Fishing with Dynamite

The Verdict

If you're choosing between a beachside seafood spot in the South Bay and a polished raw bar with genuine culinary credentials, Fishing with Dynamite is the clear pick. It runs at the $$$ price point, which puts it well below the $$$$-tier fine dining of Providence or Hayato, while delivering a level of quality that has earned consecutive Michelin Plate recognition (2024 and 2025) and consistent placement on the Opinionated About Dining Casual North America list; ranked #92 in 2023, #132 in 2024, #105 in 2025. That's a track record worth booking around, not just dropping into.

What to Expect

Fishing with Dynamite occupies a compact, low-key space on Manhattan Avenue in Manhattan Beach; a neighborhood that trades on proximity to the Pacific rather than culinary density. The room is small and deliberately casual, which means the spatial experience is more oyster-bar-counter than white-tablecloth. If you've been once, you already know the seating is tight and the pace is lively. That intimacy works in the venue's favor at lunch, when natural light and a quieter floor let the food take center stage. In the evening, especially on Fridays and Saturdays when the kitchen runs until 9:30 PM, the room fills and the energy picks up considerably. For a return visit with someone who wants to talk, arrive before 6:30 PM on a weekday.

Chef David LeFevre built this restaurant after serious time in high-end kitchens, the approach here reflects that discipline applied to a more accessible format. The focus is raw bar and seafood, the kitchen treats both with the same rigor you'd expect from destinations like Le Bernardin in New York City. The difference is that Fishing with Dynamite doesn't ask you to dress for the occasion or spend accordingly.

The Drinks Program

The bar program at Fishing with Dynamite is worth treating as part of the dining decision, not an afterthought. For a casual seafood format, the drinks list is thoughtfully constructed to pair with the menu's briny, acidic profiles. Expect a wine selection oriented toward crisp whites and sparkling options, the kind of list that reflects seafood-first thinking rather than a generalist approach. If you're returning, the bar is a legitimate destination on its own: it's a reasonable spot to sit with oysters and a glass before a full meal or instead of one. Compared to purely casual raw bars like Hog Island Oyster Co. in San Francisco, the drinks program here is more composed and food-intentional. For a similarly coastal-focused drinks experience in the LA area, few spots at this price tier match the pairing intelligence on offer.

If cocktails are your priority, the program is present but not the headline act, this is primarily a wine and beer bar built around the menu. Those seeking a more cocktail-forward experience in Los Angeles should check our full Los Angeles bars guide alongside this booking.

Going Back: What to Target on a Return Visit

If you've already done the oysters and the signature seafood plates, a return visit rewards a more deliberate approach. Sit at the counter or bar if you can, which gives you a clearer view of the kitchen's pacing and makes for easier conversation with staff about what's running well that day. The menu rotates with availability, so a second visit often reads differently from the first. Arrive hungry enough to work through both the raw bar section and at least one cooked plate, the kitchen's range is broader than the raw bar label suggests, the OAD ranking indicates the cooked program is a meaningful part of why critics keep returning. For context on what seafood-forward kitchens in this tier look like at the leading end, Lazy Bear in San Francisco and Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg represent how the format scales upward in ambition and price.

Booking and Timing

Booking difficulty sits at moderate. Fishing with Dynamite is popular enough that walk-ins on weekends carry real risk, but it's not the kind of venue where you need to camp a reservation queue six weeks out. A two-week lead time for a weekday lunch gives you a good selection of seats. Weekend dinner during summer months warrants booking three or more weeks ahead, given Manhattan Beach's seasonal foot traffic. The kitchen opens at 11:30 AM daily, which makes it one of the more accessible lunch options in the South Bay for a restaurant at this quality tier. Hours run Sunday through Thursday until 9 PM, Friday and Saturday until 9:30 PM.

If you're building a broader Los Angeles itinerary, see our full Los Angeles restaurants guide, our full Los Angeles hotels guide, and our full Los Angeles experiences guide for how this fits into the city's wider offering.

That kind of consistency across a large review base, combined with the OAD and Michelin signals, suggests performance that isn't tied to a single great night.