Santa Monica Seafood

This LA seafood institution started at Santa Monica Pier and, more than 70 years later, the retail market and café—now operating blocks from the Pacific—is still family-run, and serves as a one-stop shop for all things seafood. The 60-foot, horseshoe-shaped seafood case boasts every imaginable bivalve, crustacean and finned creature with a daily-changing board that lists fresh catches of the day like sturgeon fillets and spiny lobsters. Grab a seat at the raw bar and dive into oysters ($18, half dozen; $32, dozen) and Alaskan King Crab legs. Crab Louie and cioppino satisfy with text-book versions of the classics, but the best deal might be hearty fish chowder, chock-full of whitefish, swordfish, and mahi in a corn and potato–studded tomato broth. Join the lunchtime crowd and pre-dinner market rush, or loll over a glass (or bottle) of wine in between services.