Malibu Wines & Beer Garden — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Malibu Wines & Beer Garden was really hard to review. It gets 5 stars for ambiance! The places is really beautiful inside and out! It provides a wonderful spot for friends to get together and share a beer and a bottle of wine.

So why three stars? Because most of the wine was bad and a couple of them undrinkable... not just were they not great... but the bottles had turned and had quite literally gone bad... yet they're still serving them. We tasted 9 of their wines... The 2023 Sauvignon Blanc was bad - not in a "went bad" way... just wasn't good to the point where we poured it back. The 2023 Chardonnay wasn't much better (though it was a hint better). Then the Estate 2022 Sauvignon Blanc was the first respectable wine. It doesn't blow one's socks off, but it was good.

Then we had the King of the Mountain. The color was kind of on the brown side... a sign of older (past their prime) wines... but the nose was incredible! The nose on this was what I want all my wines to be. The taste... it was good - but you could tell it was past its prime... a little bit of that raisin taste wines get when they turn... but you could tell there is quality here. This was the gem... we just needed a more updated bottle... (more on that in a bit)

Then we tried the Turtle Rock, and before even tasting it (which we had very little), you could tell from the smell it had gone bad... vinegar and raisins. Very old. we took it back and asked for the cab which hadn't been on our list... SAME THING! It was unservable. I don't know how there getting away with it...

Now for the reveal... those last three wines were all 2017! While there are accessions depending on how wine is kept and the particular wine... 2017 is OLD to be pouring. It became clear... they just have a ton of wine left over they're trying to get rid of! Very sad!

We were members here pre-children, over a decade ago, and back then while the wine was never the best... it was respectable and clearly something they cared a bit about (especially the Semler label)... it now seems like they have just let it go and wine is kind of an afterthought and they just don't care about wine anymore. They DO serve beer... maybe that's their thing now - which would be totally acceptable! But you can't serve people this bad wine... I mean, that 2017 Turtle Rock had quite literally gone bad.

Going back to the King of The Mountain, it got me thinking how good it would be if there were serving a 2021! I bet that would be amazing right now. Where is it?

The 2018 (!) Petite Verdot was so-so. Kind of blah, but at least hadn't gone bad. Same for the 2023 Pinot Noir... it was okay. Then the 2023 Malbec was pretty interesting! This isn't going to sound good... but had notes of dill in an interesting way. This one was a respectable taste for sure!

So to recap... a 5 star hang! 1.5 star wines. But remember... they have beer! I really hope they step their wine game up, or even just release more recent vintages! If the wine was respectable, I could see us being regulars here! Also... the price point for the wine is laughable. But this wouldn't be about bottle buying, but more the hang. Still a great...

My daughter picked the hottest day in May to celebrate their her birthday and 5-yr wedding anniversary at this venue. First, I'll start with the positives:

PROS: Charming outdoor patio areas. String lights and "mist sprayers" everywhere. Great service. Dozens of beers on tap. A nice selection of wines. A friendly and happy crowd. A trolley car and old tractor create a fun atmosphere. The bathrooms, 2 in the detached bungalows and a big portable bathroom trailer were very clean. The bathroom trailer had a wheelchair and was fully air conditioned: The coolest place on site! There were several private parties that day. Our group of 50+ people were at the very end, by the "trolley." Again, friendly staff and good service. Valet parking.

CONS: With outdoor venues, you can't control the weather. It was over a 100 deg when we arrived at 4pm to set up. Fortunately the venue had "mist sprayers" everywhere. Thank God. No outdoor music nor sound amplification allowed due to the apartment or condo complex directly on the other side of the fence. I'm sure they must've had noise complaints. So during my speech, I had to speak loudly so our party of 50+. Thankfully I am a skilled orator. Haha.

My in-law got stung by a bee or wasp. She gasped and dropped her sturdy wine glass (which survived the fall.) Thankfully, she was not allergic to bee stings. She treated the sting with ice, kept calm and carried on. She did not want to spoil the special evening. I came home with several mosquito bites and now have welts on my arms and neck.

Lastly, Malibu Wine & Garden doesn't offer food services. So they allowed our party to bring water, non-alcoholic drinks and cater our own food. Their preferred food vendor was Pitfire Pizza, the Woodland Hills location. We love Pitfire Pizza but they nearly ruined our party. This is not Malibu Wine & Garden's fault. I will write a long review with Pitfire Pizza separately. Basically, Pitfire Pizza delivered 2 large orders to the venue. While we were waiting for our food, the other party was enjoying ALL our food. A terrible mix up.

So I will ignore this catering SNAFU for this review and give this venue 4-stars for its service and...

First Visit:

My first visit on a Friday during the summer was a pleasant experience. The venue was packed, but I was lucky to snag the last valet parking spot. I enjoyed the outdoor seating and the silent disco, which added a fun touch. I arrived around 4 PM and stayed until closing. While the waitstaff frequently reminded us about closing time during the final hour, they did so in a lighthearted way that didn’t feel intrusive. The wine selection was somewhat limited, particularly for sweeter, fruit-forward options, but I found a couple of wines I enjoyed. Overall, it was a positive experience, and I looked forward to returning.

Second Visit:

Unfortunately, my second visit fell far short of expectations. I visited on a Monday at 5:30 PM with a party of two, and the place was nearly empty. With only a handful of patrons, there was a clear opportunity for the staff to provide more attentive service, but instead, the experience felt rushed and dismissive.

Due to high winds, outdoor seating was closed, but with all the doors left open, the indoor space was just as cold. Our waitress seemed uninterested, spilling drinks while pouring and offering minimal engagement. She barely made eye contact and appeared eager to return to her seat rather than ensuring we were comfortable. By 6 PM, we were informed that last pour was at 6:30, but no one checked on us or asked if we needed anything during that time.

To make matters worse, the POS system automatically defaulted to the highest tip percentage, which felt inappropriate given the poor service. Other recent reviews mention similarly subpar experiences with waitstaff, suggesting this is a recurring issue for certain customers.

While Fridays here can be enjoyable, the inconsistent service and missed opportunities to elevate the experience have left a bad impression. Sadly, we won’t...