Jaunted

Naked Sushi sits on the south side of Washington and it's classier than the name implies. They promise "Traditional Japanese with California Beach Flavor" and have menu items like the "The BOMB Chicken Bowl." This is what marketers refer to as a "a branding mistake" and what the kids call "trying too hard." Don't be fooled. The restaurant is more than appropriate for business lunches and corporate dinners. Ergo their $15 appetizers.
Address: 18 Washington Blvd, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292

The Venice Whaler is very firmly on the "not" side of the spectrum. The multi-story bar lies at the very end of the street, and the owners have wisely chosen to utilize the location by building an open-air upstairs patio. The establishment seems to revel in a certain divey ethos, with a downstairs that's best described as pointedly dilapidated. The clientele tend toward jaded backpackers and tattooed regulars. Don't eat the food here.
Address: 10 Washington Boulevard, Venice, California 90292

12 Washington Restaurant sits next door to The Whaler, but there the similarities end. Where The Whaler is a dive, the decor at 12 Washington is studiously classy: striking red awning, a half-enclosed patio, and a gigantic screeching gargoyle over the door to emphasize the establishment's mandatory shoes and shirt policy. The fare is leans heavily toward seafood but they've also got filet mignon on the menu. Plus the prices to match it.
Address: 12 Washington Blvd, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292

C&O Trattoria, a half-tent half-patio Italian restaurant across the street from those three restaurants, falls somewhere in between chichi and not. C&O's hallmarks are their the garlic rolls - which have the addictive properties of purified crack - and their self serve, honor system-based Chianti. They give you a crayon and every time you pour yourself another glass you draw a line on the paper tablecloth. Every tenth glass is free. You can imagine how the "write it don't try to remember it" system is... helpful. Dishes come in either individual and gargantuan.
Address: 31 Washington Boulevard, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292

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