Best Restaurants for Creative Cuisine in Manhattan Beach

The host was not inviting and open to being flexible.

We had a great experience overall. Unfortunately the kitchen and waitstaff suffered some setbacks due to unforeseen staffing constraints, which led to somewhat longer than usual wait times, yet the food and service were excellent and truly worth the wait. We had the best short rib with polenta we've ever had, the BBQ flatbread is amazing with a surprising but pleasant kick to it, and the steak is flavorful and well accompanied also! We will certainly be back, and genuinely appreciate the grace under pressure the staff exhibited to us and all the guests throughout the evening! Amazing hospitality and food!

A Journey Through the Cosmos at Vespertine There are meals, and then there are experiences—transcendent, immersive, and otherworldly. Vespertine is not just a restaurant; it is an odyssey, a symphony of senses, a dialogue between space, sound, and taste. Returning after six years, I found myself stepping into a realm where time dissolves and the familiar constructs of dining are reimagined. The architecture, stark yet poetic, sets the stage for an experience that unfolds like a dream—each course a revelation, each sip of wine a new movement in an unfolding sonata. The cuisine at Vespertine is alchemy—flavors that collide and intertwine, textures that surprise, an interplay of hot and cold, soft and crisp, delicate yet profound. Each dish is composed with the precision of an artist and the curiosity of an explorer, designed not only to be eaten but to be felt, contemplated, and remembered. The service is a quiet choreography, an effortless ballet of knowledge and intuition. The servers—guardians of this ethereal space—hold within them a depth of understanding, guiding guests through the journey with a reverence that matches the art they present. From room to room, the experience evolves, shifting in tone, in light, in sensation. Each space within Vespertine whispers a different story, pulling the diner deeper into its gravity, blurring the line between reality and reverie. Six years have passed, yet Vespertine remains a beacon of avant-garde gastronomy, an experience not merely consumed but lived. It is not just a dinner; it is a meditation, a crescendo, an awakening. To dine here is to surrender—to the unknown, to the surreal, to the extraordinary.

It was GREAT! We enjoyed it all and received complimentary delicious cookies for the Lunar New Year!