Unbelievable seafood! We had a fantastic meal here, sampling everything from the oysters, to the crab cake, Caesar salad and seafood tower, and most importantly the key lime pie. Lovely wine and cocktail selection with professional service and a sliver of an ocean view. Definitely make sure to make a reservation well in advance, it's gets busy! Don't miss the key lime pie. read more

Excellent and interesting seafood. Service was perfection. The vibe is great. Parking is challenging but so is everything is that area.

5/5 stars @fishingwithdynamite Let me break it down: -Customer Service: friendly, fast, quality Exceptional customer service after going multiple times. Our waiters have always proven to be very personable, give great recommendations and are on top of everything (bringing drinks, refilling waters, cleaning tables, etc). They seem to all love what they do and are passionate about where they work. -Location: in the heart of Manhattan Beach, can't be beat -Cost: expected for quality seafood Priced for quality raw seafood -Vibe: Date night, seafood tower, crisp white wine... upscale food but casual beach dining -Drinks & Food: incredible We've tried- seafood tower, crab sakes, crudo, lobster roll, and more. All have been amazing -Pro tips: inside seating is limited, opt for outside option. Easier to get a table + enjoy people watching Would I go here again? Yes, we are so fortunate to have this place in the neighborhood Am I dying to go back? Yes! Saturday afternoon plan. read more

Fishing With Dynamite - Seafood tower - Seafood Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

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Had dinner here recently. I'm giving this place four stars despite getting food poisoning from the Japanese inspired risotto dish that I loved when I ate the whole thing. Also loved the raw shellfish bar tower, as well as the Keylime pie and bread pudding desserts. The restaurant was very busy and is not terribly big. They depend upon using their sidewalk for outside dining. Service was excellent. Challenging street parking only. Very expensive. I'd eat here again, based on the assumption that my food poisoning was a random event. read more

My husband and I went here to celebrate his birthday. We were greeted by a gentleman who was not at all friendly. I'd even go so far as to say, he seemed annoyed to be helping us. We sat outside and ordered our cocktails and appetizers. A few things that really made our experience disappointing. The entire time we were eating there was an employee right next to us cleaning and working. He would shake his dirty towel out right next to our table in between clanking the dishes and silverware around. It really took away from the occasion. Service was really slow, but not awful. We decided to skip the entrees and go somewhere else. I had mentioned to our server that it was my husband's birthday. I was hoping they would include a candle or something. They did not. When the bill came we realized that we were charged almost $22 for a Negroni and $24 for a ManhattanThe Negroni on their menu is only $16 and we didn't call any alcohol. After getting the bill I'm actually glad we decided not to stay longer. The food and cocktails, while good, did not match the poor experience we had, especially for a day we were trying to celebrate. read more

Excellent hamachi sashimi, oysters and tostada. Oysters came with the classic cocktail, fresh horseradish and mignonette. The ponzu sauce was different but overpowering the oyster a bit. Peruvian scallops beautiful sauce. The clam chowder was decent, homemade croutons were buttery and flaky. House rolls (shrimp and crab) both good but nothing to write home about. Crab cake also okay. Service was excellent and good ambience. Parking is always tough. read more

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Good seafood but a tad bit pricey for the over experience it offers. The decor, space, and ambiance is somewhat lacking. The restaurant is too tight and cramped. They probably can move to a bigger location or else lower the price. Good and friendly staff. read more

This place was adorable and delicious. Aleks was a great server. We really liked the food! It would be good to get appetizers out of the way before dinner is brought over. All And all a great place. It is very small. Make a reservation! read more

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What a great place. We had a nice group and ordered a wide variety of food. Shrimp ceviche and crab cake for appetizer. My friend shared the fish sandwich and the Brussel sprout salad with me. So Sprouts salad was definitely too salty for us. Clam Chowdah was great. We also ordered oysters all were good. I think wine by the glass was a little pricey. Seating is tight inside. read more

