BALEENkitchen

Went for dinner on Friday night. I ordered miso glazed salmon with roasted Acorn Squash and my wife ordered the sea bass special. The salmon was good. Squash was pretty blah. The sea bass special was ok. Had the molten chocolate cake for dessert. Pretty bland, I’ve definitely had better. Overall, nice, romantic atmosphere, but the food was pretty mediocre. Would not go back again.

Oh man oh man!!! The Baleen Burger it’s grrrreat. Juicy and I really enjoy the onions rings. Wow this a great burgers.
Great vibe, great people.

Finding a brunch spot that takes reservations for a large party on a Sunday is a challenge. I was grateful to come across BALEENkitchen since the reviews looked pretty solid and the location of the restaurant promised great views of Rendondo Beach.
An online reservation through OpenTable limited the party size to 10 so I called in to add a couple of more people. It was a rather smooth process overall. The day before, BALEENkitchen called to confirm our 10am reservation. The morning of, I called to notify them that we were running about 10−15min late and that our party size was now increased to 14. They were very accommodating and informed us that the table would be ready and that there was a party behind us booked for noon.
We arrived and everything was already set up. While I would not necessarily come back for the food (I’ve had better benedicts in other brunch spots), I appreciated the ease of making the reservation, loved ambiance of the restaurant (open and airy with a great view of Redondo beach!) and the service was great!
The staff was attentive to our large group of 14, the food came promptly, and we never felt rushed. Overall it was a great dining experience and I’d definitely keep BALEENkitchen in mind for the next brunch gathering.
Parking wasn’t too difficult to locate if you’re willing to walk a bit otherwise there’s valet.

Not really sure what’s going on over here, but it’s dropping precipitously from the places we like to hang out. The service is a bit… um, dispassionate. I do not want to become besties with our server, but at least act as if you’re thankful we choose to stop by with all of the other restaurants in the area. The happy hour menu has suffered from a lack of appetizing dishes and eclectic tastes. We ordered several dishes that took so long to arrive we devoured them without really tasting them… we came early enough to avoid a crowd, but still the food took a very long time to come. Interestingly enough, not so with the drinks. Oh well. It’s still a nice view of the marina albeit a bit chilly inside. I think our server was none too pleased with the fact not all of us were drinking. Some of us don’t drink and some were driving; we are also the ones who can appreciate good service and tip accordingly. Whatev. Giving this place a bit of a rest and floating over to Blue Water Grill for happy hour…

Nice place to have lunch or dinner if staying at the Portifino Yacht Club. We really want to thank our server Alex.
Alex, thanks a million for making our dinner a great experience. You are the BEST :)

It gets better! Antonio and Jessica! Great Service. Calmly working a full house.
Thank you.
I had the Bistro Combo and my daughter had the new Noble Salad. Great team on in the kitchen and on the floor! Can’t wait for the patio to open!
As good as it gets!

Came here Saturday am for brunch with my kids. The actual restaurant is beautiful with open windows and plenty of fresh air.
Everything was super clean and on point. The Bloody Mary bar being the most impressive. But even the table setting was well done and tasteful.
The food was 3 – 4 star. Some things were great others not so much. The eggs weren’t fully cooked, the hanger steak was obviously low quality (reminded me of Denny’s steak and eggs) if you put steak on the menu do it with purpose and make a good steak. The chef is on point with the potatoes, chorizo and bacon. Hey owners, give him a good cut of steak spices and a cast iron skillet.
Why it was 5 stars??? Jessica. She was our server. Before medical school, I worked in restaurants for close to twenty years of my life. I know what good service looks like.
Jessica was professional and timely. She was polite and made our dinning experience excellent.
Sometimes service can offset ghetto steak and undercooked eggs. This was one of those times.

I came to BaleenKitchen with my family this morning for Easter brunch. Our waiter Alex was very accommodating and extremely generous with our bottomless mimosas! We ordered a wide array of food and we were all very satisfied. I will definitely be back!
I loved the temporary Easter Brunch menu! Great job Baleen staff!

My boyfriend brought me here for Valentine’s Day, thank you Jon T :)
This restaurant is right next to a hotel and the pier with a bunch of boats so you can get a good window seat. This place has also a full bar area for more of a casual night out. The restaurant side is very intimate and romantic so I highly recommend this place for a date night. Orrr this place seems to be very popular for brunch as well.
We were sat on the 2^nd floor and our server Taylor was very friendly and accommodating.
We started off with clam chowder which was perfect! It had an abundant amount of clams and it had a very good consistency to it.
I got the cioppino which was great! It had a really really good amount of seafood!!! One of the best cioppinos I have had. On the menu it is called something else so ask your server about it.
Since we came for a special occasion, Taylor gave us a very yummy key lime tart to end our dinner.
I highly recommend this place!

