New high-end Mexican seafood restaurant docks in Manhattan Beach

New high-end Mexican seafood restaurant docks in Manhattan Beach

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A Sonoran-inspired restaurant will be the new kid on a very popular dining block when it opens this week right in the heart of the busy and vibrant Manhattan Beach restaurant scene.

And the people behind the new place think they got the right stuff to fit right into the neighborhood.

“When we decided to do this in Manhattan Beach, we thought Manhattan Beach deserves a high-end Mexican place to go hang out,” said chef Raymond Alvarez, who created the menu for Esperanza Cocina de la Playa, a modern Mexican restaurant that’s set to open July 29 at 309 Manhattan Beach Blvd.

Esperanza is located a couple of blocks from the sand, between longtime 24-hour diner The Kettle and popular Irish spot Hennessey’s Tavern. It’s two doors down from Love & Salt.

And even on this busy block it should stand out thanks to its modern decor that includes a white marble bar, leather upholstered dining chairs and bar stools and ceramic light fixtures imported from Mexico for its 2,000-square-foot dining room.

It also aims to be a nightspot because on Fridays and Saturdays it will stay open until 2 a.m. when it’s re-branded as the EZ After Dark cocktail bar.

But it’s primarily relying on its seafood-heavy menu to stand out from the crowd.

“It’s focusing on mariscos-style dishes — a lot of seafood, a lot of lobster tail, jumbo shrimp, scallop, a lot of ceviches,” Alvarez said of the menu, which  was inspired by traditional food found in Mexican seaside locales such as Sonora, Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Ensenada.

Here are three must-try dishes at Manhattan Beach’s newest dining spot, according to Alvarez.

Esperanza Cocina de la Playa

Where: 309 Manhattan Beach Blvd.

Hours:  4 p.m. midnight Sunday – Thursday, 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

Information: 424-422-0057 or esperanzamb.com

Daily Breeze, Esperanza PDF

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