restaurant recommendations from the locals

Can anyone recommend a few nice resturants (various cuisines), moderate price but somewhere with good food, good atmosphere in Santa Monica, Venice or Marina Del Rey.

I%26#39;m thinking of a resturant you would take your parents or friends to if they were visiting from out of town.

These kind of gems are only known by the locals!

restaurant recommendations from the locals

Since you said moderate price I will avoid the real nice expensive ones.

C%26amp;O Trotteria in Marina Del Rey is excellent Italian food for a low price and right by the beach. http://www.cotrattoria.com/ its low budget seating (patio furniture) and loud but excellent food and service.

If you miss the Brit food LOL you can always hit Kings Head in Santa Monica. Best fish %26amp; chips etc this side of the pond. www.yeoldekingshead.com/newsite/home.htm

If you don%26#39;t mind spending a little more money for killer seafood then The Lobster in Santa Monica is your place - right at the pier. thelobster.com/LobsterNew/html/homepage.html

Enjoy!

restaurant recommendations from the locals

I used to work in Santa Monica, so have spent many evening with family, firends and business clients. some of my favorites (I still make the drive from time to time) are:

Ocean Avenue Seafood is a favorite of mine (not cheap - but amazing food and a fun atmosphere). It is on 2nd Street so you can easily walk up to 3rd Street Promenade if you want to go out for drinks afterwards.

For a more funky restaurant - try Typhoon - it is on the South side of the Santa Monica Airport and you can watch all the private airplanes take off and land. The upper level offer sushi and the main restuarant offers ';...The exhibition kitchen executes an endless menu of dishes from every corner of Asia: Japanese gyoza, Indian samosas, Chinese dim sum, Thai coconut-chicken curry, Filipino fried squid, Indonesian stir-fried noodles, and much more.'; You can also get some unusual item like fired crickets, scorpians and manchurian ants. You often have celeb spottings there as mainy will grab a drink or a bite to eat before or after flying. It is usually packed on weekend nights. http://www.typhoon-restaurant.com/home.html

1 Pico (at the Shutters hotel) is another ';date night'; place hubby %26amp; I love. Good seafood, big fireplaces, great view of the ocean.

I Cugini: excellant Seafood/Italian food, fun atmosphere, big portions too share.

Even though it is a ';chain'; I have always enjoyed PF Changs. Asian Fusion type food - very good though and fun for a gorup of people.

There is such a wealth of great food in the Santa Monica area, but hopefully this and the other post will help you narrow it down. I think most of the above mentioned have their own websites with menus and prices...

Thanks guys!

My dad is coming to visit and I know he will insist on paying so I wanted to go somewhere that is reasonable price for what you get. (around $20 main courses max).

Thanks for your suggestions! I am going to seek those websites! That place at the airport sounds fab! I%26#39;m definately going to go there!

Try to find the street - Montana Ave (used to live half a block away). The restaurants there are small and cozy with good food. You do have a good number of choices and it is a nice walk after dinner along this street.

By all means, if you like Italian food, visit Guido%26#39;s on Santa Monica, just East of Bundy. The food is surprisingly good considering the cost ($12 - $26 per entree), and the service is also above average.

Just avoid the valet parking, as it is more a pain than it is worth.

But, if you want to splurge and are ready for a culinary orgasm, hit Drago on Wilshire (Between 26th and Princeton). Expensive, but it will be the best thing you will ever put in your mouth.

try some of the places on Abbott-Kinney