Catalina Bistro and Express Grill

After visiting the US Iowa in San Pedro, we went for lunch at the Catalina Bistro. Located in the Catalina Express ticketing building, it doesn’t seem like a place where you would find delicious food. However, the food was very delicious! We sat inside and were served (there is an express grill for take out across the way) in a very quaint little setting. We both had the Mahi Mahi sandwich. Outstanding! French fries were also very good. Highly recommend if you are in the area as there are not a lot of really great dining options in San Pedro.

We stopped by for a couple drinks prior to our departure. The staff was very friendly and the bartender was great. Very pleasant experience!

Cute little café… happy it’s here especially when it’s cold outside. They offer fruit cups, coffee, breakfast burritos, etc. breakfast burritos are yummy and filling.

Pedro is not known for good dining, so I was thrilled when they opened this place. It’s clean, great waiters (Dale or John), and fabulous food. Breakfast or lunch — I have never had a bad meal. You won’t find the Pedro riff raff here either — it’s primarily people traveling to Catalina or folks that work in the area. Oh — they also have 6 unique beers on tap and an extensive wine list!

I wish this was a better review because this is potentially a great local spot.
Family was visiting & we wanted to take them to some cool spots in L.A. This place was recommended because of the Waterfront Park, Vincent Thomas Bridge & Port of L.A. views. That was about all that was good.
Environment: We sat in the patio to appreciate Vincent Thomas & Port of LA views. Black soot covered the tables possibly from Vincent Thomas Bridge road grime. No one brought out a rag when we were obviously the first to sit in the area.
We were almost tossed out of this place when staff did not want to wait on us. Are they understaffed on Fridays?! If table service is not offered then it should be posted somewhere. Several in our party ordered egg whites but the waiter later came out & said they didn’t have any. We noticed later that the café’s Unilocal pix show they do serve w egg whites. In the end our waiter was nice but he would do much better of at a place that actually has it together. Plus for him.
Food:
–Skimpy & inconsistent avocado portions (if you pay for it they shouldn’t skimp)
–Tough cold pancakes
–Heat lamp potatoes
–No egg whites (or they did not want to make any for my Mom, brother & I cuz I saw plenty of pix w egg whites)
–Eggs taste like college dorm cafeteria food
–Plus for the grilled veggie sandwich
Parking: Private paid lot, we paid $ 2.
WC: Clean, multiple stalls.

Love this place, good food! Melanie was great at suggesting salad burger combo. Quality experience! We go often.

I’m 61 years old went to that bistro last Sunday, that was the worst food I have ever been served! the fish they served my cat wouldn’t eat and neither did we! mushy inside cremated on the outside! We sat outside on the patio and had to use the guns on the Iowa to kill the flys! Eat their at your own RISK!!!

One of your best «nicer» lunch options in San Pedro. Came here with my son for a Sunday Funday lunch. Pretty setting inside and out of the newly-​remodeled cruise ship terminal. There is inside and outside seating. We side outside, under the Vincent Thomas Bridge with a great view of boats going by and passengers hustling on and off the Catalina Ferry.
The Bistro menu has the nicer stuff, but it’s somewhat small. It’s good to know that even on the sit down «Bistro» side that you can still order items from the walk up «Express» side. This allowed me to order my son a $ 4.75 quesadilla kids meal, which was a little sparse– just a large-​ish sliced quesadilla with no garnish or sides. His refillable lemonade was an additional $ 1.85, so I’m dropping a star for that.
Ballast Point Sculpin IPA was a bit spendy at $ 7.50 for a 14 oz. «pint» shaped glass, but I wanted it so, oh well. Sierra Nevada back up was more normally priced at $ 5 for a bottle. Full bar available if you really need to calm your nerves before your passage to Catalina. $ 11 grilled fish sandwich was said to be cod and cooked perfectly yet juicy and flavorful. Onion rings were worth the 75 cent up-​charge from the standard fries.
Pleasant service. Definitely plan to return, especially if the weather’s nice.
NOTE: Parking is $ 1 per hour after the first free hour.

