Best Motel: Sea Sprite
Sea Sprite is something of an icon on the Hermosa Beach waterfront. Its walls, owners, and even guests have remained the same for generations. It’s a tried-and-true staple for guests both local and out-of-town, owing to its intimate charm, fully-equipped facilities, and not least, its ideal location. “There’s nothing we like better than to have […]
Best entertainment club dining: The Comedy & Magic Club
The best seats at any club tend to go to the patrons who have come early for dinner, so generations of theater aficionados have gotten used to the drudgery of club dining – small selections of indifferent food, usually at high prices. The Comedy & Magic club is a delightful change, with a wide choice […]
Best DJ: DJ DIK
In the 13 years that DJ DIK has been dropping beats on the South Bay clubbing scene, he has gathered quite a local following. Taking the title of best DJ for the fourth consecutive year, he says he is grateful, honored and humbled. “I get surprised every year,” said Richard Podgurski, the man behind DJ […]
Best Hotel: Shade Hotel
The brainchild not of an hotelier but of a restaurateur, Shade Hotel prioritizes the experience of both guests and diners. South Bay residents flock to its rooftop for the hotel’s menus and cocktails, joining out-of-town visitors who pack the hotel to capacity most days. Conde Nast voted Shade the number six reason to visit Los […]
Best Local Park: Valley Park
Greenery is the focal point of this local park that is good for both grownups and children. Valley features a playground, picnic area, and lots of open green space. A major allure for locals is the free parking and short walk to the beach as well as public restrooms. Valley Park is home to the […]
Best Kids Menu: Islands
Islands, fine burgers & drinks, was voted best kid’s menu because of their “Gremmie Menu” that features food for the 12 and under crowd. They serve food like the Lil’ Hot Dogger, a beef wiener and bun, and the Sandcastle, a grilled cheese sandwich on egg bread. They have the staples like mac and cheese, […]
Best chili: Tomboy’s
Bowls of chili aren’t on the menu at our winner for best chili, though we’ve heard that if you ask for one, they will sell it to you. Instead, the chili is the indispensable element in chili fries, a chili burger, and the chili-cheese fries that seem to outsell everything else. This isn’t a powerful […]
Best sports bar: Shark’s Cove
Shark’s Cove is the South Bay new sports bar sweetheart. With copious amounts of flat-screen, high-definition TVs, 16 beers on tap, legendary wings, and a loyal commitment to the Lakers, Dodgers, and Kings fans, the Manhattan Beach bar is the favorite spot for LA sports fans to catch games seven days a week. And, despite […]
Best 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. AdventurePlex offers general admission, classes, summer and seasonal camps, birthday parties and team building events. There is even […]
Best Kids Beach Camp: Hammerhead Beach Camp
Bruce Kocsis, a 24-year L.A. County Lifeguard and Jamie Bateman, a preschool teacher founded Hammerhead Beach Camp 16 years ago. Their camps — Hammerheads, Minis and Guard Prep, are for children ages four to 13. Their number one priority is safety and they provide higher-than-required camper/counselor ratios, cordoned-off areas for activities and canopies for shade. […]
Best ethnic BBQ: Silvio’s BBQ
Brazilian barbecue is less complicated than American barbecue – all about the perfect expression of the meat with just a little salt and herbs for seasoning. Silvio’s is a temple of meat, where various cuts of beef, chicken, and sausage are flame-roasted and served up Brazilian style, but where you can also get real Southern […]
Best liquor store: BevMo!
There are few things local winos cherish more than BevMo!’s famous 5 cent wine sale, where most of the hundreds of the store’s wines can be purchased for a nickel when an identical bottle is bought. But keeping the wine cellars of South Bay oenophiles well-stocked for a good price is only one of BevMo!’s […]
Best American BBQ: Pinkies BBQ
Their slogan is “the sweetest meat you’ll ever eat,” which rhymes but isn’t actually true; there are barbecue places that specialize in sugary, caramelized sauces, but this isn’t one of them. There is some sweetness to the sauce, but the attraction here is slow-smoked meats that have the proper hickory tang, the infusion of smoke […]
Best Kids Land Camp: Manhattan Karate & Yoga
Manhattan Beach Karate and Yoga’s camp is based on traditional Shotokan Karate and is taught by instructors with decades of experience. Limited in size to ensure quality, each camp is custom tailored based on its participants, from beginner to advanced. “It’s a well-balanced educational, physical and fun camp, all very closely supervised,” said Nicolas Salcedo, […]
Best martini: Palmilla
Another nod for cocktails goes to Palmilla for best martini. Though the martini choices are extensive, the online community seemingly has chosen the jalapeno cucumber martini as its favorite, with mentions of the popular cocktail mentioned in many an online review. The chocolate martini, which is made with tequila, is almost as popular and is […]
Best Kids’ Birthday Party Location: Scooter’s Jungle
Scooter’s Jungle wins the prize for the second year in a row for best kids’ birthday party location because of the family friendly environment. They offer “worry-free” parties and special events featuring huge inflatable jumpers and permanent structures that include the tallest and longest indoor inflatable slides in the area. They also offer homemade pizza […]