Manhattan Beach Post

A few years ago, the restaurant scene in Manhattan Beach was practically nonexistent. There were plenty of places where you could eat an entire meal without having to wear shoes, but big, trendy restaurants? Not so much. So when Manhattan Beach Post opened, people got pretty excited about having somewhere kind of upscale to eat in the South Bay that wasn’t outrageously expensive or outrageously bad. The bacon cheddar biscuits became a thing of legend, and suddenly, one of the hottest restaurants in town was way south on the 405.

But things have changed. Manhattan Beach is no longer a wasteland of semi-acceptable salads, and a bunch of really great restaurants have opened in the area. Which is amazing for Manhattan Beach, but less so for M.B. Post. Being the pioneer can be easy - it’s when the competition rolls into town that things get harder.

photo credit: Benji Dell

What was once a big deal of a restaurant that people would brave hours on a freeway for is now basically an above-average neighborhood spot. The food is solid and occasionally fantastic, and those bacon cheddar biscuits are still damn good. But when you have places like Little Sister and Fishing With Dynamite in the neighborhood, it's no longer the star of the show. Add to that interior design that seems like it was completed using an algorithm for finding “things young people like," and a truly perplexing Blink-182-heavy playlist, and M.B. Post isn't a place you need to make the journey for. But maybe that's what the Manhattan Beach crowd really wants - the whole restaurant (especially the bar) is consistently packed.

You should certainly keep M.B. Post in your back pocket for when you’re in the area for brunch or dinner and haven’t made a reservation anywhere - it’s not going to let you down. But if you’re looking to see what the Manhattan Beach food scene is right now, this isn’t quite it anymore. Just don't tell that to the locals at the bar.

Food Rundown

Bacon Cheddar Biscuits

Leave these off your order at your own risk. They are flaky, cheesy, and bacon-y, and whether you’re here for brunch or dinner, they need to be on your plate.

Truffle Honey Laced Fried Chicken

We are not of the opinion that truffle makes everything better. But it works with the fried chicken here. The batter is super crunchy and thick and the chicken is juicy.

Ricotta Stuffed French Toast

If you’re a sweets for breakfast person, you’ll be ordering this - a big slab of french toast with ricotta inside, mascarpone outside, and a whole lot of apples cooked in brown butter. We’re not always sweets for breakfast people and we still like this one.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

We appreciate the fact that the obvious move of bacon was avoided with these sprouts, but then we also realized that bacon is what makes brussels sprouts actually good. Skip these.

Blistering Green Beans

Now this is how you do vegetables: with thai basil, chilli sauce, peanuts, and big chunks of pork. Don’t skip these.

Scallops

A tasty dish, even if it’s not the most exciting. The scallops are fresh and perfectly cooked, and the corn mush underneath was a perfect match.

General Tso's Sweetbreads

We ordered these on a whim and they ended up being the sleeper hit of the night. Slightly sweet and served on top of some very good rice, we couldn’t get enough. And yes, that’s despite the fact that we know what sweetbreads are.

BBQ Moroccan Lamb Belly

Normally we’re all about lamb any which way it comes, but this one doesn’t quite do it for us.

Skirt Steak

Perfectly cooked and served with an outrageously good red chimichurri. You won’t regret ordering this one.