LAReview
photo credit: Jakob Layman
FishBar
Included In
Sports bars have long been safe zones for adults making bad decisions. For one, you get to watch the game with your friends and contemplate together why you cheer for the same sh*tty team each year. Two, you get to drink cheap beer like you’re 19 and no one will say anything. And three, if a cold pile of tater tots hit the table, you aren’t even mad because it’s a sports bar. But when you go to Fishbar, you realize you should be mad. Sports bars can serve good food and this place is proof.
Manhattan Beach has long been the land of beach-themed sports bars and, at first glance, Fishbar doesn’t seem too different than the others. There’s a large wrap-around bar, flat-screen TVs on every wall, and a palpable Caribbean aesthetic that wouldn’t be out of place in a Tommy Bahama summer window display.
But if you’ve spent time in Manhattan Beach, you know this area as mostly filled with irritated families on vacation and underage weekend warriors drinking from flasks in the bathroom. You’ll see none of these types at Fishbar. Its location on the northern edge of town leaves it clear of tourists and full of people who actually live in the neighborhood. If you could care less about sports, you certainly won’t be in the minority. Locals come here just because they like it - not because of who’s playing. And the food definitely has something to do with that.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
As the name suggests, you’re going to eat some fish here. And while ordering seafood at a sports bar isn’t always your smartest strategy, it is at Fishbar. Their fish tacos are easily some of our favorite fish tacos west of the 405, with housemade tortillas, cotija cheese, and something they call taco sauce. The rest of Fishbar’s menu covers just about every category of seafood - shrimp salads, fish and chips, mussels in a garlic broth, and any kind of skewer you could want. And it’s all worth ordering.
Bar food doesn’t have to be caviar-dusted foie gras, but it also doesn’t have to be wet french fries and heat-lamped bleu cheese poppers. There’s a middle ground, and Fishbar has found it. Providing a fun, unobnoxious atmosphere to watch some sports in is just an added bonus. Your sh*tty team, however, is still your own problem.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Fishbar Fish Tacos
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Spinach And Shrimp Salad
photo credit: Jakob Layman
50/50
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Fish And Chips
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Shrimp Skewers
photo credit: Jakob Layman