Top Asian Fusion Restaurant in Marina Del Rey
PHO MdR Noodle Culture
2928 Washington Blvd, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292, United States
I really wanted to like this new local restaurant. My family spent roughly $150 to try a few things here tonight. Expensive is fine if the food is good (rent is high around here, I get it), but the Banh Mi was perhaps the worst I've ever had. I've spent two weeks in Vietnam and while I'm no specific expert I've had 100+ Banh Mi in my life and I can confirm this was the worst one I've had. Bad bread selection, bad meat selection. Nothing can save it from there. Banh Mi lives or dies on bread selection, I could have gotten better at Ralphs and Lee's well Lee's $2 banh mi is 3 Michelin star compared to this. We ordered many things. All were the worst versions I've had except the Pho. The Pho is the only thing edible here, the rest we threw away. I'd give the Pho a 2 star on its own, the broth was interesting and strong profile but inauthentic and perhaps trying too hard despite missing the key flavor staples of pho. Everything else I tried to eat was a zero star and literally thrown away. My family agreed. Mediocre food wouldn't justify writing a review, charging premium prices for the worst Vietnamese I've had does just because I'm super disappointed this place didn't bring their A game when opening in a foodie city. My mom was here from out of town and said the spots where she lives in Tucson were better. Made me feel sad for Venice/MDR since we usually have restaurants that are way better than Tucson!I hope this shop gets it together, I root for small businesses and I support all our local restaurants here in Venice/MDR but this meal was borderline offensive to even sell because most people who know Vietnamese food wouldn't serve this to their own friends or family let alone charge this much for it. I realize it is a new restaurant so I hope it was just an off day for them but either way I'm bummed out that they let this level of food go out the door to any customer. I want you guys to succeed. Please try harder and don't get brainwashed by yes men with the other reviews. We need great Vietnamese food here, please step it up for us all.
Top other services in Marina Del Rey:
Divani Indian Bistro
20 Washington Blvd, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292, United States
We walked here on a Saturday evening from our apartment nearby. The location is convenient on the Venice Pier, and we chose to dine in their outdoor area with outdoor heaters.While the outdoor area and overall ambiance were welcoming and attractive, our experience with the service and overall taste of food was lacking. Initially, since we were only one a couple of tables who were seated, the service was excellent. We ordered cocktails and received them quickly, and the bartender was able to meet our customized drink requests.We ordered the Farmers market salad, coastal shrimp pepper fry, glazed baby back pork ribs, Divanis Lamb chops, Bombay fried chicken slider, and chutney set to start. And for dinner, we ordered a sag paneer with tandoori chicken. This was for five people.The appetizers were pretty good except for the farmers market salad. The dinner itself was bland. Nothing overly memorable except for the shrimp and the fried chicken sliders.As more and more people were seated around us, thats when things started going downhill. It took them 15-20 minutes for the second round of cocktails. And at one point, we had to ask for water refills probably three or four times before we actually received them. And it took upwards of 15 minutes to actually get the refills. To add insult to injury, the non-English speaking busboy tried to take our empty water cups along with the empty food plates as we were waiting for the water refills. We decided to skip desert and take our leftover entrees to go.Additionally, every other Indian dish Ive tried from every other restaurant made me want to eat it for lunch the next day. But the leftover entrees we had from Divani gave me the opposite feeling. Its unfortunate because we really wanted to like the place given our love for Indian food, the high ratings, and the proximity to our apartment.This place seems like it needs improvements on the service side and quality of their food.Menu: https://qrcodes.pro/Vf3Fu0#Lunch%20&%20Dinner
Mendocino Farms
4724 Admiralty Way, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292, United States
My Ranking:* peruvian steak ($13.95) on potato roll plus Avocado ($1.75). STOLE the show. Was our absolute favorite. The potato roll which tasted like brioche, was topped with a flavorful and juicy sauced up steak. The avocado was not needed and kind of made the sandwich mushy.* pork belly ciabatta bahn mi ($12.65) - an Asian American fusion bahn min. Not quite a bahn Mi but extremely fresh tasting and amazing sauce. The thick pickled carrots and radishes were a nice touch.* not so fried chicken sandwhich ($11.75) - lightly breaded chicken with a generous portion of lightly dressed coleslaw on ciabatta. Was voluminous in size and tasted quite fresh.* Thai mango salad with ramen noodles with Thai almond dressing ($14.30) - tasted like a unique an elevated Asian chicken salad. The mango was quite sour but didnt detract from the taste. The noodles were a nice carb addition to the salad. A lighter healthier option than the other sandwich options.* Chimichurri steak & bacon on a sesame roll ($13.90) - the sesame roll was too crunchy/hard/dry. Personally a very plain sandwich compared to the other choices. Flavors were straightforward as it tasted like Chimichurri, steak, and bacon.* Chimichurri steak & Shishito bowl ($15.10) - the pickled red onions were a great touch. Flavor was there, overall a very enjoyable and hearty bowl. Compared to the others the only downfall was the steak was a bit tough, some of the shishito peppers altered from bitter to spicy (although surprisingly the bitter paired with the slightly sour mainly sweet pickled red onions and lemon was still quite tasty). Overall a very delicious & hearty bowl, just other items out ranked it.---Love Mendocino for their taste but sometimes it can get a tad oily would get again for sure :)The Culver City location has free 30 min parking in the garage and also a round about behind the restaurant for quick pick up/loading zone.
