The Sunset Restaurant

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478 reviews

#9 of 44 Restaurants in Malibu$$ - $$$, American, Seafood, Vegetarian Friendly

+1 310-589-1007+ Add website

Hours

Sun

11:00 AM - 9:00 PM

Mon

12:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Tue

12:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Wed

12:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Thu

12:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Fri

12:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Sat

11:00 AM - 10:00 PM

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Ratings and reviews

4.0

478 reviews

#9 of 44 Restaurants in Malibu

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

Someone from this business manages this listing.

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PRICE RANGE

$15 – $40

CUISINES

American, Seafood

Special Diets

Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options

meals, features

Location and contact

6800 Westward Beach Rd, Malibu, CA 90265-4166

Malibu

+1 310-589-1007

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Does this restaurant accept reservations?

Yes

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About

The Sunset Restaurant is a lovely getaway from the hustle of life. Let our staff whisk you away on a culinary journey you are sure to enjoy.

PRICE RANGE

$15 – $40

CUISINES

American, Seafood

Special Diets

Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Late Night, Drinks

FEATURES

Reservations, Seating, Parking Available, Valet Parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Live Music, Waterfront

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4.0

478 reviews

Excellent

187

Very good

184

Average

Poor

Terrible

Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.

James M

Albuquerque130 contributions

Make this one of your stops for a meal

Apr 2024 • family

It's a great place to eat on the sand with fantastic views! Our server Valerie was friendly, fast, and fantastic! I would go again!

Written May 2, 2024

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Paradise790267

Beverly Hills4 contributions

Horrible Sunset delivery quality of food

Jan 2024 • family

ordered a delivery two days and most of the food was NOT edible. Lobster Mac and Cheese tasted mouldy and clam chower was BROWN and icky, with no bacon or cream. Horrible for restuarnt that is usually quite good.

Written January 24, 2024

Cassdan

Detroit154 contributions

Drinks

Oct 2023 • couples

A beautiful location! The octopus was tasty but the portion was small. Service is nice, but not attentive. Don't expect a lot and it will be a nice time.

Written October 27, 2023

Margaret K

Kenmare1 contribution

Witnessed such rudeness to staff member

Sep 2023 • family

We are on holiday from Ireland and had travelled yesterday from Santa Clarita to Sunset restaurant. However, as we waited at reception to be shown to our table, the very pleasant lady who had greeted us and was about to share menus with us, was spoken to so rudely by a man, who we believed to be a manager. She looked upset. I regret not expressing my disapproval to this man (I would not describe him as a gentleman!). We should have just left then, we had seen all we needed to know about this restaurant. The food was also only very average, certainly nothing worth travelling for.

Written September 22, 2023

Alok Jolly

New York City479 contributions

Dinner on New Year’s Day, overrun by the weather... and with a poor afterbite !!!

Jan 2023 • couples

Picked the end of December for a drive down from Sacramento to Los Angeles along the west coast, on the beautiful, incomparable US Coastal Highway 1. This was along anticipated, 36-year dream plan to experience that coastline up close… Of course, the weather and our airline (Southwest) both conspired to screw things up royally !! It rained every day of our 10-day vacation except the last, and when we were to fly from Seattle to Sacramento, the airline industry had a meltdown, leaving us stranded at SeaTac at 5:30 in the morning. Well, we couldn’t give up, and rented a car and drove 17 hours through pelting rain to get to CA and assume our planned itinerary. Wouldn’t advise anyone to try this !! Malibu ! The fabulous Malibu.. storied and infamous for many of its eccentric, rich and famous natives. And it’s NEW YEAR’s DAY, the sun finally came out after 8 continuous days of drenching, and we were having our last supper, before heading to LAX and thence home to NY. All good things come to an end ~ wet or dry. The Sunset is located on Westward Beach Road, on the south-east edge of the town… looking at an expanse of sand and waves… incessant waves all the way to Japan. Or Hawaii ….Russia, perhaps ? It occupies a white, frame building on the side of the narrow, sand-covered road, adjacent to the parking lot and outdoor seating area, which was closed at the time for winter (and rain.) The winds off the Pacific are very strong so the sand, having had part of a day to dry, was blowing everywhere. Once inside, the place was teeming. A busy, hectic and cheerful atmosphere, with tables being rotated for arriving guests and a busy, cheerful chaos-y hubbub. We arrived a little late into the evening (the place was starting to rapidly empty out) hoping to catch the sunset at The Sunset, but there was none ! The windows were so dusty that one could barely see through them. Was this because of the rain and winds ? Surely, someplace as busy and attractive as this should at least wipe down the windows at sundown to live up to their name ? We started with an Allegria Salad ($19) which we split. The salad was crisp, crunchy and delicious, but splitting it resulted in an additional “split plate fee” of $3. For our mains, we had an order of Crab Cake ($28) and the Whole Mediterranean Branzino ($48). Both dishes were great, though the Branzino was better than the crabcakes, which felt a little too bready and dry. The fish had crispy skin, and deliciously soft and delectable meat. Well done on that one, Sunset ! We noticed that all the menu prices were higher than their prices online, as indicated by “NYE” (New Year’s Eve..?) against each item on our check, except the Qt of Hoyt Viognier. However, a few weeks later, when I got my CreditCard statement, I found that our server ‘NOE’, had added an additional tip on top of what we gave. This is NOT good practice for any service establishment. I called their manager, Max, about this in March, and he promised to get back to me ~ but has not done so as of July. Bad way to start the year with them: be warned… I always try and check my statements because some folks think they won’t be caught.

