by Richard Foss
When I’m at social occasions and people find out what I do for a living, I brace myself for the question I know is coming: “What’s the best restaurant in the South Bay?” Some are genuinely curious, others want to use the question as a springboard to advocate for their favorite dining spot, in which they may or may not be an investor.
In either case, they’re often dissatisfied with the answer, which is a question – best at what? You can’t meaningfully compare a modest spot serving traditional specialties with an elegant, classic dining room or a bistro serving chef-driven fare. The experiences are so different there isn’t really a basis for comparison. Any of them might be perfect when you’re in a certain mood. Once someone lets me know what they like, their budget, and other factors, I can give them an answer tailored to their tastes.
The people who ask that question are generally interested in all possible candidates, not just the ones that opened in a particular year, but even narrowing the question down to one twelve-month period isn’t easy. I ponder over this every time I sit down to write this best of the year roundup, a task I have done for this publication for more than three decades.
As always there are difficult judgment calls. Some places that offer excellent food are disqualified because of egregiously bad service, or wildly inconsistent experiences. I also take into account whether a restaurant brings something fresh to the neighborhood, whether through pure creative energy or a superb version of a cuisine not previously available locally. Some very good spots didn’t make the list — Il Posto in Redondo gets an honorable mention for a standard concept exceptionally well executed. Saint & Second in Manhattan Village gets that nod too for a higher level of creativity than is usually offered in a mall-adjacent location. I hesitated over Jack Manjiro in Manhattan Beach, which brings an arcane specialty to the area – I didn’t have a Japanese beef intestine soup specialist opening in the South Bay on my bingo card. There were deficiencies in service that kept them off this year’s list, probably the hiccups that happen with getting a new place up and running, and I will be visiting again in a month or two to evaluate them again.
So it’s time to get to the list, sorted from low price to high this year to illustrate that there is excellence at all levels. That ranking is approximate at the higher end, particularly if you indulge in the pricier bottles on the wine list or the seafood and steak specialties, but it may be used as a general guide.
Smashed Wagyu Pasta
This is the textbook definition of eccentric, a hole in the wall café with a winning formula. The dining space is tiny and the menu is short, but the Japanese-Italian pastas have luscious sauces, including a surprisingly zippy Japanese curry. Ordering is via a screen and you may not even see the staff for the first few minutes you’re there, but they’ll be warm and solicitous once they appear. Most business here is take-out, and even if you dine in, everything is served in disposable containers. This isn’t a place you’d take anyone to impress them, at least before they take the first bite, but after that they will be hooked.
314 Rosecrans Avenue, Manhattan Beach. (310) 504-0791.
LoZio
Modest prices and ocean views aren’t a typical combination, but Lo Zio delivers both as a setting for very good Naples-style pizzas and pastas. Regional items like panzerotto, a fried pizza, and a pizza that is topped with mortadella just before serving are alongside more conventional items, and occasional specials are offered. I enjoyed stuffed squid one evening. The family owned and operated spot offers very good service in an energetic space that is never overly loud, and is one of the top values on this year’s list.
320 S. Catalina Avenue, Redondo Beach. (310) 921-8286.
The Bar At Handrolls by Seabutter
It’s rare for a sushi specialist to be among the most modestly priced restaurants on this list, but that has happened this year. Handrolls by Seabutter offers a lunch or dinner of four handrolls with soup or salad and either a shot of sake or a pot of green tea for $35. The three handroll selection that is a popular lunch item is only $17. Order a la carte and you have some innovative choices, including a roll with salmon and artichoke truffle or one with torched wagyu and sea urchin. Everything is made to order with good quality ingredients, and the dining experience is brisk while still relaxed. This is the upscale fast food experience you didn’t know you wanted until you had it.
720 S Allied Way. Ste. B, El Segundo. (310) 737-2765.
Jaime Taqueria
It seemed like an odd stretch for a chef renowned for Italian food to open a Mexican restaurant a few blocks away from their established eatery, but Jackson Kalb did just that. The Beach Cities might seem to be saturated with Mexican restaurants at all levels, but his style is different from any other. There are a few salads and starters including a delicious Michoacan-style sweet corn tamale, and three entrée plates, but the centerpiece of the menu is tacos. These range from traditional to decidedly unusual. If you have never had a taco stuffed with sweet potato, feta, scallions, crunchy masa, and a zippy pipian (almond salsa), you should because it’s amazing. The atmosphere is serene and casual, and it’s one of the prettiest and most pleasant places in the South Bay to enjoy an innovative and excellent meal.
