, mahi mahi fish tacos, halibut Laguna, and a fish and shrimp and chips combo.

The Marine Room in La Jolla

Are you overlooking the water? Or in the water? At The Marine Room in La Jolla, it's hard to say. One of the many draws of this that dates back to 1941 is that when the tides are right, the waves smash right into the window. Thrilling, or horrifying, depending upon your viewpoint. (There’s a tides chart on the website to help you time it either way.) A high-end lounge menu includes Moroccan lamb lollipops, $30, and cocktails such as the Oaxaca Night, $30, made with Ilegal Mezcal and St. Germain and the Kelp Martini, $19. Note that there’s a dress code: No beach or active wear, such as ball caps.

That ocean breeze is just not cutting it in schools in Torrance and Long Beach as Southern California reels from a heat wave.

Parents have taken to social media, created petitions and are proposing a bond measure in order to address the sweltering classrooms as temperatures hit triple digits in some areas.

Only 25% of Torrance Unified classrooms have air conditioning, according to a district spokesperson. And while 90% of Long Beach Unified schools have air conditioning, the schools without air conditioning have to bear this heat spell until the end of 2027 when new air conditioning will be in all classrooms.

What are schools doing to beat the heat?

In Long Beach, the district says there are portable fans in classrooms without AC and the district has installed heat-blocking window covers.

"The things that we do immediately and have been doing for several years, hydration stations,” Keith Butler, the deputy superintendent at TUSD, told the school board early this week. “So our nutrition services freezes blocks of ice, puts them into containers with water, and students are — and staff are able to rotate through and at least get ice water.”

There is also a classroom rotation system so everyone gets a turn in cooling zones, he said.

Can schools close on extreme heat days?

Eric Mitchell, a spokesperson for LBUSD, told LAist, “The District will not close schools because of extreme weather unless the City of Long Beach Public Health Department or a state-authorized emergency response agency directs it.”

Baillie echoed his words adding that a state-declared emergency allows schools to close temporarily without needing to make up teaching time. School funding is dependent on attendance and instructional time.

If a local emergency is declared, school districts, she said, must consult with labor unions to adjust the school schedule to either extend the school year or move to a student-free professional development day.

“Our district is actively discussing creating union-approved ‘weather days’ that would provide a mechanism to adjust the schedule,” Baillie said. “Thresholds would be part of that discussion and might focus on when national weather alerts elevate a heat advisory to an extreme heat event, as they did this week.”

So how can Torrance get ACs in the classroom?

School districts like Torrance pay for facility upgrades like new ACs through district issued bond measures. A school district takes a loan and the people in that city pay back that loan through an increase in their property taxes. That is because there is no specific state allocation of funding for major upgrades or construction. Most of the money schools get from the state is spent on instruction and other student services. There have been some occasional grant programs, like CalShape, but no ongoing source of funding.

This week, a petition to get TUSD to place a bond measure on the ballot to fund ACs has already garnered over 1500 signatures.

But, Baillie said, “Third-party polling completed earlier this year showed a willingness to vote for additional future bonds; however, when specifically asked about the costs of specific bonds to fund the $520 million needed to upgrade the electrical systems and install AC at all 34 campuses, polling showed there would not be enough support (bonds require 55% +1 of voters in an election) to pass a bond for AC.”

And so the bond measure was not placed on the upcoming ballot.

Butler, the deputy superintendent, explained during this week’s school board meeting that parents cannot simply donate an AC unit.

“ One [reason] is it's not super effective to have a typical window unit from a home that would be trying to cool a 960 sq. ft. classroom with 27 students and a teacher, maybe an instructional aide,” he said. “But the bigger issue is the ones that are large enough to really do that, the room has to have a large electrical load, and our electrical system within our buildings where most of them were built in the 1960s, it's just not meant to handle what it does.”

LAist reporter Mariana Dale contributed to this article. 

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office is hosting a buyback event Sunday where people can exchange their e-bikes and e-motorcycles for up to $1,000 in gift cards. The goal is to reduce the number of illegal bikes on the road, and give parents an incentive to get dangerous vehicles out of kids’ hands.

“These vehicles are not child’s play, and the consequences are incredibly dangerous and increasingly deadly,” DA Todd Spitzer said in a news release announcing the event.

Communities in Orange County have been grappling with a surge in e-bikes and e-motos on the road, including among young kids, and an accompanying increase in serious crashes.

“Our area has pretty much the highest concentration of e-bike injuries and e-bike accidents in the country,” said Dr. Tetsuya Takeuchi, the trauma medical director at Providence Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo.

Takeuchi said  just over 70% of the children treated at the hospital for e-bike injuries had some level of head injury, “from a simple concussion to devastating brain damage, brain bleed and skull fracture."

A lot of those injuries are among teenagers not wearing helmets, he said. Plus, many e-bikes on the market are too heavy and fast for children to control, Takeuchi said.

Besides safety concerns, tensions have flared with other drivers, pedestrians, and neighbors in areas with heavy concentrations of e-bikes.

Newport-Mesa Unified School District became one of the first districts in the country this year to restrict e-bikes to high school campuses only. District leaders say the policy is working to disincentivize young students from riding e-bikes to school. But at one middle school, students with e-bikes have opted to ride them anyway, parking in the surrounding neighborhood and raising the ire of homeowners.

