Catalina Charlie&#x27;s

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In a noisy bar in Avalon I tried to call you.... If you understand you understand. My favorite spot…read morewhen I'm on island. Better like a dive

If sticky floors, terrible service, and being treated like your money is an inconvenience are your…read moreidea of a good time, the Marlin Club has you covered. Rachel was an exceptionally bad bartender--unfriendly, inattentive, and somehow made ordering a drink feel like we were asking her for a personal favor. Apparently being a "local spot" means you only need to provide decent service to the regulars. If you're not a local, good luck getting the impression that your business matters. And yes, I know it's a dive bar. I wasn't expecting white tablecloths and a sommelier. I was expecting a reasonably clean floor, a drink, and basic customer service. Apparently that was aiming too high. Do yourself a favor: spend a few extra dollars somewhere else. There are plenty of bars where the floors are less sticky and the bartenders don't act personally offended that you showed up with money to spend. Definitely won't be back. I'm sure they won't care--which pretty much sums up the entire experience.

Entrance

Bar seating

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Mini beer shot!

Catalina Island Brew House

4.3(425 reviews)

Great coffee spot stop with a nice selection of baked goods…read more Please come and create your own adventure.

After stepping off the boat and checking into our hotel, we wandered down Front Street, stopping in…read moreat Catalina Island Brewhouse for lunch. It wasn't busy as it was during the week, and we found a table on the patio. Mr. B ordered a flight to try and we ordered a pineapple jalapeno pizza. I know many say pineapple doesn't belong on a pizza, but we happen to like it. The crust of the pizza was thin and covered in melted cheese, chunks of pineapple and slices of jalapeno. It was the perfect amount of spice and the pineapple calmed it down by adding a hint of sweetness. The beer was great, the pizza even better and you just can't beat the views of the bay. Service was good, and we were off to a good start of eating on Catalina Island.

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Entrance

The Locker Room

4.0(108 reviews)

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I loved this place! I went 3 nights in a row. It's such a good vibe and good ambience. The drinks…read morewere good and there's a pool tables and music. And I had different bartenders and they were all great. Totally recommend.

Visited The Locker Room during a cruise port stop at Catalina Island, and I'm glad we dropped by!…read moreThe bar caught my eye with its strong reviews, and it definitely lived up to them. The space is spotless, cool, and offers plenty of seating. The bartender was friendly, attentive, and kept a fully stocked bar. If you like sports or just a chill atmosphere, there are flat-screen TVs mounted all over, making for a great classic vibe. Most importantly, the drinks are fantastic--fairly priced with just the right kick! Definitely check out The Locker Room if you're visiting Catalina Island.

Bar

Tasty vodka 7.

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Flx Biergarten

4.6(155 reviews)

0.0 mi

Five Stars - Amazing Staff, Great Beer, and Such a Fun Atmosphere!!!…read moreAfter having a horrible experience at Luau Larry's, we were so happy to stumble upon this beer garden!!! The staff here completely turned our day around... The bartenders, or should I say beer tenders, were absolutely amazing!!! They were so friendly, welcoming, and in such great moods that their positive energy was contagious... They gave us great recommendations and even let us sample different beers so we could find the ones we liked best. Now THAT is great customer service!!! The atmosphere here is super cool, too!!! There are plenty of tables, lots of shade, and games to play, making it a great spot to hang out with friends and family... It's family-friendly, so you can bring the kids along, and there are TVs if you want to catch a game while enjoying your drinks... As for the drinks, the beer was delicious, and they had a great variety to choose from... They also offer seltzers, which were surprisingly good, and pretzels if you're looking for something to snack on while you hang out... Honestly, we had such a great time here that we ended up coming back several times!!! The combination of delicious drinks, a fun atmosphere, and genuinely awesome staff made this place a highlight of our visit... Thank you guys for turning our day around and giving us such a wonderful experience!!! Your positive attitudes and excellent customer service really made a difference, and we appreciate it... We will definitely be back next time we're in the area!!! If you're looking for a fun, laid-back place to enjoy some good beer with great people, definitely check this place out. Highly recommend!!!

