(310) 823-6395

4451 Admiralty Way
Marina del Rey, CA 90292 33.9841 -118.448

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Neighborhoods: Marina Del Rey, West LA, Marina Del Ray

CAFEDELREYMARINA.COM

Years in business

Established in 1969

Hours:

Mon-Thu 11:30am-3pm, 5:30pm-9:30pm

Fri 11:30am-3pm, 5:30pm-10pm

Sat 11:30am- 2:30pm, 5:30pm-10pm

Sun 10:30am-2:30pm, 5pm-9:30pm

Price:

$$$

Last updated 6.04.11

Category:

Catering, Restaurants

Payment Methods:

Gift Certificate, American Express, Visa, Discover, Diners Club, MasterCard, Travelers Check

Restaurant Special Features:

Romantic Dining, Brunch, Waterfront Dining, View Dining, Business Dining, Lunch Spot, Fireplace

Cuisine:

Mediterranean, Asian, Seafood

Other Locations:

What People Are Saying About Cafe Del Rey

Featured Review

Martha Burr

Contributor

The Scene – Plate glass windows look out onto the waterfront's pristine boats, masts silhouetted by the sunset, which later turn glowing white in harbor lights as darkness falls. The lively bar scene offers cozy couches, a fireplace and corporate gossip. Comfy booths and cushioned chairs seat businessmen from the nearby Ritz, well-heeled Marina locals and yachtsman. – – The Food – Mediterranean dishes artfully meet classic French and Pacific Rim cuisine, all brought into focus by extraordinary fresh seafood and California seasonal produce. Start with a plump Dungeness…