Wharo
4029 Lincoln Blvd, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292, United States
Tucked in a string of shops near Washington and Lincoln, I had always seen this spot from the outside but figured that good Korean BBQ should be had in Koreatown. I was wrong.This place is clean, healthy and delicious.We had 5 people (4 men) at our table and ordered 2 combo sets + 1 plate of 8oz and we all stuffed.We added the mushroom family set for $10.50 The combos do come with seasonal vegetables to grill.Table Etiquette - rub the onion and other vegetables over the hot grill before grilling meat to keep the meat from sticking.Ask to have your heat cranked up if your meat is taking too long to cook.Ask for Gochujang if you want extra spicy sauce on the house.Their Calbi (thin pieces of boneless short rib) was fantastic. I also recommend their Brisket Pork Belly and Spicy Outskirt.Each person got their own Oil/Salt, ponzu-soy dipping sauces. Fresh salad was served along with the following side items:- Potato Salad (sweet and cold)- Spinach Salad- Broccoli- Kimchi- Bean Sprouts- Fish Cake - resembles slices of tofu- Asparagus with Heart of Palm
Beachside Restaurant & Bar
14160 Palawan Way, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292, United States
This restaurant is easily found inside the Jamaica Bay Inn on the marina side of Admiralty Way in the heart of Marina de Rey, not far from Venice and Santa Monica. It had a nice view of the surrounding area. My firned and I were seated outside on a cool evening, but the heaters were enough to keep us comfortable. It has a nice atmosphere with a somewhat broad mixture of American and asian fusion menu items. I selected the Thai chicken salad and thought it was tasty and well balanced, but a bit skimpy on the amount of chicken in the dish. The dessert was very impressive, with a carrot cake that was possibly the best I have ever tasted. The staff was friendly and attentive and made some excellent recommendations, including the carrot cake. Parking was easy and plentiful. Their wine list was broad and good and my selected pinot noir was really quite tasty, if a bit over-priced. In general, its a good value for money and the experience overall was very positive. I would recommend for almost everyone, but probably not recommend it for families with young children. Although I didnt have them, several other guests mentioned to me they thought the crab cakes were excellent and they would order them again in a heartbeat.
Kaya Sushi
13400 Washington Blvd #102, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292, United States
I had to update my review after last nights experience. It feels like Kaya had an offnight, hopefully its not going downhill.The servers kept putting peoples food DOWN on the wrong table and then coming back, picking it up and putting it on another table. Sorry but if you drop food off at a table you DO NOT give it to another customer. This is basic food service 101.There were items apparently discontinued. If they arent updating menus perhaps crossing them out on the menu would suffice.Soup was served without spoons, who serves miso soup with chopsticks?Food quality was a bit off as well...Not sure whats going on but I pray that it was just a bad night for Kaya and this ISNT a trend because I love this place.-----------Nice place. Staff is friendly and the food is fresh and good.There are a lot of options for sushi and non sushi eaters alike.The ingredients are fresh and flavorful.Vegan and Veggie favorites are:Edamame, seaweed salad, Jap Che (noodle dish), Spicy Tofu Roll, and they have THEY BEST Avocado roll I have ever had (Ive eaten here for ten years?)My go tos are:Jimmys Roll which has seared steak on top, I get it with a side of jalepenosPopcorn Lobster roll.If you sit at the bar the chefs will usually make a little something special and free of charge like an appetizer.Parking is easy most of the time, they have underground parking as well. Friday and Saturday nights are the busiest.They have a nice vibe on the inside. great decorations, clean bathrooms and great music (feels kind of nigh clubish).The servers are always polite and friendly, I have never had a bad experience here, Ive probably eaten here 100+ times