Tony's on the Pier

Tony Trutanich had so little money when he opened Tony’s on the Pier in 1952 that he found the sign that still hangs outside the entrance. It had graced a defunct Puerto Rican restaurant—you can see the outline of the island country on the sign—but now it invites Redondo Beach Pier visitors into Tony’s seafood restaurant. It remains a family restaurant, with Tony’s son Mike taking over after he died in 2007. And it’s an inviting place, with a harbor view from every table of the two-tier, 151-seat restaurant, and an even better view from the upstairs bar.

The view inside the restaurant can be just as entertaining. It becomes obvious the moment you step inside that the two themes are the tropics and the ocean. Tony loved Hawaii, so wait staff wear Hawaiian shirts and the Tony’s Famous Mai Tai is the signature drink—in a souvenir glass. (An old sign that reads, “One Million Sold” has the “One” crossed out and replaced with a “7”. That’s how popular these Mai Tais are.) But Tony, originally a commercial fisherman, loved the sea even more, so the ceilings are draped with fishnets and punctuated with seashells. The menu, too, puts an accent on seafood.

Your cardiologist may not recommend Tony’s, with the menu leaning heavily toward fried seafood dishes involving shrimp, clams, oysters and even zucchinis. And the deep-fried calamari is killer—perhaps literally. Such items remain on the menu because longtime regulars demand it. But health-minded diners will find ample healthy alternatives. The clams come baked or steamed, for example, and many seafood items are sautéed, seared or char-broiled. There’s even a lighter version of the calamari that’s fried in olive oil and garlic. Chowders, salads, steaks and chicken entrees complete the large menu, although seafood is king.

You won’t leave hungry. Unless you stick to an appetizer, chowder or salad—some are quite hearty—complete dinners come with clam chowder, smoked salmon chowder or minestrone soup, plus a choice of salad, linguine, fries, potato, rice or veggies. Likewise, lunch entrees come with two sides.

Top o’ Tony’s is the circular bar atop the restaurant. You can get to it from an outdoor stairway on the pier or the interior stairway in the restaurant, which takes you past hundreds of framed, signed photos of celebs who’ve eaten here from Bob Hope and Ronald Reagan to Danny DeVito and Stevie Wonder. Top o’ Tony’s has its own bar menu, too, from a $5 basket of fries to a $14.25 crab cocktail, and live music six nights a week.

Even more than the restaurant below—because of the higher vantage point and unobstructed, 360-degree view—Top o’ Tony’s is a great place to nurse a mai tai and watch the sun set over the ocean. The configuration resembles an air traffic control tower—all windows—except for the circular bar in the middle of the saucer-shaped room and, yeah, the Mai Tais. This bar is retro and fun, like the restaurant below and the action outside on the Redondo Pier.

HelloMetro Tip: The Child’s Meal ($9.25/lunch, $11.25/dinner) makes family dining affordable and it will fill them up. Included are an entrée (spaghetti, fried shrimp, chopped sirloin or chicken nuggets), soup or salad, and fries.

- by Bob Cooper, Los Angeles Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)