Tony was so amazing! It was pretty busy when we got sat and he always had a smile on his face. I love genuine servers that wear their heart on their sleeves and he sure did! He walked us through his favorite dishes and neither order disappointed! We will leave happy and well fed! The gorgeous Baleen never disappoints and truly all the servers and staff including Hotel Portofino are always nothing short of amazing! Thanks again Tony for spoiling us with your sweet smile! read more

BALEENkitchen - Seafood Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

I can't believe I live walking distance from this place and just visited it for the first time this Friday. We had some time to kill before the Metal Skool show so we walked over to Baleen to have a drink or two and check it out. We sat down at the bar, ordered some champagne and wine and enjoyed the night time marina views. Usually, I'm not a fan of bars with pretzels or nuts (I saw that movie Along with Polly) but I loved that the bartender here gives each party a fresh bowl of nuts, candied pecans and wasabi peas. We started conversing with a random hotel guest which I liked because I love chatting up out of towners. I liked the decor, the dim lighting and the low key chill atmosphere. I liked that the bathrooms had real towels and smelled great. I loved that when my friend asked the bartender if he had a safety pin he apologized and said he didn't but that he would call the hotel's front desk and inquire if they did. The next thing we knew he had walked away and gone down to bring her one of those hotel sewing kits that include safety pins! How awesome is that? Thank you Bill. This place is great.... I'll be back for sure. read more

We walked in at 9:40ish after a late flight. When the hostess asked if we had reservations, I almost rolled my eyes- aside from two tables it was glaringly empty- really? the LA attitude here? We were seated, given the heavy light up menus (which are funny and actually necessary, lighting is pretty dim at night in there) and ordered as quick as we could. Service was surprisingly slow. I thought they might want to expedite the service to get us out of there by their closing but no, no rush. Not many sea dishes for a waterfront restaurant. I ordered the scallops sans beef and got six large scallops that were rubbery. Perfect scallops are pretty hard to come by. Nothing impressionable. Pretty standard food options. I'm told Joe's Crab Shack down the road is the way to go if you're in there area. Next time! read more

Food & location: 5 stars We had guest from London. The sunny day, ocean, sail boats perfect backdrop to the pull-port egg benedict and steak & egg breakfast. The food was fresh and cooked perfectly. The endless mimosas helped too. BF claimed great coffee. Service: -5 stars They lost our reservation, which was very odd since they were not busy. The teenage hostess was stone faced. Never showing any emotion. At one point I thought they forgot to put in our order. That's how long the wait for food was. The wait for water, longer than our coffee. Don't be in a hurry to eat here because it took 20 minutes to get our check. I had to get up & took another five minutes for someone to pay attention to me, to get our check. I'm saddened because the restaurant is good, HIRE NEW STAFF!!! Including the bar tender who was paying more attention to the football game than the guests. read more

It was okay for dineLA. Restaurant was fairly empty, but we got seated in this weird corner next to the exit. I think they did it because it was a "270 degree view" if my geometry serves me correctly, but I would've much preferred a table not next to an exit. Food was okay. Good taste, good flavor and well-constructed bites. Portions were on the smaller side, so house bread stepped up big time. I think Thursday would probably be the best day as they have 50% off a bunch of wines for dinner, starting at $15.00 and up. Definitely a good deal in my mind. read more

I was in LA for work and I was taken here for dinner. As a New Yorker Baleen is what I envision a cool and hip southern California restaurant/bar would be like. The food was pretty good. Try the truffle fries as an appetizer. I also liked my snapper entrée. The views of the harbor were great and it was fun watching a few seals fighting over a spot on the back of a nearby boat. read more

