Nicole's Notes

It’s nearly impossible to think of California without envisioning Malibu and its world famous beaches, surfers, and breathtaking ocean views. Whether you’re a local or a visitor it feels like quintessential California, and there’s nothing quite like cruising down the PCH with the top down and not a care in the world. I made the trek out to Malibu this past weekend for a weekend adventure with some friends. After a lovely hike through Solstice Canyon, we decided to stop by Malibu Farm for lunch.

Malibu Farm is located on the Malibu Pier and is split into two parts: Malibu Farm Restaurant which is at the start of the pier and offers table service, and Malibu Cafe which is at the end of the pier and offers counter service. It’s somewhat embarassing that after all the years I’ve lived in Los Angeles I’d never been! I’d been to the pier on multiple occasions in the past but never stopped to eat at the restaurant.

During the daytime the restaurant is first come, first serve. We went on a Saturday so there was, of course, a line. I was prepared for it to take forever, but we only waited about 20 minutes which was a pleasant surprise. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that you can’t just put your name down and leave, you have to stand in line the whole time, which is not ideal. Normally the restaurant doesn’t extend onto the pier, but due to Covid they had tables set up along the pier in addition to the main restaurant seating. Despite all the negatives that have resulted from Covid, one major positive is the expansion of outdoor dining options. 

We were seated at a table right on the pier which was fantastic. It’s the best seating in the house because you’re right over the water – you can’t beat that! I ordered the heart of palm linguini and my friends ordered the steak and fish tacos. My feelings about the linguini were mixed. I was expecting a heartier pasta dish, but it turned out to be one of those healthy pastas where the noodles are actually made from veggies. So instead of linguini withheart of palm, it was linguini made out of heart of palm. Sigh. The pesto sauce was heavenly, but overall it was equivalent to eating a salad and I was still hungry afterward. Taking pity on me, my friend kindly shared one of her steak tacos which was delicious.

Unfortunately we did have a slight hiccup. One of my friends is Celiac and ordered a dish that was listed as gluten-free on the menu. However, when the dish was brought out it contained couscous. She brought this to the server’s attention, who after checking with the kitchen assured us it was gluten-free. Not convinced, she asked him to double-check, after which he confirmed it did in fact claim gluten, apologized, and offered to get her something else. They apologized and took it off our bill, but not until after my friend had eaten several mouthfuls of couscous. This is one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to restaurants. Food allergies are no joke. While mistakes sometimes happen, the dish should never have been listed as gluten free on the menu when it contained gluten. But perhaps the most frustrating part was that upon my friend’s inquiry the server incorrectly assured her it was gluten free when it was not. My friend only got a little sick, but someone with a life threatening allergy may not have been so lucky.

Nonetheless, despite that hiccup the service was decent and the food was good. I would return again – you just can’t beat the location.

(Note: this post was originally published March 23, 2021)