Makani

A good Venice location but change ownership often. Makani follows the recent shareable small dishes trend with a Korea favor with nice decorations and patio seating. The steak matched with fresh vegetables was a good balance. The salad and clam were too salty and spicy.

New development: Chef Brian Wilkinson opening menu February 2019 pleasing to the eye, short on taste. Not sure if I'll revisit.

The food is great but the portions on many dishes are extremely small and pricey. I enjoy tapas style but there has to be some balance. The mussels had an amazing broth. The potatoes were really flavorful but the dish should be double the size. The ceviche was also tasty.

Friendly, comfortable with excellent cocktails and local, creative food.

Having dinned at many notable restaurants in CA and all over the world it's NOT very good when everything is OVER salted. Unlike many reviewers who did not "eat" here my guests order almost everything on the menu especially their signature dishes. Nothing flows and the food flavors are all over the place with salt and spicy flavors. Can't have eggplant as a starter that nukes your mouth and can't taste anything after. Who ever raves about this place doesn't know anything about food. Restaurants who charges this much have a responsibility to bring the best to their customers.

Makani is a solid choice in Venice Beach. My buddy and I didn't have food here (though it looked good), but we did sit at the round bar in the back and had a great experience. The service was fast, friendly, and non-intrusive. The drinks were a bit pricey for the size, but quality. My caipirinha was spot on and strong! We'd go back!

Really good food experience! Try it out if you are staying in Venice!

We passed by this place so many times then tonight we finally decided to check it out because we couldn’t find a place to take a party of four without waiting for a couple of hours. I’m so glad my wife suggested it. The restaurant was full so we found some space at the bar, but having our kids with us, the head bartender gave us the corner booth instead, which in my mind is the best seat in the house - okay maybe not for younger kids. Bar, drinks, and music how can you go wrong. It was really nice of them to give us the corner booth! If you’ve been here you know what I’m talking about. The drinks did not disappoint either. Our waiter just told us that Makani Carzino is the same owner of the previous restaurant that was here (name change) & Executive Chef, and is also owner of Pono Burger in Santa Monica. To me, the food is asian fusion, but menu states farm focused American food. We had Dungeness Crab Dip, Crispy Peewee Fingerling Potatoes, Spaghetti Squash Bolognese Sauce, Linguini and Dungeness Crab, and Roasted Organic 1/2 Chicken. All of the dishes were delicious and can’t wait to come back to try the other offerings. Maybe because we were sitting in the bar area, the bartenders were so attentive, but I’m sure it probably just as good in the formal dining area. I’ll have to try it and do an update at that time.