Restaurants in Malibu

While you relax on the oceanfront patio and await lunch—starting with appetizers such as skewered rosemary ahi tuna with olive tapenade ($11.95) or Navajo corncakes with black-bean chili, feta, avocado, and sour cream ($10.95)—you can marvel at the human zoo rushing by. Play "guess that person's age and social-security number," or belt out a friendly hello to a Matthew McConaughey lookalike as he jogs by unsurprisingly shirtless. Before long, the amiable, chilled-out staff will come bearing a heavy turkey bacon burger with arugula, red onion, and tomato ($13.55); or the veggie dagwood pile precariously high with zucchini, eggplant, roasted peppers, portobello mushrooms, mozzarella, and pesto on focaccia ($11.75).

La Cachette is an intimate bistro escape from the rollicking area of Santa Monica's hotel strip. While you wait to be seated on the huge outdoor patio, sink into the lounge-esque, relaxed-fit bar with a Chile Martini (chipotle vodka, ginger, cucumber, $13) or a bottle of Green Flash West Coast American IPA ($7). Once seated, feast upon a plate of Mongol-horde-friendly organic beef tartare ($14) or a tower of roasted organic beets with feta cheese, avocado, and tomato ($10). Recall your days quaffing sea spray in your Jet Boat with the taste of black mussels with shallots and thyme in a white-wine-and-spiced-saffron broth ($19), or recall the days spent land cruising on the versatile Jet Boat with dark-meat coq au vin with veal bacon ($18). Complement your meal and yourself with a bottle of Votre Sante Chardonnay ($38), among other liquid wonders.

When Enterprise Fish Co. first opened in 1979, its founders set to work renovating the historic 1917 brick building to emulate a classic Pacific-coast seaside restaurant. Today, the original hardwood floors, trussed wood ceilings, and brick façade remain, though an exhibition kitchen and faux bois–printed leather booths lend a modern air. Seafood such as oysters and salmon in a Coca-Cola glaze headline the menu, accompanied by fish tacos, fresh lobster tails, and mesquite-grilled prawns. In addition to its ample fish and shellfish dishes, Enterprise also whips up filet mignon, candied-apple pecan salads, and chicken sandwiches with chipotle aioli to serve in the dining room or out on the patio beside the fire pit. Old photographs of Venice Beach dot the dining-room walls, along with snapshots from other notable seaside spots, such as the Iowa coast.

Red isn't the only color on Reds Restaurant's wine list, which presents bottles that speak multiple languages and come and go as they please. While sipping vinos from California, South America, and Italy, guests can peer past the black-hole-black bar straight into the open kitchen. There, the chefs will summon smoked-salmon farfalle, spam-fried rice, and duck confit into existence, and bring life to desserts such as The Brownie and pineapple upside-down cake. Dinner is the main feature at this wine-and-tapas shop, but a lunch menu attracts a midday crowd to the Encino Place Shopping Center's second floor from Tuesday to Friday every week.

RAWvolution founders Janabai and Matt Amsden serve up raw foods chock-full of healthy vitamins and enzymes, earning praise from celebrities such as Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Alicia Silverstone. Forged from locally sourced organic produce, the Amsden’s array of gourmet wheat-, soy-, and gluten-free vegan fare tickles health-conscious palates at two café locations in New York City and Los Angeles. Their prepared-meal service, The Box, also fills clients’ fridges with four to five days’ worth of premade organic meals for at-home noshing.

Using predominantly organic and local ingredients, Coogie's Beach Cafe puts a distinctly Californian spin on traditional American comfort food—a natural combination to fill its traveler-friendly oceanside perch just off the Pacific Coast Highway. Chefs fete early birds with breakfast treats such as blueberry pancakes topped with maple-glazed granola and serve a spicy bayou scramble alongside zucchini muffins. Lunch and dinner find organic greens and wild arugula admiring the brawn of Angus beef, filet mignon, and herb-roasted free-range chicken. The menu is broad enough to harbor options for vegetarians (garden veggie tacos), the gluten-averse (quinoa pasta), and kids (sesame-crusted chicken fingers). House-made desserts include Granny Smith apple pie.

The bar sends forth a fountain of fruit smoothies, fresh-squeeze juices, homemade lemonade, and organic hot teas, depending on the season. When sea breezes are favorable, diners relax on a palm-shaded patio; otherwise, they munch beneath a big central skylight and weathered wooden surfboards, safely hiding out from vengeful waves.