paula

I will be in LA visiting my daughter this weekend. I wanted to take her out for a nice meal. I understand the ride up the PCH is beautiful - is Gladstone's food worth the prices??

xxx

The food's ok, but nothing very special. The place is nice for a leisurely scenic meal. But I'd suggest you go for lunch, so that you can take advantage of the great weather this week and eat out on the patio.

janis

What other restaurants do you recommend in Malibu? I am going to the Getty and would like to head out to Malibu first and have lunch before heading back to the Getty.

paula

Thanks - that is kind of what I heard - for the price you get the scenery -if you get a window or patio seating. I England, so am used to good seafood restaurants, I don;t mind paying if they are worth it.....

Diana

I like the Charthouse in Malibu--great view. Also Moonshadows is pretty good.
But if the weather's nice, Gladstone's is the place for sitting outside.

Arnie

Granita is in Malibu in a small shopping complex across from the entrance to Pepperdine Univ. It is one of Wolfgang Puck's restaurants. Quite pricey for dinner, but lunch or weekend brunch is okay costwise and the food and decor are wonderful. Gladstones is fair at best. If you go there beware of the sea birds that fly overhead. On a previous trip someone sitting with us out on the deck was splatterd with bird poop.

rrr

Geoffrey's is a beautiful restaurant on a cliff on the water in malibu - may be a bit far if going back to the Getty. I'd have a lunch at the Getty on the incredible patio overlooking LA - you can see planes take off in the far distance from LAX. Go out to a restaurant like Geofrey's in the evening for sunset.

MJH

I went to Gladstone's a few years ago and I didn't like the food, but then again I like very good seafood.

If you are going to the Getty and don't have parking reservations, there is a parking lot across the street at a church that charges the same price for parking as the Getty.

Just park at the Church, walk across the street into the Getty, and take the free monorail to the top of the hill where the entrace to the Getty Museum is located.

The view from the Getty is just as good as the works of art inside.

paula

Thanks for the suggestions.....I think we will do the ride up the PCH, but probably pass on Gladstone's. We will select a different place to eat. Thanks again!

Vic

If you're in Malibu for the first time and the weather is good which it is, you should eat outdoors.

The problem with Granita is that you'll be looking out on a parking lot of a small shopping center.

Geoffery's is an upscale Cal cuisine restaurant which sits on a hill with an outdoor patio with great views of the ocean. Nice napery, etc.

Gladstone's is fine, but it's more down to earth with peanuts all over the floor.

c

Janis - I'd suggest making a reservation at the dining room at the Getty Center. I've eaten there a few times and was pleased with the service and food.

Deb

I just checked the Getty website (www.getty.edu)

No parking reservations are necessary on Sat or Sun or weekedays after 4 p.m.

If you would like to go during the day on a weekday, you must make a parking reservation.

Parking is $5 and admission to the museum is free.

I would recommend saving your trip to Malibu for another day. Go enjoy the Getty for the entire day, grab a meal up there, and enjoy the view.

If you try to go to Malibu and then see the Getty, you will most likely get stuck in traffic (when is the 405 NOT busy?) and risk having your time at the Getty cut short.

Just some advice from someone who lives here.

Deb

For a great meal in a fabulous location, I would recommend Inn of the Seventh Ray in Topanga Canyon.

It's mostly outdoors, set next to a babbling creek, decorated with candles and little white lights everywhere.

You could drive along the coast in Malibu and then cut inland to Topanga Canyon for dinner.

I was there recently and the service was a little off (they claimed they were short-staffed), but the food was delicious.

Just a suggestion.

janis

thanks for all the suggestions. I plan on going to the Getty on Friday or Saturday when it is open late - that is why I was thinking of Malibu for an early lunch and then eat at the Getty later in the evening. Will this work? I know about the parking reservations, etc but do the restaurant and cafe stay open later on Friday and Saturday?

Susan

Go ahead to Gladstone's. If it is a lovely sunny day you will enjoy sitting outside with the beautiful view. It's easier to get to than the other restaurants in Malibu, where Sunset Blvd. meets the ocean and PCH. Try the she-crab chowder and have a bloody mary. No, it's not four star dining but the atmosphere is pure beachy Los Angeles.

bet

I agree - Gladstone's may not have the BEST food - bit you absolutely cannot beat the view and the atmosphere.

Susan

Deb, I cannot believe the Inn of the Seventh Ray is still there! I had dinner there for my 21st birthday -- 16 year ago!!! What a beautiful setting. I'll have to make another sojourn there next time I'm in LA.

kam

I too would go with Gladstone's. We almost always stop when driving PCH. Just order a good Bloody Mary and keep your entree order very simple. The food is kind of on a par with Chili's and can be terribly heavy. A nice bowl of chowder and a salad would be my choice, but the view and the atmosphere is really a unique way to enjoy Malibu. The restaurant at the Getty is excellent and pricey--make reservations. Otherwise they have a rather expensive snack bar place where you can eat out on the patio. Lovely place for a brunch/lunch is the restaurant at Shutters on the Beach Hotel in Santa Monica. Right on the beach watching the water, good food. Or, there's the little place at the end of Santa Monica Pier which is an LA experience! There used to be a place at Zuma Beach called the Grey Whale--you might look for a website and is Granita (Puck's and Barbara L's place) still around? There's no view from there but it might be fun to have a dinner.Have fun.