Malibu has long been a playground for the rich and famous, PCH road-trippers, and everyday people looking to make the most of their Saturday. It’s the Hamptons of Los Angeles, only with way better beaches. But the food situation? It often leaves something to be desired.
Take a drive along the ocean and you might notice a random KFC and a few old seaside restaurants that have seen better days. But scratch a little deeper and there’s more in Malibu and its surrounding areas to discover. From classic roadside seafood shacks to brunches with spectacular views, if you’re eating poorly in this town, you didn’t do your homework. Luckily, we did it for you. Here are the best places to eat in the Malibu area.
Editor’s Note [5/29/25]
After being closed for several months due to wildfire damage, public access to Malibu via Pacific Coast Highway has reopened. Drivers should still expect traffic delays due to ongoing PCH repairs and allow extra time for travel.
Unrated: This is a restaurant we want to re-visit before rating, or it’s a coffee shop, bar, or dessert shop. We only rate spots where you can eat a full meal.
THE SPOTS
Did you really think we were going to kick off this list with anyplace else? Nobu is the unofficial restaurant of Malibu. Combine fancy sushi, the most stunning space on the coast, and celebs in oversized sunglasses, and you’ve got a Visit California ad brought to life. To be clear, you are going to spend some money here. A lot of money. But this is the flagship restaurant of the Nobu empire, where you eat rock shrimp tempura on a beachside fortress patio that could belong to a Bond villain—and oh look, Meryl Streep just walked for a lychee-tini with Spielberg.
Reservations are released 30 days in advance, though we rarely have luck making them online. If you call and speak with a host, however, your chances go up exponentially. Walk-ins during weekday lunch are also usually accepted.
In a perfect world, we'd live in a bathing suit and eat mezze with an ocean view every day. That’s still a pipe dream, but at least we can glimpse the fantasy at Pita’ Bu. This casual Israeli spot across PCH from Surfrider Beach sets up a few long tables on its front patio, so you can walk up with sand in your trunks. The fully pescatarian menu includes pitas, plates, and dips, like smoky baba ganoush scooped up with falafel. If you want a sampler of Pita Bu’s hits, opt for the salmon plate (they’re more like salmon kofta with minced onion and parsley) with sides of hummus, pickles, and Israeli salad tossed in tons of sumac.
Whenever we need a break from the chaos and congestion of LA (as well as this century), we take a drive to The Old Place. Up in the Santa Monica Mountains, it’s located on the grounds of a 19th-century general store-turned-saloon and steakhouse, complete with wooden fixtures and a Wild West aesthetic not unlike Pioneertown. The menu changes every so often, but generally involves American comfort staples like bone-in ribeye steaks, mashed potatoes, and glorious fruit cobblers. There’s full service in the dining room Thursday through Sunday, or you can eat outdoors, which is more of a to-go operation where you grab a bench and watch flocks of peacocks stroll the grounds.
Broad Street Oyster Co. isn’t just a great place to eat along PCH—it’s a destination worth braving gridlock traffic. The move at this counter-service spot inside the Malibu Country Mart is to come with a small group for a late lunch. That way, you’ll be able to order a bit of everything: oysters on the half shell, steamed mussels in brothy white wine sauce, maybe a cup or two of their excellent clam chowder. Just make sure to include their lobster roll. We like it served hot and smothered in butter, a luxurious sandwich that’s sure to impress even the pickiest of seafood eaters. Yes, we’re looking at you, New Englanders.
Lucky’s is an upscale steakhouse in the Malibu Country Mart that originated in the A-Lister commune known as Montecito. Though this location lacks Oprah and Meghan Markle sightings, the crowd milling around the dining room will keep you entertained. You’ll spot locals sipping martinis and intentionally placing their hands so everyone can see their jewelry and surfers who didn’t even bother changing out of their board shorts. That said, Lucky’s is more than a people-watching sideshow—the food is good too. We recommend doing your best not to fill up on their excellent table rolls, starting with the shrimp and prosciutto chopped salad, and going for whatever big piece of meat catches your eye.
This kitschy seafood diner on the north end of town is arguably the most popular pullover spot on the entire PCH. And while the swarms of brochure tourists can get intense, we’re never mad we went. The food is good (get that clam chowder or anything deep-fried), and the retro 1960’s California vibes are unparalleled.
If you took a natural wine shop, a retro vinyl store, and a pizza parlor, threw them all in a blender and dropped the result in Topanga Canyon, you’d get Endless Color. The space looks like Burning Man meets Pee-wee’s Playhouse: wiggly light fixtures, blob-shaped tables, and giant disco balls above a cactus-lined patio. It’s casual enough to drop by after a day at the beach, but still cool enough to go out of your way for a Malibu Pier photoshoot. Most of the menu is dedicated to Neapolitan pies with puffy, charred crusts. But they also serve a good cheeseburger, chicken tenders, and a few side salads.
There are two types of people in this world: those who like their breakfast burritos with potatoes and those who like them with beans. If you’re a proud member of the bean party, then it is highly likely that Lily’s, a tiny Mexican spot in Malibu, serves your favorite breakfast burrito in LA. Even the small size is about the length and weight of a newborn child, and it comes loaded with fluffy eggs, cheese, refried beans, and bacon. You should add avocado, ask for all three kinds of salsa, and call in your order in advance while you’re bombing down PCH.
Let us be clear—Paradise Cove does not have the best food in Malibu. And that ticketed parking lot of theirs can be a certifiable nightmare. That said, once you’re actually in the place, all that fades away. Most restaurants in Malibu advertise themselves as being beachfront, but Paradise Cove is the only one literally on the beach. And if you think Mom and Dad (or a date) want anything else besides sipping a Bloody Mary with their feet in the sand, you’re wrong.
We recommend using Howdy’s as a pit stop before a day at the beach. This counter-service Mexican spot in the Malibu Country Mart has poke bowls, salads, mariscos, and other things you’d want to eat a few hundred feet from the coast. But we usually focus on their burritos. From bacon and egg to spicy mayo and lobster, Howdy’s has an array of options that are more modest in size than Lily’s, but notably higher quality. The steak burrito is the move: juicy carne asada, fluffy scrambled eggs, housemade spicy cilantro salsa, and more cheese than a dairy aisle. If you want to dine in, Howdy’s has a large covered patio where you can cool in the shade and sip agua frescas.
Located in the back corner of Malibu Country Mart, away from the revving Porsches and toddlers in Gucci, is Taverna Tony: an oasis of great (albeit pricey) Greek food. This romantic indoor-outdoor space is a quintessential Malibu date spot but not nearly as sceney as the restaurants near the water. It’s a great option for a post-beach dinner, though, where you can stretch your sand-covered legs on the beautiful patio and split grilled octopus, bowls of creamy taramasalata, and whole grilled branzino. And if you’re looking for a little entertainment, they typically have live music and belly dancers on weekends, too.
The post-surf breakfast burrito is basically a Malibu way of life, and Country Kitchen is where the locals get theirs. This place is right on PCH, with a walk-up window, an awkward parking lot, a handful of seats, and a giant menu of burgers and sandwiches. If you see the breakfast burrito on the menu, order it. It’s simple—with a choice of meat (get the bacon), egg, hash browns, cheese, and salsa—and not too filling, and if you show up in a wetsuit, you can pretend you actually know how to surf.
Technically in Topanga, we’re including Inn of The Seventh Ray because it’s simply not to be missed. This hideaway in the trees sounds more like a nudist colony than a place to grab brunch, but rest assured, it’s very much a restaurant. And a surprisingly upscale one at that. The food is good enough, but you’re here for the fantastic patio and those old-school Topanga Canyon vibes.