The only beer garden on Catalina Island! It has a laid-back atmosphere and was our last stop before…read moreboarding the ferry home. There are two beer pong tables and cornhole available to play. The service was fast, and the space was clean, with plenty of seating. Since we had eaten lunch before stopping by, we only had a chance to try the pretzel with cheddar cheese. I highly recommend this place for its cozy vibe and drinks. We played UNO to complete the night.

More clear picture of belching beaver seltzer 5.5

Make it a cheers picture

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The beer truck

The Naughty Fox

4.0(471 reviews)

Great service Great view…read more Fun drinks Food options Got the buffalo milk. Wish it had a bit more cocoa but they didn't cheap out on the vodka

Naughty Fox has a really nice view overlooking the center of Catalina, and the outdoor seating is a…read morenice way to sit and get a view of the beach. It's a popular spot, so service can be a little slow when there's only one person serving, but we were having a laid back afternoon and didn't mind. The poke nachos were the standout for me. Instead of regular corn chips, they use what reminded me of crispy fried wonton chips, which made them extra light and crunchy. So good with the ahi poke. Prices are a little on the higher side, but that seems pretty standard for restaurants on Catalina. I'd definitely come back for the outdoor dining, views, island fries and ahi poke

Bar

Chicken wings

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Ahi Poke and Catalina Salad. So high quality, delicious and refreshing after our hike and travel.

Luau Larry's

3.7(809 reviews)

She had their signature wiki wacker rum drink with the free straw hat…read more Nice experience. We sat at the end table and looked out from inside.

We came to Luau Larry's with high hopes because we had heard so many great things about the…read moreatmosphere and drinks. Unfortunately, our experience was extremely disappointing... We were a large party of 14 adults and 2 children. Before entering, we specifically asked if children were allowed inside and were told they were, as long as they stayed seated at a table and did not sit at the bar. Based on that, we decided to come in. Some of our group had already ordered drinks at the bar, and we were given two tables.. Unfortunately, there was some kind of miscommunication with one of the servers. He apparently understood that part of our group was only going to sit at the table and not order anything. In reality, our entire group was there to order drinks; we simply weren't all ordering at the exact same time.. Instead of clarifying the misunderstanding, the server became extremely rude and kicked members of our party out while the rest of us were already ordering drinks. The way the situation was handled was completely unnecessary and unprofessional... It escalated so quickly that nobody wanted to argue or make a bigger scene, so the people who had not yet ordered simply left.. What makes this even more frustrating is that this was a large group of adults who were planning to drink.. With 14 adults and only two children, the restaurant easily lost hundreds of dollars in potential drink sales because of how the situation was handled... To be fair, the bartenders who helped us with our first round were actually nice and friendly.. Unfortunately, the interaction with the server completely ruined the experience for us. The drinks themselves also weren't anything particularly special... We probably should have asked to speak with a manager at the time, but everything happened so quickly that we just decided it wasn't worth the hassle.. We came in excited to check out a place we'd heard so much about, but unfortunately left extremely disappointed. Based on this experience, we won't be returning...

Inside

Ahi Tuna

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Bahama Mama and Spicy Mexican Lolli

The Sand Trap

4.0(485 reviews)

0.3 mi

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Quick & Good, no fuss. Conveniently located by the Golf…read morecourse, they have a bar. Good food & drinks, great prices. And they have a HH!!

My wife and I came to Catalina Island with our kids while they were attending a lifeguard camp…read more While the kids were busy with camp, we decided to venture out and grab some food and drinks, and we ended up at the Sand Trap because it had some decent reviews. Overall, it was just okay. The food was fine, but we felt the prices were a little high for the quality and the location. The service also wasn't anything special, and unfortunately, our bartender came across as a bit rude, which definitely took away from the experience. One thing that really surprised me -- and this seems to be common at a lot of places on Catalina -- is that they don't provide complimentary water. If you want water, you have to purchase bottled water, which seems particularly strange to me and arguably worse from an environmental standpoint. I've never really understood that practice, but I guess that's just how things are done on the island. The Sand Trap is probably a convenient option if you're playing golf and happen to be nearby. But if you're staying in the main part of Avalon and looking for a place to eat, I'd probably explore some other options. Nothing terrible about our experience, but nothing that would make us rush back either. Next time we're on Catalina, we'll probably try somewhere different.

