Eats in the USA: Reel Inn (Malibu, CA)

As crazy as it sounds, Reel Inn Restaurant is one of the main reasons why we decided to pursue a trip to the United States. We were watching a travel/food show one afternoon that featured this quaint restaurant in Malibu, California that apparently serves the best lobster roll in town. Nowadays, food is becoming a huge influence on our destination preference that we don't mind driving for hours and making a detour to try the BEST food on the planet.

A year after watching Reel Inn on TV and dreaming about all the mouth-watering meals they featured, we were ecstatic that we finally made it here! There were several occupied tables inside but we preferred dining at the large outdoor patio to enjoy the good weather and cool California breeze. Reel Inn is a casual and self-service restaurant where customers must go to the counter to place their orders and pay right away. Cash and credit card payments are both accepted.

After spending several hours lounging by the beach, we made our way to the restaurant across the road for early dinner at around 530PM. But my excitement flew out of the window and my world crushed when the staff told us that all sandwiches are available until 5PM only. Booooo!

Good thing Reel Inn offers an extensive menu with fresh seafood cooked to your liking. Ordering is pretty simple: (1) choose your fresh seafood; (2) decide how you want it cooked; (3) choose 2 sides; and (4) wait for your name to be called and get it from the counter.

Loved the fun vibe and the vintage feels -- just how I imagined it to be.

What we ordered

Grilled Scallops - $18.95

Sea Bass Cajun Style - $18.95

Fresh, simple and unpretentious -- I love how simple everything in Reel Inn is. People may have different opinions about it but I say its worth the travel. Sometimes, less flavor is also good to retain the original flavor of the seafood but for customers who prefer otherwise, there's a self-serve condiment bar of lemons, cocktail sauce and tartar sauce to your liking. Besides, we came here not only for the food but for the experience as well. A dream come true, indeed.

~o~o~o~

Reel Inn
18661 Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu, California, USA
Tel.: (1310) 456-8221
Website: www.reelinnmalibu.com