Best Outdoor Dining Restaurants in Marina del Rey
14 hand-picked restaurants, critic-reviewed and ranked
Last Updated: February 2026
Our Top Pick
Killer Shrimp
Signature spicy shrimp broth recipe served for decades on the marina.
Notable Picks
8.8
Killer Shrimp is a long-running waterfront spot famous for its spicy, slow-simmered shrimp broth served with crusty bread and strong cocktails. Locals treat it as a go-to for indulgent seafood plates, marina views, and a lively bar scene that runs from happy hour through late dinners.
Must-Try Dishes:
Killer Shrimp Original, Killer Shrimp & Lobster, Lobster Mac
What Makes it Special: Signature spicy shrimp broth recipe served for decades on the marina.
8.4
United Bowl Nation is a waterfront café-bar where Mediterranean-leaning grain bowls, mezze, and global plates share space with wine nights and specialty coffee. Locals come for the plant-forward menu, marina views, and a relaxed, all-day hangout energy that works for laptops by day and mellow dates by night.
Must-Try Dishes:
Mediterranean Power Bowl, Vegan Lentil Cigar Rolls, Baklava Selection
What Makes it Special: Waterfront café pairing Mediterranean-leaning bowls with wine nights and views.
8.4
Located inside Jamaica Bay Inn on Mother’s Beach, Beachside Restaurant & Bar serves coastal American fare from brunch through dinner with an emphasis on seafood and classic comfort dishes. The broad menu and beachfront patio make it a versatile choice for everything from pancakes with kids to sunset cocktails.
Must-Try Dishes:
Crab Cake Benny, Beachside Burger, Fried Chicken & French Toast
What Makes it Special: Beachfront American dining with all-day service and a large patio.
8.4
Bacio di Latte is an Italian gelateria at Waterside Marina del Rey known for dense, ultra-creamy scoops made fresh in-house with organic dairy and imported nuts. Locals come for pistachio, Cioccolato Belga, and Crema & Biscotti after dinners on the marina or as a dedicated dessert stop.
Must-Try Dishes:
Pistacchio gelato, Cioccolato Belga gelato, Crema & Biscotti gelato
What Makes it Special: Italian-style gelato made fresh daily with organic dairy and imported nuts.
8.2
SALT Restaurant & Bar, opened in 2015 inside the Marina del Rey Hotel, focuses on California seasonal cooking with an American bent, from chowder to braised short ribs. Diners come for polished plates, cocktails, and one of the better waterfront dining rooms on the harbor.
Must-Try Dishes:
Marina Clam Chowder, Shrimp & Grits, Braised Short Rib
What Makes it Special: Hotel waterfront restaurant marrying seasonal California dishes with marina views.
#6
Cast & Plow
8.1
Cast & Plow at The Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey is a waterfront farm-to-table restaurant where housemade ice cream and sorbet headline the dessert menu after harbor-view dinners. Guests linger on the terrace over chocolate lava cake and rotating ice cream flavors that feel more composed and plated than parlor-style.
Must-Try Dishes:
Chocolate lava cake with housemade ice cream, Housemade ice cream and sorbet selection, Seasonal dessert served à la mode
What Makes it Special: Hotel waterfront dining where polished desserts lean on housemade ice cream and sorbet.
#7
Brennan's
8.1
Opened in 1972, Brennan’s is a sprawling Irish bar and patio that has evolved into a modern sports hub where wings, pints, and bar snacks fuel long nights of games and gatherings. Its large outdoor space and decades of neighborhood history make it the most established wing-friendly hangout in the Marina.
Must-Try Dishes:
Buffalo wings, Spicy wings with blue cheese, Loaded fries with wing sauce
What Makes it Special: Long-running Irish bar with a big patio and wings at the center of game-day eating.
