Best of the Beach Dining & Entertainment 2024 Winners
Chef, sommelier, wine list
Pacific Standard Prime
There are many flamboyant, self-promoting chefs in the South Bay, and Christine Brown isn’t one of them. Though she has worked at high-profile restaurants and ran her own for decades, she’s not the type to call a PR person every time she comes up with a new recipe. That makes her win as best chef of 2023 all the more impressive because it’s based on her quiet dedication to making fantastic food rather than hype. She’s the reason PSP Steak is a dining destination even for vegetarians — there are so many interesting and delicious items in every category that anyone will be enchanted by her skill.
Pacific Standard Prime sommelier Peggy Dean became fascinated with wine on a vacation to the California wine country, and it led her to make a life in wine, first as a wine distributor rep, then, after intensive study for a career as a sommelier. She joined Pacific Standard Prime in 2019 and has become an integral part of the place, a friendly, approachable, and knowledgeable guide to their award-winning list. She gives the same consideration to a question about wine available by the glass or modestly priced bottle as she would to someone with a big celebration and a big budget, and that’s not something that happens in every restaurant. Ask her for a recommendation, or to confirm the choice you’ve already made, and you’ll be sure you have the beverage for your budget and palate.
A big wine list isn’t always a good one, and vice versa. Intelligent curation makes a difference, as does the willingness of the restaurant to spend money not only on good wines, but on storing them so they’ll remain good. Pacific Standard Prime owner Kevin Leach knows and loves good wine, and he brought in sommelier Peggy Dean both to assemble an awesome collection of fine wines and to introduce them to customers. They have assembled a superb list and trained the staff to help with pairings, and the result is a world class wine experience. You’ll probably find some names and bottles that you know, and if you feel like trying something new, an expert is at hand to help you find a memorable bottle or glass to expand your palate.
1810 S Pacific Coast Hwy.
Redondo Beach
(424) 247-7521
Wine bar
Barsha
The wine bar experience is a little different from most other drinking places because at most bars, the beverage is an accompaniment to the conversation. At a good wine bar, the beverage is often a major topic of conversation, and appropriate snacks are served along with the fruit of the vine. Customers sip, taste, and talk with their companions, the staff, and even total strangers about what they’re experiencing. Barsha in Manhattan Beach has found the perfect balance of food and atmosphere to loosen tongues and create a vibrant social scene that happens to center on wine. Stop in and try the wines and light meals, and if you find something you particularly like, take a bottle home to spark conversations there.
917 N Sepulveda Blvd.
Manhattan Beach
(310) 318-9080
Caterer
Mickeys deli
One of the difficulties with deciding on who should make food for an event is that it’s hard to taste their food unless you have been invited to another event they’ve catered. That’s not a problem at Mickey’s, because what they offer for your party is the same hearty, delicious Italian-American food that they’ve been making every day for 60 years. It’s not fancy, but everyone loves it, and for some events, that’s just what you want.
101 Hermosa Ave.
Hermosa Beach
(310) 376-2330

Gabi James cicerone Adam Aro and Sara Gabriele. Photo by Mark McDermott
Cicerone
Adam Aro, Gabi James
Gabi James is a Spanish restaurant, and Spain is more famous for their wines than their beers. It’s a Spanish restaurant in the South Bay, where we’re very partial to good brews, and that’s where Adam Aro comes in. Adam co-owns the restaurant and is particular about his beers, and he has assembled a list that includes a variety of local and regional taps, and even an IPA brewed to celebrate the restaurant’s sixth anniversary. They sometimes have Spanish beers available, because Spaniards do drink beer, particularly in the hot south and at football games. Ask Adam for suggestions the next time you dine there, and you may learn new things about pairing the best modern Mediterranean food with the best beers our local breweries serve.
1810 S Catalina Ave.
Redondo Beach
(310) 540-4884
Fish and Chips
Captain Kidd’s
Fish and chips in the South Bay come in many varieties, from cornmeal-crusted with skin-on steak fries to beer-battered with matchstick potatoes. It’s no surprise that Captain Kidd’s is fairly traditional, using codfish rather than cheaper trash fish because the slight oiliness and flaky texture is perfect for this purpose. The batter that encases the fish is made with tempura flour for crispness, and a burst of steam is emitted when you break the first piece open. It’s a simple thing perfectly executed, and that’s how customers have been enjoying it since 1976.
209 N Harbor Drive
Redondo Beach
(310) 372-7703
Specialty salad
Rock’n Fish
Most people who visit Rock’nFish tend to order the blue cheese wedge, a modern classic that this kitchen makes uncommonly well. It’s a great start to a dinner, as is the Caesar salad with a robust dressing and their classic cobb, but there’s one salad that you can only get here. We’re not sure whether anybody in Tahiti actually makes an Ahi tuna salad like Rockn’Fish’s Tahitian Ahi salad, but the mix of seared fresh ahi with mango, tomato, romaine, cabbage, avocado, and other goodies topped with lime-cocoanut vinaigrette is superb. It’s a little Asian, a little Mediterranean, and entirely original. You’ll find new flavor combinations as you dine, and you’ll come back for another to see whether there are any that you missed.
120 Manhattan Beach Blvd.
Manhattan Beach
(310) 379-9900

