Best Kids Indoor Play Facility: AdventurePlex
AdventurePlex is a five-level play structure with sports courts, two 35-foot rock walls and a high ropes course. Parents love it because their kids are having the time of their lives playing their way to good health. Adventure plex offers general admission, classes, summer and seasonal camps, birthday parties and team building events. There is […]
Best Veterinarian: Dr. Steve Liebl, Hermosa Animal Hospital
Our readers rave about Hermosa Animal Hospital, a full-service vet offering routine preventive care, early detection and treatment of disease, and full medical and surgical care if needed throughout a pet’s lifetime. And they rave about the two decades of expertise and “pet-side manner” provided by the popular Dr. Liebl. “Dr. Steve Liebl is by […]
Best Pet Shop: Centinela Feed and Pet Supplies
Centinela Feed and Pet Supplies in Redondo Beach wins the top spot for South Bay pet stores because of their knowledgeable employees and wide range of animal food. “We’ve been in Redondo since 1998,” said General Manager Cristina Kulkowsky. “We stress high levels of service and that our staff is knowledgeable. You’re really able to […]
Best Foreign Auto Service: Lexology
Partners Michael Badawy and Matthew Barden at Lexology in Redondo Beach like to compare their auto repair work to that of a new car dealership at a fair price. That’s because both men came from working at dealerships where they learned to perform at the highest standards, Badawy said. “It’s real important to make sure […]
Best Used Auto Dealer: JAMA Auto House
Buying a used car, especially from a used car lot, can be an intimidating experience. At the JAMA Auto House, partners Jody Lilly and Lars Jacobsson pride themselves on being gentle with their customers. The two serve as the sole salesmen, typically carrying about 40-50 cars on its lot on PCH in Hermosa Beach. “We’re […]
Best New Car Dealer: John Elway’s Manhattan Beach Toyota
John Elway and partners purchased Manhattan Beach Toyota five years ago, but it took more than a year before the Hall of Famer was comfortable putting his name on the marquee. “We remodeled the facility to be more comfortable and also retrained the staff for greater customer satisfaction,” said Al Wise, director of public relations. […]
Best Breakfast muffin: Tammie’s Corner House
A food historian once observed that muffins were invented so Americans could eat cake for breakfast. She was correct – they really haven’t caught on in the rest of the world, but we do like our sweets along with our morning coffee. And where better to get them than Tammie’s Corner House, which serves them […]
Best Bagel shop: Noah’s
And Noah brought to the ark bagels of every kind. Two by two he brought them, regular, egg, garlic, poppy seed, pumpernickel, pretzel, and all the rest, and they set sail from New York to California, where there were created cheddar jalapeno bagels, and cinnamon raisin, and Dutch apple crunch, and Tuscan pesto bagels, and […]
Best American BBQ: Pinkie’s
Their slogan is “The Sweetest Meat You’ll Ever Eat,” which some might find misleading – their meat tastes not of sugar, but of its own essences with a subtle mélange of smoke and spice. Pinky’s serves their barbeque with the sauce on the side, nothing to cover up or modify the natural goodness unless you […]
Best Blue Zone (health) menu: The Spot
The Blue Zones – places where people live the longest and stay in the best health – have been studied for years, and menus that incorporate these healthy concepts are springing up in our neighborhood thanks to BCHD’s Vitality City initiative. These ideas may be new elsewhere but at The Spot they’ve been refined since […]
Best American Contemporary Restaurant: Zane’s
American Contemporary looks a lot like American Classic at Zane’s, a restaurant serving old style martinis and steaks with just enough modern ideas to remind you that you really are in the modern world. It’s recognizably a contemporary restaurant in both environment and menu rather than a retro feast, but one with roots and a […]
Best Bakery: Becker’s
Becker’s Bakery has another big birthday this year – the place was founded in 1942, and is still looking quite spry for a 70-year-old. They’re still baking old fashioned goodness while keeping up with the times – want your photograph on a cake, a retro hippie daisy on a cookie, or a mixed box of […]
Best Regional American: Rockn’Fish
Much of Rockn’Fish’s menu does emphasize regional American food – the cuisine of more than one region, in fact. The ambiance is reminiscent of a Chicago steakhouse, while the cuisine has at least a touch of Louisiana. That is a real shrimp and sausage gumbo, the remoulade sauce is freshly made, and the crab po-boy […]
Best Fast Food Burger: In-N-Out
The cult of In-N-Out is alive and well in the South Bay, complete with the secret language known only to initiates. Which nowadays is just about anybody who likes a juicy, oniony burger, since the codes for the off-menu items are an open secret. Those items aside, In and Out stubbornly bucks the trend of […]
Best Brunch over $15: Shade
It can’t come as much of a surprise that the South Bay’s most stylish hotel serves a brunch to reckon with. The Zinc Lounge has all the standard items made with the highest quality ingredients – organic eggs, Nova Scotia salmon, Nueske’s bacon, and heirloom tomatoes from the farmers market. What might surprise you is […]
Best Brunch under $15: Gum Tree
Weekend brunch is the most relaxed meal of anyone’s week, perhaps the only one where time means little and you allow yourself to relax completely and enjoy your environment. It makes sense that our winner this year boasts a sunny outdoor patio, serene atmosphere, and an endearingly eccentric menu. Gum Tree serves the same menu […]