Finding a brunch spot that takes reservations for a large party on a Sunday is a challenge. I was grateful to come across BALEENkitchen since the reviews looked pretty solid and the location of the restaurant promised great views of Rendondo Beach. An online reservation through OpenTable limited the party size to 10 so I called in to add a couple of more people. It was a rather smooth process overall. The day before, BALEENkitchen called to confirm our 10am reservation. The morning of, I called to notify them that we were running about 10-15min late and that our party size was now increased to 14. They were very accommodating and informed us that the table would be ready and that there was a party behind us booked for noon. We arrived and everything was already set up. While I would not necessarily come back for the food (I've had better benedicts in other brunch spots), I appreciated the ease of making the reservation, loved ambiance of the restaurant (open and airy with a great view of Redondo beach!) and the service was great! The staff was attentive to our large group of 14, the food came promptly, and we never felt rushed. Overall it was a great dining experience and I'd definitely keep BALEENkitchen in mind for the next brunch gathering. Parking wasn't too difficult to locate if you're willing to walk a bit otherwise there's valet. read more

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Great menu and location. Good things to eat (not in order): Lobster mac n cheese BLT salad with jalapeño dressing and a perfectly made slice of bacon Beef sliders Lobster sliders Fried calamari House made chips with bleu cheese The list goes on! read more

BALEENkitchen - Beef slider, BLT salad and a sazerac. Guinness would have been the better choice tho. - Seafood Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

Came here for happy hour on a Saturday. Yup, I did say happy hour on a weekend. I sat in the upstairs lounge area -- it's chic with mirrors on the wall, a fireplace and they even had a christmas tree up. I sat right by the window and over looked the marina. 5 stars for the atmosphere. Had a bloody mary and that was excellent! It had a kick, packed with flavor and was not too chunky or and did not taste like artificial tomatoes like most places. Was a little disappointed with the food. I had a lobster slider and it was cold -- I was expecting it to be warm.. that might be why I did not like it as much. Thought there was too much mayo and didn't taste the lobster. The bread was the saving grace of the slider though and the crispy jalepeno was tasty. 2 stars for the food, I ate it anyway because I was starved! Overall: great place for drinks and atmosphere but not sure about the food. The brunch menu looked great but I missed it by 20 min. Darn it, I wanted the benedict. Will be back to try other items on the menu. read more

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Excellent eating experience. I reserved window table for the ambiance and picturesque harbour view. This was not our first time at Badeen. My wife and I brought our friends to treat them to a service and food experience for their 50th anniversary and was very impressed.The Meal was served hot and excellent taste w/ fresh pasta. Servando, our server is very professional, knowledgeable, very friendly and made sure our dining experience goes smoothly. Our dinner experience was more than just a great meal, but a memorable experience as well. read more

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This place was recommended by a friend so we tried it for my husbands birthday. Beautiful views of the marina from almost every table. Really nice and bright decor. I had the beef stroganoff which was excellent. Really enjoyed the Brussels sprouts extra roasty how I like it. My husband had the surf and turf birthday special steak and lobster which was perfect! I also recommend the key lime pie. Their service is top notch from hostess to water servers and our waiters Chris and Cullen. It was a really nice experience for a special occasion. Definitely check it out! read more

Bleh - this place. Went back there this am for brunch. Coffee was horrible. Like instant coffee at a doctor's office horrible. My friend and I had the huevos redondos which was not as good as it sounded but also not bad. Just bland and nothing special. We did get a table with a lovely view, so really, it's probably best to go there for snacks and drinks instead of trying to get a good meal there. Service was good but the table was missing some settings and it was just not put together (seems like the vibe of the Portofino hotel that it is part of - great potential but misses the mark - see my hotel review). We also had a short stack of the pancakes which were pretty good but again nothing special. I couldn't get past the coffee! For the price, I would recommend looking elsewhere and coming here for a drink on the water. The view of all the docked boats is really lovely and Im sure with a couple drinks, it would be romantic or a cool place to hang with friends. Their food game though? Bleh. read more

Came here twice, for dinner and breakfast and both times the food was fantastic. All fresh and filled with flavor. The drinks are always on point and just couldn't be happier. Came here for our honeymoon and so happy we came. Can't wait to visit Californian again read more

