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Categories: Lounges, Asian Fusion [Edit]
Neighborhood: Santa MonicaMon-Wed. 4:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Fri. 4:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Sat. 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
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I've gone to Ma'Kai many times now and I absolutely love their desserts and wines! Although the last time I went I was very dissappointed with their desserts, I am hoping it was just that one time.
I love Ma'Kai's interior decoration and atmosphere. It has a very modern, urban feel to it while still being elegant. Most of the interiors are of very warm and earthy colors, and they have an awesome candle holder wall sculpture around the lounge area. The atmosphere is very nice and definitely a place for dinner/night life. The music usually awesome. Their normal music they play in the background when they don't have a DJ at night is very nice. It gets a little loud when the DJ is there, but that's when Ma'Kai is more of a bar/lounge than a restaurant.
*Appetizers*
//Island Sliders//
This dish was okay. It had great flavors, and was very rich, but it was a little too much on the salty and sweet side for me. But I am sure many people will like this dish.
//Tuna Tataki//
This dish was great. Seared Ahi Tuna was very fresh. Considering it's an appetizer and it was a very small portion, this dish did hurt my wallet a bit. but it was good nonetheless. The ponzu sauce went great with the Tuna.
//Spicy Tuna & Crispy Rice//
Very interesting take on a nigiri sushi.This is not the first time I've seen it, but it is always good to see this dish at a restaurant. The spicy tuna is made into a tartare and put on top of a fried rice ball (just think of the nigiri sushi rice shape fried). The crispiness of the rice on the outside with the moist rice in the inside, along with the spicy tuna tartare, gives a great contrast of texture, flavor, and heat.
//Hamachi Fusion//
I LOVE Hamachi (Yellowtail). It is one of my favorite sushi's in the world. sliced Hamachi with a slice of jalapeno on top with soy sauce based citrus sauce over was great. But for the few slices of hamachi being $18 dollars, it was a bit pricey. I might as well go home with fresh hamachi, slice jalapenos thinly, and just make a ponzu sauce. But that defeats the purpose of going out to eat. This dish is very great minus the price, but considering the atmosphere sometimes it's good to splurge on good food.
//Sushi Rolls//
Okay I've tried the Spicy Tuna, Albacore Jalapeno, Salmon Mango Avacado, and I have to say that Sushi Rolls are not one of their strong sides. The taste is just okay, but their plating was just too messy. The roll was not cut well so the edges were mushed, and the heights of each roll were not equal. I know it sounds silly to mention that the rolls do not line up in height, but it does make the dish look less appealing.
*Entrees*
//Garlic Noodles//
This dish was not one of my favorites. Although I love butter and garlic, this dish just had no flavor. The sugarcane was pretty good, but the noodle itself was just too greasy from the oil and butter.
//South Pacific Soba//
I love soba, and their green tea soba was pretty interesting. But other than the noodle, the overall dish was not unique or amazing. It was very tasty and I will probably get it again, with all the dishes Ma'Kai has to offer that are very interesting, this dish felt plain in comparison.
//Steamed Chilean Sea Bass//
Very good Sea Bass. Very simple and straight forward flavors that complement each other. Nicely executed.
*Dessert*
//Cerretto Moscato d'Asti//
Great Dessert Wine! Light and sweet (but not too sweet). A great way to finish up a great dinner!
//Molten Chocolate Cake//
I'm not a big fan of chocolate, so I wasn't too thrilled about this dessert, but my friends loved it. The cake itself is very moist and prepared very well and the plating was perfect. It was just too much chocolate than I could handle.
//Creme Brulee Trio//
Their Creme Brulee Trio is amazing! Although, the trio has changed flavors, they're still amazing. The first time I had it, they had Kona Coffee, Passion Fruit, and Vanilla Bean. I believe now it's Kona Coffee, Green Tea, and Vanilla Bean. It has changed a couple times to my knowledge, but of them are great. The last time I went though, the Creme Brulee was a bit gritty than usual, which I did not enjoy.
//Yuzu Cheesecake//
I don't know what's going on with this cheesecake, but it went from amazing to terrible. Before, the cheesecake had a crust and was a cold cheesecake. The last time I had it, the cheesecake looked as if it was baked, the top of the cheese cake was brown and it did not have a crust anymore. The cheese cake didn't have the yuzu flavor anymore and just was a normal cheese cake that wasn't that great. No real flavor, just richness, incoherent texture. I don't know what happened, or if it is still like that, but the last time was just a bad experience.
