Paradise Cove Beach Cafe

Being a resident of Malibu I've frequented the Beach Cafe probably a dozen times a year over the past several years witnessing a slow decline in the quality of food and an increase in the prices. After my last visit to the Beach Cafe, I decided that visit will be my last. Our party of four dined on a Monday evening, the restaurant had fewer that 12 tables filled. We started off with the calimari appetizer which in the past was one of our favorites, a huge martini glass filled with calimari and french fries, this time the appetizer arrived greasy and cold. Another favorite the calm chowder was sorely lacking clams, in fact I was hard pressed to find a single calm in my cup. Two people in our party ordered the seared RARE ahi tuna, which arrived cooked through. At $19 the salad bar should be passed over unless you like bland, boring and unimaginative offerings, at this price you'd expect more protein and some vibrant specials. Our total for a party of four including one drink each, one shared appetizer and one dessert was over $225. For that kind of money we could have enjoyed a truly memorable meal at Geoffrey's. Why pay for the view of the beach when you can have great seafood at Neptune's Net or Malibu Seafood and then walk over to the beach??? As I mentioned we live in Malibu and are saddened by the steady decline exhibited at the Beach Cafe. Given the pleothra of great restaurants in Malibu I'd suggest going elsewhere unless the Beach Cafe gets new management and renewed obligation to provide their customers a great dining experience. Pros: Nice private beach. Cons: Overpriced average food. more

We took the trek out to malibu with the idea of having a nice late lunch at the beach...well needless to say the wait for a table was about 2 hours...but not to worry they have ..Paradise to go...you can order out on the beach, both drinks and food and eat it on the chairs they have set up facing the ocean...once you have eat and drunk yourself into a frenzy you can then rest on one of the many lounges they in the area...great place to just hang and relax and enjoy being at the beach. Pros: great beach front place Cons: a little on the pricey side... more

My boyfriend and I went to this restaurant on a whim for breakfast on a Saturday morning and were very disappointed by the complete lack of service. The food was well made. I ordered the carrot cake waffle and he the barbecue chicken omelette. They were both good but the food took forever. By the time we got it my boyfriends food was luke warm. The waitress forgot his toast, and it wasn't until we asked about it half way through the meal that she asked what kind of toast he wanted. For the price, not the cheapest, I was extremely disappointed by the service. If you live in Long Beach go to the Potholder. It's 10 x better. more

great spot to take the family on a weekend afternoon and enjoy a nice meal and then head out to the beach. more

My favourite restaurant in L.A. - a Malibu classic! This is a restaurant on the beach - literally. It has its own private beach area, and you can choose to dine on ourside tables in the sand. The meals are HUGE - you'll never leave hungry! Ordered the salad bar on the last visit, and it had an excellent selection, including seafood that looked and tasted very fresh. We took a good friend for his birthday last time, and not only did the waiter gather the entire restaurant in a rendition of ""Happy Birthday"" but they gave him the biggest slice of an 8-inch high chocolate cake for free, which fed 4 of us for dessert, PLUS we took some home! I have no complaint about this place, and have been about a dozen times, plus sent friends visiting from overseas here, and they really enjoyed it. Go for your next function - you won't be disappointed! Pros: Huge meals, of excellent quality; great service; cannot beat the location and beach dining! Cons: You will definitely have to wait if you don't book a table, and the wait times can be up to an hour on weekends. more

This is a great way to end a Sunday! Spend a day @ the beach then have a great food and drinks with friends. The place is pricey but its worth it! more

i just went here for my birthday with my mom/ grandma/ uncle and aunt. it was really nice. it could be dress up or dress down. i saw alot of people on dates and they were dressed up or you could be a beach bum and dress down and come in with your sandy feet. we had a pina colada which was very good. and they had guava mojito. my family had the maine lobster pasta which was VERY good it was delicious. i had the salmon with the rum and pineapple salsa and it was ok i thought the salmon was a bit over done but that i think it is a personal choice. the clam chowder i thought was excellent right up there with gladstones. since my mom brought a cake i dont know how the desserts were but it is definitely a place i would come back to Pros: private beach front/ clam chowder/ lobster pasta/live music Cons: pay for parking, kinda expensive more

A cafe right on top of the ocean, beautiful scenery, good appetizers and drinks but the fish I had that day was okay. It's expensive if you are not ordering the burger and fries. Very crowded, we had a 45 minute wait. We had people around us asking us to move so they can fit their huge group of people on a table that was too close to ours. All of the tables are very close to each other. If you don't mind a crowded place with long waits and 7.00 dollar drinks don't bother you either, this is a great place to eat at. Pros: On top of the sand, loved the coconut drink, Calamari appetizer amazing, my choice for dinner wasn't that great Cons: LONG 45-2 HOURS WAITING PERIOD, PARKING, CROWDED more

My 13 year old grandson, Keith, had the time of his life. He loved his huge cheeseburger and fries plus his giant coke; our waitress was so very friendly and came to our table numerous times to see if we wanted anything more even though there were a lot of people for lunch that day. He then rolled in the waves on the beach with other kids, but, when he saw Miley Cyrus who had just come on the sand to film her movie, that was the finishing touch. His two sisters got some great pictures of her that day with his camera. All in all, it was an unforgetable experience for him and I loved it too. It's my most favorite place to take all my grandchldren. Pros: Great whole beach experience more