Written July 23, 2023

Blue J

Havre de Grace768 contributions

Total Train Wreck - An Overpriced Trap

Jul 2023 • family

Probably the most overpriced, worst meal we have ever experienced. We came here because of reviews and because of the supposed "ocean view". Biggest mistake ever. We were stuck on the windy road leading to the restaurant for over 40 minutes due to the fact that the restaurant sits directly opposite a state beach entrance. Once we were near the restaurant, they did have valet parking to get us into their lot. It was service by committee, and no less than 4 waiters served our table. We were a party of 6. I ordered the scallops wrapped in bacon with an apple compote dressing. No doubt the scallops were frozen then thawed. The bacon was cold, stale, and simply placed on top of the scallops as a condiment. Horrible cook on the scallops, and they were nothing more than chewy biscuits with the most awful bacon I have ever tasted. My son and his girlfriend ordered a risotto entre to split as well as a few starters. We were charged $3 per dish to have split plates. All the dishes lacked seasoning and the basic skills of meal preparation. The chef obviously did not taste any of the meals. Our meals lacked the very basic skill set for any restaurant. How do you not salt French fries? The kicker was that our lunch bill for 6 people was over $380. The restaurant automatically places an 18% service fee on tables of 6 or more. We have eaten more cheaply at Michelin starred restaurants in Greece and Sicily. I feel completely raped even with California prices. This place certainly prepared nothing close to match these high fees. No! We did not have extravagant drinks. One beer and one cocktail between us. This was a basic lunch stop. Like a moron I believed the 5 star reviews on several sites that raved about the food and the ocean view. I have attached 3 photos showing what constitutes an ocean view. No doubt the manager paid for favorable reviews. Unless you enjoy going out to Denny's for steak, there simply is no way an average person would rate this place a 5 star. The circus of waiters never came to tend our table once our meals were plopped down . We had to flag them down for condiments and extra plates. The restrooms were disgusting especially the women's which was limited to a single stall because bloody tissues were strewn across one of the stalls. To top off the overall train wreck that this place is, the latter half of our meal was entertained by a neighboring table engaged in a cursing fight with the manager over the standards of this restaurant. That was probably the best part of our experience! I would never recommend this place. Avoid being another mark in this manager's scheme to screw the tourist.

Written July 23, 2023

Billy W

Phoenix3 contributions

Do not go. Horrible place.

Jun 2023 • family

Horrible,snooty place. Had reservations for 75 th birthday dinner , inside and upstairs. Arrived on time . Told we had to eat outside or leave. Management was unresponsive and downright nasty. We were not dressed for outside. Froze at sunset. No offer of complimentary drinks. No birthday dessert. Not even offered a dessert menu. Food was excellent and head valet was great. Woman throwing up in sink in women’s bathroom. Never offered to move us inside when tables opened. Service was horrible. McDonalds are run better. We will never go again and will badmouth to hundreds of friends.

Written June 26, 2023

ArtPhemister

Chattanooga383 contributions

Great view and food.