Overall, Ma'Kai is a fun and hip place to either grab a drink, or go for dessert after dinner, or just have fun. The bouncers in front after 9PM (I think) are nice, and it's just a fun place to be with great food.
Came here after a bday dinner and it was okay. Here is what i thought:
Highlights: No cover. Low key. Good music.
NOT so much of a highlight: They have a 2 drink minimum for credit card purcheses. Which is whack cause i bought my friend a drink (and I was wasted but didn't want to drink) and i was forced to buy another drink, that spilled and i didn't even drink. PLUS, we had bottle service and already were paying $500++ for our table.
Haha, after looking at what i wrote, i feel like i should take away one more star. But i'm not. it was A-OKAY.
Been here a few times.
Pros:
- Indoor and outdoor seating
- Outside fire pit
- Decent music (on selected days ONLY!)
- Great presentation on food and drinks
- Next to the beach
Cons:
- Overpriced food
- Charge cake slice fee for birthday cake
- Not very accommodating for large groups
- So-called "mini-me" dance floor (not that I care)
- Parking's a b!@#h!
First time was cool. Good variety of music, Great crowd, good drinks.
Second time failed. We made reservations for a large group for a friends birthday. Shouldn't they consider a table large enough for the group to sit TOGETHER instead of sitting us separately in two tables? Why in the world would we want to sit separately? Lame.
Our server did try to rectify the situation by telling us that as soon as the table(s) next to us leave, they can put it together.. Great! that was an hour before they closed.
I only suggest going here to catch a couple of drinks and a bite with your friends if your in the neighborhood but not for "planned" events or special occasions.
I'm used to going out in Hollywood where everything goes on on a Tuesday. When meeting my friend in Santa Monica, she says, lets try Ma'Kai! Sure, it's Tuesday- What could happen?
well, it was dead.
this wasn't an entirely bad thing. we had plenty of room, all the waitstaff to ourselves and the entertainment at our service. The Sangria was awesome and the ocean view wasn't too bad either.
The bathrooms were sweet, the ambiance was awesome, the indoor/outdoor space was sick and the seating was comfortable. I can't really picture what this place would have been like had it been crowded, though. Parking was rather annoying.
In Hawaiian, directions usually aren't about north, east, south and west. Since they are islands, directions are more about where the sea is located.
Ma'Kai means oceanside or seaside, as opposed Mauka, which means mountain side, just the opposite of Ma'Kai.
So the name befits Ma'Kai in Santa Monica, which is on Broadway, and faces the waters of the Pacific off Santa Monica beach.
It has a nice outdoor patio area, with booths for 6 people, one with a fire pit to keep warm, although they also have gas lamp warmers on the patio, too.
The Promenade area was packed on a Sunday summer's night, and we (the 5 of us) decided to stop in here for a drink.
Jill, a tall beautiful blonde and aspiring actress, was our waitress, and she was nice and friendly and took our orders for 3 beers, one White Orchid Sangria, and a small bottle of a Sake.
Ma Kai is like a Chi-Chi beachfront place where people like to be seen as much as go eat. It is an eclectic fusion type restaurant., with a large dose of Japanese influences.
We only ordered drinks and 2 orders of Edamame. Edamame was pretty good size with some salt sprinkled on it and served with a separate disposing bowl. The drinks were good and Jill gave us very attentive service with a smile. The ocean breeze felt great after a long day's business meeting on a weekend.
I've been twice, both times at night.
There is an outdoor seating area, with great views at sunset, but you will be competing with rush hour traffic and wind! So ladies sport the short hair or slick it back securely in a pony tail. And men be prepared to use everything in your pockets as paperweights for the menus and such.
Speaking of the menu, it is eclectic yet typical California Asian Fusion but served as tapas, so yes, this can make the evening pricey, but it is easy to share and also good to try a number of different items. The food is well prepared and presented. The servers are cordial, attentive and honest about what to order and what to skip.
What's good:
steak and asparagus skewers
tina tataki
mojitos (the best I've had in LA)
What I'd skip:
island sliders
avocado and mango salad
miso black cod
I was really disappointed by the dessert selection. It is purely personal preference, but I don't like the flavor of coffee or lemon flavored baked goods, so there was nothing on the dessert menu that appealed to me.