450 Main Street, El Segundo. (310) 648-8231.
Sora Sushi
Don’t walk past the specials board at this strip mall gem at the corner of Aviation at Prospect without taking a close look, because some exciting things are likely to be there. Sora Sushi offers an ever-changing variety of seasonal seafood, some of which you may have never heard of before. They treat it in innovative ways – on my second visit I was impressed by the way the Hermosa Roll combined crabmeat, egg, avocado, pickled radish, and toasted coconut. These and other unlikely combinations work surprisingly well, but it’s not just about novelty because standard dishes are deftly prepared. Order a mix of the unusual and the arcane and you’re in for a great meal at a surprisingly modest price.
1121 Aviation Blvd, Hermosa Beach. (310) 374-6019.
Coni Seafood
I hesitated to include this critically acclaimed restaurant because their menu is so limited, but decided that they had to be included because what they do, they do so well. If you want anything other than seafood, you are in the wrong restaurant. They don’t even have token vegetarian or meat dishes. It’s all about the fish and shrimp, wood-grilled, sauteed, in soup or ceviche, and at that, they excel. I have been to their original location in Inglewood, whose awards include a Michelin Bib Gourmand award, and this one is better. The spicy garlic sauce that adorns shrimp and fish has a deceptive heat and depth of flavor, and simple items like breaded fried shrimp with chipotle mayo are bursting with flavor.
934 Hermosa Avenue, Hermosa Beach. (310 504-0681.
Toranj
The South Bay hasn’t had options for upscale Persian food, but this outpost of a Westwood favorite has changed that. The elegant atmosphere has drawn the expat community for special occasions, and you will hear conversations in Farsi from table after table of well-dressed diners. If you’re dining on a weekend you should get the tahchin, a saffron-scented rice cake with yoghurt and barberries, but on any day the standard items of this cuisine are well prepared and beautifully presented. The kebabs and grilled items we tried were top quality, as were the stews that mix sweet, sour, and herbal flavors. Toranj is a proud stand bearer for a culinary tradition that has been under-represented even in the increasingly cosmopolitan South Bay.
1019 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Beach. (424) 396-3438.
Tiki Kai
Nobody who strolls down the Pier Plaza walks past Tiki Kai without noticing it. The firelit tikis with glowing red eyes and Polynesian façade make it a landmark, and you’ll want to peek inside. That interior is even more impressive, garish yet tasteful. It would be a shame if the food did not live up to the same standard, but by and large it does. The sticky ribs are a great riff on the old school pupus served at Kelbo’s and Don the Beachcomber, and the Hawaiian salad is a must-have item. Among entrees, the herb and coffee encrusted steak and miso cod are standouts. Not all sides were at the same level, but they help soak up the superb cocktails that you will almost undoubtedly have before asking your designated driver to take you home.
73 Pier Avenue, Hermosa Beach. (310) 374-3822.
Attagirl
I have enjoyed Arabic fusion in restaurants elsewhere in Los Angeles and Orange County, and was thrilled when Attagirl opened in Hermosa. Chef Alice Mai has distilled the essences of this highly varied and flavorful cuisine and presents it with a contemporary style. Breads, pickles, and cheeses are made in-house, which is true to tradition, but they are used alongside Maine scallops, hen of the woods mushrooms, and American wagyu. The flavors are bright and fresh, both bold and subtle, and superbly balanced. Highly professional staff members serve as a guide to the unusual items and enhance the experience. Attagirl is the first modern Arabic experience for most Beach Cities locals, and they will leave wanting more.
1238 Hermosa Avenue, Hermosa Beach. (424) 600-2882.
Montauk
The hyper-casual, local scene didn’t know what to make of Montauk. They associated restaurants with a posted dress code as stuffy and formal, admirable but not particularly enjoyable. The experience here is elegant but also celebratory and energetic, more European than most European restaurants in greater LA. The menu changes regularly but is centered on updated versions of steak and seafood house classics. You could find lobster gnocchi in an upscale Italian-American spot back when Sinatra would be around to order it, but that dish wouldn’t have pickled herbs and a hint of chile arbol. The scallops with corn veloute and Spanish chorizo follow that pattern, never wildly experimental but always subtly surprising. This is a modern restaurant with roots in mid-century New York, a little bit different from anything we’ve had here before.
1611 S. Catalina Avenue, Redondo Beach. (213) 596-2699.