May 2023 • family

We ate dinner at the Sunset with our family the last week of May, 2023. My daughter had called for a reservation and had a fantastic table with a great view of what we hoped would be a beautiful sunset. The hostess was very nice, the service was superb, and the meal was excellent. We were there for our youngest granddaughter’s 1st birthday. The Sunset was nice enough to comp us a slice if wonderful cake which was nice. I had my first Wagyu burger which was also very good. While in my personal opinion, the restaurant is a little the food, view, and ambiance helps make it a worthwhile visit.

Written June 2, 2023

Lee L

Woburn42 contributions

Sunset Restaurant, a place for the view of the beach and Sunset. Expect a good time

May 2023 • none

The spot has a beautiful view of the beach. Be prepared for difficult traffic and limited parking on the street, and $10 valet only parking. Be aware there will be no accommodation for ADA people. The restaurant is small and very loud. the food is good but expect appetisers to be $22-$26 and Entrees to be in the $29 to $40 range. You are paying for the view of the beach and sunset. The drinks are standard Malibu prices, but nothing special. The atmosphere is casual with no need to be dressed in more than covered beach wear.

Written May 2, 2023

Faganke

Issaquah8 contributions

Beautiful views, terrible service

Apr 2023 • couples

Very disappointed. We got married at this restaurant 5 years ago and flew from Seattle to visit and celebrate our anniversary. While the views were beautiful and the food was good, the service was absolutely terrible. We checked in early for our reservation and they said they’d text when our table was ready. They never did. We tried to order a drink at the bar while we waited and gave up after being completely ignored. 5 minutes past our reservation time I checked in again and they sat us at a table for 2 less than a foot away from the next table. After ordering drinks and apps, the waiter never came back to take our order. I finally asked a busser to get the waiter. Other tables near us were also having to flag down waiters to check on food and ask for their check. We were offered other people’s food more than once. Everyone working seemed frustrated and confused. What a bummer after having such a beautiful wedding here 5 years ago.

Written April 2, 2023

John S

1 contribution

Do not recommend

Feb 2023 • couples

Made reservations through OpenTable for Valentines Day as my boyfriend and I were in town for the week. What a mistake... Pull up, very busy parking lot/street parking for the restaurant. Thinking that's a good sign? Go in, the older lady at the front desk looks frazzled and overwhelmed. She greets us with the best smile she could muster up and I tell her I have a reservation under my name. She responds with "Let me see if I can find you" as she scrolls her tablet. More to come of this later.... She appears to find our reservation, has another employee seat us promptly. Unfortunately, this was in a rather large, evert-type room that had a variety of tables placed in it. This room was very noisy and appears to usually NOT be used as a seating area for patrons. We're seated at a very small, two person only table, that has a nice white table cloth, an unlit candle and two heart chocolate candies placed in the middle. Our server comes over after 10 minutes or so, asks if we would like to order a drink. We order a pitcher of Sangria to share and ice water. This comes out pretty quickly, although it was rather unremarkable. He then asks if we would like an appetizer. We decline and say we would like to order entrees, and I ask him if there are any specials this evening. He responds with pointing with his pen, at the menu saying "this is what we're serving".... We then ordered a Lobster pasta dish and a steak (prepared medium). While we sat waiting for our food, we were offered multiple times other people's food by somoene from the kitchen that was suppose to be delivering plates to tables. There seem to be ZERO communication to the waiters and food servers to which order is for the correct table. This was quite annoying. Our food was delivered (after it was offered to another table); we started eating and immediatly noticed my steak was almost on the rare side of being cooked, while my boyfriends lobster entree had no flavor. We then realized the single table leg was loose which caused the table to sway each time I cut my steak or we placed more thank a pinky finger on either side of the tabletop. After about 15 minutes, our waiter FINALLY checked in with us, I requested some salt and pepper for my boyfriends dish. While we struggled to make the best of the situation, we started noticing the waiters start to bicker over which tables were each of their responsibilities. At one point, one waiter starts verbally counting and pointing at the tables in the roaring room as the other waiters gestured in frustration. As we started to complete our entrees, we were then greeted by the servers offering us other table's desserts, as once again this server didn't know which food went to which table.... Our plates were cleared by a busser and my boyfriend and I decide we would like to try the tiramisu, since we'd been offered it multiple times from the confused servers. But our waiter did not check in with us for a good 20-30 minutes. By that time, we were ready to be out of the chaos in which this restaurant operated under. About that OpenTable reservation; the lady at the front desk CANCELLED the reservation as soon as we arrived, so instead of saying we arrived, it did not allow me to make a review under the app since she told the app it was cancelled... Overall a very unpleasant experience and I would NOT recommend this place to anyone.