Keep in mind none of things were outstanding nor something you can't have anywhere else.
Reasons to go here:
* great for a group
* decent for a date
* popular for informal job interviews (I have no idea why)
* varied atmosphere... sit inside in booths that are tucked away in a nook, sit lounge style by the bar, sit outside in a covered, heated patio
* yummy alcoholic beverages
Most of the seats seemed to be outdoor. There isn't much place to actually lounge around in, so to call the place a lounge barely passes muster by simple comparison to other lounges.
However, this is a nice place, still, mainly due to its locale and well-heeled clientele. You're not gonna get any hooligans or Long Beach ghetto types who try to gyp you at the door and yell variations of the N-word at you a lot. That's Ocean Avenue further down.
The main door is right on the intersection of Ocean Avenue and Broadway and faces, well, the ocean. This direction causes a constant breeze coming in.
I and a friend came here on Saturday night casually while waiting for the rest of our group to arrive. I just had one drink and sat at the bar. The food from our neighbors looked pretty good and the smell of the cooked fish was pretty tempting. This was definitely a good place to take a date before the DJ comes in and the restaurant becomes a dance floor. At least that's what the bartender told us while we sat around.
I was surprised the place was even capable of handling a dance floor, because the inside is not very big. I was able to pretty much observe the entire restaurant from where I sat at the bar. For a place with prime real estate, they sure didn't have much of it, but they packed what they had.
The servers were pretty friendly and were prompt with getting our orders and did a good job of checking up. I just felt they could have used more top shelf materials when making our drinks without us having to ask and specify. After all, you're dealing with professional drinkers here.
My friends and I came here on a weekday, late morning, so most people were out at work. The place was completely emtpy when we arrived (around 11:30 AM). It took us a while to figure out if it was open for business or not, despite the sign outside saying that lunch started at 11:30 and the open doors. Finally, we found a server and grabbed a table. So far, not impressed.
But then we ordered and got our food. I wasn't thrilled about the $12 price tag on three sliders, but they were so good and filling that I was like, Ok. now this is pretty reasonable. They were medium rare, just like I'd asked, and the pineapple BBQ sauce was more BBQ than pineapple, which was good, because I was afraid it would be too sour or too sweet, but it was perfect.
I also had a chamomile citrus tea, which I really liked, because it came in a silky tea pouch (nice for presentation) and was very fragrant. Sometimes the fragrance of a tea suggests a similar taste, and you are then disappointed at first sip, but not so with this (Mighty Leaf brand) tea. Yay for ML teas!
Man.. Makai get's a pretty bad rap on here. It has a great vibe, it's on the ocean... well Ocean blvd that is, and the food here is pretty decent. I have paid a lot more for worse food in locations similar to this. You have to expect a premium on food and drink in high rent places, its the only way they survive. As a yuppie I can appreciate this place.
Come here for the happy hour, the sliders are fantastic and the calamari is pretty damn good as well. You can also get a decent bottle of wine for under $40 if you are with a group. They have pretty good DJ's here towards the weekends as well, just watch out for the drunk girls in heels since the dance floor is right next to the bar.
I always have fun at Ma'Kai!
We hit up this lounge after Copa and it was pretty poppin.
DJ was spinning music, some Michael Jackson, some hip hop and some house. There was one super drunk girl dancing and she was all over the place! I was like girl, you better not step on me or run into me. Sheesh. Like she was doing circles and stuff all over the dance floor. The guy she was dancing with looked at me and gave me a "I'm not with her" look. Classic.
Drinks were good, $10 each which seems to be the norm around here.
It was super hot and humid inside though, so we left after an hour.
Can't go wrong here if you want a cool place to hang.
Came to enjoy some wine with a friend recently. First wine I had was a dessert wine (sorry, wish I know what my friend ordered for me) which was delicious and sweet. Second wine I had was a white wine that was crisp and subtly sweet (also wish I knew what my friend ordered for me). Each glass of wine was approx $8/9.
What stood out about this place was the atmosphere. The lounge was more upscale, so dress to impress. The crowd consisted of people mostly in their mid-20s to mid-30s range, sprinkled with some college students and some 40 year olds. The lounge was darkly lit, which created a nice mood. Music was soothing. Service was standard. Decor was creative: a tropical zen theme. There are a few booth seats outdoors, which made for a nice place to sit to enjoy some of the cool, ocean air. Downside was that Ma'Kais is a small lounge, so there aren't a lot of places to sit leaving a lot of people standing around with drinks in hand.
