City Guide: Manhattan Beach, CA

My favorite shops and restaurants in our little beach town, plus a few other Los Angeles gems

Nov 07, 2024

Five years ago this week, we moved from the Midwest to Manhattan Beach, CA. We’d never been here, but we had to find a house lickety split. On our first afternoon looking for a new neighborhood, we fell in love with a little old house a mile from the sea. It didn’t take long to decide we would never leave.

Our family’s favorite local food, small shops, and how we spend most of our Sunday afternoons, right this way…

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dessert first

Tommy and Atticus. God bless this precious little bakery that opened in our neighborhood last year. When we have the day off of school, the kids and I walk down here and everyone picks their own pastry. Our order: almond croissant (every time), brownies, cheddar jalapeno sourdough bread.

Salt and Straw. Deluxe, homemade, ridiculous ice cream! We love walking down to the pier with cones year-round. Tied for favorite: Ginger’s Divine Ice Creams.

Sidecar Donuts. We looove a fancy donut in this family. (Bonus points to Sidecar for the nextdoor-to-Anthropologie location.) Tied for favorite: our non-fancy but deeply nostalgic neighborhood 24-hour pink box donut shop, Best Donuts.

Fishing With Dynamite. Nate and I actually don’t eat seafood (we’re Mormon) (I’m kidding, that’s 100% not a thing, we just don’t like seafood). We’re probably missing out because FWD is one of the most awarded restaurants in Los Angeles. But WE go there for their off-the-charts desserts. Our order: their famous key lime pie and the seasonal dessert, like this thyme cheesecake with blood orange sorbet.

lunch + dinner

Tacomasa. The most delicious tacos in the South Bay, likely all of Los Angeles, maybe all of California. Not to mention the staff are absolute treasures and it is impossible not to notice how sparkling clean it is. But the tacos, you guys. Our order: tres carne con todo.

Rabano. Even though I’m a vegetarian, I enjoy one or two cheeseburgers a year, and Rabano’s is one of them. Their bahn mi sandwich is Nate’s go to, and I can down a whole order of their edamame wontons. Our local lunch staple.

Slay Italian Kitchen. Our favorite low-key date spot. We always get an outdoor table and walk thirty feet down to the sand if there’s a wait. Mom and Dad are romantic! Our order: focaccia, house lasagna, and seasonal vegetarian pasta

Paradise Bowls. Smoothie bowls count as breakfast, lunch, and snack around here. PB is my favorite açaí bowl in the Los Angeles area. (My top award goes to Active Culture in Laguna Beach.) My order: Coconut Breeze, minus the banana, plus peanut butter.

Goop Kitchen. As close to homemade as it gets. My favorite thing is the summer salad rolls with cashew dipping sauce, but everything is incredibly fresh and delicious. Thanks Gwyneth!

Pitfire Pizza. A Steele family favorite. My second favorite pizza in LA (my #1 is Apollonia’s, but it’s far, up by LACMA.) Instead of crayons and placemats, they give the kids rainbow clay!

small shops

Gum Tree. I take ALL my visitors to this beachy beautiful gift shop. Right now they have the cutest shell Christmas trees. It’s a family owned business and they source from all over the USA and Europe. My #1 favorite shop in Manhattan Beach!

Pages, A Bookstore. Our wonderful local bookseller! This shop gives me hope for the future —nothing AI, misogynistic, or negative in here :)

Go Gently Nation. Their tiny flagship store carries organic cotton children’s clothes and little handmade toys, with a few homey touches and select women’s organic cotton, too.

Jack’s Surfboards. My all time favorite surf shop. Lots of boards, fins, and wetsuits here, but I come here for their house brand sweatshirts and hats, and guys and little boys’ stuff too. Surf shops make me laugh a little — they totally live up to their stereotype — but you can’t beat the great selection.

Marine Layer. If I could only shop at one store in Manhattan Beach for a year, I’d pick Marine Layer. It’s the gentler, more artistic and feminine take on the surf shop.

fun stuff to do

The beach! We love north of the pier and Bruce’s Beach (both have easy-ish parking) and Longfellow Ave in Hermosa — when it’s too cold to play in the water, we swing on the swings.

Manhattan Beach Pier + Roundhouse Aquarium. There’s something so calming about walking out so far over the ocean, which became our family ritual during lockdown. And don’t miss the free tiny aquarium at the end of the pier!

South Park. Our favorite playground. They have these two giant slides built into the hillside. Last time my sisters came to visit, they slid down with their kids and screamed the whole way, haha.

Bluff Cove Trail in Palos Verdes. When I need to get out in nature but not too far from home, we walk this cliff trail about seven miles south of Manhattan Beach. In the spring, the cliffside is peppered with wildflowers all the way down to the water.

Manhattan Beach Farmers’ Market. Living in a suburb far from local agriculture means a lot fewer chances to eat locally grown food, so we love getting Southern California produce and eggs directly from the farmers here.

Walking the strand. Afternoon walks on the strand (the paved walking path beside the beach) with the kids and their scooters is one of our family “glimmers.” We try to do this twice a week or more. Psst: want to know the best-kept secret of Southern California? Our prettiest sunsets are always in the winter, not the summer.

great los angeles area

Restaurants: Lady + Larder for sandwiches, cheese, and gifts. Father’s Office and Burgette for cheeseburgers. Cento for LA’s best pasta. Élephante for fancy date nights. Apollonia’s for the all-time best pizza in LA. Pizzana for the best white pizza. Tartine for their avocado tartine. Howlin’ Ray’s for fried chicken sandwiches (Nate’s rec). Gwen for fine dining (Nate’s rec). Monroe Place for sandwiches (Nate’s rec). Gjusta for everything. Proof Bakery for the best chocolate chip cookies in LA. Grand Central Market — our favorite booths are Fat & Flour by Nicole Rucker, McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams, Eggslut for sandwiches.

Other favorite spots: The Los Angeles Flower District, utter magic! The Getty Center, best art museum (and museum gift shop) in the West. Block Shop, run by the loveliest sisters. Burro, our favorite stop on Abbott Kinney. Los Angeles Public Library, specifically the children’s section. Eating an ice cream cone in Pershing Square. The Malibu Pier. The Huntington Library and Gardens, especially the camellia forest and the Children’s Garden. Baldwin Hills Overlook. Larchmont Ave, especially Shorthand, Catbird, Jeni’s, and Levain Bakery.

Fun fact: Do you ever wonder where they shot the opening scene of the movie La La Land, overlooking downtown LA? It was shot in the carpool lane onramp from the 105 Freeway onto the 110 Freeway. On a clear day, it’s spectacular.