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I can't wait to come back! The food was so fresh and the views are to die for. Got off the plane at LAX and made a B Line right for this place before a work meeting. Tried several items from the menu. Not one thing was bad or overcooked. Its nice to smell the fresh ocean air, see the ocean, and then eat the ocean all at one spot. read more

Fishing With Dynamite - Seared Maine Diver Scallops - Seafood Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

Super small place but the food and service is outstanding. Definitely Michelin caliber. The scallops were perfectly cooked and complimented by amazing sauces and garnishes. I also had sashimi, which also gets an A+. My wife had tuna tartare and mussels in a sophisticated broth. All the food is elevated, thoughtful, and intentional. Very impressive!! read more

Came here for lunch on Valentine's Day and their tasting menu was fantastic. Fresh Japanese Hamachi Sashimi with avocado, a gorgeous Atlantic Salmon Tartare with notes of pear to start, a splurge-worthy SS Minnow with buttery and briny oysters and clams. The Pan Roasted Pacific Striped Bass, when we finally received it, was just perfection, best fish I've had in years. The Steamed Purple Clams and Salt Spring Island Mussels have a fantastic sauce, and they still make the best Key Lime Pie ever for dessert. Thoroughly enjoyed the Chocolate Praline Bar as well. I docked a star for the service. They forgot we existed between the raw platter and the entrees, and they even tried to bring us someone else's food. Because parking meters are so strictly policed in this area, one of us had to leave the table early while the other person paid. The lag was significant, and it's terrible to feel forgotten at a place of this caliber. I will absolutely be back for more as they serve some of the South Bay's best, but the service really left a sour note this time around. read more

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Foodie alert!!! This Michelin recognized restaurant is worth the trip, cost, wait, anticipation, etc. The freshness of the seafood is the best that's out there. Wowyumyessss. I love taking my clients to great eats, and I love it even more when they are super excited to come to a great place. This place will impress - whether it's a casual lunch, nice dinner, or quick weekend stop (if you can even get a seat). And the staff is lovely and great at their job. And the decor is quaint but upscale. We ordered all the great fresh seafood: oysters, Peruvian scallops, Maryland blue crab cakes, Mexican white shrimp ceviche and the hamachi sashimi. And don't forget the Sancerre! Love this place. Love the vibe. Can't wait to take my family here next. read more

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This place is so good! I've been here during dinner time and I've been here during lunch. The menu is well created and very flavorful. I highly recommend coming to this place solo. The host is incredibly kind and attentive. She really runs that stand very well. Beyond ambience is amazing and very chill in the night and daytime! Highly recommend coming here. read more

Fishing With Dynamite - Wild New Caledonian Prawns - Seafood Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

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Eaten here 3 or 4 times now and it is always great with an ever evolving menu. If they have it on the menu, unless you allergic to it, you will love it. Always fresh. Make a reservation as it is small and gets crowded. Staff is always great read more

Saturday, 7/16/2022 - Went to "Fishing with Dynamite" to try their oysters. Address is 1148 Manhattan Ave, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266. This is a very small restaurant inside. They have a tiny bar inside. But they do have a large seating area outside. They decorated their tent outside with lots of plants. Looked really nice. They only paid street parking. Upon arrival: Pros: 1) our waiter was extremely nice. Great customer service. He checked on us to ensure we had what we needed. 2) oyster plate was good. Crab cake is... meh. It was on the sour side. 3) water tasted good. No metal taste or funky taste. 4) alcohol drinks good. 5) we had quick service, got our food orders quick, tab quick, checked on my our server, tab quick. They were very good. Cons: 1) no cons. Conclusion: I like this little spot. Hostess and server was nice. Service was quick. Foods weren't bad. Just remember it's paid street parking. read more

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Amazing seafood that never fails to disappoint in seafood quality. The oysters, hamachi, and fries never fail to amaze. Can't go wrong with any of the entrees! read more

