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    BALEENkitchen

    3.8 (944 reviews)
    Closed 7:00 am - 2:00 pm, 4:00 PM - 10:00 PM

    BALEENkitchen Photos

    BALEENKITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Romantic
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

    Recommended Reviews - BALEENkitchen

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    Ted R.

    Alex's breakfast burrito isn't half as good as the old Cali burrito they had, which was the best breakfast burrito I'd found in So Cal. The bloody Mary was still OK but the loud musician in the lounge made brunch conversation all but impossible. I asked our server if he could help, to no avail. A longtime fave, I hope Baleen bounces back. At least it still has the pleasing marina views.

    The Obvious Choice cocktail and Champagne
    Colleen Z.

    BALEEN kitchen is amazing! I cancelled my Friday dinner reservation and decided to eat somewhere else. However, Saturday night we decided to have dinner here (with no prior reservation) they seated us in the lounge/ bar area where there was live entertainment! I celebrated my birthday early and they gave us complimentary champagne for a toast, like how friggin cute! Ethan and Carla were so attentive and made sure everything was perfect through the night. Sunday morning, we had breakfast/ brunch here also and the Lemon mascarpone pancakes were DELISH! My husband got the Cali Burrito (forgive me if that was wrong) but we kept telling each how perfectly cooked that burrito was! Literally one of the BEST we've ever had! Overall, the entire experience for both dinner and brunch were sooo good! We cannot wait to come back for more meals!

    Interior
    Samantha L.

    Located next to Redondo beach, this is a nice spot to have drinks, catch up with friends, eat some nice food, and soak in the views Parking There is free valet parking! Ambiance/Service (5/5) Gorgeous views, great cozy atmosphere, and attentive service Food Rock Shrimp Tacos (2.5/5) Served with 2 heaping tempura shrimp tacos and a large slab of avocado,cabbage, slightly spicy salsa, and chips This was definitely a ok choice. I couldn't really taste the freshness of the shrimp taco, and I wouldn't say this was a pretty decent portion for the price of it. Overall, underwhelming but did the job. Pancakes with a blueberry cream (3.5/5) 2 stacks of pancakes with a nice cream and syrup. Can't go wrong! Very decent. Overall, the views and service made this experience.

    Key lime pie
    Kelly B.

    We ate here because AmEx benefits gave us $100 credit for staying at the Portofino Hotel. We enjoyed this place because they had a warm inviting space with breezy relaxing decor and a great view of the marina, both a warm host and friendly and accommodating server. And lastly, the food was super enjoyable. I asked the host what she liked and the salmon bagel was one of her picks. I don't usually order a bagel for brunch but I was curious and boy was I ever happy with my choice! A platter of yummy veggies, fresh salmon, very tasty cream cheese and a tasty bagel! I was pretty satisfied with this choice! See pic below! Hubs got the lemon pistachio pancakes which were very fluffy and yummy and kiddo got eggs Benedict. All three of us enjoyed our meals! And since it was pie day we ordered a pie of key lime pie! Very tasty, not overly sweet. A great, relaxing experience and when we walked by at night the previous night a lively, hopping place with music.

    Matt I.

    The Baleen Kitchen is a hidden gem. Tucked away in the King Harbor Marina near The Portofino Hotel this iconic restaurant is a definite treat. While it is a little off the beaten path, it's definitely worth the trip. My wife and I have stayed at the Portofino Hotel on multiple occasions and this is always our go to breakfast spot when we stay there. Service is always friendly and the restaurant has beautiful views of the harbor. Because it's tucked away it's nice and quiet in the area and can easily make you forget that you're just minutes away from bustling LA. They have a modest menu that feels like it's just the right size for the establishment. I'm a fan of the more modest menus that are well executed rather than large exhaustive menus of mediocre food. This place hits the mark. I do also like that because it's further off the beaten path ice never seen it extremely busy the way one would expect a restaurant of that caliber to be in a place like LA. Overall a great experience and a must try. Atmosphere: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Food: 5/5 Value: 5/5 Total: 5/5 Price: $ Rating Criteria: 1/5: Terrible, would not recommend 2/5: Might be worth it depending on price and other factors. 3/5: Solid option. Average in this category for the area. 4/5: Above average and excels in this area. 5/5: Excellent, needs no improvement Pricing Criteria: $: $0 - $50 per person $$: $50 - $100 per person $$$: $100 - $200 per person $$$$: $200 - $500 per person $$$$$: $500+ per person *Please keep in mind that reviews are based on personal experience which may differ from person to person based upon a multitude of factors (individual/specific workers, time of day, personal preferences, etc). Pricing may also differ and is reflected here based on what we paid for our meal. We usually enjoy multiple courses with our meals including appetizers, salads, entrees, desserts, and sometimes drinks or tasting menus when available. Please do your own research if concerned about potential pricing.*

    The The 'Cali' Burrito
    Germane G.