I've been to Paradise Cove several times and the place never gets old. It couldn't have a better location, and if it was any closer to the ocean, it would be in it. The food is good, not necessarily stand out, but definitely consistent and worth what you pay, especially for the view and such. I think breakfast there is actually my favorite rather than dinner. Definitely a place to check-out anytime you're up around the Malibu way. more

My family and I have been going to this place for years for many special celebrations. The food is quality, the fish is fresh and uniquley presented whether pistachio or parmesean encrusted, and the location is lovely. It doesn't get much better than being right on the beach, and waiting for your table with peanuts and cocktails while sitting on chairs in the sand. This restaraunt is a prime destitnation for beach lovers who cannot pull themselves away from the beautiful malibu sunset. We held my mom's 50th suprise birthday party here and nothing could have made the occasion better or more memorable. Pros: Location Location Location!- and of course great food and fish Cons: on the expensive side more

I went there on a Sunday and it was very packed. We were lucky to catch seats at the bar. It is certainly a rare spot because of dining and drinking by the ocean. Though it is a kind of chaotic and sloppy spot and the menu offers a very small choice. Pros: Dining and drinking by the ocean...if you catch a seat Cons: Ambience, menu, service more

The Clam Chowder had the consistency of glue paste and tasted like nothing, I can't even remember what other food I ate because it had no flavor. The view is great but I wouldn't go back. They also have some type of insane parking policy, if you don't validate, you pay $25! more

I recently went here as part of an off-site ""retreat"" for work. We had a large party of about 30 people but the service was very prompt and attentive even though we only had one waiter. The food was great and you can't beat the location. It's right on the beach and it has a very cozy, yet open feel. I'll be back someday soon. Pros: location and food Cons: Paid parking more

For the very first time writing a review, I must say this is THE Best place to start. We had such a great experience from the hostess, server and especially our food. Huge portions and not too expensive. Take your friends and family here when you want to show them a great Malibu Beach dining experience. Afterwards, the pier is a wonderrful way to chill and relax at the Ocean...even great for photo opps! more

I will never again be a patron of this establishment. I made a reservation for my wife?s birthday on 9 Feb at 6 pm which was lost when I arrived. To top it off the male manager inferred that I was lying about making a reservation and the female manager was arrogantly dismissive. And then when we left after a 30 minute wait with no food the parking lot wanted $3.00 from us. Completely ruined my wife?s birthday. Cons: EXTERMLY POOR SERVICE more

We went there for the first time. On a crowded, busy Sunday, the only one receptionist available was being trained and of course inexperienced. We were told that we would have a 2 hour wait and were encouraged to have a drink outside. At a first glance, there was no place to even lean on to, so we opted to leave. Apparently, the parking sign is misleading too, they post with big letters $3.00 for 3hrs and with small illegible letters with validation or $25 without. We did not get validated as we did not anticipate that amount and we ended up paying $25. When I told the parking attendant that we were there for only 10 minutes he was rude and told me I have no option but to pay. I do not expect on a busy Sunday to receive the best of service, however I expect from a place that has been around for so long to know how to conduct their business and treat their customers. I wrote to them, was told that I would receive a refund for the outrageous parking fee and never received anything. Cons: Bad service, no organization, parking is a rip off more

What a perfect way to spend a Sunday! After reading the reviews, we almost didn't go. So happy we did! After searching a bit for parking (it can get busy!), we checked in with the hostess who told us it was a two hour wait to sit outside. So we played in the sand, on the pier, walked around, had a snow cone... and an hour later our lobster was blinking--an entire hour early! The hostess (who was very sweet) showed us to our table and our server (Phillip) was there to greet us in seconds. Unfortunately, they were out of mojitos, but he even went to check twice to make sure. The food was good--loved the barbecue shrimp and the oreo dessert, service was great and you can't beat the view. We can't wait to go back (hoping they'll have the mojitos!) and this time we'll bring our fishing gear. I've had longer waits at the Cheesecake Factory and didn't enjoy it even half as much. Break free from the confines of the city and spend a day at Paradise Cove--it is humanizing, enchanting and a whole heck of a lotta fun! Pros: This is what being at the beach is all about! Cons: May have to really look for parking. more

Went on a weekend, and was told by the VERY RUDE hostess that they couldn't seat us (two people) because the list was too long. She told us to try at the bar, which was so packed you could barely move. You'd think that they'd have good service because they're so busy, but no. We never got drinks - never saw a server or a bartender. Pros: none that I could see Cons: Crowded, bad service, rude staff more

Came in the middle of week. Told it would be a 20 min wait. Became a 40 min wait. When I asked the hostess how much longer she told me another 20 minutes! Did not apologize for the wait. Was very indifferent at the inconvenience to me and my family coming there for a birthday breakfast. Pros: Eat with your toes in the sand Cons: Come for breakfast, get your food after lunch more