Reel Inn Malibu

Exceptional seafood. Relaxed atmosphere. Excellent service.Our menu features an array of sensational fresh fish and seafood selectionsfrom entrees and appetizers to assorted salads and seafood platters.We promise a delicious dining experience...Malibu style! Somebody once said "History is a consensus hallucination." They were probably referring to the history of The Reel Inn. While we know that the building has existed in its current location since at least 1947 - and probably a lot longer -  as evidenced by the photograph at right, the rest of the history has been passed down through former employees, mostly bartenders…like Ralph O'Hara. In 1967, the restaurant was sold to Jim McDonald and remained The Raft until it closed in 1977. McDonald opened The Sandcastle, now the Paradise Beach cafe, in Paradise Cove. O'Hara had many stories of Hollywood's young guns who frequented The Raft, Lee Marvin in particular. The "great fire" that everyone cites as the end of the Raft/Reel Building in August 1978 that "burned the building to the ground," was actually outside and damaged a dance floor, a shed and a bar for a total of $3,000 damage (and a Honda motorcycle worth $500). There was no damage to the building at all. Featured on Season 4 of Man vs. Food!