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Came in for my first time, not knowing what manhattan was about and I order appetizers, Sebastian pulled up and made it feel like my friend pulled up. I wouldn't come back if it wasn't for Sebastian hospitality, if I'm being completely honest! read more

I came here with my parents for my birthday lunch and overall had a great experience. FwD came highly recommended by a good friend. We tried a wide variety of items: 1) Raw bar (oysters [tried two of the daily specials], Peruvian scallops, littleneck clams, and shrimp cocktail): everything was fresh and delicious. My favorite was the littleneck clams. 2) Grilled Wild Spanish Octopus: Octopus was tender and well-seasoned, and the spicy tomato kolmarra was also delicious. My only complaint is that the potatoes were doused in salt (intentionally for the cooking process), but I had no idea so was in for an unpleasant surprise when I took a big bite. Once I knew, I peeled the skin/dusted the salt off the remaining potatoes. 3) Koshihikari Rice: a luxurious, rich seafood porridge with shrimp, uni, and blue crab. A little on the salty side but the seafood flavors were rich and it was worth a try. 4) Grilled Rockfish Tacos: these were probably the least memorable - good, but nothing special. 5) Cup of Clam Chowder: less creamy than the average clam chowder but in a good way! They included manila clams and more vegetables which gave it a more home-made taste. 6): Pretzel Bread Pudding: This came highly recommended by one of the waitstaff and it did not disappoint! Rich and sweet but offset nicely by the mascarpone ice cream. Service was phenomenal. John was knowledgable, professional, and efficient, and made our experience all the better. Price point is quite reasonable for the quality and quantity. Overall a great experience, will be back! read more

Walked in for Monday lunch and got a seat outside on the sidewalk area very quickly! Service is really friendly and quick here. Got a dozen oysters (you can have a variety of different ones). Found that I liked the WA ones the best. fish/shrimp tacos (one of each) came with chips & guac. I really loved the flavor, however found that it was very light on the filling in the actual tacos. Wish they would have filled it with fish/shrimp a bit more. Fish Sandwich - favorite of the items! was really fresh and delish. came with fries on the side. read more

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OMG!! If you are prepared to eat the largest plate of seafood of your life that is delicious .....you must order the Mothershucker. Probably more ideal for 3 to 4 people, but we're going to eat it at two!!! Thinking I may go keto after this because it's so good and I can't imagine I need to eat carbs after this! Super awesome service our server was Akela... Super personable and Johnny on the spot! Cool vibe, casual...WE read more

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This place is unreal. Everything you get. Striped sea bass over the ramen was just.. delicious. Peruvian Scallops (can order by the scallop and it comes in the shell) are a must. Can't recommend the servers, bar tenders and chefs enough. So good. So so good read more

Fishing With Dynamite - Striped bass. Insane. Come here if you can. - Seafood Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

The food was delicious! We ordered the tuna tartare and the chilled shrimp and clams for apps and both were good and also light. For dinner we ordered the sea bass and the scallops. Also delicious. Service was good, though the restaurant is small or server seemed overwhelmed and whisked away the tuna tartare before we had finished it. She was very nice and made great recs though! Ambiance.... It might not be for everyone but we loved it! It is a small space with close tables but I love the communal eating vibe it gave off as well as the conversation between diners. read more

