Cruising through Los Angeles Harbor is a uniquely enjoyable way to spend a weekend, especially if you’re looking for a nice place to dock your boat and enjoy a great meal with a beautiful view of the harbor. The list of waterfront restaurants around the harbor ranges from small, quaint, family-operated eateries to large restaurants in posh settings.
22nd Street Landing
One of the most popular restaurants in the region for boaters and non-boaters alike is 22nd Street Landing Seafood Grill & Bar, right next door to Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club in San Pedro. The scenery from the second-story dining establishment takes in the entirety of Watchorn Basin, known locally as “Hurricane Gulch” for the strong, late-afternoon breeze that kicks up on this patch of water situated in the shadow of the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
If you want to reserve dock space for your vessel, call at least a half hour ahead of arrival to verify slip availability. And, of course, have dock lines and fenders ready to deploy upon entering the slip.
22nd Street Landing has a large bar with ample seating and a long menu of meals from breakfast through dinner. For breakfast, consider trying the blue crab cake benedict, lobster fritters benedict, Hawaiian-style French toast, or for a more traditional breakfast, a Denver omelet.
For lunch, choose from a lengthy menu of appetizers, soups, salads and light entrees like lobster bisque, wild shrimp Louie, California seafood cioppino or a variety of pasta dishes and sandwiches.
While looking over dinner options, start with a cocktail and an appetizer, such as their baked oysters Rockefeller, seafood stuffed mushrooms, Maryland blue crab cakes, or steamed clams and mussels.
Entrees range from corn-fed Angus beef to a wide selection of fish, all of which are grilled over an applewood-fired grill. Grilled salmon, mahi-mahi and snapper are among the many choices, but my personal favorite is 22nd Street Landing’s incredible ahi tuna filet grilled medium rare and served with potato salad and salad.
If you have been looking for upscale gourmet fare at affordable prices in a scenic setting, 22nd Street Landing is a great choice.
Hilton Doubletree
If you are looking for quieter, more elegant surroundings with a great view of the water, try out the Hilton Doubletree at the southern end of Watchorn Basin, closer to Cabrillo Beach. Arriving by water, you pass a stone jetty on the port side and continue past the Cabrillo Marina before turning into the marina.
Reserve a dock by calling the Doubletree before setting sail, and then upon arrival, call staff on VHF channel 16 for directions to the slip. A dock hand should be available to assist you with docking.
Doubletree’s restaurant and bar boast an array of signature cocktails, plus a sumptuous menu of premium meats, and sustainably sourced, fresh California produce. Their customer literature invites you to “savor classic spirits, bottled beer and local craft brews at our fully stocked bar. Whether you seek a tranquil corner or a breezy patio with live music, your perfect table awaits!”
Having dined at the Doubletree in the recent past, I can attest to the superior mastery of their chefs, who take great care to prepare special requests from demanding gourmet customers. Looking for a quiet, serene setting for a formal dinner while looking out over the water? Then a sail to the Hilton Doubletree on Watchorn Basin in San Pedro is just the place you’ve been looking for.
The Chowder Barge
The setting of several movies and a favorite of generations of local L.A. Harbor residents is the Chowder Barge in Leeward Bay Marina, Wilmington Shores. Old wooden sailboats and traditional fishing vessels rest along the docks, and old salts puff on pipes while sauntering along splintered wooden docks.
Both the exterior and interior of this venerable, old, floating relic of the past reflect a long history of catering to professional fishers, container ship crew and local families just out for a day of fun. Long before entering service as a floating eatery, the barge was used to transport equipment and personnel during the filming of the 1935 classic film, “Mutiny on the Bounty.”
If a bowl of clam chowder, a steak and potato, a burger or fish and chips with an icy mug of beer is calling you, this is the place where you can come as you are, relax and enjoy a hearty meal. The Chowder Barge’s specialty is, of course, clam chowder made fresh every day right on the premises. If you are really hungry, try “The Revs’ Special Chowder Burger,” a 5-ounce burger floating in a big bowl of clam chowder. Other entrees include grilled salmon, grilled swordfish, fried clams, an assortment of sandwiches and more.
The interior of the floating barge, by the way, has an allure that will have you craning your neck in every direction, taking in the eccentric collection of memorabilia from bygone eras. The funky museum above and around you includes classic surfboards, bronze ship hardware and even a collection of old-fashioned tube radios once used on ships.
Temporary dockage for a couple of boats is usually available, but a phone call ahead of arrival to verify space is recommended.
Marina Café
Another gem of a diner right off Henry Ford Road is Marina Café, a charming waterside restaurant with large windows and a clear view of the marina for inside dining, plus ample outdoor seating for enjoying a meal on a sunny day only a few yards from the many boats tied to their slips. The open, airy atmosphere, along with outdoor tables and brightly colored shade umbrellas, imbue this humble establishment with a refreshing, cheerful, retro 1960s look.
Owner/restaurateur Sheri Hadjis has operated her waterside restaurant for several years, adding tables to the exterior and more menu items as demand for the café’s menu items has steadily grown.
The Marina Café offers only breakfast and lunch, but their menu is worth waking up early to enjoy. For breakfast, their specialties include everything from a basic plate of eggs, potatoes and bacon, to their Monte Cristo Sandwich, a combination of turkey, ham and Swiss cheese on French toast.
The lunch menu includes, among other things, fish and chips, Angus burgers and their list of “old-school tacos and enchiladas.
Sheri beamed with a smile in a recent interview with The Log, “I just really love the setting and the many wonderful people who visit our diner. We really care about our customers, and we’re always finding ways to enhance our menu and service to please the wonderful people who come here.”
A temporary slip is available for your visit, but again, call ahead to verify space. To find local dockage, download the DockingMap.com app to find space at marinas, along with information on restaurants and other local attractions.