Ok, so I was brought here on a date by a guy trying to win back my favor. He was slick. He knows I like the following things: pork, cabbage, fire places and twinkly lights, and a good drink. Ma'Kai provided all of these things, and yes, we are now "dating".
Braised korabuta pork and balsamic cabbage with salsify puree... sounds fancy. Tastes like... pork (ever so slightly dry), sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. Not bad! hahaha. It was fairly tasty food. Very small portions, but I appreciate that. I realize some people like a larger portion, so I would not recommend the food here.
I had a sugar cane mojito and I thought it was just fantastic. Really one of the better mojitos I've had in Los Angeles. Top 3, for reals.
Live jazz music was really a treat, but it was a little too loud. I would've stayed to dance after the DJ arrived, but I was still trying to act mad at my date.
Ma'Kai opened up for lunch again recently after a couple years of only doing the night time thing. We went there today for http://ThursdayLunch.com and overall I was not impressed.
I expect to pay a premium for food on Ocean, but $5 for a small side of fries is absurd, given that the fries should have come free with the sandwich and should not have been colder than room temperature. I did enjoy the $12 "three cheese panini" which is basically a fancy cheese BLT with a touch of spiciness.
Things I did not enjoy include the long wait for the food which trickled out from the kitchen over a period of 20-30 minutes before everybody in our party was served (even though we were the only 10 people in the entire restaurant) nor did I enjoy the 20% tip added to the bill. Though the service was pleasant, 20% is a bit presumptuous.
If you're in the area for lunch, I recommend skipping Ma'Kai and heading right across the street to "i Cugini" where you can get amazing food with amazing service for a bit more (but totally worth it).
Key Points: Over-Priced; Bite-Size Entrees (Size Matters!)
The Italian and I had an enjoyable time the last & first time we went to Ma'Kai. We weren't quite sure what it would be like on a Saturday when they are busiest. Well, let's just say that my once 5-star rating just went down to a 2-star rating. It was not as good as we recalled and we will most likely choose this restaurant last & only when we're desperate. Truthfully, we would rather eat at home than come back here again.
The nice part was, for 7:45 PM, they were able to sit us immediately. I was surprised. I expected them to at least make us wait a half-hour or more. Not the case at all. They sat us in a prime location & was peaceful compared to other areas of the restaurant/lounge. We were speculating on why, but nonetheless, we were very excited to have been accommodated so conveniently & quickly.
Affordable Wines By The Glass
Our glasses of wine were $8 a piece, which I thought to be most affordable. I was extremely impressed actually I expected it to be much more here.
Flavorful Beginnings
The Italian then ordered a miso soup & I ordered the lemongrass chicken soup. My soup was delicious. Although I enjoy anything with a lemongrass flavor to it. I ate it all though!
Delicious, Yet Menial Entrees
We followed it up with our entrees - I ordered the lambchops & The Italian ordered the filet mignon. When they dropped the entrees before us, though, we were in shock. The filet was no larger than a drink coaster & I feel I am being generous here. My lambchops totaled four bites! We were still so hungry that we ordered a small bite of steamed spinach. And still, we were starving. Although flavorful, we were unbelievably disappointed with the serving size. We're not heavy eaters, but we surely felt cheated out of what could have been a perfect meal.
Unexciting Finale
We were still starving, so we ordered dessert. The Italian doesn't really enjoy chocolate (completely opposite to myself), but we ordered the chocolate lava cake with berries and a scoop of ice cream. Sounds great, right? Wrong. The cake lacked taste and felt like doughy flour. There was nothing chocolate about it. The ice cream was no better. Vanilla ice cream people! It's not that difficult to find a flavorful one out there! The best part were the strawberries.
All in all, the meal was just ok. So sad, but we don't anticipate coming back here again.
We made our reservations half an hour prior to coming here. And from the moment we stepped foot in… Read more »
A Dark Lounge is what I needed, and Ma'kai was gracious enough to offer it. Some of my fellow Yelper friends and I descended on the place and dominated a large area near the bar. A comfy modern sofa housed us nicely, as we conversed and drank. Donna, my server, took care of me expertly.