Editor's Tips

What to Drink:
An award-winning wine list includes a dazzling collection of California wines, moderate to, cellared in a temperature-controlled display room. Premium wines are also available by the glass, and there is a full bar.
Look Good:
Join the Cafe Del Rey e-club on its website and receive special online offers such as a coupon for a free wine flight.
The Extras:
The restaurant is available for private functions; its lovely food and gorgeous views make it ideal for a wedding reception.
ambiance
88.45999717712402% positive
  1. We both had fond memories of the beautiful marina view and the exquisite Asian inspired food.
  2. Fantastic food and good views!
  3. The new decor is fabulous.
  4. It has a wonderful view of the Marina and is a casually elegant restaurant with.
  5. Nice view, nice atmosphere, decent food
  6. The view of the marina from the DINNER table windows (which you are not allowed to sit at if you are enjoying happy hour) is beautiful.
  7. The ambiance was nice but it was a bit loud.
  8. The view of the marina and the elegant atmosphere complement the upscale brunch menu perfectly.
  9. But I quickly forgot the cost of the meal in the pleasure of the ambience and the beautiful view, and the attentiveness of the service.
  10. By the way, I hate valet parking.
  11. Nice quiet atmosphere for couples and a piano bar.
  12. Excellent service, Great Food, Nice atmosphere!
  13. But the place does have a charm and a nice view of the marina.
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. The appetizers were excellent as well (calamari and duck rolls) and the desserts extraordinary.
  2. Best desserts
  3. The cake was rich, decadent and a good end to a good meal.
  4. Appetizers & desserts are decent.
  5. We shared this trio of dessert, which was good (what dessert isn't?)
  6. The only upside is their dessert - the pear tart was good.
drinks
85.71000099182129% positive
  1. Good wine selection.
  2. You have to go here for happy hour if you are in the mood to have a nice wine/cocktail with equally matched food.
  3. The Valentine's dinner cost us almost $400 and we did not order any drinks!
  4. Try having cocktails and appetizers in the bar area; fireplace, piano, and nice servers.
  5. The food was delicious, the drinks fantastic and the service was the be.
  6. Nice quiet atmosphere for couples and a piano bar.
  7. There was a guitar player in the bar that was very talented, and we made sure to tip him on the way out.
food quality
81.97999954223633% positive
  1. The appetizers were good so i was expecting a lot from the entrees, which was $33 for a terrible soy sause seafood spaghetti and $32 for just the over cooked, very salty mahi mahi, with almost no side dishes.
  2. Great Location squandered with poor service and average food.
  3. The food was delicious, the drinks fantastic and the service was the be.
  4. The food was fantastic - the server was extremely
  5. had the maine lobster salad - VERY AVERAGE, not very tasty - even the diner's next to us gave us a kind of yucky expression when they ate their lobster salad.
  6. Great food
  7. know some people crave all that greasy, fried food, but I was able to enjoy a nice meal without feeling weighted down like I had just gone to a fast food restaurant.
  8. The food is great here.
  9. Nor did the food disappoint.
  10. The food was always good and the service is great, too.
  11. Nice view, nice atmosphere, decent food
  12. The food was good, but not extraordinary.
  13. The service was pretty bad we kept having to ask for water from several people and our food took a really long time.
  14. You have to go here for happy hour if you are in the mood to have a nice wine/cocktail with equally matched food.
  15. My salmon was truly mediocre with a sickening sweet glaze and not cooked properly.
  16. The venison is a favorite, as well as the bacon wrapped filet.
  17. We had good seafood albeit overpriced.
  18. View is wonderful, great brunch, most of the dishes are fantastic, but you can get some that are just average.
  19. No matter, we decided the food on the menu looked tasty enough.
  20. The lentil soup was good, but nothing exceptional, they just pureed the lentils.
  21. Sad to see our Sushi gone, but the food is still good!
  22. But I quickly forgot the cost of the meal in the pleasure of the ambience and the beautiful view, and the attentiveness of the service.
  23. Ordered the Mahi Mahi and turns out the sauce with veggies underneath also had big chunks of bacon.
  24. The cake was rich, decadent and a good end to a good meal.
  25. Consistently great food, but you pay for it.
  26. Their pilsner was pretty tasty with the whole combo.
  27. This is a good place to go for consistently great food, especially if someone else is picking up the bill.
  28. Fantastic food and good views!
  29. The food is delicious.
  30. I've never had a bad meal and have always had guests praise the food.
  31. great food.
  32. But it's really hard to screw up pasta and can you trust a person who like their steak well well done!
  33. My companions wanted you to know that they enjoyed their pastas and steak.
  34. This place has absolutely the best food in the Marina, and some of the best in LA.
  35. Had Saturday brunch with a bunch of girlfriends recently and actually enjoyed our meal.
  36. We both had fond memories of the beautiful marina view and the exquisite Asian inspired food.
  37. The food was pretty good, but a bit oily, service was slow.
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. No matter, we decided the food on the menu looked tasty enough.
  2. The view of the marina and the elegant atmosphere complement the upscale brunch menu perfectly.
  3. Good wine selection.
overall
83.33000183105469% positive
  1. was told by a friend that it is the best place in the Marina.
  2. When you want to spend the money on a really nice high end place, this is i!
  3. It's not a great place for small children but an experience for the rest of the family.
  4. Cafe del Rey is a great place to go to for lunch or brunch.
  5. know some people crave all that greasy, fried food, but I was able to enjoy a nice meal without feeling weighted down like I had just gone to a fast food restaurant.
  6. This is a good place to go for consistently great food, especially if someone else is picking up the bill.
service
73.33000183105469% positive
  1. The food was fantastic - the server was extremely
  2. The service was attentive and friendly, and though pricey and somewhat distant for non-Westsiders, Cafe Del Rey is well worth the trip and the bill.
  3. My experience would have been a "10" had it not been for the disappointing level of service.
  4. The food was delicious, the drinks fantastic and the service was the be.
  5. know some people crave all that greasy, fried food, but I was able to enjoy a nice meal without feeling weighted down like I had just gone to a fast food restaurant.
  6. All agfreed the service was friendly but just OK too.
  7. The service outstanding.
  8. cups/plates. I thought the place was ok but my cousins were very disappointed with the service.
  9. The hostess was pleasant and since we had made a reservation, we were seated immediately.
  10. The service was ridiculously slow, one waiter was serving about 20 tables on a saturday night!
  11. The food was pretty good, but a bit oily, service was slow.
  12. The food was always good and the service is great, too.
  13. Food is fantastic and service very professional.
  14. The service was slow, from the hostess to the waitress.
  15. The service was attentive, but tries to encourage you, not so gently, to spend more money on more courses.
  16. The service was pretty bad we kept having to ask for water from several people and our food took a really long time.
  17. The manager Morrisette acted so nice and caring and I truely believed he wanted to make it up to us somehow.
  18. But I quickly forgot the cost of the meal in the pleasure of the ambience and the beautiful view, and the attentiveness of the service.
  19. Met some really nice people at our table and had a fabulous evening.
  20. Kudos, to our server Nick for convincing us to stay and to the service staff at Cafe del Rey for a great birthday experience!
  21. The servers were great, except for the hostess, who looked like she had better things to do.
  22. Great Location squandered with poor service and average food.
  23. Excellent service, Great Food, Nice atmosphere!
  24. Try having cocktails and appetizers in the bar area; fireplace, piano, and nice servers.
  25. And, our server was excellent!
value
100.0% positive
  1. The service was attentive, but tries to encourage you, not so gently, to spend more money on more courses.
  2. Amazing value.
  3. When you want to spend the money on a really nice high end place, this is i!
  4. We had good seafood albeit overpriced.
  5. The service was attentive and friendly, and though pricey and somewhat distant for non-Westsiders, Cafe Del Rey is well worth the trip and the bill.
  6. Way overpriced, pretty good brunch
wait time
6.669999957084656% positive
  1. The service was slow, from the hostess to the waitress.
  2. The food was pretty good, but a bit oily, service was slow.
  3. The service was ridiculously slow, one waiter was serving about 20 tables on a saturday night!
  4. The service was pretty bad we kept having to ask for water from several people and our food took a really long time.
  5. Service was slow too.
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

