we are seeding a week end there---good casual restaurants on or near water? Or some in west LA area? we like all types of foos, especially seafood

Are you familiar with that area? Because it isn't like a regular city or residential area, it's just s small area whose main purpose is the marina for people who want to keep their boats there. There are a few restaurants overlooking where the boats are docked, I guess, but there isn't any kind of a beachfront area and no restaurants overlooking the water, presuming you mean the Pacific Ocean. You need to go to Venice for that -- they have some on the boardwalk but even those aren't right on the water, but you can see it across the beach area. There isnt' any special restaurant there I can think of, the only ones I know are nothing special casual places. Santa Monica doesn't even have restaurants on the water much, although there are some on the pier.

Marina del Rey has some usual chain places, I guess the Charthouse is the best seafood upscale restaurant and it is on the water (but not the ocean). There are a few seafood restaurants along OCean Ave in Santa Monica, but I haven't eaten in them so can't comment on quality versus price. They aren't cheap, of course. Water Grill is one, and Lobster something. There's Ivy at the SHore, also. Seafood is not going to be local, so depends what you expect in terms of "fresh". It may be fresh flown in from Iceland or something, or from Mexico. At least the crab may be from Alaska or CA. I do like the Galley on Main St (no ocean view) which has been around forever and is reasonably priced, not just seafood.

We have spent a fair amount of time at Marina del Rey, which is adjacent to Venice Beach. There's an oceanfront walk that will take you from there to Santa Monica. The Venice canals are fun to walk around, too. This is just a grab bag list of places we've liked.

Sunshine Cafe & Grill, very casual (not near the water, though)

The Ritz Carlton Marina del Rey has a nice upscale restaurant, where you can sit outside at the marina.

Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica-- it's most casual eatery, Coast, has great oceanview seating, including their protected outdoor patio.
It's a bit overpriced-- you pay for the location.

C&O has two locations near Marina del Rey, on Washington Blvd. One is the C&O Trattoria and the other is C&O Cucina. Neither is on the water, but decent Italian at low prices. The one closest to Venice pier (I think the Trattoria), has an outdoor patio/courtyard that's fun. We have entertained our share of college students for dinner there!

Around the corner, the Abbott Kinney area has lots of cute restaurants and shops.

"Main Street" Santa Monica also has restaurants.

Other casual, inexpensive places where you sit at the Marina del Rey, are Tony P's Dockside Grill and Killer Shrimp

If you have a car, you can venture to Malibu for true oceanfront restaurants, like Duke's or Moonshadows. (Unfortunately, the Malibu Charthouse is closed now.)

(You'll find seafood at most restaurants I mention)

There actually are quite a few restaurants in Marina Del Rey. Charthouse, Beachside, Baja Cantina, the Warehouse, Sapori Italian, Whiskey Red's and several more. Most do overlook 'water' - just not the Pacific.

Cafe del Rey was always good in the past, forgot about C&O Trattoria, went there a number of years ago with a group from lunch, loved the garlic knots.

I agree that LA is not really a special place for local seafood, although of course you can find seafood restaurants anywhere in the US. And very occasionally you get something that's sort of local..like yellowtail in season.

In the South Bay we usually go to Captain Kidd's Fish Market in Redondo Beach. Not really a view restaurant. Many of the Southern California piers have been repeatedly destroyed by storms, probably why so many seafood places are in marinas.

https://captainkidds.com/

Wine club friends often go there..no corkage and byo glasses!

We also have eaten at Tony P's in the past and that is how I remember it. We were there at sunset and it's still a pretty view over the marina.

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