8
Vibes:
Outdoor Dining Oasis
Group Dining Gatherings
Birthday & Celebration Central
Trendy Table Hotspots
Whiskey Red's sits at the edge of the channel by Fisherman's Village with one of the largest waterfront patios in the marina, serving seafood-oriented New American fare, brunch, and cocktails. Diners come more for the 180-degree harbor views, fire pits, and event-friendly setting than fine-dining precision, but fresh seafood platters and brunch spreads keep it popular for celebrations.
Must-Try Dishes:
Seasonal fresh oysters, Seafood linguini, Fish tacos
What Makes it Special: Expansive harborfront patio with waterfalls, fire pits, and seafood-heavy menus.
#9
Baja Cantina
8
Open since the mid-1970s, Baja Cantina is a long-running Mexican restaurant and cocktail bar at the base of Washington that locals hit for margaritas, game days, and hearty plates of tacos and combo platters. The sprawling indoor–outdoor layout, sand-adjacent vibe, and live entertainment give its fish and street-style tacos a festive backdrop that feels very Marina-meets-Venice.
Must-Try Dishes:
Baja Fish Tacos, Carnitas Street Tacos, Taco Tuesday Mix & Match
What Makes it Special: Beach-adjacent Mexican mainstay with decades of taco and margarita history.
Worthy Picks
#10
Terrace Deck
7.9
Terrace Deck is the rooftop bar at the Courtyard/Residence Inn Marina del Rey, pouring cocktails and serving a focused bar menu above the docks with direct views over the marina. Guests come up from Brizo or the lobby for golden-hour drinks, shareable plates, and game-day screens in a casual, open-air setting that feels more like a neighborhood hang than a hotel bar.
Must-Try Dishes:
Braised short rib tacos, Albacore tuna poke, Calamari with shareable bar snacks
What Makes it Special: Casual rooftop bar with panoramic marina views and Brizo-driven small plates.
7.6
Vibes:
Business Lunch Power Players
Outdoor Dining Oasis
Trendy Table Hotspots
Girls Night Out Approved
Brizo Bar & Restaurant sits along Via Marina inside a modern waterfront hotel, focusing on Southern California coastal cuisine with a noticeable seafood presence. It’s a versatile choice for cocktails, seafood-centric lunches, and casual dinners with boats bobbing just outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Must-Try Dishes:
Calamari with aioli, Seafood cobb salad, Fish tacos
What Makes it Special: Contemporary hotel restaurant with marina-front views and coastal seafood plates.
7.6
Barbianca Local Kitchen, inside Hotel MdR, is a casual indoor–outdoor spot where executive chef Victor Ibarra turns contemporary Italian and California plates into multi-course wine dinners and occasional chef’s table experiences. Hotel guests and locals lean on it for approachable, chef-guided menus that work as relaxed alternatives to more formal tasting rooms.
Must-Try Dishes:
Pork Belly Bruschetta, Black Angus Rib Eye Steak, Pan Seared Atlantic Salmon
What Makes it Special: Hotel restaurant with a chef-led, poolside setting and flexible multi-course dinners.
7.6
La Marina Trattoria is a newer waterfront Italian restaurant on Fiji Way with a menu that includes classic pastas, seafood, and several stone-baked pizzas. While it isn’t a pure pizzeria, its pies benefit from the full kitchen and a setting that feels more like a sit-down trattoria than a slice shop.
Must-Try Dishes:
Margherita pizza, Prosciutto and arugula pizza, Four-cheese pizza
What Makes it Special: Full-service waterfront trattoria where wood-fired pizzas share the stage with pastas and seafood.
7.6
Vibes:
Outdoor Dining Oasis
Business Lunch Power Players
Family Friendly Favorites
Sports Bar Central
Set inside the Hilton Garden Inn, Marina Bar & Grill serves classic wings, burgers, and cocktails overlooking the marina and pool deck. It’s less a destination wing joint and more a comfortable hotel bar where properly fried wings and drinks meet waterfront views.
Must-Try Dishes:
Classic Buffalo wings, Lemon pepper wings, Wings and fries combo
What Makes it Special: Hotel bar and grill where classic wings come with marina and poolside views.