BALEENkitchen - Seafood Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

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Stopped by here for breakfast while in Redondo because it was a short walk from my hotel. The restaurant: Gorgeous views of the marina (ask for a table near the window to enjoy). Quick service. The food: My boyfriend ordered eggs benedict which he really enjoyed (eggs poached perfectly) and I had the Huevos Redondo, which was delicious. There was a breakfast buffet set out as well, but it didn't look like anything spectacular, so I would probably suggest ordering a dish for breakfast instead of hitting the buffet. Would definitely come back here again for breakfast next time I'm in the area. read more

BALEENkitchen - Eggs Benedict at Baleen. - Seafood Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

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Had breakfast delivered to our room at Portofino Hotel and it was delicious! Fruit and pastries were legitimately fresh. The pancakes were very tasty. Milk and cookies are a must! Definitely recommend! read more

Ate breakfast here with some work colleagues recently, and I really liked Baleen Kitchen. It was about a 10 minute walk from the Hotel we were staying at (Redondo Beach Hotel). Really liked the decor: beautiful chandeliers, great wooden tables and lots of natural light coming in through the windows. And great views of the boats in the marina. I ordered the wild mushroom omelette with a side a bacon, and it was delicious - perfectly cooked. I also really liked the coffee, but I'm not sure what brand they used. Service was also friendly, and we never had to wait on coffee refills, which was nice. Overall, I really liked this place and I'd highly recommend going here for breakfast if your in the area. read more

Food was great but this plate threw me off (couldn't concentrate on digestion as it reminded me of the load I was 10/10 going to get later) read more

BALEENkitchen - Food was great but this plate threw me off (couldn't concentrate on digestion as it reminded me of the load I was 10/10 going to get later) - Seafood Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

Came in for a quick dinner this past weekend and since we were in a rush with no reservations, we sat at the bar. I had the tuna nicoise and the hubby had the fish tacos. I LOVED the concept of my dish - basically it was a deconstructed nicoise salad with a healthy serving of perfectly rare seared tuna, green been fries, a fried egg, and an olive tapenade. The hubby said his fish tacos were bomb as well. I knock a slight point off because I really wanted more of that delicious tapenade... the dish really needed just a bit more to make it stellar. I plan on making my own version this week! Great bar staff and views of the marina. Very quality ingredients. Nice ambiance. Would go back! read more

I feel bad, because this review is way overdue. I wanted to write about the great service I received from Alex last month. In all honesty, the restaurant itself would only get 3-stars, but Alex gets 5, so I split the difference. I took a friend here for his birthday and made my reservation on opentable to notify them of the occasion as usual. However, when we arrived, there was no one at the host station. We waited around for a while, until a bartender came around, and told us we could sit anywhere. We sat ourselves and our waiter, Alex quickly arrived and introduced himself. He saw that I was a bit chilly, so he closed the windows near us without hesitation. I wanted to make sure that the restaurant knew of the occasion and ensure I wasn't a no-show on my reservation, so I made sure he checked the computer. He got my drift and did so discreetly. After getting our wine, we ordered our entrées. My friend went with the miso glazed halibut with honey roasted sweet potato and ginger braised bok choy. I ordered the slow braised short rib with horseradish mashed potatoes and haricot vert & sweet carrots. The mashed potatoes were really good, but everything else was underwhelming. Not bad, just not great. Both his fish and my short rib were slightly over cooked. I have to say that the best part of the meal was our waiter. Alex checked on us regularly and was super sweet and personable. Anytime we needed anything, he was right there to take care of it quickly. Our water glasses were always filled and he never interrupted the flow of conversation. For dessert, Alex brought a complimentary key lime pie with passion fruit raspberry sauce and fresh berries. It was good, not too sweet or tart. They wished my friend a happy birthday by name. We also ordered an additional dessert of mango and raspberry sorbets. You can't really go wrong with that. The view at the restaurant is of King Harbor, which is nice at night, but really great during the day. There is free valet or self park for the restaurant. There's a daily special/event going on. I might go back for "Taco Tuesday" or "Rockefeller Wednesday," but probably not for regular dinner. They also have a nice bar/lounge area that's great for drinks. read more