I chose to go with the Valdehermoso, a Spanish Red (?) that was very good and boisterous. I consumed two glasses of this blood-colored beverage, and felt warm all over. I did not try any of the food, but definitely want to come back to do so. It's off the Promenade, so park in one of the Santa Monica City Garages. Or if it's Sunday, park at one of the free meters like I did, Although it was a little loud inside, I didn't find it overpowering, and could still communicate with ease. The lighting is very subdued, creating a good balance of a romantic, yet swanky atmosphere. I wonder what they have for dessert.
This place is too damned pretentious.
My cousin booked a large table for her birthday. We had a pool party down the street, and I was wearing sandals and shorts... the guy at the door stopped me for dress code. I went to tell the family that I would have to go home and change. To be clear, I went back to the door and told the guy I was going home to change, and I wanted to confirm the dress code.
It is NOT casual, and someone needs to change those details above, because casual won't get you through the door.
He said "collared shirts, no ballcaps, no shorts... this is an upscale lounge" ...he couldn't have been any more condescending than he was at that moment. If it wasn't for my cousin [and not wanting to spend a night in jail], I probably would have put his face through the glass on the door. What a prick. Looking at the other reviews, I can see that other people aren't exactly pleased either.
Considering the crowd inside, I didn't think it was very upscale. I saw some older men in POLO SHIRTS... really though? Such elitist bullshit. I'm sorry to tell my cousin that I won't be joining her tonight.
I love this place. The food, the staff, the music and management are all on point!!
A group of friends and I came here for dinner and then stayed until 9pm or so. The food was fantastic... we all had "foodgasm"!
Some of the highlights:
1) White Orchid Sangria ~ crisp white wine, with peach and stone fruits, topped with pineapple juice
2) Miso Black Cod ~ Marinated in sake & organic miso with sautéed vegetables - MY FAVORITE DISH!
3) Kobe Skirt Steak ~ Kobe skirt steak with coriander sweet potato fries & sambal dijon aioli - MY SECOND FAVORITE DISH!
4) Filet Mignon ~ Prime center cut filet with a white wine truffle sauce & a side of mashed potatoes - this dish was good, but my friend had ordered the meat to be cooked medium - so the meat was a bit too cooked for my personal preference, but the flavors were fantastic.
5) Grilled Salmon ~ Wild salmon over Indonesian spiced spinach & shiitake mushrooms
6) Chicken Satay - chicken was bit dry, but the sauce was still very good
7) Dragon Roll ~ eel, shrimp & avocado topped with tempura flakes. This was our appetizer.
For dessert:
1) Kona Coffee Sundae ~ homemade condensed milk ice cream topped with whipped cream & a shot of kona espresso - this was the TOP CHOICE among the group
2) Creme Brulee Trio ~ tahitian vanilla bean, kona coffee & lychee served in individual cups - I personally liked the kona coffee creme brulee the best.
3) Mango ice cream & cookie dessert - the rest of the group liked this too... I didn't try b/c I'm personally not a big fan of mango (ok, sue me!)
I would definitely come back here again for dinner. Favorites are the sangria, miso black cod, and the kona coffee sundae! The atmosphere was good too. Service was a bit slower as it got busier after dinner, but not enough to ruin the overall experience or anything.
Matt and I were bouncing around from town to town on our honeymoon, checking out fun, cool places. We found this restaurant on our map of Santa Monica and the descriptions tempted us to check it out. Once we looked over the menu, and saw the atmosphere we were definitely staying for dinner. We were so happy that we did! OMG- Everything was perfect! The beautiful decor and dimmed lighting were sultry and funky. We were at an outside table off to the sidewalk, but there are bamboo stalks along the whole area, giving you the outdoor feel but with privacy. The hip DJ lounge music kept us relaxed and energized during our dinner.
There were so many amazing options on the menu, our one problem was trying to decide what to eat and drink. The ginger martini was tasty and pretty. The food was AMAZING. The BEST dish we had was the Filet Mignon that was served over mashed potatoes and spinach, with a truffle terayaki sauce that was to die for! This had the most wonderful, delicious flavor, and we could not stop saying "Oh my god, this is amazing" after each bite. The calamari was awesome, too!
The fish of day was not as amazing, as I didn't care for the cream/buttery sauce, and when it was up against the filet there was just no competition.
We decided to go all out and get dessert. We had the creme brulee which came with 3 flavors- vanilla (awesome), coffee (my favorite), and green tea (not so great).