    It's always an amazing experience here. The service is always great. The food is always good. You can't beat the view of the Marina and it is reasonably priced for the portions you get. Looking forward to going back.

    "Black & Blue" Steak Tacos BALEEN Burger Wild Mushroom Flatbreadmushroom
    Charles S.

    A perfect getaway from busy LA, especially if you are staying at the Portofino. I highly recommend it. The service was great, the staff were friendly, and our order came out quickly. The food was delicious and the picture speaks for itself. They also had local artists playing indie music, which my partner and I really enjoyed. There is nice indoor seating, though there was no outdoor seating available when we went, so that may be seasonal. You still get a great view of the dock with all the boats, making it a nice and low key spot.

    Kristin A.

    We were staying at the hotel and decided to have dinner at the restaurant. We enjoyed a few fun cocktails with some flatbreads, but our dinners were the star of the show! I opted for the shrimp tacos. They were crispy and the combo of guacamole and slaw on top added to the flavor burst the tacos provided. My husband ordered the pork chop and he said it was cooked to perfection! The view was nice and the staff were great! If you are staying at the hotel...or not... check this place out! You will not be disappointed!

    The 'Cali' Burrito
    Brittany W.

    I stayed at the hotel and came here for breakfast two mornings in a row and had fairly different experiences. I ordered the Cali burrito the first morning and it was flavorful and the meat tender, but I would have preferred it without shrimp. Our server was attentive and quick, and we never had to ask for anything or wait to get our server's attention. The second morning was the opposite. It was difficult to get our server's attention to get an additional utensil, a refill, and eventually the bill. It was so slow we decided it wasn't worth going our third and last morning at the hotel and would go elsewhere.

    Happy hour menu

    Kayla and Jordan are the best! Jordan was friendly, quick, attentive and accommodating to our child. Karla's margaritas are phenomenal and her smile shines brightly as she pours. We will definitely keep coming back for more.

    Interior
    Eriko P.

    My friend and I stumbled across BALEEN kitchen on a Sunday morning. After looking through the menu, and talking with Barbie, the hostess we definitely wanted to relax and enjoy a meal after our walk along the waterfront. We were seated in a beautiful blue velvet tufted booth ( I would recommend making reservations for this booth). Alex was our server who has a great personality with a smile! I ordered the NOBLE CHOPPED SALAD, which was delicious, but it wasn't chopped. I think my salad was missing the roasted beets, but I didn't mention it, because it wad delicious and beautifully presented. My friend ordered the egg toast and added cherry tomatoes. She enjoyed it. Weekends there is endless mimosas, but I am trying to be healthy so I opted for ice tea. The staff here are all very friendly. The decor reminded me of Cape Cod, casual elegance. I felt like I was on vacation. I will definitely return here again! Thank you Barbie and Alex for the great service!

    Seating by windows, great view!
    Leslie C.

    We come to this hidden gem for brunch at least twice a month. Well, it's not really hidden. It's part of the Portofino hotel in Redondo Beach. Depending on what time you arrive, you can get seats next to the window that look out to the harbor but plenty of seating throughout. Lots of good choices on their brunch menu. My favorite dishes are the soft scrambled eggs with goat cheese on artisan toast, the classic eggs benedict, and the Baleen burger but if you have a sweet tooth the lemon marscapone pancakes with blueberry butter is amazing. Be sure to request Jordan or Alex as your server, they are friendly and provide exceptional service. What most don't know is they have a great happy hour and live music on Fri and Sat

    Cod Reuben
    Ben D.

