Best of the Beach 2022: Indian, Italian over $25, Italian under $25, Japanese (other), Japanese (Sushi)
Indian
Addi’s Darbar
Darbar has multiple meanings, one of which is a formal reception held by an Indian prince. Addi’s Darbar is more formal than most Indian restaurants, the cozy dining room princely in décor if not size. The menu includes items from all over India but has a focus on the food of Goa, a former Portuguese colony that absorbed Mediterranean ideas like cooking with wine and vinegar. Goa is where vindaloo was invented, and the version here sets the standard for the South Bay. Whatever you order, though, you’ll find the food to be excellent, the service attentive, and an extensive wine list that suits this cuisine.
Addi’s Darbar
800 Torrance Blvd #101
Redondo Beach
(424) 350-7121
Runner-up:
Copper Pot Indian Grill
1511 S Pacific Coast Hwy.
Redondo Beach
(310) 504-0777
Bottle Inn’s popular patio suggests a Roman piazza
Italian – over $25
The Bottle Inn
When the Bottle Inn changed hands in 2017, the new owners said the restaurant would remain substantially the same. It hasn’t, because the renovated interior transformed the place from Runner-up:stic to sleek and elegant. The cooking still leans heavily on old-school Italian classics, but the pasta sauces are lighter, the flavors bolder. One thing that hasn’t changed at the Bottle Inn is that our readers love it, and they have awarded it best upscale Italian once again.
The Bottle Inn
26 22nd St.
Hermosa Beach
(310) 376-9595
Runner-up:
Primo Italia
24590 Hawthorne Blvd.
Torrance
(310) 378-4288
Fritto Misto manager Gaby Barrantes. The restaurant has been a Pier Ave., Hermosa mainstay for two decades. Photo by JP Cordero
Italian – under $25
Fritto Misto
Our readers seem to have an appetite for comfort food when it comes to Italian, Because they voted for places that have been in business for decades at both price levels. Fritto Misto specializes in California-style pastas, and their namesake dish of fried seafood and vegetables. They execute them with skill. The build-your-own pasta offerings include gluten-free and whole wheat pastas, so if you don’t see what you like, they’ll make it to order. People have been coming here for comfort food at a modest price since 2001, and they evidently see no reason to change a strategy that keeps smiles on diner’s faces.
Fritto Misto
316 Pier Ave.
Hermosa Beach
(310) 318-6098
Runner-up:
Mama D’s
2512 Pacific Coast Hwy
Hermosa Beach
(310) 546-1492
Japanese (Other)
Japonica
A while ago we split the Japanese restaurant category into sushi and non-sushi, because some readers said that the use of seasonings to enhance raw ingredients and cooked dishes were such different categories. They are, but this year the same restaurant won both. Japonica opened in 2002 and introduced the izakaya small plates style of dining to the South Bay. There have been changes as Americans have become more knowledgeable about Japanese food, with more styles of ramen and some fusion dishes like the pecan, brussel sprouts, and mandarin orange salad. The Hermosa location opened last year with a slightly smaller menu than the original in Redondo, and is bustling, showing that the appetite for great Japanese food is inexhaustible.
Japonica
1314 Hermosa Ave.
Hermosa Beach
(424) 257-82744
1304 ½ S. Pacific Coast Hwy.
Redondo Beach
(310) 316-9477
japonicadining.com
Runner-up:
Flyin Fin Sushi and Seafood
1727 S. Catalina Ave.
Redondo Beach
(310) 373-3718
Japonica’s newly opened Hermosa Beach location became an instant success. Easy Reader file photo
Japanese (Sushi)
Japonica
Traditional sushi is one of the most subtle cuisines in the world, in which the flavor of high-quality ingredients shines with the most minimal of enhancements. Chefs strive to get the best seasonal seafood, and to perfect their art to serve it perfectly. Over the last decade new wave ideas have mainstreamed versions in which spicy and creamy sauces dominate, but our readers evidently prefer the original. Japonica does have some innovations, like the smoked soy sauce and Japanese balsamic vinegar that appear in some preparations, but they’re used judiciously so you never miss the perfect natural flavors that made sushi a symbol of sophisticated dining.
Japonica
1314 Hermosa Ave.
Hermosa Beach
(424) 257-82744
1304 ½ S. Pacific Coast Hwy.
Redondo Beach
(310) 316-9477
Runner-up:
Yanagi Bistro
2301 Artesia Blvd. #8
Redondo Beach
(310) 372-6500