Paradise Cove Beach Cafe, Malibu

Los Angeles, CA Print   Leave a comment

Description

Paradise Cove is a private beach in Malibu with a cafe where you can eat with your feet in the sand looking out at the sea in a sheltered outdoor area. They have designed a perfect remedy for the cold air at California beaches. The outdoor area is enclosed in plastic with slats across the ceiling that mostly enclose you and there are tall gas heaters that provide warmth (even in the daytime). The gas heaters are not your typical design- they spread heat out from top to bottom so you feel warm all over and not just like your head is on fire. The chairs are positioned in the sand! It's so fun! All around are pretty barrels overflowing with flowers.
The food is good- try the fish tacos. And the portions are large so you can share a meal.
There is also indoor dining if that's what you prefer.
The thing that gets most people feeling negative about this place is the price of the parking. But don't get hung up on it! The parking is covered (all but $3 of it) if you spend $20 at the cafe. The cafe prices are more than reasonable for ocean-front dining. If you just order a meal to split between you and one of you gets a drink, you'll have spent your $20 and your parking will be validated. Believe me, it's worth it for the atmosphere at this lovely cafe and cove.
When you walk onto the beach, as usual in California, it's COLD! You can take a walk around a pretty cliff or onto the pier. Another nice walk is up the stairs above the parking lot. This gives you a great view of the crescent-shaped beach. Flowers surround you and it all looks very colorful and tropical.
A lunch here leaves you with a magical memory. Come with someone special :)
There are a ton of nice places to go in Malibu after or before you meal. Adamson House Museum is a Spanish house with an amazing location by the Malibu lagoon and pier- lay down on the grass outside the museum (entrance to the gardens is free) listening to the waves. Getty Villa is a world-class art museum with beautiful gardens surrounding a pool. Malibu Lumber Yard and Malibu Country Mart are classy outdoor malls that don't look like your typical mall.

Photo Gallery

Entrance to the cafe. Feels a little like you're in Hawaii!	The warm, sheltered dining.	People relaxing with their toes in the sand.
More tables for dining, by the cliffs, though they weren't using this section the day I was there.	Barrel with palm tree and flowers.	The beach.
Lovely cliff.	Wooden, reclining chairs.	The indoor restaurant seating is inside these windows.
Bottlebrush flowers beside the stairs above the parking lot.	View of the beach and pier from the top of the stairs. Wow!

Directions

Paradise Cove Beach Cafe is located at 28128 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265. It is reached via Highway 1 in Malibu. There is a large billboard-style sign that looks like it's from the 70s. Turn in here, toward the ocean. Follow the road to the end where you take a ticket and park in the large parking lot.
The red tab on the map is on the restaurant. Click "satellite" to see the restaurant, beach, and pier from the air.

This is an interactive map, you can zoom and move it.

Overall Visitor Rating: Unrated.