Baleen

Baleen probably had one of the best atmospheres for a restaurant. When we went we sat in the bar area where there was a fire place and comfortable seating. You could still order from the full menu but it was great because there was live music and the musician was fantastic! The service and food were great, when you go I would order the filet. That was my favorite, we also had the short rib which was great.
A plus is you can see the harbor from your seats.

Nick was a great server! Very interactive and fun to talk to. Food was great as always. Will come back again soon. Was also nice that Sean the restaurant manager came by and said hello. Well done!

Baleen is trendy and upscale restaurant in Redondo Beach located near the pier. There aren’t many great restaurants in Redondo Beach, so we were excited to try this out. Unfortunately, it didn’t really meet our expectations.
I had the farmer’s market greens, which was just a simple salad with nothing really unusual or remarkable about it, and the Pan Roasted Halibut with red wine risotto for my entrée. The halibut was alright, but there was nothing really remarkable or interesting about the taste. I felt that I could have just as easily made the dish at home.
For a restaurant that bills itself as upscale and nice, the atmosphere was surprisingly casual and informal. The service wasn’t great either, and we felt rushed while placing our order, even though there was hardly anyone else at the restaurant. To make things even more confusing, our table was approached by a few different waitresses within the first few minutes after we arrived, almost like each one was competing to serve our table. It took a few minutes for them to figure out who was actually supposed to be serving us. There was also an odd smell coming from the corner of the restaurant where we were seated that we couldn’t ignore.
Overall, it wasn’t the greatest dining experience and probably won’t be back anytime soon.

We had both dinner and breakfast at Baleen at the Portofino Hotel in Redondo Beach. The harbor views are beautiful in the evening when the lights were shining from the boats as well as in the morning when the light glistens off the water. There is a fireplace in one of the dining rooms that offers a cozy, inviting atmosphere. For our 7pm dinner, there were two corporate holiday parties in progress resulting in extremely slow service for our party of six. The seafood pasta, the salmon entrée, and the Asian salad were deemed excellent. The sea bass in miso was dry, although the sauce and the accompanying bok choy were tasty. At breakfast diners have a choice of a continental buffet ($ 18) consisting of a variety of breads, muffins, pastries, fruit, cereals, yogurt, oatmeal, plus bacon, sausage, potatoes, and scrambled eggs. The a la carte salmon benedict was excellent served with two poached eggs, a hefty portion of smoked salmon, capers, and home potatoes. The bar area is hip offering custom cocktails. If you are staying at the Portofino Hotel, this very good restaurant is convenient. Check Travelzoo for the year round special which includes breakfast, wifi, parking, and an upgrade when available.

Another fancy restaurant. I went this place with my lady’s request. It was her birthday so we took our kid and three of us with nice cloth on. I knew this place but this was first time visit. Atmosphere is good, dark interior makes the nice romantic mood. The hostess lady was sweeping the floor with the broom when we went in. With the broom on the hand, she asked what kind of seat we want and we requested the seat that we can see the view. She guided us to the seat that CAN NOT SEE THE VIEW. We saw the seat that CAN SEE THE VIEW available so asked the lady. She had to go back somewhere to ask someone if it’s okay for us to move to that seat. So we had to ask waiter guy the same thing and the guy moved us to that seat so we got what we want at the end. I didn’t mind waiting for the girl to come back but I know how short temper my lady is especially for this kind of matter. My priority was to make my lady happy. And of course if she goes to the bad mood, the fire ash will rain to me…
Lamb dish was incredible. Waiter was really a nice guy who bent his back to take care of us good. My son was happy. M There for, my lady was happy. So I was happy. That is all matters.

Been coming here for years.
Always friendly service.
Love to visit for happy hour for the drinks and finger food.
Great for brunch. Bloody Mary bar :)

Enjoyed a nice Sunday brunch. The service was a tad slow but the atmosphere made up for a lot of that. The brunch menu is great and my eggs were delicious. The best treat is a do it yourself bloody Mary bar. There are soooo many yummy things to choose from to get your Bloody juts how you like it. I would go back again for brunch just for this tasty treat and fun experience.

