The Reel Inn was a seafood restaurant on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California. [1] [2] It was opened in 1986 by Andy Leonard; twenty years later, it was described as a "landmark of glorious decrepitude" in the New York Times. [3] It was destroyed in the Palisades Fire in January 2025. [4]
An "iconic Los Angeles fish shack," the interior of the Reel Inn was decorated with old surfboards. Food was ordered at an outside counter and served through a window on paper plates. [5] The menu was written daily on a chalkboard, and specials incorporated puns such as "O Sole Mio" and "Salmon Chanted Evening". [6] [7] It was a hangout for actors and musicians including Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty. [8]
In 2001, the land on which the Reel Inn sits was acquired by a conservation group, becoming part of Topanga State Park. [9] The California Department of Parks and Recreation identified the Reel Inn as a historical resource and a visitor service, allowing it to remain in business in the park. [10]
The owners announced their intention to rebuild the restaurant and began a GoFundMe account to support their employees on January 22, 2025. [11]
Malibu is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, about 30 miles (48 km) west of downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate, its strip of beaches stretching 21 miles along the Pacific Ocean coast, and for its longtime status as the home of numerous affluent Hollywood celebrities and executives. Although a high proportion of its residents are entertainment industry figures with multi-million dollar mansions, Malibu also features several middle- and upper-middle-class neighborhoods. The Pacific Coast Highway traverses the city, following along the South Coast of California. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 10,654. The ongoing 2025 Palisades Fire devastated Malibu, with almost all of the beachfront homes near its center destroyed.
The Santa Monica Mountains are a coastal mountain range in Southern California, next to the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Transverse Ranges. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area encompasses this mountain range. Because of its proximity to densely populated regions, it is one of the most visited natural areas in California.
Pacific Palisades is a neighborhood in the Westside region of the city of Los Angeles, California, situated about 20 miles (32 km) west of downtown Los Angeles. From January 7-31, 2025, the majority of Pacific Palisades was severely affected and destroyed by the Palisades Fire, a part of the wider Southern California wildfires.
Will Rogers State Historic Park is a California State Historic Park in the Santa Monica Mountains, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. The 186-acre (75 ha) park was established in 1944 to preserve the estate of American humorist Will Rogers, including his ranch and the surrounding countryside. The ranch house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. The ranch house and other structures were destroyed in the 2025 Palisades Wildfire.
Topanga is an unincorporated community in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located in the Santa Monica Mountains, the community exists in Topanga Canyon and the surrounding hills. The narrow southern portion of Topanga at the coast is between the city of Malibu and the Los Angeles neighborhood of Pacific Palisades. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Topanga as a census-designated place (CDP). As of the 2020 census the population of the Topanga CDP was 8,560. The ZIP code is 90290 and the area code is primarily 310, with 818 only at the north end of the canyon. It is in the 3rd County Supervisorial district.
Landry's, Inc., is a privately held American multi-brand dining, hospitality, entertainment, and gaming corporation headquartered in Houston, Texas. Landry's, Inc., owns and operates more than 600 restaurants, hotels, casinos, and entertainment destinations in 35 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The company also owns and operates numerous international locations. The company is owned by President & CEO Tilman Fertitta.
Topanga State Park is a California state park located in the Santa Monica Mountains, within Los Angeles County, California. It is part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is a United States national recreation area containing many individual parks and open space preserves, located primarily in the Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California. The SMMNRA is in the greater Los Angeles region, with two thirds of the parklands in northwest Los Angeles County, and the remaining third, including a Simi Hills extension, in southeastern Ventura County.
The Western Los Angeles County Council (WLACC) (#051) is one of five Boy Scouts of America councils in Los Angeles County, California. Headquartered in Van Nuys, the council services over 30,000 youth spanning six districts including the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita Valley, Antelope Valley, Malibu, and much of West Los Angeles.
Rustic Canyon is a residential neighborhood and canyon in eastern Pacific Palisades, on the west side of Los Angeles, California. It is along Rustic Creek, in the Santa Monica Mountains.
The Crab Cooker is a popular Southern California restaurant specializing in seafood that is located at 22nd Street and Newport Boulevard in Newport Beach on the Balboa Peninsula. In 1969, Venture Magazine rated it as one of the top two restaurants in the world.
Gladstones Malibu is an American seafood restaurant located on the Pacific Coast Highway in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.
The Palisades Fire was a highly-destructive wildfire that began burning in the Santa Monica Mountains of Los Angeles County on January 7, 2025, which grew to destroy large areas of Pacific Palisades, Topanga, and Malibu before it was fully contained after 24 days on January 31. One of a series of wildfires in Southern California driven by hurricane-force Santa Ana winds, it burned 23,448 acres, killed 12 people, and destroyed 6,837 structures, making it the tenth-deadliest and third-most destructive California wildfire on record.
Community United Methodist Church of Pacific Palisades is a United Methodist church in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The community of Pacific Palisades was laid out as a result of Methodist church planters selecting an area on the bluffs north of Santa Monica as the location of their new Southern California camp meeting, inspired by the Chautauqua movement. The congregation initially worshipped in tents set up in Temescal Canyon. The first Community Methodist church building was dedicated in 1930, with substantial expansions in 1952 and the late 1960s. The church was badly damaged during the Palisades Fire on January 8, 2025.
Topanga Ranch Motel was a historic seaside motel located within Topanga State Park in Los Angeles County, California. The motel was built in 1929 by William Randolph Hearst. On January 8, 2025, the motel was destroyed by the Palisades Fire.
Topanga Beach is a state beach at 18700 Pacific Coast Highway, in California, United States, situated at the mouth of Topanga Canyon, approximately midway between Santa Monica and Malibu; it is known for its closeness by automobile to the San Fernando Valley, its windsurfing and SCUBA diving, and its reputation for welcoming a bohemian lifestyle. It consistently ranks among the beaches with the cleanest water conditions in Los Angeles County.
The Malibu Feed Bin was a pet supply and gift store in Malibu, California. The building was destroyed in the Palisades Fire on January 7, 2025.
The Pacific Palisades Bowl Mobile Estates was a community of 172 manufactured and mobile homes in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It featured recreational facilities and a pool, and was one of the only affordable housing options in the Pacific Palisades. The community was destroyed in the Palisades Fire of 2025.
Cholada Thai was a Thai restaurant in Malibu, California. It was destroyed in the Palisades Fire in January 2025.