Nick G was a HUGE help tonight. Made the experience wonderful for my mother and I right before I leave for NorCal. Very knowledgeable and just an awesome guy to chat with. Will definitely be returning for his service.

Dinner was very very special thanks to our server, Nick G, a knowledgeable young fellow with extremely friendly personality. He knew all things menu related and then some. Food came out quickly, and beautifully presented and absolutely delicious! Thank you Nick G, your awesome!

If you have 2 hours for brunch then this is your spot. The food was really yummy, the drinks were great. The service was… eh…which is why you need to carve out a few hours.
We had three different servers, all of whom seemingly thought we were their table. Each asked us what we would like to order. Not a big problem. Even so, it took 20 or so minutes to get beverages we ordered. The restaurant was pretty empty too.
We ordered the Salmon Benedict which was PHENOMENOMNOMS. Also had the huevos redondos which was yummy as well. The real star of the meal was the Bloody Mary bar. $ 18 for unlimited bloody Mary’s, but it’s well worth it.

I feel bad, because this review is way overdue. I wanted to write about the great service I received from Alex last month. In all honesty, the restaurant itself would only get 3-​stars, but Alex gets 5, so I split the difference.
I took a friend here for his birthday and made my reservation on opentable to notify them of the occasion as usual. However, when we arrived, there was no one at the host station. We waited around for a while, until a bartender came around, and told us we could sit anywhere. We sat ourselves and our waiter, Alex quickly arrived and introduced himself. He saw that I was a bit chilly, so he closed the windows near us without hesitation. I wanted to make sure that the restaurant knew of the occasion and ensure I wasn’t a no-​show on my reservation, so I made sure he checked the computer. He got my drift and did so discreetly.
After getting our wine, we ordered our entrées. My friend went with the miso glazed halibut with honey roasted sweet potato and ginger braised bok choy. I ordered the slow braised short rib with horseradish mashed potatoes and haricot vert & sweet carrots. The mashed potatoes were really good, but everything else was underwhelming. Not bad, just not great. Both his fish and my short rib were slightly over cooked.
I have to say that the best part of the meal was our waiter. Alex checked on us regularly and was super sweet and personable. Anytime we needed anything, he was right there to take care of it quickly. Our water glasses were always filled and he never interrupted the flow of conversation.
For dessert, Alex brought a complimentary key lime pie with passion fruit raspberry sauce and fresh berries. It was good, not too sweet or tart. They wished my friend a happy birthday by name. We also ordered an additional dessert of mango and raspberry sorbets. You can’t really go wrong with that.
The view at the restaurant is of King Harbor, which is nice at night, but really great during the day. There is free valet or self park for the restaurant. There’s a daily special/​event going on. I might go back for «Taco Tuesday» or «Rockefeller Wednesday,» but probably not for regular dinner. They also have a nice bar/​lounge area that’s great for drinks.

Great food and really nice service.
We arrived up the stairs to Antonio
I believe he is a busboy. He made us feel so welcome and let us know that the hostess would be right with us. Bingo! There she was with the same warmth and smile Heather knew the menu and gave is the perfect ideas for lunch. We cannot wait to go back. As we left Antonio once again smiled and said thank you!
You can tell Ethan (aka Chef de Cuisine) and his team of seasoned Portofino chefs and cooks take pride in their craft
Thank you

We came here for Dine LA. The atmosphere was amazing. It was by the waters and across from a hotel. Nick, our server was very attentive and he recommended us some delicious foods on their tapas menu. We ended up order from the Dine LA menu and ordering from their tapas menu. We also ordered a bottle of wine to share between my boyfriend and I. Everything was delicious. I can’t stress enough how great our customer service was. Nick checked back with us every so often to see how we were doing and at the end of our dinner, Shawn, the Manager came out and asked us if we were okay and if our service met up to our standards. Which, of course, it did. I will definitely come back again to try their regular menu. And hopefully remember the dishes names next time!

Took my girlfriend here for her birthday and we were not disappointed. We were seated at a nice table overlooking the waterway. Ambience was romantic and décor was nice.
Had the duck carnitas for appetizer and it was surprisingly good. For entrees we had the miso sea bass and sautéed snapper. Both were excellent. We plan to go back to try other things on the menu.
Service was fantastic. Our server Alex C. was super friendly, had great suggestions and was very attentive.