Excellent meal: Kale Caesar salad as an appetizer with Seafood Spaghetti as the entrée. Alex was my (great) server! He was responsive, attentive and gave me a detailed overview of the menu. I will return.

Enjoyed a PERFECT event, celebrating my father-in-law’s life. Everything was perfect: food, service, staff, ambiance, everything! All our guests just raved about Baleen, but I gotta’ rave about Sean Martin («Food and Beverage Lead») who set it up for us. We live 800 miles away, but he took care of us like we were next door! Baleen and Sean hit it out of the park!

A big fat 1 star for not offering free wifi! Ridiculous! You pay more then $ 500, — and you have to pay $ 35, — extra for wifi. We are living in the year 2015! Offer free wifi!

Had the most amazing afternoon, evening and into the night time at Baleens!!! Mike our bartender extraordinaire was also our server… Each and every hat he wore was outstanding!!! All in all, his attentiveness and his all round enthusiasm in service with a smile could not be trumped! The drinks were awesome too!!!. Add sitting by the fire pit with our feet in the sand looking at the beautiful boats… it’s hard to beat. And oh my gracious… the softshell crab and the duck confit… from the presentation to the divine taste absolutely five stars!
A special thank you to the manager Sean making sure that everything was perfect. Again, beautiful evening beautiful setting! Thank you Mike and Sean! Will definitely be going back!!!

Great food, awesome atmosphere. Hate to Unilocal about this place, its a hidden gem. Its just like surfing, if your a kook stay out of the water!

Breakfast buffet: eggs, sausage, bacon, potatoes that might have been good if they’d been in a warming tray with covers instead of under low lights. Uncovered fruit swarming with flies. Yogurt was decent. For $ 18.
And annoying loud music at 7am is not welcome. When I asked to speak with the manager, he never showed up.
Would not try for lunch or dinner based on this.

Awesome place to meet friends or take clients for a celebratory drink and a little gnosh! Great atmosphere right by the water with lovely views of the boats right outside your window! Not the tastiest of appetizers, but the service was spectacular. Listened to a two piece band playing jazz version of Thompson Twins «Hold Me Now» topped the evening! I think this is my new hang out spot!

Can 9nly speak to the Happy hour in the bar. Was quiet today on Wednesday but on Thursdays they have live music starting at 6 pm. Get here by 530 to get a table. Drink and food specials are plentiful. Good service BUT their happy hour beer is BUD? We are in California. Happy hour should add a rotating good beer. Maybe change it everyday.

Really really bad service… I do not recommend. The hotel was great but the restaurant had terrible service. Don’t waste your time with this place

Food was ok. I had a catered meal, so hard to judge. Mahi mahi was under seasoned and slightly undercooked. Fried green beans here too oily. Veggie burgers were overcooked, apple crisp too sugary. Drinks are good, good wine selection. Get the calamari! Can’t beat the view. Sit outside by the fire pits.

I went here the night of April 3^rd while there was live music for some drinks and was pretty satisfied. The booths outside with the gas fireplaces are awesome. The prices seemed fairly reasonable given the marina location and the atmosphere they’ve created.
It was a bit awkward ordering drinks from the bar (the bartender area is lower than the area in front, so you’re literally looking down on them), and none of the waitstaff really ventured to our booth outside. The bartenders provided decent service, though I wasn’t too impressed with the servers– they didn’t seem too friendly, but you never know how management is treating them.

Came here on a Wed, early dinner.
Let’s point out the good first:
Tapas and appetizers were yummy. soft shell crab was perfectly deep fried and crispy. Shrimp lettuce wraps were crisp, crunchy and delicious. Great cocktail selection. Snapper entrée was good perfectly (not a fan of their mashed potatoes), artichoke hearts were great.
The bad: ordered 2×8 oz Filets medium rare and they both came out med to well done. Had to send those back to the kitchen, wait another 15 min for new steaks to come out. Finally got those correct.
Overall service was pretty good. Would definitely try them out again and update the review to 4 stars if they get the orders correct.
Foods not cheap, so don’t come for a cheap date.
Till next time…

Food is sensational here, I had a smoked salmon for breakfast and that made my day! Happy hour at the bar is great, and the environment is awesome, a perfect view. Only problem is that the service is kinda slow.