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FINALLY had a chance to go here. Over all the food is really good. the setting is nice and the views are great. Nice but casual, bar area looks fun, and they had a live band playing on Sat night. Its not cheap but all the food we ordered was top quality. Not sure why the waiter took over 10-15 minutes to finally get to us and take our drink order, but other than that the waiter was good. Seared tuna, yum, lobster mac n cheese, YUM YUM drinks = long island x3 ;-) yum yum yum desert, gelato tasting bowl, so good. Also had the crab cakes, tasted good, but a very small portion for crab cakes. and the waiter didnt tell the 4 of us that it was two very small cakes, half dollar sized, so we really didnt get to eat much of that between 4 adults. Over all a nice place to go for seafood and drinks. A- over all ! read more

3.5 stars. A meeting I attended rented out Baleen last week for dinner so I can't really comment on how it is for regular meals, but for our dinner, it was great. The service was absolutely on point. Everybody was very attentive - our glasses were never empty and the food came out in a timely manner. The entrees and desserts that were offered were very similar to their DineLA menu. I chose the iron skillet hangar steak ($28), which was pretty good. It was cooked to my liking (ie. not over done), but was kind of chewy for my taste. It came with some arugala, which had a bit too much oil dressing in my opinion, but the side of potatoes was absolutely delicious. For dessert, I chose the bread pudding with pecan ice cream ($8), which was really tasty but a little too sweet. Each table also had a bunch of shared appetizers/tapas, including flatbread pizza with prosciutto, crab beignets, and mushroom egg rolls. Out of the 3, my favorite was the egg rolls. All in all, it was a good dinner and I really enjoyed it. The food was good, but to me, it wasn't memorable. I may come back if I happen to be in the area and want finer dining, but I probably won't drive out of the way for it. It has a great location, right across the main entrance of the Portofino Hotel and very close to the water. read more

BALEENkitchen - Iron skillet hangar steak ($28) - Seafood Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

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My husband & I came here for breakfast and we really enjoyed the flavorful eggs Benedict. It's a beautiful place overlooking the marina. Friendly service! read more

What an amazing place .. Great food .. Good vibes .. The Mgr Mike is wonderful & friendly & the server Alex was amazingly helpful with helping us with dinner choices .. This place is highly recommended you won't be sorry, ask for Mike he will make you feel more than welcome , and hats off to the amazing chefs .. The food was awesome Can't wait to return .. Please also see my review I made on The Portofino hotel & marina .. Great !!!! read more

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Pretty ordinary in my opinion, for one a place that prides itself on very trendy ambience shouldn't have ice cream plopped on a cookie for dessert. Additionally I wasn't very impressed with the entrees and appetizers: the poke was dry and not fresh, the steak was below average, and the seafood was nowhere near what I'd expect from a restaurant that prides itself on seafood. Ambience and atmosphere was cool but food definitely not, probably a cool place for lounging but 500% strongly discourage you having a full meal here, you can get much better food elsewhere read more

BALEENkitchen - Seafood Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

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I went here last night for DineLa week but ended up choosing from regular menu. Got the Baleen Burger and bf ordered Fish n Chips. Both dishes were good! Our server was very attentive and polite. read more

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I like Baleen, what a great location. But, the sneaky 5% fee added to the bill as an inflation fee left a very bad taste in my mouth. Baleen didn't change their menu prices, they just sneak in an added fee of 5% on top of the state tax you are already paying. Felt like a rip off! read more

-2 stars because parking sucks. It's like $20 or something, so we parked down the street somewhere and just walked. And the decor/furniture of this place is pretty outdated, I'd expect more from a place with expensive food. +3 stars because the view is gorgeous and the food is simply amazing. I came here with one of my friends, but I definitely would love to come back with my Bf because the setting is very romantic! read more

