Duke's Malibu

Everything we ordered was great. Amazing staff, great view, excellent food. Save room for the Hula pie!!

What do you do when you don't have reservations on Mother's Day Brunch?
You tuck and roll out of the car and tell your girlfriend, stay in the car and I'll run in to see if we can sit at the bar. Families won't be sitting at the bar!
After a 2-hour hike in Escondido, you are tired, hungry, and just want a nice lunch. Needless to say, we received it here. Not one single person at the bar, so I kindly asked the bartender " Can we sit here? "Absolutely.
Called my girlfriend, get outta the car, and we SCORED. We had the whole bar to ourselves and Matt, the bartender too. He was fantastic and enjoyed our semi-ocean view and great time. Malibu isn't a place I go regularly, but when I do, we seemed to end up here.

When I ate here, we decided to sit in the back since it was open air. We saw dolphins! What a treat!

The server was no where to be found when we first got there. So we waited about 15 mins before being able to order.

Food was pretty good.

No free parking. Paid valet parking.

This review is about the parking, service, ambiance, & drinks. My mom is in town for my graduation & wanted to bring her to a touristy area on her last day..so - Malibu. After lunch & shopping at a couple places, we decided to look for a place for a drink on the beach...saw Duke's on the map & decided to give it a try. My mom said she didn't go to the one in Waikiki when she visited. I use to live on Oahu so had been to the Duke's there so thought this would be fun.

Nope! No sign for valet & saw one guy doing something in the parking lot but didn't think too much of it..proceeded to self-park when that guy came up to car window complaining about how they were trying to "flag me down" - no one said/motioned anything, which is what I told him. Then, he just walked away without giving me any direction. I had to ask about worker I randomly saw in front of us what was the deal...$12 to park in a private lot for the restaurant? & after that valet guy was in such a mission to ruin someone's day? Ew. I shrugged it off & decided not to let it ruin my time.

Well, then there was the service..to just order a couple drinks was like pulling teeth here. The view - of course, was beautiful, but I did mention Oahu, right? I lived there before, so honestly the experience here was not based on the view.

Ambiance - people seem to hate their jobs - the valet guy for absolute sure, lol. The waitress - um, had to wait way too long to even order a drink.

Would recommended passing on this one; I most definitely will never ever be back.

I was thrilled to discover that LA has a Duke's. I first experienced this restaurant while visiting Hawaii. Reservations are recommended, and valet parking is the best option when visiting here. Alternatively, parking on Street is available, but it can be challenging on a busy street. The customer service was excellent, and our server was extremely friendly and attentive. Duke's offers amazing ocean views, which enhance the dining experience. The ambiance is laid-back with a Hawaii vibe, which adds to the charm.

I tried the banana nut pancakes, which were delicious, topped with berries, coconut syrup, and macadamia nuts. The breakfast sandwich was also tasty, featuring crispy bacon, eggs, avocado, and tomatoes. The potatoes were slightly cold and could have been crispier, but they were seasoned well. Overall, I highly recommend trying this place if you're in the Malibu area.

Great spot for lunch or dinner, and then you can head next door to the Barefoot Bar.
We ate chowder, tacos, and a few cocktails. My husband had 3 bowls of the chowder. He thought it was excellent.
If you enjoy a nice view, this is the place.
Hubby highly recommends that chowder!

The person who took us to our table and welcomed us and our server were incredibly hospitable and kind! The views are next level when your table is near the windows. Stunning. We really enjoyed the breakfast sandwich and pancakes with macadamia nuts and fruit.

Went to Duke's for lunch and sat at a table by the window. Love the ocean views and we even saw a pod of dolphins swimming by! I ordered the hurricane chicken which has the right amount of crisp fry and flavor to the chicken. The coconut shrimp and calamari are my favorite appetizers. The Hula Pie is a perfect finish to the meal and is a giant slice that is plenty for sharing.

I have been visiting this restaurant since I was a child with my parents! I have seen the changes at this restaurant! No longer do they have sand at your feet at the barefoot bar or white table cloths (this has been a long time) in the dinning room. These are just some of the few changes!

Some major changes since covid- Happy hour is very limited- essentially it just taco Tuesday and a sort of happy hour on Friday with discounted Mai Tais. The dinner menu in the dinning room is much smaller- Perhaps 60-70 percent smaller! And no longer, will you be provided bread with your meal! The bread was really good!!! The portions are much smaller as well- I typically do not finish my meal! The hulu pie is still a big dessert!

Despite these negative changes, I would like to give a shout out to our great bartender Matthew T who made my Mai Tai just right- not overly sweet!

So why do I keep coming back- this place is nostalgic! It brings back the fond memories of times that I have been here with my family! And the great view of the ocean!

We had an amazing lunch at dukes thanks to JP! We came in for drinks and he sold us on lunch AND dessert. I don't often review but this deserved one.
Expecting mediocre tacos and entrees we were blown away by delicious food. Our server (JP) was incredible with his recommendations for our food and insisted that we try the Hula Pie. Let me preface that I'm not a sweets person and I had one bite and was HOOKED. Cheers to this place and its staff. Anytime I come visit SoCal I am making sure this place is on my list!