$ 5 for parking. I was really unhappy about that since the lot had plenty of spots, I ended up finding street parking which was about a 15 min walk for me which I didn’t mind, dropped the gf off so she didn’t have to walk
The rest of the experience was great! I have to give shout-​outs to hostess Cindy, she was extremely helpful and accommodating. They were initially full the day we wanted to go so she squeezed me into lower level seating area, she then spent time with me on the phone looking through Unilocal photos to make sure I was okay with the sitting area. I definitely consider this going above and beyond what was expected. Then she told me to check in later to see if we could get moved up to the 2^nd floor. I called day of our reservation and it turns out she already moved us up without even me having to call! A+!
Our server, I believe his name was Taylor was great as well. Very nice, provided outstanding service and checked on us the perfect amount.
Food was great, I had the seafood pasta which I highly recommend, and also the clam chowder (great portion for it’s price). I forgot the name of the dish my girlfriend got but it was a seafood mix with a tomato based sauce, she said it was pretty good as well. :)

My husband and I came here couple nights ago. It wasn’t crowded at all. The food was ok and the server was very slow and when we asked for something as we were still talking she walks away.

It was okay for dineLA. Restaurant was fairly empty, but we got seated in this weird corner next to the exit. I think they did it because it was a «270 degree view» if my geometry serves me correctly, but I would’ve much preferred a table not next to an exit.
Food was okay. Good taste, good flavor and well-​constructed bites. Portions were on the smaller side, so house bread stepped up big time.
I think Thursday would probably be the best day as they have 50% off a bunch of wines for dinner, starting at $ 15.00 and up. Definitely a good deal in my mind.

Decided to check out Baleen Kitchen for dineLA! My friend and I wanted to try out a local spot we’ve never been to before, and we ended up here on a Friday night. The prix fixe dineLA menu sounded really appealing!
Parking:
Valet parking at the roundabout or self-​parking on either side of the road leading up to the restaurant. Additional parking in the lot located in front of their banquet hall south of Baleen Kitchen.
Ambiance:
When you enter the glass doors, you have to walk up the stairs to reach the restaurant. To the right is the bar and lounge area where they have live music Thursday through Saturday nights. To the left is the main restaurant seating. We were seated at the first two-​person table across from the stairs and hostess booth. Even though the doors were closed and I’m not usually one to get cold, it was FREEZING! I had to put my coat on! At the end of dinner, my friend and I wanted to see the view further into the restaurant. There was a fireplace, and it was SO much warmer in there! We wish they would have seated us in there instead… There’s a nice view of the boats in the marina, so at least we enjoyed seeing that!
Food:
— 900 Walnut Salad — Baby organic greens, candied walnuts, pears, and grapes with a hazelnut vinaigrette. The salad was pretty sizeable. There were lots of walnuts and grapes, but I think I only got one sliver of pear. I enjoyed the dressing!
— Bistro Tots — My friend let me try one of these potato balls. They were drizzled in the most delicious truffle aioli and reggiano cheese. Yum!
— Lobster alla Carbonara — My friend and I both ordered this dish, and we LOVED it! Parpadelle, house cured bacon, peas, organic egg, and parmesan. The noodles were flat but super long, so I had to cut them. The egg was cooked over-​easy, and though I like this type of egg, I though that when the runny yolk covered the noodles, it took away from the flavor of the carbonara.
— Banana Foster Banana Split — For dessert, I had a trio of gelato – raspberry, vanilla, and cinnamon – topped with whipped cream, sliced bananas, and Morello cherries. There were way too many flavors going on in this dessert. The fruity gelato did not pair well with the vanilla and cinnamon flavors. Also, the Morello cherries were quite strong and overpowering. I would not recommend this dessert.
While I really enjoyed my entrée and the starters, everything else was eh… but I’m willing to give them a second chance!