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What a cool little place. I've lived in the South Bay 30yrs and went to Baleen's for the first time last week. Wow! Super underrated like a Portofino secret tucked away in the marina. Parking was easy. There are 3 gorgeous sunsoaked dining rooms including the one in the bar. Best views and a great place for lunch meetings. Great upscale menu with quality made from scratch ingredients. Everything is made with love. That clam chowda was amazing! The fish n chips are made with a flakey snapper and a light batter. The fries were a surprise. They should upsell the fries. The menu just said- fries. But they aren't just fries. They are coated in a dehydrated malted vinegar powder to compliment the fish. #nextlevelfries Service was friendly and attentive, food was perfect. Can't wait to come back! read more

BALEENkitchen - Cioppino - Seafood Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

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Come here Sundays for unlimited bloody marys for only $15! They have a really cool bar where you make your own with all sorts of ingredients. This is the only reason why I would come back here and the reason I'm giving it four stars. The food is good but forgettable and overpriced. I got the pain Perdue and my boyfriend got the eggs Benedict. Both were tasty but not something I would come here specifically for. There's a beautiful view over the marina and this place seems to be popular for events. read more

BALEENkitchen - Yummy Eggs Benedict - Seafood Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

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My wife and I just recently celebrated our anniversary at BALEENkitchen and it was a special night to remember. We were fortunate enough to be able to experience the Chef's Table which is strategically located within view of the kitchen with a wonderful marina view outside of the window (this option is only available for parties of 4 - 10 people). We were greeted immediately by Riley who was the acting manager this evening and he was accommodating and professional. The main staff attending to our dinner was outstanding and really made our experience comfortable, friendly, and delicious! Jessica, our waitress, made sure we were well cared for the entire evening. Hector and Nick prepared our 4 course dinner with some complimentary add ons. Some of the best and most unique selections that my wife and I have ever experienced. We are very happy with the experience and the service that BALEENkitchen and their staff provided us on this special anniversary night! read more

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DON'T EAT HERE. Please save your money and eat elsewhere. The food here is so beat. Honestly, the best thing I ate here were the fries...how sad is that? How are the fries going to taste better than the entree itself. That shows a lot about the restaurant. Everything we ordered except the fries and clam chowder was absolutely rancid. My skirt steak had such a pungent smell, I had to ask the server to take it back and she didn't even feel bad about it nor did she take it off the check lol. If you read this review and still decide to go for whatever reason (and you love eating overpriced inedible food), you do not need to make a reservation because this restaurant will be super empty even during prime time because this place sucks. read more

Food is great! Service is Horrible!!! We stayed at the Portofino hotel and had an amazing time. We ordered room service from Baleen one morning and then ventured across the driveway to eat in the next morning. The Pain Perdue was delicious....baguette texture was perfect! The breakfast burrito with chorizo was full of flavor. The Huevos Redondos were very very tasty! Now we waited for 5 minutes to be seated in the empty restaurant. All we heard was two young ladies talking about "I don't know, should we seat them there?" Or one girl telling the other girl " hurry up, answer the phone" they seemed extremely confused. Then our server took our drink order, which included an orange juice, latte, and two waters. She then delivered the juice and latte but no water. Our food was then delivered by someone from the kitchen. And we asked for water again (now the 3rd time). Still no water...half way done with our food and the latte was cutting it. But our server was no where in sight. Thank goodness we saw the kitchen lady again and begged for water. Of course our server showed up with the bill....never once asked how our meal was. read more

BALEENkitchen - Pain Perdue - Seafood Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

I didn't notice the duck crepes on the menu last time I looked. I sure hope that was a typo! That is the primary reason for my lunch visits!

