Coral Beach Cantina

Excellent margaritas and guacamole, good prices. First time here after years of driving by and wondering.

After reading through some of the reviews, I was a little bit nervous about eating here. But I’m telling you, this food was fantastic! The Carnitas were not dry, they were perfect. Beans and rice were good, the quesadillas were outstanding, the chicken fajitas were wonderful. The service was absolutely fantastic. They kept our drinks refilled, and kept bringing out chips and salsa. The food was a little pricey, but we’ve shared a few meals, they did not make us feel bad for that at all. The portion sizes were large, so sharing actually worked out! Overall, we had a fantastic experience and would suggest eating here!

The food here is disgusting. The carne asada tasted like rubber, the service was terrible, they kept gettiing the drinks wrong. DO NOT GO HERE PERIOD…

I was on my way to Leo Carrillo Beach and decided to try this place out. There isn’t a whole lot of decently priced restaurants in Malibu (pricey neighborhood) so this was one of the few options we had. It’s located in a small plaza so parking is easy. It has an outside patio, but if you’re not feeling up for some sun, then you can definitely dine inside.
The restaurant has a diner feel to it, but with a more Cantina vibe (hence the name of the restaurant). We were immediately seated once we stepped in; therefore service was on point! They were quick to attend you, and they always came around to check up. You didn’t have flag them down which is great because no one likes poor service
We ordered the Carne Asada Burrito and the Chicken Fajitas with beans, pico de gallo, and guacamole. Each table gets salsa and chips and mmm! The salsa was pretty fresh and really good. I definitely love the food here. It may be a tad pricey for Mexican food since you can probably go to any hole in the wall place to get the things we ordered for cheaper. But the place is right on PCH, right across from Malibu beach so i guess it makes up for it.
I believe the burrito was about 11 dollars, and the chicken fajitas was about 15? The portions are average, but it depends on what you ordered. My plate was pretty generous but the burrito was an average length.
Overall, I would def come back here again and I would recommend trying this place out if you’re in the area!

I have been eating at the Coral Beach Cantina for over 20 years and have had many hundreds of excellent meals here. The Nachos Roberto are my favorite, followed by anything mole. I don’t know how the Cantina does its mole, but it is the best I have ever had, and I have eaten in Mexican restaurants all over the country.
I also enjoy the laid back feel the Cantina offers, even though on any given weekend, you might see famous locals eating there. It is a completely un-​self-​conscious atmosphere. I have not had the Chicken Pozole Aztec soup yet, but the next time I am there, I intend to.
The prices are reasonable and the portions are large. Visit it whenever you are near Zuma and sit outside weather permitting.

Great location, unfortunately the food is not great. Between the family we had fish tacos (which were overcooked and tasted suspiciously like canned albacore) and the crab enchiladas… which were not great. But, hey… the salsa was great… we probably will not be back though

Great location! Nice patio. Food is not great! Prices are average, but not worth the bland taste & over cooked rice & beans!

Oh my my. Very sad to say, this place was so disappointing. On Valentine’s evening, waited 15 minutes for a table, which was not too bad, then waited a half hour for our drink order. We were told that they were out of guacamole and had no more chips and no salsa. Then we waited an hour for our entrees.
The waitresses kept apologizing to us and the other patrons and explained that they were swamped.
You would think that they would have stocked up for the weekend!
Needless, to say, we won’t be going there again.

Came here for a co-worker’s birthday with some colleagues in the afternoon on a workday. The spot never really popped out to me, so it was neat to see a restaurant sort of tucked away off PCH. I thought the inside interior and layout looked dated. Service was so mediocre that I can’t recall even seeing a smile in return throughout the whole visit. Food was so-​so. We ordered a variety to share and I found none of it appealing. Didn’t have a fresh look or taste. Kudos for chips and salsa though.

This is the absolute laid-​back local place for surfer Mexican food. The new specials are big plus, especially the chicken lettuce wrap. It is full of spicy marinated chicken covered with guacamole. The chips here are the BEST you will ever find. Sit outside and enjoy the summer… margaritas are great!

Disappointing. Used to be my favorite.
Stale chips, bad salsa (the opposite used to be true)
Ranchero burrito seemed microwaved, didn’t taste particularly good and gave me a small stomach ache.
Even the lettuce on the plate with the burrito seemed microwaved.
I used to go hear somewhat regularly and loved it. I’ve gone twice this year and I don’t think I’ll ever go again.

My husband and I moved to LA a few months ago, but we have not had a chance to get up to Malibu much yet. I researched a few ideas and restaurants before we embarked on our 40 mile journey up the coast.
We came to Coral Beach Cantina after our stroll at Zuma Beach, it’s about 1 mile away.
The restaurants is casual and unpretentious. The food was tasty and fresh. My husband especially loved the chips and salsa. They seemed to be homemade.
Prices on the menu are reasonable for Malibu and parking is free. A lot of restaurants in the area have valet parking and charge for it.
We had a small mixup with our drink order, but everything was straightened out in the end.
We will come back again when we are in the mood for a scenic drive to Malibu.

I am a man who loves food. We came here for a 10 person dinner with new and old friends who were on a reunion/​retreat in Malibu. The Coral team — Lori, Jose, Carlos, and Jonathan — were so wonderful! They made our dinner! Besides the wonderful service, the food was excellent. They serve a big meal; so much so that I am taking my fish tacos home and will enjoy eating the rest later tonight!
I recommend this place to anyone who wants to eat some delicious food and enjoy a happy and welcoming environment.

