If you ever find yourself traveling down the snaking Pacific Coast Highway in Los Angeles County, with the windows down and salt air on the breeze, heading toward Malibu, you need to stop at Malibu Seafood. This casual seafood restaurant and fish market has been around for nearly 50 years, and is a must-visit dining spot. We’ve ranked it not only among the best seafood restaurants in Los Angeles, but as the best fried fish joint in the entire state of California.
Located just across the highway from Corral State Beach, Malibu Seafood may not have indoor seating, but it does have beautiful views of the Pacific from its sprawling outdoor dining area (you might even see some dolphins) and lots of seating at its red picnic tables. The food has been described as high quality and very fresh by outlets such as the Iowa City Press-Citizen and the Los Angeles Times.
Likewise, customers have heaped praise on the restaurant’s good-sized portions and decent prices. “I went with the seafood combo & fries ($24.95) meal and damn I couldn’t even finish it!,” one Reddit user wrote in 2024. “Initially I was thinking it would be a lot more pricey considering it’s by the cost of Malibu.” It’s probably no surprise the seafood is so fresh: Malibu Seafood was started by two commercial fishermen back in the 1970s.
A local favorite for more than 50 years
Back in 1972, Wayne Kaywood, a fisherman since graduating high school, opened Malibu Seafood as a small fish market. He was soon joined by his friend and fellow fisherman, Mark Ridgway. By 1977, they’d expanded into a restaurant with Ridgway’s wife, Michelle, developing many of the menu items that made the restaurant a favorite among locals and tourists alike. Today, a second generation of Ridgways are involved in the business, which has survived despite various Pacific Coast Highway road closures and devastating wildfires that sadly destroyed many other area restaurants…