Duke’s Malibu, the popular beachfront restaurant that has been a Pacific Coast Highway landmark for almost 30 years and was the Malibu Sea Lion before that, officially reopens its doors today, just over one year after the Palisades Fire and subsequent mudslides forced the restaurant to close in early 2025.

The January 2025 Palisades Fire devastated Malibu, and while Duke remained standing, the restaurant was forced to close as the community began to recover from the disaster. Just as hope was building for a February reopening, mudslides rushed down Las Flores Creek on February 13, 2025, flooding the building and extending what would become a year-long closure. What followed was a months-long journey of recovery, as everything in the restaurant had to be replaced, including the furniture, ovens, refrigerators, and plumbing.  It took months just to clear out the mud. What was expected to be a four-month job turned into a year. 

Duke’s brought back its core team along with many returning staff members and completed a comprehensive renovation while maintaining its classic beachfront atmosphere. 

This year also marks the restaurant’s  30th anniversary. Named after legendary Hawaiian surfer Duke Kahanamoku, the restaurant has carried on a tradition of beachfront dining that dates back over a century, from the Las Flores Inn in 1915 to the Sea Lion Restaurant in 1944, and Duke’s since 1996.

Duke's Malibu

Courtesy Crossroads Kitchen

On Wednesday, March 25, Tal Ronnen of Crossroads Kitchen will host a six-course collaborative dinner alongside Emmy Award-winning TV personality and chef Andrew Zimmern and James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Solomonov.

The $95 prix-fixe experience will showcase bold, globally inspired, plant-forward dishes like schmaltzy pâté with grilled brioche and pickled carrots, charred leeks with oroblanco, pine nuts and Calabrian chili crunch, sweet potato and feta bourekas with dill yogurt, grilled savoy cabbage with caper aioli and chickpea miso crisps, ricotta gnocchetti sardi with chanterelles and key lime pie with coconut whipped cream for dessert. 

Reservations required and seatings run from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and can be made on OpenTable

Rokusho LA, where the bar program is led by Japanese mixologist Joe Honda, who comes from the restaurant’s flagship Rokusho Tokyo location, is celebrating National Cocktail Day on Wednesday, March 25, with three custom cocktails for the occasion.

Duke's Malibu

Rokusho LA Cocktails (Evers Studio)

Rokusho offers a curated vintage tequila program, assembled over the years by the owners through private collections and auctions. Many of the bottles date from the late 1980s through early 2000s, representing distilleries, production methods, and branding from earlier eras of tequila – many of which are no longer in production. 

Alongside the vintage pours, Honda’s cocktail menu explores unexpected cross-cultural combinations, combining Japanese ingredients and technique into agave-forward cocktails. 

On the menu: The Matcha Plata featuring Clase Azul Plata,  Doburoku milk syrup and matcha foam, the Yami et Aurum made with Hojicha-infused Nankai shochu syrup, and the Suzuki Sour, a mix of tequila or mezcal, Midori, Almatepec, lime syrup, and cilantro.

What’s Popping Up is a column in the L.A. Weekly that explores everything new in food and drink