FWD is my favorite restaurant in Manhattan Beach. Dinner was fabulous tonight and we are all big fans of the restaurant now. We sat at the chef's counter, which was really great because you can see them preparing the shellfish. Our server Elijah was very prompt and did a great job. They have a lot of great options on the menu, so it was hard to choose because I wanted so many different items. It's quite small on the inside, but in a cozy sort of way. Parking in the area was pretty easy for us, we found metered parking a block away. As the name suggests, they specialize in seafood. We started off with the Peruvian Scallops and they were incredible. Oysters are my favorite, but this was a refreshing change. Next we tried the Littleneck Clams raw and they too were very good although I prefer oyster or scallop. We tried a cup of the Clam Chowder and as big fans of chowder in general we were really impressed with this version of it. Next came the Cape Cod Squash Rolls and they were great. I loved the honey butter that came with them, they taste very similar to a Parkerhouse roll. The Hamachi Sashimi was also a standout. The sauce with it was so good that I could drink it, and the wish was very refreshing. Next came the Shoft Shell Crab, which was fried and very good. I prefer my Soft Shell Crab sautéed, but this was a nice fried option. For entrées we chose the Koshihikari Rice, which is similar to risotto, with an egg in the middle that you can mix in. The Uni really adds a strong seafood flavor to it. We also got the Chilean Seabass, which was cooked perfectly although the portion was pretty small. Finally for dessert we had the Chocolate Pretzel Bread Pudding and it was terrific. The salted caramel sauce was really next level. Overall a fantastic dinner, and I would highly recommend to anyone, especially any seafood fan. I plan to be back in the future to try more items. read more

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If you want fresh seafood in a comfortable cozy spot this is the place! This is one of my favorite restaurants in Manhattan Beach. They always have fresh seafood and the service is always top notch. It has a really nice neighborhood feel to it. It's a two minute walk from the beach and pier so the location is excellent. This place gets packed so reservations are highly recommended. Must Get Items: Japanese Hamachi Sashimi Peruvian Scallops Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail Blue Crab Cake Koshihikari Rice Blue Crab Seafood Roll read more

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Outrageously fresh fish! Plain and simple.... Don't miss the new item to the menu...Salmon with crunchy skin. Not only was it the best Salmon I've had, but the combo of crispy and the salmon on the rare side is perfect. Oh, and that sauce! So good! read more

Fishing With Dynamite - Seafood Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

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Finally got to try FWD and it did not disappoint. Sophie, our server was great. She knew about everything on the menu and even those things not on the menu. The flavors were good and the raw items were fresh. The lobster rolls come a couple of different ways and it is delicious either way. My wife and I got to have a very nice lunch as a celebration for both our birthdays and FWD made it memorable. We will definitely be going back. read more

Came here for the first time on Valentine's Day and experienced their pre-fixed menu. It was an A+ experience. The food was phenomenal. It felt like I was at a Michelin star restaurant! All the seafood was so fresh and perfectly done, with complex flavors that were so unexpected but so delightful and mentally refreshing! I can't even pick a favorite dish because every single thing was amazing. The chocolate praline bar (even though it looks unremarkable) IS A MUST TRY!! Engrained in my memory as one of my favorite desserts of all time. read more

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Fishing with Dynamite is outstanding...5-star deliciousness. Incredible seafood and awesome service. Every dish we tried was creative and delicious. We had an assortment of items: dozen mixed oysters, hamachi crudo, shrimp, and octopus. For dessert, we had the key lime pie and it was amazing. Strongly recommend...we will return! read more

The best food and service and staff. Very cozy take friend or two to enjoy the oysters, clam chowder, crab cakes and key lime pie. I love their wine selection and the service is outstanding. Its a michelin catering. I recommend reservations. There is city parking in the back on 12th Street. I have visited more than once. The oyster bar is fresh and has many varieties! read more

Outstanding seafood! Lobster, chowder, you name it, everything was great. Quite busy and service took a bit of time but it was worth the wait. Outside on the beach we even got to see someone setting up for a romantic beach proposal. So sweet. Just a great experience. read more

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We had some beer after visiting Manhattan Beach, this is a very light and bright seafood restaurant which I like more instead of the dark high-end restaurant. The oysters are fresh with name labeled which is a good lesson for recognizing oysters. You can feel the difference between the different oysters, some fat, some salt, some savoy. There was a Vietnamese restaurant called Little Sister, which was also good. Unfortunately, it's closed, permanently. Be aware, lunch is only to 6 pm, lunch? After that, the restaurant will become a fine dining one. I like it. read more

