8/4/2023 0 Comments Neptunes net malibu![]() ![]() The ocean is directly before you, framed by cliffs and that gravel artery the PCH, where, on weekends, bikers from Germany and France and the hills above roar by, popping wheelies for show. You take your time dipping fries in ketchup or tartar sauce, which, of course, you pumped yourself at the metal counters, where you also got your own plastic utensils and opened your own bottle too. No one will ask what you're doing on the patio, where you can hide outside with the other outsiders. Neptune's Net is, and always has been, a safe place to play hooky. When I was a teenager ditching school there with a surfer I had a crush on, he convinced me to try a bite, on the grounds that clams don't have faces. The chowder bowl is the only meat I've eaten since becoming a vegetarian at age eight. Signature menu items on the restaurant side include fish & chips, a crab cake burger, and clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. After you've grabbed your own drink, you head to the counter, where a laid-back cashier in a t-shirt will ring you up for that and whatever greasy bullshit you've decided you deserve. As might be expected from a restaurant where shoes but not shirts are required, domestic tallboys are the hot ticket item. The back wall is a long refrigerator filled with rare IPAs and seasonal microbrews. It was built in 1957 and has housed the same deep fryers in the same location for the past 50 years. The "restaurant side" is the original part of the building. Now act like you've fucking been here before. ![]() This is the core of Neptune's Net's philosophy: All are welcome. On your way up the steps of the outdoor patio, a sign asks (and then tells): "First time? Here's the plan," and instructs you to claim dibs on a seat before ordering from one of the place's two sides: seafood or restaurant. Immediately beside them are stalls where the Harleys park. Tourists pose next to the iconic sign, with its whimsical font. Topless construction workers lean against truck beds and sip from six packs they've purchased inside. The parking lot smells of cigarettes and sea breeze. It's a crumbling and colorful building that is mostly patio: a daytime watering hole for bikers, local surfers, and other divorcees who are married to the sea. There is also one restaurant here, at the overgrown border of Los Angeles and the rest of the world: Neptune's Net. On the other, brush and hillsides that are prone to erosion and fire. On one side, County Line is rocks and rotting staircases you have to negotiate to get to the water. Cars perpetually round the blind corners of this strip of Pacific Coast Highway-Porsche Carreras, rented Camrys, beat up Volkswagens with longboards strapped to the roof-any of which could brake abruptly to snag a spot on the shoulder so that their driver can jump out and into the waves. The mix led to some interesting folk.Los Angeles ends at County Line Beach. Neptune’s Net is popular both with bikers (the Harley-Davidson predominates) and beachgoers. The highlight might’ve been the people watching. We both got a small serving of the clam chowder, which in spite of it being a hot afternoon, was really very good. Messy as hell, being the peel-and-eat variety, but totally worth the effort and a great value A BIG plate of steamed shrimp, with melted butter. They weren’t gourmet, but they were delicious and really hit the spot. He ordered the fish tacos, with grilled fish (also comes fried, but not my thing). It was cold and hit the spot after a hot hike up Sandstone Peak. He got a 25-ounce Rolling Rock (as the can said, it comes with an “extra ounce!”). Keep that in mind and you could save some time.Įven though it was crowded and busy, the process went pretty quickly. HOT TIP: The line on the seafood side was almost empty. Joan went over their and ordered a pound of large steamed shrimp. On the right side of the building is the fresh seafood. The “restaurant” has a lot of choices, including the grilled fish tacos that I ordered, fried seafood, and their “famous” clam chowder. ![]() One other item of note, the place is split into two sections, with different menus and lines. On the patio, they had communal picnic tables, and being just two of us, we were able to squeeze in between to other couples. ![]() This took a while, as the place is very busy and popular on the weekends. When you get to the register, you place your order and pay ($10 minimum charge for debit and credit cards). You get in line by the coolers, where you pickup your drinks. Good for us, Neptune’s Net has a great selection of beer. We were hot - it was much warmer than expected - and very thirsty. And as it happens, the road to the Circle X Ranch where the trail begins, leads us right by Neptune’s Net – a Malibu institution. Today we took a hike up to Sandstone Peak - the highest peak in the Santa Monica Mountains. ![]()
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