Okay, I went on the advice of a friend to try the Clam Chowder that they make on Fridays, because they said it was pretty awesome, and you know what? It was.
I’m not usually a fan of just adding bacon to things willy nilly, because bacon is some sort of magical ingredient that make ordinary crap suddenly become delicious. I don’t buy this premise, and I hope you don’t either. My motto is, don’t add something to a particular dish that would taste better on it’s own, and in most cases that I’ve tried bacon on things, (Turkey avocado sandwiches, burgers and the like), the bacon would have been better just by itself.
The clam chowder on the other hand at the express grill is an exception to this rule. I suppose using bacon and some of the renderings as a base for sautéing the onions and celery is not so crazy since (as far as I have seen in recipes) salt pork would ordinarily be used. The bacon adds a wonderful and not overpowering flavor to the soup that I haven’t had anywhere else. Well done chef, whoever you are.
The soup is the real deal and very rich, and one serving will do. I had two and that was a bit much. Stick with the recommended dosage on this one, folks.
If you like chowder, I suggest that you make the trip. It’s well worth it.

It’s not what you think it is. It’s a crappy little bistro that overcooks its food inside a cruise terminal. Prices are skyhigh. Fries are ok.

Any place that has a captive audience can often afford to be at least somewhat lazy about food/​service. The bistro/​grill at the San Pedro Catalina Express terminal elects not to.
There’s a small sit down restaurant & bar (Bistro) and a separate counter-​service area (Express Grill.) There’s additional seating on an outside patio — you can take food from either place outside if you prefer.
We had two Bloody Marys (specified spicy; they met the challenge!), a burger and fries, and every sip/​bite was outstanding. Burger was juicy, bacon crispy, veggies crisp, aioli subtle and yummy. Substituted the brioche for the ciabatta with no problem. The skin-​on fries were perfect — obviously cooked in clean grease and with the oil at just the right temp. Every one was crispy and golden. All of the food was as good or better than similar food from any LA gastropub.
Service was friendly and prompt; they got us our check quickly so we could make our ferry.
Parking for your Catalina excursion is rather expensive: currently $ 12+ per day (per calendar day, not any 24-​hr. period.) But if you’re just going to drop someone off or enjoy the restaurant, parking is priced quite nicely (1^st hour free and only $ 1 for the 2^nd hour.)
P. S. I’ve also eaten once at the Express Grill (counter service, prior visit) and the breakfast was equally solid. I had sausage, eggs and a muffin and they were excellent, too.

I had the double burger with cheese. It was a bit overcooked. Ut still very good flavor. The patties were smaller than I thought they would be so I’m glad I got the double. Plus it was only $ 9. It also came with a ton of fries. My wife got the fish sandwich which had a small piece of fish but was very good. We sat at the bar and had very good service. They also have some good beers on tap. I wanted to come back and try them but they were closed when we got back from Catalina. I think they are only open on Friday and Saturday nights.

Great new spot for Pedro regulars. Have few beers on the water under the bridge.

Mmm, what a tasty breakfast sandwich. What’s that you say? Maybe three stars? Two stars got knocked off by two words: «food poisoning». Thanks.

I really do like this place. The food is good. But it has such uneven service. We tried to go there this evening. The Bistro was open and there were customers being served. First all of we sat in the wrong place for service, so they told us we would have to move. We moved to the service area and they just ignored us. I know they saw us because I saw them looking out. My husband went in and the waiter was just chatting with the cook and totally ignored him. We waited a little longer and then left. This has never happened before but really, it was so rude. We were well dressed and polite, we go there often. We tip well. I just don’t get it. They really didn’t want our business. So they won’t get it.

Recommended.
Located at the Catalina Express terminal at the base of the Vincent Thomas Bridge.
Surprisingly good menu.
Interesting location, at a working harbor with cargo and cruise ships active just off the patio.

I have been there for lunch and dinner and the food is great and servers are more than accommodating. I really enjoyed the onion rings and the steak sandwich. Also the patio is dog friendly.

My family and I celebrated my parents’ wedding anniversary brunch here before touring the battleship. The food and service were excellent — between us all — we probably ordered everything on the menu. My favorite was the pastrami scramble and the blueberry pancakes — they are to die for and definitely worth coming back for again!

Great place! Fresh delicous food!

We visited the Bistro after a tour on the USS Iowa. What a delightful surprise. Our party of 4 enjoyed the onion rings – best we’ve ever eaten, the lobster mac ‘n’ cheese – delightful, the mushroom, onion and gruyère flatbread – amazing, the sliders – so yummy, and finally the steak frites – astounding Chimichurri. Laurel Lyman has created an upscale eatery befitting of the water-​side setting. San Pedro – get over there!