The Lighthouse Cafe — Restaurant in Hermosa Beach

Came by here on chance while looking for seafood around Hermosa beach. Nice location right in front of the pier with covered outdoor seating and indoor seating. Given the chill in the air lately, we opted for indoor seating which was bright, open, with a nice high ceiling. Nice atmosphere and some interesting paintings on the walls.

The menu isn't extensive, but keeps some good go-to foods like burgers and tacos. I opted for the Lobster Mac n Cheese which is a favorite comfort food ... unfortunately it was anything but this time. While the serving of lobster was reasonable for the $20 cost, the dish was basically noodles coated in butter/oil and with a little melted cheese on top and the tiniest bit of cheese sauce only in one part of the dish. The flavor - even of the lobster itself - was extremely bland and the whole thing tasted like someone microwaved yesterdays left-over noodles. If they called it 'elbows and lobster' I'd consider it more accurate. On the up side, my fries were properly cooked...but McDonalds can do that. My friend got fish tacos and said they were mediocre but I opted not to try them myself so I'll reserve judgment.

Sadly the menu lists both an executive AND sous chef. If between them they can't figure out a simple comfort food like mac n cheese, I question why they'd put their names in public. The waiter was quick to address the problem and offered to get me something else several times plus took the food off the check (+1 star) but I wasn't about to play roulette a third time with the food. Kudos to the wait staff, but they can't make up for a...

We celebrated our son's 17th birthday at The Lighthouse Cafe on Tuesday, and we were so happy on several fronts. The venue is absolutely perfect: it's right next to the pier and just feet from the ocean where you can catch nightly sunsets. We were fortunate to pull in at 7pm and witness a beautiful sky, then walk a few feet to the restaurant. When we arrived, the folks were setting up for a couple of DJ's and a salsa dancing event, but everyone attended to us as if we were VIPs! One of the DJ's proactively offered to take our picture in front of an area dedicated to the filming of La La Land with Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, and at the same time, an employee named Jess overheard our son's and my excitement that we were where the movie had been filmed and offered to bring out a t-shirt for our son's birthday and said, "It's our gift!" We were then offered a table and our food arrived shortly after it was ordered. Music began to play, and the ambiance was quite nice. Our server was Laura who was working the bar, and she was just fabulous. She was attentive to our needs, genuine about how the food was and if we needed anything, and we could tell that everyone at this establishment truly valued its patrons! After a delicious dinner and great service, we walked the pier, snapped photos, and then hopped into the car and made our way back to San Diego. We communicated to the staff that we'll be back and we absolutely meant it. What a...

The lighthouse is back better than ever. I will be honest with new ownership and a posh menu I was very skeptical about returning. My favorite drinks no longer exist and a quick dive bar menu is no longer available. Everyone working here is a brand new team and I have to applaud the amazing customer service. I explained to our server I am a long time visitor and was confused about the changed menu and what I'm used to. She offered her suggestions and my goodness they were incredible. From the fired chicken being fried to perfection with no grease spewing out, to the chorizo nachos the newer menu did not disappoint. My new favorite is the Mac n cheese and broccolini which was bursting with flavor. When our meal came to an end my sever yet again did not disappoint by suggest their home-made whiskey ice-cream for desert. My goodness I can't believe I walked in skeptical because the new owners took someplace classic and amazing and brought it up a whole new level. One of the gentlemen who came out and spoke with us after our meal and listened to our feedback and explained they still wanted to preserve the authenticity of the lighthouse but with new flair. Well Lee your off to an...