This past weekend I went to one of my favorite places in Los Angeles, Paradise Cove Beach Cafe. It is located in the sunny city of Malibu. For those of you not familiar with Malibu, it is located on Pacific Coast Highway aka “PCH” and is known to be one of LA’s best beach spots. The views there are impeccable and one can see the views from majority of the restaurants located on PCH, Paradise Cove being one of them. Enough about Malibu, lets get to the food discussion. My mom, sister, and I have been going to Paradise Cove now for years, it’s a Friday ritual for us. Just like the Gilmore Girls we have Friday rituals of our own. We like to come early, around 7-8am, to avoid the crazy crowds. Around 12-1pm the cafe starts to have a 2 hour wait, because of the amount of people arriving to enjoy this beautiful private beach. FOOD: It’s definitely not the best in Malibu, but the view makes up for the mediocre food. Since I have been coming here for years, I have memorized their menu and have tried almost everything on it. If you’re a first timer and coming for breakfast,  the Carrot Cake Waffles and “Down East” Lobster Benedict are the way to go. If you’re arriving during lunch hour, I would go with the Ahi “Sashimi Tuna Salad…it is out of this world. As for drinks (my favorite part), the Malibu Starburst is so good! It actually tastes like a starburst! If you want a more fun type of drink get the one in the watermelon or pineapple, but I do have to mention those two drinks are more about the presentation. History: About 60 years ago, Joe Morris bought 70 acres of Malibu land ranging from $3,500-$25,000 an acre. In the late 50’s and early 60’s, Malibu was a lot different. It was more of a laid-back beach community, where people would fish a lot and hang out at The Cove. His family hung out in the sun until one day Joe decided to sell the land to another family. His sons, Bob and Bryant, had to go get jobs and the both of them went on to build many other historic places. No matter what restaurant I am at in Malibu, I feel Bob’s presence everywhere. He opened Gladstone’s Malibu, The Jetty, RJ’s, the Rib Joint, Malibu Sea Lion, Duke’s, and my favorite Geoffrey’s. This is a list of all of Malibu’s most famous restaurants, that too have hour long waits on the weekends. But in 1996, Bob and his family bought back Paradise Cove and till this day he remains the owner. Paradise Cove is not only famous for their ocean views. This place has had hundreds of shows, movies, and music videos filmed here. Britney Spears‘ hit song, “Sometimes”, the old TV show, Sea Hunt, movies like American Pie 2, Indecent Proposal, and Monster-in-Law were all shot here. Information: 

• Hours of operations: 7 days a week sunrise to sunset
• Beach parking and beach entrance without restaurant validation: $40
• Parking if eating at the cafe: $6 for 4 hours if you spend at least $20
• Beach bed with umbrella rental: $50
• 2 lounge chairs with umbrella rental: $50 

Panoramic view of The Cove

View from the outside tables at the cafe

*Tip* Ask to sit in the front row outside

The famous pier that so many famous films, TV shows, and music videos have been shot on!

Inside seating at the cafe

Outside seating, grab a drink at the outside bar and watch the waves!

Sometimes you can even spot whales and dolphins!

Malibu Starburst!

I’ve been drinking, watermelon.

The Real Coconut drink with boba from the Boba Rum Bar!

Bloody Mary

Ahi “Sashimi” Tuna Salad

Even the restrooms are full of history!

Boba Rum Bar!!