Hennessey’s Tavern’s dining deck and thos of its neighbor were one of the positive things that came ou of the pandemic. They have revitalized the Redondo Beach Riviera Village. Photo by Kevin Cody
Dining deck
Hennessey’s
Catalina Avenue is the center for Redondo Beach streetlife, and Hennessey’s is at the center of the center. On any given evening there is a happy hubbub of music and conversation, people watching and appreciation of passing dogs. (Yes, dogs. Canine lovers like to sit at the tables by the sidewalk so they can pet them.) It’s a continuous parade that is often compared to the ambiance of European cities, but is uniquely the South Bay’s.
1712 S. Catalina Ave.
Redondo Beach
(310) 540-8443
313 Manhattan Beach Blvd.
Manhattan Beach
(310) 546-4813
Ice cream parlor
Handel’s
Handel’s ice cream was unknown in the South Bay until 2010, but they now have two locations in our area. The Ohio-based chain champions fresh products — everything you buy there was made that day, in that store. Their stores rotate through over a hundred flavors and offer as many as 45 flavors on any given day, so if the one you particularly like isn’t offered that day, you have plenty of other options. Whether you pick something like pumpkin ripple, confetti brownie batter, or just the best, creamiest vanilla you’ve ever had, they’re ready to provide a rich delight in a cone, dish, sundae, shake, blended frozen drink, or packed for enjoying at home.
3360 N. Sepulveda Blvd.
Manhattan Beach
(310) 546-2022
1882 S Pacific Coast Hwy.
Redondo Beach
(424) 247-8861
Peaceful, quiet dinner
Sea Level
The interior at Sea Level has a buzzy, energetic atmosphere, but an oasis of peace and quiet is just steps away. Head for their waterfront patio and sip some wine or cocktails while enjoying a sunset over the marina while hearing buoy bells and seals barking in the distance. As night falls and appetizers and entrees arrive, you’ll relax and lose track of time. Whatever your cares, they’ll recede into the background at least a little, and by the time dessert and your after-dinner drinks arrive you’ll be in a different mental space. Hold on to that feeling of serenity, and come back to Sea Level when you need it to be refreshed.
655 N Harbor Drive
Redondo Beach
(310) 921-8950
Sandwich shop
Boccatos Grocery
You might have passed Boccato’s hundreds of times and never known they have a sandwich counter. There’s no sign outside the family-owned grocery store on Manhattan Avenue that mentions this, but in the back of the store there’s a kitchen where staff are slicing meats and cheeses, toasting bread, and doing all the things necessary to turn out a fine sandwich. Most offerings are standard, including a multi-meat Italian sandwich that looks like it could feed two, but they also offer a carnitas sandwich, and others with sopressata, black forest ham, and roasted turkey with sundried tomato and balsamic vinegar. The deli case has housemade salads and accompaniments, and of course sodas, wine, and beer are available. They’re two blocks from the beach, so if you were lucky to find parking nearby, go enjoy lunch with an ocean view.
3127 Manhattan Avenue
Hermosa Beach
(310) 376-0574

Celebrating the opening of Proudly Serving in January are owner Matthew McIvar and son Owen, Hermosa Beach Mayor Pro Tem Dean Francois, Greg McNally and Chamber Ambassadors Nicki Vaneiklof and Lenny LaRocco. Photo by Kevin Cody
Hamburger restaurant
Proudly Serving
A note to all the burger joints in the South Bay: Step aside, there’s a new competitor in town. Proudly Serving started as a mobile hamburger stand in the Sea Sprite courtyard, moved to a position inside a brewpub on the Redondo Boardwalk, and is now in the former The Spot location in South Hermosa Beach. Their menu has two items: five variations of smashburgers, one veggie burger, and a grilled cheese sandwich. They’ve bet that making the best burgers will be enough to keep the place full, and they’ve been proved right, because business is booming. Get one simple or with pastrami, chili, or bacon and egg yolk jam with griddled onions, and enjoy the great American burger our readers love.
110 2nd St
Hermosa Beach 90254
(310) 374-2296
Best PCH/Sepulveda Restaurant
Baran’s 2239
Neophiles – those who embrace new ideas – find their happy place in a small strip mall on PCH in Hermosa Beach. Baran’s 2239 has been drawing diners away from the beach and up to the highway for their extraordinary and original dishes created by Chef Tyler Gugliotta. The Baran family report that they’ve had regular offers of locations that are closer to entertainment and nightlife, but they’ve turned them down. They’re right where they want to be, showing that if you make fantastic food anywhere, the public will come, and come back.
502 Pacific Coast Hwy.
Hermosa Beach
(424) 247-8468
Outdoor dining
Good stuff
Is there anything so fine as brunch on the outdoor patio of the Hermosa Good Stuff on a pleasant day? Or even a so-so day, because we see people relaxing over their coffee and omelets even when the weather is less than delightful. To get out of the house, out of any building, and enjoy a meal with an ocean view and breeze is one of the delights of living here. Get away from your screens, away from air conditioning or heating, and enjoy a taste of nature. Your meal will taste even better, we promise.
1286 The Strand
Hermosa Beach
(310) 374-2334
1617 S. Pacific Coast Hwy #102
Redondo Beach
(310) 316-0262
550 Deep Valley Dr. #151
Rolling Hills
(310) 544-8000