Designed with architecture reminiscent of Santa Barbara’s missions, Tin Roof Bistro provides a cozy, casual atmosphere with upscale dishes and an impeccable wine selection in Manhattan Beach.
When you visit Tin Roof Bistro, you can enjoy a cocktail on its 20-ft.-long Brunswick mahogany bar, settle into a large booth or sit outside on the romantic patio—which gets its shade from a large sail made in Newport Beach. No matter where you sit, Tin Roof Bistro feels like an escape from the usual hustle and bustle of LA life.
Before you select from the many fantastic wine options, enjoy one of its inventive craft cocktails. We were drawn to one of the newest cocktails, Bells and Whistles. Made with bell pepper-infused vodka, grapefruit, yuzu, peppercorn and basil syrup, the Bells and Whistles provided refreshing, savory flavors that are unique and delicious. (We certainly think it qualifies as one of your daily servings of vegetables.) We also tried The Wallflower, which was anything but! Mixed with jalapeño-infused tequila, triple sec, passion fruit purée, lime and topped with a hibiscus-rosemary foam, The Wallflower packs a sweet and spicy punch that gives the traditional spicy margarita a run for it money.
For our appetizers, we were having trouble deciding between the Indian-spiced spinach dip and the caramelized Brussels sprouts—so we ordered both. Tin Roof Bistro puts a twist on typical spinach dip by adding curried cream, and it is absolutely sensational. To make matters even better, they serve it with flatbread toasted in a wood-fired oven. The caramelized brussels sprouts are proof that food doesn’t need to be fussy to be amazing. Made with butter garlic, lemon, anchovies and capers on top of bruschetta, the Brussels sprouts are seasoned to perfection.
For our entrees, we chose one of newest dishes, the wood-fired roasted chicken, and as well as the homemade short rib agnolotti. Mary’s free-range chicken is roasted in the restaurant’s wood-fired oven, so it comes out succulent on the inside and crispy on the outside. Its accompanying summer panzanella salad is light but full of flavorful ingredients like olive oil croutons and blistered corn. The agnolotti are absolutely stuffed with red-wine braised short rib and covered in an autumnal brown butter, lemon, sage and Parmesan sauce.
Somehow, we saved room for dessert. While we were tempted by the house-made lemon curd in the lemon meringue, we ultimately went with the scratch-made chocolate lava cake. As committed chocolate devotees, there simply aren’t enough places that offer chocolate lava cake anymore, and we knew we had to strike while the lava was flowing. When you take your first spoonful of cake, a gooey molten center is revealed but it stays contained within its soft outer shell. The cake is served with a raspberry-verbena couli and Fosselman’s vanilla ice cream to complement its rich flavors. Suffice it to say, our meal at Tin Roof Bistro was *chef’s kiss.*
Tin Roof Bistro is open Sunday through Thursday, 4 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday. 4 to 11 p.m.; and brunch on Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information about Tin Roof Bistro, visit www.tinroofbistro.com.