Written February 20, 2023

martha6262014

Simi Valley97 contributions

One Disaster After Another

Feb 2023 • none

We ate at this restaurant in February 2022 and had a few service issues (dessert order was never put into the kitchen, had to ask to have dishes cleared, etc), but it was very crowded, was only serving a special Valentine's Day menu rather than the full menu, and since the food was good (though expensive) we decided to give it another try for a birthday this year. What a mistake. We got there before 11:30 am and the restaurant was nearly empty. Waiters and bus boys were standing around talking throughout our visit, not attending to diners. We sat in one of the indoor rooms and from the start, it was one thing after another. The hostess seated us at a table that was not completely set; had to find our own silverware on other tables; a waiter came over to tell us our "server" would be with us in a few minutes but no one showed up. Orders were eventually taken for drinks, but we had to wait to see the waitress. She never asked if we wanted bread, when we asked for it from another waiter, he let us know it was not his job, but the bus boy's job. We finally got bread but the original waitress, she said, "You never said you wanted bread," like she wasn't supposed to inquire. We ordered appetizers and she asked if we wanted them to come first, we said yes. She read the entire order back to us (she failed to ask one diner what she wanted as a main course and had to be told), indicating the soup and appetizers would come first. So what happened? Everything came at once and they were argumentative and wanted to put everything on the table. We sent back the main courses and told them to put down the appetizers only. The order from the kid's menu did not come out at all. After the adult main courses were served, we had to ask for the kid's meal again with a side of sweet potato fries. By this time the two "managers" were hovering and apologizing, offering free appetizers and drinks. At one point, one of them was clearing the table and asking us what the kid's meal order had been. It had to be ordered again after all the adults were served. The spaghetti finally arrived with seriously undercooked noodles. We asked no fewer than 6 times for the sweet potato fries and they finally arrived after everyone had finished eating their meal. Coffee refill was poured from a pot that only had a little in the bottom, so the "refill" consisted of about a quarter cup and no one bothered to bring more coffee. We ordered one slice of carrot cake for dessert and when it came, it looked lovely, but it was frozen! By this time, we just wanted to get out of there. The sad thing is that we recognized some of the wait staff from the year before and they just don'e seem to know what they are doing or have attitude. The orders appeared to be going in from a computer terminal, but NOTHING came out right after the drinks were served. The only thing going for this restaurant is its location and their valet parking staff. They were WONDERFUL last year and again this year. We will never go back to this restaurant. Worst experience we've had in years!

Written February 16, 2023

Melody M

3 contributions

Lunch With Longtime Friends!

Jan 2023 • none

Enjoyed our late lunch and cocktails were fabulous! Great atmosphere and view of the beach! We stayed and walked the beach and watched the sunset!

Written February 7, 2023

jehenson81

Washington DC24906 contributions

Food was Good, But the Drink was Better

Jan 2023 • solo

Based on the reviews I read, this is where I opted to have my first real dinner in Malibu. It sits right in Westward beach and is tucked away from the busier areas of Malibu. I was able to walk in on a Friday night and get a table but they were getting busier as I was leaving. I was probably overdressed since most people were in jeans and nice shirts. It took awhile for a waiter to come take my order, but there were plenty of helpers and busboys. Eventually Tyler (might have been Taylor) came to my table. He fielded my questions with easy and gave me his opinion. I got the strawberry basil-rita and the mushroom risotto. The drink was superb (after I stirred it a little) and really hit the spot. The risotto was bland and a bit soupy. I got some salt and it made it significantly more tasty. Still a little disappointing. Great service and pretty good food. Maybe I should have gotten the bolognese with its 12 hour sauce.

Written January 6, 2023

Ana394

Mexico City5 contributions

New years menu dissappointment

Jan 2023 • family

Went there for New year's. The food was so expensive and so mediocre it was sad. I don't know if it was a Special menu but the food was not at all worth the money

Written January 1, 2023

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