Seating inside at #TheSandtrap

Chilaquiles with eggs

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Seating inside at #TheSandtrap

Bluewater Avalon

3.9(2.7k reviews)

0.0 mi

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We had a server named John we told him our ferry was leaving soon and made sure he got us what we…read morewanted in time! Shoutout John :)

Came here for lunch and after a short wait, we were seated outside right by the water. Such a nice…read morespot to sit and enjoy the ocean view! We ordered the scallops, oysters, and a burger. The scallops were definitely the standout -- they were amazing and I would 100% order them again. The oysters were not bad although I've had better. The burger was a little on the dry side and could've used more seasoning, so I'd probably skip that next time. Overall, a really nice lunch spot in Avalon, especially if you can get a table by the water. I'd come back for the appertizers! For quality of food I think there are other options such as lobster house.

Picturesque views of the Casino!

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Crab Cake perfection!

The Lobster Trap

3.8(2.6k reviews)

I dined here 10 years ago during my last visit to Avalon and it happened to be recommended to me…read morethat it was still a popular place to eat so I returned for dinner last night. The location is one block from the waterfront and features one large room with a full bar, dining room and then a bar with stools next to the open kitchen all with a nautical theme to it. The restaurant has a vibrant feeling to it. I ordered a cup of the clam chowder ($8) and upon the recommendation of the waitress pucker the seafood pasta ($32) for the entree. The chowder arrived about 5 minutes later and was perfect. Delicious, rich, creamy and flavorful, it was as good as any that I have had (5). The entree arrived about 15 minutes after ordering and had shrimp, scallops, clams and fish on spaghetti in a marinara sauce. Quantity wise it was plenty. Taste wise left me wanting a little more. First, I don't like fish in this dish and should have asked it not be included. My fault. I prefer just the shrimp, scallops, clams, etc. Also the marinara was ok in taste but not my favorite. I gave the entree a 3. I would have preferred it with the also available garlic butter and olive oil sauce instead. Service was very good. I am going to give a 4 score here because I think that my entree dislike was more of an anomaly than normal. I would be happy to return.

Cecilia was scattered covered and covered She forgot my…read morebeer and had to be reminded By the time I got my beer I was deep into my meal She never even let me know she was late and apologized Only go for breakfast that is the best time

French toast

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Oysters Rockafeller $26

Topside by NDMK

4.1(229 reviews)

0.2 mi

had a delicious dinner here! service was so incredibly amazing, they are extremely nice, helpful,…read morefriendly, and kept checking in on us! this is on the second floor located right next to the trailhead conservancy. they had an outside patio but also from the inside you can still overlook the beautiful water. my smashburger was great but the FRIES were great with it omg. its cut like a potato chip style and i really enjoyed it the lobster was amazingggg they also have us the lobster claws but we couldnt even break it apart, we brought it home and hammered it down lol overall amazing dinner, would definitely come back when i visit catalina. i totally recommend this place!

Unfortunately, our experience at Topside by NDMK was extremely disappointing. We first waited 30…read moreminutes because the hostess missed our name on the list. Once we were finally seated, another 15 minutes passed without a server acknowledging us. We asked a busser for water, and he said he would get our waiter. We watched him speak to a male waiter, who looked directly at our table but returned to chatting with the bartender. Four other nearby tables that had been seated after us were also left without service. When the waiter eventually headed in our direction, he walked past all of the waiting tables and stopped to talk with guests who had already been served. After sitting for 35 minutes without even receiving water or being greeted by a server, we left. The couple at the table next to us left as well. It truly felt as though the waiting tables were being deliberately ignored. There are many wonderful places to eat on Catalina Island, but based on this experience, I would avoid Topside.