The Sidewalk Cafe is "the best place to people watch on Venice Beach" according to New Times Magazine. We have been featured in many movies and commercials as well as in such publications as Sunset Magazine, LA Weekly and many tour books. If you ever wanted to see Venice Beach, California, let us be your front row seat!

A Venice Boardwalk landmark for 25 years, The Sidewalk Cafe offers fresh, high-quality, well-prepared food with generous portions. And all of our soups and sauces are homemade. The outdoor covered patio provides a beautiful view of the beach and ocean while street performers and an eclectic crowd continuously entertain.

Live acoustic music in the evening provides the perfect complement to dinner by the sea. Please call us at (310) 399-5547 to check our calendar for music and upcoming events.

Also under the red and white awning you can find Small World Books, a wonderful independent bookstore. It is a great place to find out more about Venice. Small World Books offers a wide collection of literary fiction and poetry, and is frequently used as a resource for entertainment industry researchers.

Whether you come for breakfast on the beach, lunch in the sun, or dinner at sunset, you are sure to enjoy at The Sidewalk Cafe. Look for the red and white awning near the center of the Venice Boardwalk!

In 1905 Abbot Kinney built Venice-of-America, his own personal monument to the city of Venice, Italy. He built canals, hotels, streets, and a miniature railroad. By the end of the construction of this fabulous dream, he had given the people of Los Angeles and the U.S. a fantasy city. Everybody loved it! William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies strolled the Venice Boardwalk; Sara Bernhardt performed in the Venice Auditorium; Charlie Chaplin clowned in Abbot Kinney's auto races; and Mary Pickard rowed in her own Gondola. Venice was the place to be! And it still is! Today the Venice Boardwalk is the largest tourist attraction in Los Angeles.

The building that now houses The Sidewalk Cafe was one of the last of Abbot Kinney's Venice buildings and was originally designed as a four-story building, but only the first floor was ever constructed. It was sold to the Harrah family (of Nevada fame) and was turned into a bingo parlor (Budgo because bingo was illegal). During prohibition, underground tunnels were expanded to accommodate bootleggers. In the 1950's and early 60's the building housed artists' studios and was, in fact, the crash pad for beatnik poets such as Jack Kerouac. Before the Goodfaders bought it in 1976, the vacant building had stood abandoned for almost 20 years.

In 1976 Mary Goodfader's bookstore, Small World Books, lost its lease in Marina Del Rey. Bob Goodfader, while bicycling on the bike path, saw the building and called the number painted on its front. The Goodfaders and their friends, Walter (Skip) and Penny Dixon bought the building in 1976 for the bookstore. Bob and Skip decided to open a small takeout place on the side of the building not in use by Small World Books. The restaurant was such a hit that they reopened as a patio restaurant. Ever since then, The Sidewalk Cafe has been the best place to enjoy the Venice Boardwalk. We hope that you enjoy eating at the Cafe and we hope that you continue to visit us!