    Definitely a mixed experience at Baleeen Kitchen. On the plus side: I had the cod reuben with fries which was a fabulous take on the traditional Reuben. The fish was well cooked and flavorful, and the crispy French fries were an absolutely appropriate and delicious addition to the sandwich. BaleenKitchen also have a very nice wine selection. Unfortunately, it was exactly 40 minutes from the time I sat down at my table to when my meal was delivered. And while I understand, that kitchens can get busy during the lunch rush, I was one of three tables in the dining room, so it's hard to imagine that the kitchen was overwhelmed. My "quick" lunch took almost an hour and a half from start to finish with no apology or explanation from the wait staff as to why things were taking so long. The food was delicious, and I will give them the benefit of the doubt that the pace of the meal was an anomaly! Edit; yes, I know it says card instead of cod in my review, despite changing it to cod and even trying fish instead of cod, for some reason, Yelp continues to use the incorrect spelling ‍

    View from table

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    Food was ok. Service was behind. Views Amazing!!! Appetizer showed up with the meal. Items on menu need better explanation.

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    Page 1 of 24

    BALEENkitchen Reviews in Other Languages

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    Manhattan Beach Post - Pecan sticky bun

    Manhattan Beach Post

    4.3(4k reviews)
    2.9 mi
    $$$

    MBP never fails to delight! Chef David LeFevre's kick off restaurant brings excellent flavors and…read morecombinations to your palette! We went to celebrate Mother's Day for my wire! Anyone who knows the biz knows that Mother's Day is an insanely busy day! We were seated promptly. We started with their decadent warm banana bread with caramel and butter! They sent us the blistered green beans with pork belly cubes, delicious! Our daughter had orrechiette with lobster, very tasty! Wifey had the classic eggs Benny and I had the breakfast burrito! All very satisfying! And thanks to our server, Danny for taking care of us! Mahalo to the managers, Brian and Shawn!

    Good experience at this restaurant in Manhattan beach. Modern take on Southern and general American…read morecuisine. Food was great, but not mind-blowing in my opinion. Some dishes could've been executed better. Going down the list of dishes I had here: - Bacon Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits: These were more like scones rather than biscuits. Crunchy with good bacon and cheddar flavor. - Japanese Hamachi Crudo: Unique and I liked the citrusy flavor and creamy texture. However, 3 small slices of fish for $26 was overpriced. - Leafy Greens & Radicchio: Solid and crispy salad with a nice tangy dressing. The cheese also added a lot of sharp flavor which was nice. - Skirt Steak: Good flavor and char, but a bit tough. Also some dry pieces. - Chilean Sea Bass: Lemon orzo risotto was creamy and delicious. The sea bass itself was okay, nothing special. It felt overpowered by the risotto. The fish was moist and flaky though. - 20 Oz Prime Beef Ribeye: Quality was subpar relative to price. Portion size was solid by the steak itself was inconsistent. Some of the pieces were rarer while others were more well-done even though we asked for medium rare. There were also some dry pieces which I did not like. Flavor was good though. - Strawberry and Olive Oil Cake: Was confused since there was just a thin layer of cake, but realized the title also referred to the mousse. I would title it 'Strawberry Mousse with Olive Oil Cake" to make it less confusing. Regardless, this was a delicious dessert! Love the fruity strawberry and savory pistachio flavors as well as the smooth textures. - S'mores sundae: Got this on the house for my aunt's birthday. A generous portion but the components were a bit too sweet for my liking. I visited this restaurant for a birthday that I organized and my experience was overall good. Reservation was made easy using OpenTable and I could also mention it was for a birthday occasion. The ambiance was gorgeous with good mood lighting. Good for group and 1 on 1 dining. Parking is metered or street parking. Overall, I probably wouldn't come out of my way to dine here again, but my experience wasn't bad just not significant enough to put in my rotation. Would come back if someone treated me here though.

    Photos
    Manhattan Beach Post - Interior

    Interior

    Manhattan Beach Post - Raspberry cream cheese coffee cake

    Raspberry cream cheese coffee cake

    Manhattan Beach Post - MB Post Biscuit Eggs Benedict, lobster avocado toast and blood and smoke

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    MB Post Biscuit Eggs Benedict, lobster avocado toast and blood and smoke

    Bacari Culver City - Crab Cake Benedict

    Bacari Culver City

    4.4(211 reviews)
    12.4 mi

    Wow! Great staff, very welcoming from start to finish. Every dish had so much flavor but was still…read moreincredibly balanced. The drinks, vibe and atmosphere alone would make me a return customer. We didn't save enough room for dessert so we're looking forward to that next time. My only con is parking was tough- so give yourself enough time before your reservation.

