LAGuide
Where To Eat Outside In Venice & Marina Del Rey Today
photo credit: Wonho Frank Lee
Venice and Marina del Rey get bad raps, but terrible tech bros, scooter-filled sidewalks, and aging Fisherman’s Villages aside, if you spend any time in the area, you know they’re incredible places to live, work, and (especially) be outside. So here are 21 of our favorite spots in the neighborhood for outdoor dining. We’ll continue to update this list, so if your favorite patio isn’t included, email us at losangeles@theinfatuation.com.
We’ve also got a full neighborhood-by-neighborhood guide to LA Restaurants Where You Can Eat Outside Today, and a running list of some of The Most Unique Outdoor Dining Options In LA.
The Spots
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The Anchor in Venice is a neighborhood hangout on Main St., with a large, recently expanded, patio. The best things here involve lobster (as is often the case) - the lobster roll with black truffle, lobster mac & cheese, and brunch lobster Benedict are all good bets. Call (310) 664-9696 for reservations.
The patio at Barrique feels like the backyard of the Venice bungalow you’ll probably never be able to afford. The candles, low light, and extensive Italian wine list make this a great place for your first date night in months (especially with the added privacy of socially distanced tables). Share some housemade pastas, like beef ravioli or Dungeness crab spaghetti, and some smoked duck, and you’ll walk out happy. Reserve a table online.
If you’re looking for a place with a view, there aren’t many better places than Beachside, a Marina del Rey hotel restaurant. They’re doing daily brunch and dinner, with an outdoor dining room directly on the Marina.
MDR’s premier destination for turtle racing recently underwent a renovation, which includes their large back patio - and an even larger, astroturfed outdoor space.
Venice’s Butcher’s Daughter is open 8am-10pm daily, serving vegetarian and vegan-friendly food on their Abbot Kinney patio. The all-day menu includes breakfast options, pizzas, and some larger plates - cliched as it is, though, our favorite thing here is the avocado toast, no matter what the time of day. Reserve a table online.
The exclusively plant-based Cafe Gratitude has reopened all of their LA locations (Arts District, Larchmont, and Venice) for patio dining. They’re open daily 11am-8pm, and weekends for brunch 9am-1pm, offering tacos, pizzas, sandwiches, and more.
Venice’s Charcoal is back with a great new patio featuring astroturf, Edison bulbs, and - critically, with that Venice ocean breeze - heat lamps. The smoked and wood-fired meats are where we focus our energy here, especially their excellent steaks.
We love Chez Tex simply for being the kind of casual, easy-to-get-into neighborhood bistro that’s often hard to find in Venice. Their excellent, snack-filled menu doesn’t hurt either. And though the space is small, they’ve reconfigured the tables inside and have added sidewalk seating out front. Ocean breeze, good wine, and a charcuterie plate? See you there. Reserve online.
A bright, sunny spot in Venice, Chulita has a patio and open-air dining room along Rose Ave. They serve Mexican-inspired plates like cauliflower al pastor tacos and esquites, and have a long, tequila- and mezcal-heavy cocktail list.
Not only does Dudley Market serve some of our favorite seafood in Los Angeles, this neighborhood spot also has a fantastic location one block off the Venice boardwalk - which is exactly why we’re so excited about their new outdoor patio. If eating fresh-caught seafood while staring at the ocean isn’t on your “Things I Enjoy In Life” list, perhaps you need to reconsider some things.
Open since 1974, this neighborhood staple just added full-service patio dining for the first time. What hasn’t changed are their fantastic breakfasts, like pulled pork and pancakes, chicken chilaquiles, and smoked salmon and egg toast. Make a reservation on their website.
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This iconic Marina deli recently reopened, with a focus on the original’s menu of comfort classics, and a brand-new outdoor space. It’s a great place to try their pastrami breakfast burrito - one of LA’s best.
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This small, very solid Italian spot on Lincoln Blvd. just opened a patio, with a new al fresco dining menu, too. Oh, and they post pics like this.
This reliable local fave recently added sidewalk seating. We like just about everything on the menu, but if you’re looking to simplify things, go for one of their reasonably priced “Complete Dinner” packages, all of which cost less than $20.
Nueva took the place of beloved bottomless brunch destination Sunny Spot on Washington in Marina del Rey during the pandemic, but didn’t miss a beat. Their huge outdoor dining room is almost always full, with people looking for tacos, ceviches, and mezcal-based cocktails. Don’t worry, they’re doing brunch, too.
From the same team as Jame Enoteca, Ospi is a new spot by the beach in Venice serving pizzas, pastas, and fett’unta. You can’t go wrong with the cauliflower doused in Calabrian chili, or the cannelloni stuffed with braised lamb neck. Don’t leave without a cannoli - they’re buttery, flaky, and tremendous. They’ve got sidewalk seating - reservations here.
photo credit: Wonho Frank Lee
This spot is Permanently Closed.
Plant Food And Wine’s back patio is unlike most in LA - the enormous space is great for weekend brunch, but the real magic happens when the sun goes down and the twinkling tree lights turn it all into the meatless garden of your dreams. Make a reservation online.
Post Script is a brand new patio restaurant in Venice from the chef behind Yours, Truly. It occupies the expansive parking lot next to The Brig on Abbot Kinney and features one of the more elaborately-designed tents in LA.
This giant, all-day spot is a full-service restaurant, a coffee shop, and a bar, all on one big patio on Rose in Venice. They’ve got a huge menu, so focus on the pastas - especially the francobollo ravioli, with mint pesto, pine nuts, sungold tomatoes, and pickled lemons, and the sweet corn agnolotti. Make a reservation here.
The popular Italian restaurant in Venice has taken over their side parking lot to create a brand new outdoor dining space that includes socially distant tables, astroturf, umbrellas, and plenty of foliage. Make a reservation here.
The Marina del Rey location of the popular sushi chain has an expansive front patio with big umbrellas and a fountain for ambiance.
Venice’s Superba Food + Bread has expanded their patio into the parking lot. If the excellent coffee and pastries here aren’t enough to get you in, the full raw bar and huge wine list should. They’re open all day, every day, for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch.
Venice’s The Tasting Kitchen will reopen on 8/19 with a newly-renovated patio, serving a crowd-pleasing menu that includes options like handmade rigatoni with chorizo and mussels, eggplant a la plancha, and grilled prawns. Reservations available online.
Venice’s natural foods market, juice bar, and restaurant Urban Remedy is opening back up on Wednesday, 9/9. They’ve got plant-based macro bowls, wraps, and salads.
Replacing the old MTN space on Abbot Kinney in Venice, Valle is an upscale Oaxacan restaurant with a new side patio for ideal al fresco dining. The menu has everything from lamb barbacoa tacos to ceviche to vegetarian tlayuda. Make a reservation here.
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The sprawling beachfront compound has plenty of patio space for dining and drinking - go ahead and order their Frozé, with watermelon, coconut water, lime, lavender, and Lillet - plus several large-size picnic meals that can be ordered in-house or taken to-go. Stop in, or make a reservation online.
This spot is Permanently Closed.
Zinqué has several locations around town and they’re all open. That means the days of drinking too much rosé on their expanded patio - which now takes up most of the parking lot - snacking on tartines and their famous “Le Bowl,” and stumbling home on a Saturday night have returned. Hooray.