After our perfect, wonderful meal, we moved on over to the dance floor/lounge area where we stayed for 2 drinks each and we danced for a bit and had fun. (The only bad part of the evening was that we were over-charged by the cocktail waitress who then told me were getting a good deal since she gave us the wrong bill. Her solution to the wrong bill was that we give her a good tip, obviously not understanding that she overcharged us more than her tip would have been to begin with...anyway, that is why I don't let bars run my card until I have seen the bill)
I would definitely recommend coming to Ma'Kai Lounge for dinner, appetizers, or just to hang out in the lounge.
I usually love to read a review of a restaurant before I go there, and this time I was really happy that I did not.
As their website says, "If you haven't been to Ma'Kai Lounge lately, you haven't been to Ma'Kai. Period." True enough, I hadn't been to Ma'Kai lately (think, about a year ago), so imagine my surprise to find a totally new menu when I ventured down to Santa Monica this weekend! I personally enjoyed Ma'Kai before, but I think I enjoy it even more now. They still have the great mojitos and sliders that I remember, but the new menu is made up entirely of tapas - Asian/Seafood & American tapas at that, which is not something you come across terribly often. I think this is the source of Kate T.'s angst -- if you're expecting normal entrees, think again...our waitress told us that 2 dishes per person is about the right amount of food.
We were seated immediately (with a reservation), and the service throughout the meal was great; no complaints on that front. The music was a bit loud, but we sat outside (with a nice ocean view), so the noise from the bar inside was muted enough that it didn't bother us. We started wtih some drinks (mojitos, mostly, which come with a sugar cane stick!!), and from there it was all uphill...
We ended up doing rounds of dishes, 3 dishes per round (be advised that the menu posted on their website is pretty out-dated):
Round 1:
- Edamame -- pretty standard and yummy
- Island Sliders -- these are what I came here for in the first place, and they are just yummy! Plate only comes with 3, so be prepared to share.
- Lobster Dynamite Roll -- I don't do lobster, but my friends were dying over it...apparently it was good.
Round 2:
- Sweet Potato Fries -- served with a fantastic sauce...these were truly great.
- Asparagus & Steak Skewers -- these were literally steak wrapped around asparagus...how ingeneous!! I have to admit I loved this, maybe the best of all the stuff we tried...seriously good.
- Salmon Carpaccio -- I also don't do salmon, but my friends loved this as well.
Round 3:
- Dragon Roll -- no sushi for me (wow I sound seriously picky...I'm not, I promise!), but again my friends were loving it.
- Organic Chicken Satay -- so delicious...comes with peanut sauce smeared on the plate with the skewers on top...what presentation!
- Vegetable Tempura -- pretty standard...we gobbled it right up!
Round 4:
- Kobe Skirt Steak -- loved it...I'd had this here before as an entree, and it was also just as good as I remembered!
- Gold Yukon Potato Puree -- glorified mashed potatoes...and they were glorious! All warm and smooth...perfect with the steak!
- Green beans -- these were pretty good, but probably the least amazing of all the items we ordered...wouldn't feel the need to get them again!
Round 5: Dessert
- Chocolate cake -- I have no idea what the actual name of this was, but it was super yummy...I'm guessing some kind of flourless chocolate cake, all dense and delicious.
- Coffee Ice Cream Sundae -- again, no clue what this was actually called...my friends ordered this along with some Kona-Coffee-Kaluha-something-or-other drink that they could not get enough of. I tried the sundae...it was pretty yummy, but only for the coffee-lovers out there.
Overall, great experience; no complaints about the dishes whatsoever. Were they the absolute most amazing dishes I've ever had? No. Were they completely inspired and fantastically out of this world? No. But were they done well and did they taste excellent? Absolutely. I would go back in a heartbeat.
Side note: Valet is $10 after 2 hours, true, but you can easily park in one of the lots nearby that are free for the first 2 hours -- there's one on the next street over that's super close.
If you're looking for a dark, loung-y type of place, Ma'Kai is a pretty good option.
One thing that royally pisses me off about this place is that, even if they are empty, they won't let you sit outside any longer and watch the sunset over a drink. If you aren't eating dinner, they don't let you out there. Bastards. How dare they? I mean, why would you go to a spot on Ocean Ave if you can't sit outside? This is the reason I'm rating 3 stars.
The food is pretty good, although you're going to overpay if it isn't happy hour. The kobe beef sliders are really good for bar food, and the sushi is passable... nothing special, but it won't make you sick.
