Venice is a city that is strong about community. After local favorite Danny’s Deli closed, the property owners had a mission to keep this location as a meeting place for the Venice neighborhood. The Surfside Bar and Grill accepted the challenge and opened in June 2017.
The Surfside Bar and Grill is located in the heart of Venice Beach and is a spacious restaurant with tables, booths and high tops as well as several TV screens showing all the best sports games at any given moment. The light colored interior with a lot of natural light gives the place a very nice vibe.
Bloody Mary and Mimosa
I invited a friend to try out this place. For his beverage, he selected the Bloody Mary and thought that Surfside made an excellent version. After inquiring with our server, he learned that it is a special recipe created by the bartender and one of the differentiating ingredients is tomatillo. I selected a Mimosa and found it to be cold and refreshing.
Butternut Squash Flatbread
I was extremely impressed with the Butternut Squash Flatbread. Toasted flatbread was topped with puréed butternut squash, brussels sprouts, kale, almond ricotta and was drizzled with balsamic vinegar. Biting into the flatbread, I enjoyed the crispiness of the flatbread, the crunchy nature of the brussels sprouts and the sweet and salty flavor combination.
Pan-fried Brussels Sprouts
We both enjoy brussels sprouts and selected the pan-fried Brussels sprouts with spiced almonds drizzled with balsamic vinegar. Other interesting starters included Mexican pork skewers, Korean Fries, Pork Belly Mac & Cheese and L.A. Street Corn.
Tempura battered Fish and Chips
I enjoy comparing fish & chips around LA. Their version is made with a Japanese tempura batter which yielded an ultra crispy exterior. The fresh cod inside was piping hot and extremely moist. I relished biting into the crisp exterior and experiencing the flakey hot cod inside.
Seafood Linguini
The marinara sauce on the Seafood Linguine was light and remarkably tasty. The wide noodles were full of flavor because the pasta sauce nicely adhered to the wide surface. Fresh shrimp, cod and calamari gave this dish a good overall flavor.
In addition to what we selected, there is plenty to choose from: burgers, salads, bowls and many other items. I thought the menu nicely reflected the dining trends of the area. Ingredients such as harissa spread, caramelized kimchi and pineapple habanero slaw are indications that the chef is passionate about taking it to the next level.
Happy Hour is from Monday through Friday 3 p.m. – 7 p.m. Many drinks are available for $5 each: three different beers (ale, lager and pilsner), three specialty cocktails and a white and red wine are all available at this price! Surfside Nachos, Korean Fries (with Bulgogi steak) and Buffalo or Korean wings are also available at a discounted price.
Finally, you can feel good about eating at Surfside Bar and Grill because they use local produce and sustainable seafood. They also strive to be a leader as an Earth conscious business and choose suppliers that operate eco-friendly business practices.
Local tip: If you travel by car, avoid visiting Monday or Tuesday during lunch. We had the misfortune of experiencing a shortage of parking due to scheduled street cleaning.
Surfside Venice, 23 Windward Ave. Venice, CA 90291; 424.256.7894
https://www.surfsidevenice.com/