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Wonderful. From the service to the food, it was wonderful. We had a large party (nine of us) and the staff was incredibly accommodating. One of person in our group had a serious egg allergy and not only did the staff ensure that they let us know which dishes had egg they made alternative options for our allergy dude. Instead of just saying "welp, sorry that has eggs" they legit brought out the same dish with the egg taken out! I mean it doesn't get much better than that. Special shout out to Katie, the GM. She led the charge on bringing all of this together for our group! Highly recommend FwD. read more

My absolute favorite seafood spot! Best quality oysters ive had by far and I used to work at Santa Monica Seafood. Highly recommend! read more

Fishing With Dynamite - Spanish octopus - Seafood Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

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This was a nice fine! The food was great and staff were nice. The place is small but they have outside seating which made things better since Manhattan beach provides amazing cool breeze air! read more

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Wow! I've heard about this place for awhile now and finally had a chance to try it out this week. Outstanding!!!! Our server John was incredibly friendly and informative, and the food was AMAZING! After John's guidance, we ordered the following: -Spotted Prawns (Special) -AMAZING. -Blue Bay Oysters- so refreshing and lovely -Koshikari Rice - rich and tasty! - Key Lime Pie - rich and creamy, tangy treat! - Delicious beer and rosé The interior is super cute and intimate + I can't wait to come back! read more

Fishing With Dynamite - Seafood Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

Fishing with Dynamite was an absolute lovely experience. A friend took us for dinner and I do not regret at all coming. Our waiter was extremely nice, making sure we were good and distributed the clam chowder into separate bowls for us so we didn't have to split it ourselves. The clam chowder to be honest was one of the best I've eaten. Packed with the seafood clam flavor and the other ingredients were nice and chunky. I love having different ingredients and not just clam and potatoes so that really made my day. Our friend got the seafood platter for us (I think it was one of the specials that night I'm not sure) and that was delicious as well. All the seafood was fresh, plump, and juicy. Every seafood piece was really big!!! The interior is cute and I loved the vibes and feeling. We sat outside that day but we would love to try eating indoors next. read more

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Well, not sure why I haven't done this before but it's time to end that travesty. This is one of my favorite restaurants in the country: full stop. I got to MB at least once a year and always plan my visit around how many times I can optimally eat at FWD and not seem annoying. After this visit (3 times) I just said the hell with it and decided to become a faux local. Let's start with the positives, of which there are MANY. The service is perfect. Friendly, fun, efficient. Devin and Sal were perfect this trip...working hard always but always with a smile and a joke. The food: I'm not going to lie...this is going to sound hyperbolic. I get it, we're on Yelp. But trust me when I say the seafood here tastes like it jumped out of the ocean and straight into the kitchen. We tried half the menu over 5 days and there wasn't a wrong note. Maybe the French fries as they were just ok. But who goes to a seafood restaurant in the ocean to eat fries?? The hamachi is the best I've ever had. Light, and fresh with heavy citrus notes. The shrimp ceviche tostada (pictured) is an explosion of flavors...and possibly the prettiest dish on the menu. And you're going to look at the rice dish on the main plates side of the menu and skim over it. Don't! It's rich and flavorful and unlike anything you'll try this year. Skip the scallops (everyone does scallops well) and try the rice. Although I'm already missing the perfect weather, I'm missing FWD more. I'll see y'all again soon!! read more

Fishing With Dynamite - White shrimp ceviche tostada - Seafood Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

Had a great Friday afternoon lunch. Great vibe and service. Food was excellent! Loved the chowda and raw oysters.

Queen Mary was legit one of the best seafood platters I've had. Fish sandwich was great. Was a bit underwhelmed by the hamachi, grilled ocotpus and Santa Barbara sea urchin. Cocktails on point. Definitely worth a try. read more