We went here for Dine LA. We had to change our reservation to later times, but it was not too hard. There seemed to have free parking if you self-​park, so parking was not difficult at all.
We had a bit of late dinner around 8pm, so the place was not too busy. When we walked in, we were greeted right away. The atmosphere seemed a bit fancier than what I expected. The bar area was pretty. However, overall, it was a bit darker than what I would have liked. it was hard to read the menu with so deemed lights.
The waiter who was serving our table was attentive and friendly. We were serviced right away with water with menu. It is my pet peeves that restaurants do not give out dine LA menu up front unless you ask for it. I had to ask for Dine LA in order to see Dine LA menu. There is a check-​in Unilocal deal for order 1 entrée and get 1 glass of wine for free. However, they said I cannot use the deal since we are ordering Dine LA menu.
We ordered tots and salad for appetizer, scallops and lobster carbonara for entrée and banana splits for dessert. Salad was refreshing but nothing special and tots were a bit too heavy to me. It was flavorful but the heavy flavor overwhelmed me and after one bite, I couldn’t eat it more. Scallops were good but carbonara was a bit disappointing. It was a bit dry and noodles felt a bit under cooked. Flavors were okay, but to me, it was too doughy. Banana splits were okay.
Overall the foods were okay but I didn’t think it was anything spectacular that you cannot have it anywhere else. I didn’t have a bad experience but it wasn’t really memorable either.
Foods: 3 stars
Service: 3.5 stars
Atmosphere: 3.5 stars
Overall Experience: 3 stars

I typically LOATHE the South Bay so I was already apprehensive in going to Baleen. But Baleen was perfection for the below reasons:
— location– Baleen is right off of the water with a great view of yachts, boats and a possible amazing sunset view (on a good day)
— service– our server was nothing short of attentive and courteous
— food– D E L I C O U S
— Happy Hour — $ 4 $ 5 and $ 6 specials on food and drinks
— Live Music– Thursday Friday and Sunday
— FREE PARKING… Need I say more?! Valet is an option but it is an option I’ll almost never choose.
— dine LA offers– they are on of the only restaurants in South Bay that participate in restaurant week. South Bay is definitely an untapped market.
the only reason they received 4 of 5 stars is because of how far it is from my world.
Baleen would be a date night go-​to with dim lights and a quasi romantic setting. For a more intimate setting sit in the area away from the bar.

The food here is good and of course the view… Its just beautiful. Its a nice restaurant to go to at the end of the day, enjoy a cocktail or a glass of wine and relax looking out at the boats on the water and watching the sky change into a million colors as the sun sets…
The only thing is that the service is consistently slow. Every time I’ve gone I’ve had to wait ages for a server to bring drinks, or food, or to just check in. Hoping that changes sometime soon, but honestly because of the location the service isn’t enough to keep me away.

Bleh — this place. Went back there this am for brunch. Coffee was horrible. Like instant coffee at a doctor’s office horrible. My friend and I had the huevos redondos which was not as good as it sounded but also not bad. Just bland and nothing special. We did get a table with a lovely view, so really, it’s probably best to go there for snacks and drinks instead of trying to get a good meal there. Service was good but the table was missing some settings and it was just not put together (seems like the vibe of the Portofino hotel that it is part of — great potential but misses the mark — see my hotel review).
We also had a short stack of the pancakes which were pretty good but again nothing special. I couldn’t get past the coffee!
For the price, I would recommend looking elsewhere and coming here for a drink on the water. The view of all the docked boats is really lovely and Im sure with a couple drinks, it would be romantic or a cool place to hang with friends.
Their food game though? Bleh.

It’s a bummer that this restaurant couldn’t deliver. The location, décor, and views are perfect. It’s so relaxing and has great potential. I don’t think people expect a lot out of hotel restaurants, so if the food and service were above average, this place could be great!
When we arrived on both occasions, the hostess stand was deserted. Stood for a minute or two, and then decided to seat ourselves. There weren’t any servers in sight. It took about 10 minutes for anybody to approach us, and I had already gone up to grab menus for myself. About 3 bartenders were directly in our eye line, prepping the bar. Finally, a busboy came over and took our order. It took 50 minutes to flag a server down, order two cappuccinos, and get the check. Honestly seems as though the staff has no idea what they’re doing. Not ideal.
(I should also mention that when we called to book the rooms at the Portofino and asked about the addition of brunch to our reservation, they told us to pass on it. The service at the Portofino is top notch, so it has to be uncomfortable that Baleen’s is not.)

my neighbor has been telling me to come here for a while. I’m always skeptical about hotel food as it’s mostly mediocre at best NOT the case here At Baleen Kitchen!
We started w wine (free glass with Unilocal check in and entrée purchase) & Champagne @ Raw & Rockefeller oysters.
These Canadian cold water Fanny Bay (?) were better oysters than I’ve recently had from the southeast. They were tender and not fishy. They serve them w/​lemon, horseradish, cocktail sauce & Tabasco ‚
We dined on Snapper w Beur blanc w capers (about a tablespoon too many) artichoke hearts & Yukon purée. The Boyfriend had the Miso Sea Bass. Both portions were a decent portion size. We skipped desert opting for the Maker Mark Apple Bourbon Cocktail. This would also be delicious served slightly warmed in winter. Best advice sip from the straw about mid way through the glass slowly & you will then experience each of the subtle flavors which make this a bourbony –cinnamon-​apple– delight, yet not really a sweet drink.
Service by Nick was absolutely 5 star! He never said no to any of our requests .He made great suggestions about the food. we’d both like to Welcome you to LA ! Service is on the casual side meaning don’t be in a hurry if you come here. Enjoy yourself !
We will be back, the atmosphere was terrific on the marina and several other dishes we’d like to try. Can’t beat Oysters & Bubbles Wednesdays though !

