"Orange sunsets, long walks on the beach, overpriced crystal shops: these are all things you might associate with Hermosa Beach. Outside of brunching and bar-hopping, it’s not exactly a dinner destination on par with neighboring beach cities Manhattan and Redondo. Ryla, a Japanese-Taiwanese spot located a short walk from the Hermosa Pier, is a notable exception. Its intimate, candle-lit dining room is a nice contrast from the breezy beach cafes surrounding it, and its inventive menu brings something different and exciting to this part of the South Bay. Most people are here to eat, but if you wanted to sit at the long L-shaped bar and sip a highball made with a rare Japanese whisky while practicing holding prolonged eye contact with strangers while R&B plays, you could do just that. The interior dining room, which features lots of dark wood and cranes painted on the walls and tables that might be slightly too close together, has buzzy energy without being overwhelmingly loud. The kitchen is run by a husband-and-wife duo who previously worked the kitchens at , , and —three of our favorite South Bay restaurants. Drawing influence mainly from Japan and Taiwan, the menu at Ryla is a mix of clever riffs and unique flavor combinations, including a Hokkaido milk bread smeared with a tobiko nori dip, “hot chicken” karaage tossed in togarashi spice, twice-braised ox tongue curry rice, and a colorful matcha tiramisu. Almost every restaurant tells you everything is designed to be shared these days. At Ryla. It’s actually true. The waitstaff is fantastic about helping you balance which and how many dishes to order, so you’ll never be left trying to figure out how to split a single oyster with a friend. If you are going to choose only one entree, however, it should be the New Zealand Tai Snapper. The tender white fish arrives swimming in a savory pool of lime coconut broth, which you should greedily soak up with that fluffy milk bread. Ryla is a South Bay treasure with broad appeal: it’s a semi-casual place to pop in for a drink and bite before heading elsewhere, but also feels special enough to plan a big date night around. Make this your new spot for when you and a couple of friends want to eat a great dinner by the water that costs under $100 per person. It's exactly the kind of dark, sexy dinner spot that Hermosa needed—that the food is fantastic, too, is just icing on the cake. " - Nikko Duren