02/05/10

Fantastic food and good views!

by weho333 at Citysearch

My mom was in town recently and she and her friends wanted to eat on the water somewhere. Randomly chose this restaurant because they were doing DINE LA. Thank god I found it!

What a gem of a find. A bit difficult to locate for those not super familiar with Marina Del Rey, but once found, you are in luck. Huge restaurant with big windows facing the calm marina with boats aplenty to gaze at.

Food is fantastic and service very professional. We went during brunch hours and they had a good band providing background music.

Had a stellar soup and perfectly cooked Mahi Mahi lunch.

And leave room for dessert! Parfait par exelenance!

  • Pros: Great service
  • Cons: A bit hard to find for non natives
1 Star Rating: Poor

01/31/10

Disappointed at the lack of information!

by uclafoodie at Citysearch

I was at Cafe Del Rey today and this was my first time there so I was really excited. Sadly that excitement fizzled into disappointment.

Ordered the Mahi Mahi and turns out the sauce with veggies underneath also had big chunks of bacon.

My husband and I don't eat pork and I wish they would have a descriptive menu mentioning that the entree has bacon/pork.

I had mentioned that to the waiter upon sitting down and he did point a few items that would not be suitable so that was great. But when the Mahi Mahi arrived with the bacon I was kinda upset. THe menu didn't say it and the waiter wasn't aware as well of the bacon in the entree.

When the restaurant's General Manager stopped by I was thinking that he would be more apologetic and perhaps throw in something complimentary. He wasn't too warm and fuzzy.

I think Cafe Del Rey needs to have better description of the ingredients for people who may have dietary limitations. This is a normal practice at most restaurants and/or better educate their waiters as well.

Service was slow too...

:(

  • Pros: Nice Location
  • Cons: Slow Service and attention to customer needs'
4 Star Rating: Recommended

01/20/10

Sad to see our Sushi gone, but the food is still good!

by walthowe at Citysearch

My wife recently decided to take me to Cafe del Rey, to celebrate my birthday. It had been quite some time since we had eaten there, since we no longer live in LA. We both had fond memories of the beautiful marina view and the exquisite Asian inspired food. Initially, we were a little reluctant to stay, when we found out that after years of serving sushi and various dishes with exotic Asian flavors, Cafe del Rey now serves a Mediterranean inspired menu (as if CA needs another). Our server (a kind jovial fellow named Nick) manged to talk us into staying, as he insured us the food was still top notch. My wife and I were very impressed by his meticulous knowledge of both the menu and the wine list, as he was able to answer in detail all of our questions. We took his recommendation for appetizers and ordered the squash Agnolotti and the Truffle Pizza. The appetizers were amazingly good and each one was packed with flavor. For the main course, my wife ordered the Mahi-Mahi and I took his recommendation and ordered the Lamb Chops. When the food arrived we both marveled at how beautiful the presentation was. The only con was the portion size of the Lamb Chops. Three tiny chops for thirty some odd dollars, left me feeling a little short changed. Nevertheless, the combination of the succulent Lamb and roasted pepper hummus cheered me up immediately. My wife raved about her Mahi-Mahi, which came with a hand made celery root ravioli and green and white asparagus. The dish could have used a little more asparagus, but the fish was cooked perfectly and the flavors worked pretty well together. For dessert, our server sent us a chocolate cake with a candle in it for my birthday (free of charge). The cake was rich, decadent and a good end to a good meal. Kudos, to our server Nick for convincing us to stay and to the service staff at Cafe del Rey for a great birthday experience!