I don’t like to complain about places but the food here is horrible. Fish and everything tasted like its been frozen for the whole week. The meat and beans had zero flavor and the worst part was the server. The bussers were doing all the job while all she did was take an order and leave the Establishment without even checking with us or letting us know. Thanks for the worst service I have gotten guys. Will never go back.

This place is the worst! So bad, that I’m leaving my first review ever! (Well, since I started a Unilocal account to write a review on how amazing my hairstylist is… like 5 or 6 years ago.)
We arrived and sat at a table that was shaded with an umbrella. Shortly after, said umbrella, we specifically sat under, was moved away from us to shade another table next to us. We mentioned it and they ignored us.
Next, the chips and salsa arrived. The salsa was marinara with some onions and cilantro thrown in. We ordered guacamole, which was just mashed up avocados. No seasoning, no lime juice, no onions, no tomatos. You know, the stuff that makes guacamole.
Since this is the only place to eat for miles, we ordered food even though our experience up to this point was disappointing at best.
I ordered shrimp tacos, my friends ordered the mahi mahi fish tacos and the chipotle chicken lettuce cups. I should mention, when asked what the fish was sauteed in the server answered «good», we asked again in case he misunderstood and his answer was «mahi mahi».
Again, we mentioned the umbrella. We weren’t acknowledged. We decided to move inside.
Then our food arrived.
The shrimp in my tacos were small and pale and topped only with shredded iceberg lettuce with a small side of pinto beans and rice. I had to spit out the bite I bravely took. The fish tacos were very fishy. My friend just assumed it was from a can of tuna. Also, just shredded lettuce. The chipotle chicken lettuce cups were the only edible thing. I use the term edible loosely. It tasted like day old (I hope it was only a day) reheated frozen chicken. It was a bunch of slop on a piece of lettuce, but we were starving.
We very politely told our server that we couldn’t eat this. We also apologized to him about it. Since we ate the rice and beans (dry, undercooked beans) because we were starving, we said we would pay for that. The serving of rice and beans was very, very small. We finished it in about 3 bites. The manager came and offered us something else to which we declined considering our experience thus far.
Our check. They charged us $ 10 for the small side of rice and beans. That’s when we got a little annoyed. The food and service were terrible. Now the manager was arguing about the bill and that he offered us something else is somehow making it acceptable to charge us $ 10 for the spoonful of rice and beans. She said, I’m very surprised you’re charging this much for a side of rice and beans. He snapped back «just take it off». We had no issue paying for our drinks and smashed avocados, even the slop they called chipotle chicken lettuce cups. The manner in which the staff acted was less than professional.
Again, this place is the worst.

I have no idea why some of these reviews are talking about the sushi place next door. It’s a different restaurant people!
CBC was delicious and homemade (any real Mexican will tell you some times pebbles show up in beans… it means that they are fresh, as much as it sucks to bite a rock) great homemade chips (made from real tortillas!) and salsa. The chef has been here for 30 years and their simple style reminds me of eating at my grandmothers house in Mexico decades ago. The service was fantastic and the chicken was seasoned perfectly. Try the habanero picante sauce, but try a little bit first! It’s hot, but delicious.
We came strait from the beach and did not feel to grimy to eat here. The staff was attentive and friendly and we’re definitely coming back next time we hang out at Zuma. Thanks CBC!

Let’s start with customer service, it was good, constantly asking if we need anything and very friendly. The location is great and the patio, they have heaters… Very nice ambient.
Now, for the food,… My girlfriend order a carnitas plate, the meat was dry, seem like it had been reheated a couple of times. The beans were dry and chips were very hard and leather like… I order an exhilarating and tamale plate, I liked it. Of course it was nothing out of this world… I could had a better plate and fresh rice and beans in Los Angeles… The drinks were strong and good. Somewhat disappointed with the food. Then my gf order a side of ‘s green salsa to add to the meat, since it was dry and they charged 1.75… Pricey too…
For a dessert we ordered a Flan for two. It was great, home style and very tasty

The 1 star is for the chips and the chips only! The drinks were weak. The shrimp burrito I got was very bland and I supposedly got the «spicey» sauce. The crab enchiladas my daughter got were very fishy tasting and bland. My husband got the mahi burrito which was filled mostly with bell peppers.
We came at 5:30 on a Friday evening and the service was good as there weren’t many people there yet.
We sat at a table that had some shade due to an umbrella near by. Then a large party arrived and the waiter then took our umbrella to shade the very large party! I picked that spot BEACUSE of the shade people! If you have a party of 15 people you have to expect that some portion of the party will not be shaded. A kind gentleman sitting next to us moved another umbrella so we were again shaded… thank you kind stranger.
Overall I would NEVER COME BACK!

Wow, somewhat of an odd place. i’m not sure if I REALLY liked the food here. I was expecting bad Mexican food in white washed Malibu. I didn’t get anything «authentic» per se but the chicken flautas and the chicken burrito were muy bueno.
Now I have another lunch stop choice when working in Malibu.
Parking is relatively easy. They share a lot with a sushi bar and some other local non-​food businesses.

This place is just alright with me…
Easy parking right off PCH as you’re heading south from Zuma Beach. It never seems to be terribly crowded no matter when we check in… summer time, winter time, afternoon, evening… always a place to sit and always a place to park.
The food is consistently better than average, but not outstanding Mexican and they make killer cadillac margaritas if you ask for them in a short glass (that way you don’t get too much mix).
Service can be inconsistent, but is mostly friendly and quick.
We go there all the time when we’re down by the beach and starving. I suppose that says a lot.