This restaurant has the proverbial «potential» to be good or even great.
The location is beautiful off the Redondo Beach pier area and a dining area that overlooks the harbor waterfront and boat slips. The décor is nice, interior is spacious and you get a nice feel inside.
The service had been sincere but as I’ve read with other reviews maybe a B+ for effort, but a C for execution. The staff seemed to always be a bit unapologetic.
One neighboring table could be overheard discussing a discrepancy with BALENkitchen’s Fixe Price offer listed for $ 35 online and on the actual menu, but the waiter had to explain a price increase by $ 5 to $ 40 (odd since its the restaurants duty to correct all advertisements, listings and posting, which could have more easily been remedied by manually writing it on the menu (a simple computer print out sheet which also could have easily been reprinted). The most obvious solution of honoring the $ 35 price seemed to be an oblivious option, and I think maybe poor customer service /​satisfaction move on the restaurant’s part… but that wasn’t my issue or incident in any case, just something I overheard.
The food was «okay» which by Unilocal standards is *** three stars. Nothing awe inspiring.
The clam chowder was a tad too creamy and bland without much zestiness.
The duck carnitas reminds me of how some restaurants prepare BBQ pulled pork or chopped beef sandwiches, by just slathering tangy sauce that dominates over the meat taste. it was okay, but not inspirational.
The sea bass was a bit salty, and when it says Miso, I’ll say, if you like Japanese styled Miso Black Cod, such as at Asakuma’s or Roy’s Hawaiian Misoyaki Butterfish, this isn’t in the same moist and tender vein.
The red snapper was a tad dry and bland, not horrible, but you could quite frankly get an equal or better fish at any of the local fish grill (California, Malibu, Blue Salt, etc.) named eateries for $ 10 – 15.
Overall, dinner for 3 was $ 150 after tax and tip, with no drinks nor desert.
So, at $ 50 per person, I can think of a lot better (and cheaper) seafood options in the South Bay.
I can’t completely criticize the restaurant for a lack of effort, but would feel I’d be doing them a disservice sugar coating a mediocre culinary experience. I hope to see them seek ways to improve, especially since my review is very similar to the experiences of so many others I’ve read.

I would probably give this place a 3.5 for their food, but I’m rounding up because of their bottomless mimosa brunch! For $ 18, you can drink as many mimosas as you can before you have a food baby. I personally was able to drink about 6 – 7 (although I admit I was pretty buzzed at the end) and it was well worth my money because each mimosa sells for $ 10.
One of my friends was visiting from Seattle and we all met up here to do a Saturday boozy brunch. We walked in around 11 without a reservation and were seated shortly. I LOVE the ambiance of this place. Everything is so open, the view of the marina is gorgeous, and the restaurant is beautiful. The bar is also impressive. We were sat at a roomy table with a large couch and two arm chairs, and it felt like I was eating in someone’s living room rather than a restaurant because it was so comfortable and spacious.
A couple of us had bottomless mimosas and one of my friends opted for the bloody mary bar (also $ 18) The bartender basically gives you a large cup and a shot of vodka and you can walk right up to the bar where there’s tomato juice and a bunch of other things like pickles and bacon you can put into your drink. I’ve never had a bloody mary before so I tried my friends and it was interesting to say the least. At least the vodka shots kept coming throughout the meal.
We ordered the french toast, pulled pork hash, breakfast burrito, and heuvos redondos. I thought that the food looked great, and it tasted pretty good too. Portions are decent, and plates run about $ 12-​$ 20 depending on what you get so it’s a moderately priced place. I had the heuvos redondos and while I liked it, it wasn’t a standout to me. I preferred my friend’s breakfast burrito that had chorizo in it! Because I had so many mimosas, I couldn’t finish my food but I did eat most of it!
Overall, I would definitely come back to this place for bottomless mimosas and walk around the beach after because I had a great time. Service was good, food was fine, and I drank all the mimosas I could in 2 hours. What’s there not to like?