  • Pros: Excellent Service
  • Cons: Food is a tad bit overpriced
1 Star Rating: Poor

07/05/09

Can't Tell How the Food Was

by ashin220 at Citysearch

My girlfriend and I headed over to Cafe Del Rey, seeing how they seemd to haved received fairly good reviews. The hostess was pleasant and since we had made a reservation, we were seated immediately. On the way in, the manager greeted us with a smile. We hadn't realized that Sunday was a Prix Fixe brunch only. No matter, we decided the food on the menu looked tasty enough. We waited to be served, then we waited and then we waited some more. After 30minutes we were still sitting there with our menus only. Two other tables had gotten up and left before us and we were fed up as well. We walked out never knowing who our server was. The manager didn't try to stop us, I figured he knew why everyone was leaving.

  • Pros: will never know
  • Cons: never got to order our food
2 Star Rating: Below Average

03/24/09

Lacking flavor, value and service

by happydj001 at Citysearch

Last Saturday my husband and I went to Café Del Rey (CDL) for the first time. We are both foodies, and make a habit of trying different restaurants.

Since I am not comfortable with valets driving my car, we parked about 2 blocks West at the public lot for $2. We arrived at CDL shortly after 6pm. As we came to the front, we saw the billboard outside listing the 'happy hour specials'. Stepping inside we were greeted by a foul sewage smell near the hostess podium (the bathrooms were off to the left).

We were there for dinner, but thought we would take in an appetizer and drink at the bar before being seated to take advantage of the specials.

We sat down in the bar booth (comfy), and the waitress brought us our menus "we are out of corona, and ugly duckling chardonnay" she said. Seems silly that a bar would run out of Corona? I ordered a happy hour mixed drink (can't remember name) and my husband ordered another cocktail, and the calamari. She returned 5 mins later, and told us they were out of the alcohol that supplied my drink. I ordered the jolly rancher (not my first choice, but feeling adventurous!)

The calamari arrived, it contained aprox 12 greasy, quarter size 'O's on a pretty plate, with a mayo saucey sidecar. We were BOTH hungry from our workouts that morning, so we proceeded to order more from the happy hour menu: 6 oysters and the shrimp cocktail. The oysters were the size of a silver dollar, the meat inside smaller than a dime (how cute?). The shrimp cocktail contained 5 (2-biter) shrimp, and run-of-the mill cocktail sauce. Still we were hungry, and at this point decided to eat our dinner in the bar, so we ordered: Truffle pizza (10 inch diameter) $26, 2 chopped salads (each portion came out to roughly cup of chopped veggies), 2 lentil soups (each portion was about 1/2 cup). Normally I am not a stickler on portions but these were rediculously small so it was hard not to take note.

So after 3 smaaaall cocktails each, 6 tiny plates of food, and $141 (incl tip), we left, knowing there is no way we would be back.

I've had better calamari and pizza at the local Italian joint (allejos), minus the fancy plate. The chopped veggie salad at C&O down the street tastes better AND you get about 500% more, for the same price. I can buy the same size, same quality shrimp at TJs for the same price but 400% more, and why even bother with oysters that size?? The lentil soup was good, but nothing exceptional, they just pureed the lentils.

The waitress was ok, but gave us both the feeling that she was doing us a favor by serving us.

The view of the marina from the DINNER table windows (which you are not allowed to sit at if you are enjoying happy hour) is beautiful. There was a guitar player in the bar that was very talented, and we made sure to tip him on the way out.

Hard to imagine how this place stays in business...Possibly the unknowing tourists from the Ritz next door.

For locals, there are too many other restaurants in this area that are substantially all-around better for under $100 (for two).

  • Pros: The view
  • Cons: Everything else

The Details on Cafe Del Rey

Place Categories:

  • friendly excellent service
  • beautiful marina view
  • slow service
  • enjoyed nice meal
  • great high end place
  • nice upscale restaurant
  • amazingly good appetizers
  • oily average food
  • flat desserts
  • fantastic great brunch
  • nice manager morrisette
  • nice quiet atmosphere
  • like steak
  • awful painful stomach ache
  • fantastic drinks
  • nice great food
  • good seafood
  • outstanding wine list
  • recommend cafe del rey
  • disappointing level
  • pretty plate
  • tasteful setting
  • great decent food
  • nice servers
  • nice ambiance

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