What It’s Like to Dine at Mastro’s Ocean Club Malibu

I’m almost embarrassed to admit that until recently, I didn’t know about Mastro’s. That changed when I was invited to Mastro’s Steakhouse Beverly Hills’ 25th anniversary celebration but unfortunately, Natalie and I couldn’t make the date.

Since Natalie had a milestone birthday coming up, I asked if there was any chance we could take a rain check and bring the kids for a birthday dinner instead, to which they graciously agreed. Disclosure: Our dinner was hosted by Mastro’s. As always, all opinions are my own.

Rather than going to the Beverly Hills location, I chose Mastro’s Ocean Club in Malibu. I figured it might be a little less formal with the kids, plus we hadn’t been to Malibu since the devastating fires.

The drive to Malibu

We drove up Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) from the LAX area and I was pleasantly surprised that we didn’t see any obvious signs of the fires along our route. Our waitress later told us that much of the damage was farther inland and also a little farther north along the coast.

One thing to know before you go: PCH can be a dangerous road, so be extra careful when turning into the restaurant, especially if you’re coming from the south like we were and need to make a left across traffic.

The restaurant offers valet parking, which was $19 when we visited. The friendly valet attendant told me that you can park along PCH for free, but he also said it can be a little sketchy. Personally, I wouldn’t bother trying to save the $19. If you’re going to Mastro’s, the valet charge probably isn’t going to be the part of the bill that gets your attention.

This is a special-occasion restaurant

Let me get this out of the way: Mastro’s is expensive. This isn’t really a “let’s grab a quick bite” kind of restaurant, at least not for us. Maybe it is if you’re one of the wealthy residents of Malibu or Pacific Palisades, but judging by the diners around us, most people seemed to be there for either a special occasion or a business dinner.

We had an early 5:30 p.m. reservation on a Wednesday and there were already about a dozen occupied tables when we arrived.

The three tables in our semi-private room told me everything I needed to know. A couple from France was celebrating a birthday. The couple next to them was celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary. Behind us was a young couple, and I got the feeling a proposal might have been coming, though we left shortly after they sat down so I’ll never know.

By the time we left around 7 p.m., the restaurant was really starting to fill up.

What about kids?

Ours was the only table I saw with children and there wasn’t a kids’ menu, so I wouldn’t necessarily call Mastro’s kid-friendly. But that didn’t bother our kids. They loved gazing out at the gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean and watching people and dogs walking and running along the beach.

And while there’s no dedicated kids’ menu, the kitchen was still able to accommodate some simple dishes. My son ordered the mac and cheese while my daughter had buttered noodles, which our waitress suggested. Unfortunately, my son started feeling under the weather during dinner, so he barely touched his food. I tried the mac and cheese myself and thought the pasta was overcooked, which was one of the very few misses of the evening.

What we ordered

Mastro’s is known for its elaborate seafood towers and USDA Prime steaks. I’m not a huge seafood guy so I skipped the seafood tower and went straight for some of the other specialties.

Natalie and I both started with the burrata with heirloom tomato and peach ($24). It was delicious and my son loved it, too.

For our entrees, Natalie and I each ordered the 6-ounce petite filet mignon ($61) and both were cooked perfectly.

Good to know: Mastro’s serves its steaks on insanely hot plates. The restaurant says its steaks are cooked in a 1,500-degree broiler and served on plates heated to 450 degrees. I thought our server was exaggerating until I cut off a piece of steak, moved it to another part of the plate and actually heard it sizzle. It was pretty extraordinary.

Everything is à la carte, so you order your sides separately. Natalie chose the lobster mashed potatoes ($48), while I ordered the creamed corn ($16). Both were incredibly rich.

In hindsight, I probably should have added something green like the roasted Brussels sprouts ($16), spinach ($16) or green beans with sliced almonds ($16), but we already had way too much food. Mastro’s current menu has plenty of sides to choose from, ranging from asparagus and broccolini to garlic truffle cauliflower and lobster mac and cheese.

A really nice touch for birthdays and anniversaries

One of my favorite parts of the entire experience had nothing to do with the food. When Mastro’s knows you’re celebrating a special occasion, they can create personalized menus. Ours said “Happy Birthday, Natalie” printed right at the top.

You should have seen Natalie’s and my daughter’s faces when they opened their menus. Their jaws literally dropped. It’s such a simple touch but it immediately made the evening feel special. If you’re celebrating a birthday or anniversary, be sure to mention it when making your reservation.

Whatever you do, save room for the Butter Cake

Even though we were stuffed, there was no way we were leaving without trying Mastro’s famous warm Butter Cake. They put a candle in it and wrote “Happy Birthday Natalie” in chocolate syrup on the dessert plate, which was another really nice touch. No one sings “Happy Birthday,” which was perfectly fine with Natalie since we had already sung to her the night before. Besides, if the staff sang for every birthday, I have a feeling there would be non-stop singing in the place.

Now I understand why everyone talks about it. It was absolutely worth the calories and the perfect ending to Natalie’s birthday dinner. Mastro’s lists its Butter Cake alongside its seafood towers and Prime steaks as one of the restaurant’s signature dishes.

Good to know

Mastro’s started in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1999 and has since grown into a national collection of upscale steakhouses and Ocean Club restaurants. The company was acquired by Landry’s in 2013.

The Malibu location is right on Pacific Coast Highway at 18412 Pacific Coast Highway. It’s primarily a dinner restaurant during the week, opening at 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. On weekends, they also serve brunch Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., followed by dinner beginning at 4 p.m. There’s also live entertainment nightly, though it must start sometime after 7 p.m. since we didn’t see any performers before we left.

So if you’re looking for an inexpensive family dinner, this isn’t the place. But if you’re celebrating a milestone birthday, anniversary or another special occasion and want excellent steaks, over-the-top sides, an incredible ocean view and those little touches that make a night memorable, Mastro’s Ocean Club Malibu is definitely worth considering. It’s certainly a birthday dinner our family won’t forget.