We found this place last night for dinner and boy, what a pleasant surprise!! The staff and food, EXCELLENT!! It is a hidden gem!! The crispy calamari and truffle fries were the bomb!! We had beef stroganoff, lobster tail, and scallops!! So mouth watering good!! Thank You for the great service and wonderful food!! Wait, you have got to try the Bloody Mary! It has a twist of avocado and bacon!! Yup!! Delicious!!! read more

If you have 2 hours for brunch then this is your spot. The food was really yummy, the drinks were great. The service was....eh...which is why you need to carve out a few hours. We had three different servers, all of whom seemingly thought we were their table. Each asked us what we would like to order. Not a big problem. Even so, it took 20 or so minutes to get beverages we ordered. The restaurant was pretty empty too. We ordered the Salmon Benedict which was PHENOMENOMNOMS. Also had the huevos redondos which was yummy as well. The real star of the meal was the Bloody Mary bar. $18 for unlimited bloody Mary's, but it's well worth it. read more

BALEENkitchen - Bloody Mary bar! Fab! - Seafood Near Me - Redondo Beach, California

Went here for a friend's birthday brunch last month. It was just ok for me. Getting to it is easy and if you park in the first lot it's easier to get in and out. Walking near the water is nice, too. The space is open and everything is clean. Even the bathroom. Our server was warm and handled our medium-sized party well without issue. I ordered the fish & chips. Not great. The fries are good but not the fish. I wanted to like this place more than I did. Maybe I'll try it again for drinks. read more

Service was really poor. Food was mediocre. Not impressed. Nice view and location though read more

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My new favorite place for brunch. New chef and updated restaurant. Excellent food. Everything was cooked perfectly and beautifully presented. Our compliments to the chef!! Graham our waiter took care of everything and made our birthday breakfast a delight. We had the Cornmeal Pancakes with an amazing lemon sauce, fluffy and perfect. The Classic Benedict was as good as you will be served in New Orleans. The Baguette French Toast was yummy and just sweet enough. Beautiful views of the Redondo Beach harbor with a nice breeze. Highly recommend the Baleen Kitchen. read more

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I would probably give this place a 3.5 for their food, but I'm rounding up because of their bottomless mimosa brunch! For $18, you can drink as many mimosas as you can before you have a food baby. I personally was able to drink about 6-7 (although I admit I was pretty buzzed at the end) and it was well worth my money because each mimosa sells for $10. One of my friends was visiting from Seattle and we all met up here to do a Saturday boozy brunch. We walked in around 11 without a reservation and were seated shortly. I LOVE the ambiance of this place. Everything is so open, the view of the marina is gorgeous, and the restaurant is beautiful. The bar is also impressive. We were sat at a roomy table with a large couch and two arm chairs, and it felt like I was eating in someone's living room rather than a restaurant because it was so comfortable and spacious. A couple of us had bottomless mimosas and one of my friends opted for the bloody mary bar (also $18) The bartender basically gives you a large cup and a shot of vodka and you can walk right up to the bar where there's tomato juice and a bunch of other things like pickles and bacon you can put into your drink. I've never had a bloody mary before so I tried my friends and it was interesting to say the least. At least the vodka shots kept coming throughout the meal. We ordered the french toast, pulled pork hash, breakfast burrito, and heuvos redondos. I thought that the food looked great, and it tasted pretty good too. Portions are decent, and plates run about $12-$20 depending on what you get so it's a moderately priced place. I had the heuvos redondos and while I liked it, it wasn't a standout to me. I preferred my friend's breakfast burrito that had chorizo in it! Because I had so many mimosas, I couldn't finish my food but I did eat most of it! Overall, I would definitely come back to this place for bottomless mimosas and walk around the beach after because I had a great time. Service was good, food was fine, and I drank all the mimosas I could in 2 hours. What's there not to like? read more

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I came to BaleenKitchen with my family this morning for Easter brunch. Our waiter Alex was very accommodating and extremely generous with our bottomless mimosas! We ordered a wide array of food and we were all very satisfied. I will definitely be back! I loved the temporary Easter Brunch menu! Great job Baleen staff! read more

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