A mainstay of local casual dining, this popular crowd-pleaser suits beachgoers, lunch-breakers, families, couples, and more -- there's something for everyone. Inside the gray clapboard corner restaurant you can find brightly painted marine-themed murals, lifeguard memorabilia, and picture windows to let in the sunshine. On nice days the outdoor patio fills first; its glass railings ensure a good view of bustling downtown Manhattan Beach's human parade. Cheerful servers are clad in casual sport togs and ferrying generous platters of food that's fresh, carefully prepared, and very affordable. The mile-long menu runs the gamut, featuring standouts like Santa Fe chicken omelet, cinnamon swirl French toast, a superb homemade veggie burger, burritos and Mexican favorites, enormous main-course salads, steaming hot pastas, and a selection of dinner-only entrees. Nightly bargain "get stuffed" dinners are sized for satisfaction -- the seafood stew, for example, is guaranteed to be filling or your second bowl's on the house.

Other South Bay locations include Hermosa Beach, 1286 The Strand (tel. 310/374-2334), Redondo Beach's Riviera Village, 1617 Pacific Coast Hwy. (tel. 310/316-0262), and West L.A., 11903 W. Olympic Blvd. between Bundy and Olympic avenues. (tel. 310/477-9011).