The DA’s approach

The DA’s office has started to target parents who allow their children to ride e-bikes and e-motorcycles that have been illegally modified for high speeds, sometimes with deadly consequences. In April, the district attorney filed child endangerment charges against a mother from Aliso Viejo after her 14-year-old son struck and killed an 81-year-old man while doing wheelies in the street in Lake Forest. The boy was riding an e-motorcycle souped up to reach 60 mph.

Details of the buyback program

The e-bike and e-motorcycle buyback program is part of the DA’s plan to address safety concerns with e-bikes. Local police departments, hospitals and the California Office of Traffic Safety will also be onsite with information booths.

People can bring in functioning or non-functioning e-bikes, e-motorcycles, e-scooters and pocket bikes and exchange them for gift cards worth up to $1,000 — while supplies last.

The event takes place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 13, at Angel Stadium in Anaheim.

An appeals court issued a ruling Friday that strikes down a federal government effort to block a lower court’s order requiring the construction of 2,550 new housing units on the Veterans Affairs campus in West Los Angeles.

The long-running case, brought forward by disabled veterans struggling with homelessness in the L.A. area, has centered on the use of the sprawling 400-acre VA campus.

U.S. District Judge David O. Carter had previously scrutinized leases for the private Brentwood School’s athletic facilities, a parking lot company, an oil drilling enterprise and UCLA’s baseball stadium.

Ruling that the campus was meant to aid veterans, Carter ordered the VA to not renew the leases and quickly build 750 units of temporary housing and 1,800 units of permanent housing.

But Carter’s September 2024 order has been on hold ever since the defendants asked the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to review his decision.

Case returns to lower court

On Friday, more than two-thirds of the court’s 29 judges ruled against the VA’s petition for a rehearing.

“It's a historic day for veterans,” said Mark Rosenbaum, an attorney with Public Counsel representing the plaintiffs.

“The government has been fighting their veterans, who went to fight on behalf of the nation,” he added. “They've been fighting them like they are the enemy. They went to the district court to fight. They lost.”

Rosenbaum said he’s pleased to see the case return to Carter’s courtroom after a long appeals process. Carter, himself a Marine Corps veteran who served in the Vietnam War, took an active role in pushing the VA to address a homelessness crisis that has thousands of former service members experiencing homelessness on any given night in L.A. County.

Could the VA pursue further appeals? 

Carter has also ordered the VA to stop using veterans' disability payment benefits as a reason to make them ineligible for supportive housing programs due to income restrictions.

But Rob Reynolds, an Iraq War veteran who advocates for L.A.’s veteran community, said the federal government’s attempts to win an appeal could continue.

“The government can still appeal this to the U.S. Supreme Court,” Reynolds said.

When veterans involved in the case first heard today’s news on the 9th Circuit ruling, he said they immediately asked about the potential for further appeals.

“All of us are really hoping that the government stops this fight, and that we can get housing built for our veterans and end this madness once and for all,” Reynolds said.

A spokesperson for the VA declined to comment on the ruling, saying the department does not discuss pending litigation.

Jenny Yang, a comedian from L.A., has been traveling across the country turning immigrant grocery stores into comedy hubs. Now she’s back in L.A. getting ready to start a mini-residency in Highland Park, tape her first one-hour special and share moments from the tour.

Yang kicked off her Good Egg Immigrant Grocery Store Standup Comedy Tour in June in L.A., then took it to 15 cities across the country. She told LAist the decision came as a way to cope with the grief from her dad’s death, 10 failed in vitro fertilization treatments between 2020 and 2025 and seeing the news of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids spread across the country.

She said the idea to tour grocery stores was a way to reclaim those spaces, after immigration enforcement left many afraid to go out and do simple tasks like buying groceries.

“If we cannot laugh in front of a wall of instant ramen around our bok choy," Yang said, "then what is the American dream for?"

Her routine wove in stories about her fertility struggles and the challenges of having to be a “good egg” growing up as the child of immigrant parents from Taiwan. Her hope for the tour was to connect with people, to make jokes and help people feel lighter after.

The tour proceeds went to local nonprofits serving immigrant communities, and Yang said those organizations helped recruit the grocery stores. She said some stores said no at first — they felt overwhelmed by ICE activity in their city, had lost staff or worried about drawing attention.

“That's part of the story of the tour is it's one thing to want to imagine this beautiful world where you can tell jokes inside of immigrant grocery stores," Yang said. "It's another thing to know what those obstacles are, and I think that's still very telling for where we are as a country.”

One moment stood out to Yang: performing at Shuang Hur Supermarket in Minneapolis. It’s near the memorial for Alex Pretti, the nurse that a U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and killed in January as federal agents carried out immigration enforcement in the city.

“I was able to talk to Henry, the owner who’s a Chinese American uncle. [He] was so proud of being able to help his regular patrons, who for the most part even though it was an Asian centered grocery store, were majority Latino,” Yang said. “I was able to bear witness to their resilience as a community, what they did to take care of each other.”

Now she’s back in L.A. and is doing a mini-residency at the Outside In Theater at 5317 York Blvd. in Highland Park. Her first show is 6 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 12, followed by shows on Sept. 19 and 26 at the same time. Tickets are pay-what-you-can, and you can find them at Outside In's website.

In February 2027, Yang will be taping her first one-hour special at Rancho Meat Market #1 in Lincoln Heights. She describes it as a love letter to Los Angeles that’s endured so much, from the ICE raids to the January fires.

You can follow Jenny Yang’s work here.