    Becari is a popular Mediterranean chain of restaurants in the Los Angeles area. This particular…read moreone is located in downtown Culver City. My group tried several dishes to share as they are on the smaller side. Seating was a bit cramped and the place was packed for a weekend brunch. Lamb hummus ($19) - This consisted of braised ground lamb served over some hummus and fresh pita. The pita was so pillowy soft and fresh out of the oven. The hummus consistency was a little on the chunkier side and not as creamy as I had hoped for. Bacari burger open faced ($15) - The beef is grass fed and came with caramelized onions, Worcestershire aioli, telera roll, and a fried egg. Although it was on the smaller side the burger wasn't bad taste wise. Lamb shakshouka pizza ($16.50) - This was served with pilpelchuma, arugula, red onion, goat cheese emulsion, and egg. The crust was too thin for my liking, almost cracker like and the sauce over powered the pizza, couldn't even taste the lamb. Brussels sprouts ($15.5) - These were caramelized and served with pomegranate molasses creme fraiche and julienne beets. This is a must get side when dining here. Shawarma chicken tacos ($16 for 3) - These had shredded cabbage, pickled red onion, sesame, and garlic tahini. I wasn't impressed, they were a little too plain. Crab cake benedict ($13) - Breaded claw meat, grapefruit hollandaise, and a sous vide egg rounded out this dish. It wasn't bad taste wise. Chicken schnitzel ($20.5) - This came with whipped feta, arugula-mint salad, and sumac onion. The batter was over cooked and too crispy. For dessert my group tried a pistachio sfoglia ($12) which had some great tasting pistachio cream. Although I felt the dish was over priced it wasn't bad. However my group prefered the bread pudding ($9.50) which came with clover honey custard and vanilla ice cream. Overall the food wasn't bad, they have some creative ideas. Service was a little off, but the manager apologized for some missteps in some of the dishes and adjusted the bill accordingly.

    Photos
    Bacari Culver City - Ambience

    Ambience

    Bacari Culver City - Shakshouka

    Shakshouka

    Bacari Culver City - Indoor Dining Space at Bacari Culver City

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    Indoor Dining Space at Bacari Culver City

    Trani's Dockside Station - Peruvian Bay Scallops Ginger lime Vinaigrette, toasted garlic, cashew, cilantro, coconut air

    Trani's Dockside Station

    4.3(308 reviews)
    10.8 miSan Pedro

    Such a fun spot with the best energy. The restaurant itself is super cute and lively, and everyone…read moreworking there was incredibly sweet and welcoming. Even the other guests were friendly, which honestly made the whole experience feel even more special. We started with the ahi tuna tostada and WOW -- definitely my favorite dish of the night. So fresh, flavorful, and perfectly balanced. The scallops were also beautifully presented and absolutely delicious. We also tried the garlic bread because so many reviews hyped it up, but honestly... it was just okay. Not bad at all, but probably the one thing I'd skip next time. The biggest surprise for me was the fish and chips because I normally don't even like fish and chips. This version was lightly breaded so you actually got flaky, flavorful fish instead of a mouthful of batter. Perfectly fried and genuinely so good. We also ordered the arugula salad which was fresh and paired well with everything else. Overall, such a great experience from start to finish. Great food, great atmosphere, and genuinely warm service. Definitely a spot I'd come back to.

    Brunch at Trani's Dockside Station is great. It is my favorite things about this place. Their lunch…read moreand dinner is great as well, but I am hooked on their brunch. I love their Cheesy Egg Toast which is cheddar cheese & grilled Sourdough for about 12$. Their Soft Shell Crab Benedict Arnold is served on a brioche bun, with mortadella, & béarnaise sauce. It is just amazing. For lunch we love the raw bar and always start with oysters and Peruvian scallops. They are super good. Their strawberry mixed greens salad is so great. They don't always have it, but most of the time they do. The place is so pretty. It is an old cannery with modern and adorable inside decoration. It is comfortable and super clean. The service is great. I don't know if they take reservations, I would call and ask. We go at odd times and have never had a problem.

    Photos
    Trani's Dockside Station - Oyster bar

    Oyster bar

    Trani's Dockside Station - Local Calamari not so "New Style" Sweet Thai aioli, basil, cilantro, sesame seeds, aged balsamic

    Local Calamari not so "New Style" Sweet Thai aioli, basil, cilantro, sesame seeds, aged balsamic

    Trani's Dockside Station - Scallops

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    Scallops

    BALEENkitchen - seafood - Updated May 2026

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