I had some friends in town one time and they wanted to go here for dinner. I advised them against this, saying we should go elsewhere for dinner and then hit Ma'Kai for drinks. But they insisted. So after a $70 per person meal, we were still hungry and ended up going next door to Joe's for a few slices of pizza.
The drinks are strooooong. I repeat strooooooooooooooooooooooong. And they'd better be for $18 a pop. But if you make friends with the bartenders they'll throw you rounds, which is always a plus.
Other than that, a lot of the people who go to Ma'Kai are pretentious, so make sure you go with your own company.
I came here on a Friday about 5:45pm. There were three of us. We were sat at 5:55 and thought we could order off the happy hour menu until 6pm. Our waiter didn't show up for 10 minutes so we missed out on that one. Not a good start. We ordered a bottle of wine. They had a $20 special fume blanc. The waiter poured for me to taste, and it was room temp. Strike 2. I'm in the restaurant business, so I try to keep a open mind to small hiccups like that, but it's frustrating none the less. We had a sashimi app that was good. The poke was interesting and pretty good. The shrimp tempura roll was all rice and zero flavor. I know fried rolls are a joke in the sushi world, but for $11 at a place like this, I was hoping for simple and tasty. Didn't get it. We sat on the south facing patio, and the view was nice. The server and busser were attentive after the initial wait, but we spent $65 on food and left hungry and let down. I'll give it another try, but I'll never be a regular here. Nice ambiance, but the location makes it a bit pricey.
I caught wind of this place from a college kid who called this joint
Mc Cougar. Notorious for the hot older women who sit at the bar preying on the next college kid.
I ate here last night. Food was absolutely tastey. Servers were great as well as the beverages.
Miso bronzed black cod, steamed chilean steamed bass, seared hokaido scallops, island kobe beef sliders, shishito peppers, japanese eggplant and spicy tuna and crispy rice.
They have a DJ and lots of interested parties!!!! If you wanna ditch eharmoney for a night.
Right on Ocean with views of the water and the pier...we had super late dinner reservations and sat at the front patio area. It is a great place to go with friends, grab a drink and dance. The food is like Ozumo. Good dragon rolls, yummy sea bass and really delicious Ma'Kai kisses - the best martini ever. It has lychee, sake and champers - really sweet and really delicious.
The back area turns into a dance floor and they played music all night throughout the restaurant... It sorta made it hard to hear our conversation during dinner however.
Been to this place a couple times. I like the ambiance of this place with the outdoor patio and candlelight setting on the inside. I haven't been here for dinner, I've only been here for the bar at night on saturdays. I like this place because there are tables to lounge at, a cute bar to sit around and a little dance floor. It gives you options.
Drinks are priced just like any other bar in santa monica. This bar is definately more on the upscale side. People come a lot more dressed up here and its definately an older crowd. Seen a couple of cougars here. haha
I LOVE the DJ. He mixes a lot of old school and new hip hop and he mixed in some good MJ. But some of the people on the dance floor mess it up with their lack of rhythm.
We tried the macadamia ice cream cookie sandwich. The ice cream was half melted when it came served to us, so we told the waitress and she brought out another one that was at the same consistency. I'm guessing thats how the dessert is supposed to be? The cookie was good, but not the ice cream.
There are still other bars to explore in santa monica, but I'll always make my way back here for the music and just to chill by the beach.
A few weeks ago, I went to Ma'Kai for a birthday party on a Friday night. The drinks, crowd and music were okay, and I wondered whether the food here was any good. Two weeks later, someone suggests Ma'Kai for dinner date. Perfect!
Valet costs $10 for over two hours. The ambiance of this place is cool and it's near the ocean.
Unfortunately, the food and service at Ma'kai were both disappointing. We ordered various small dishes - including the kobe beef, chilean sea bass, and salmon carpaccio - all were pretty bland and unexciting. The chocolate cake I ordered for dessert was just meh too. The only thing I particularly enjoyed about my meal was my mango cocktail.
Service was slow even though it was a Thursday night and the restaurant was pretty empty.
I don't think I will be back.
I went here last summer with a couple of friends. It was a spur of the moment kind of thing so we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into. It is pricey for what you get but it is located right on the Broadway strip. We decided to share some appetizers since we weren't that hungry. Here is the rundown of what we ordered:
1. Island Sliders $12
-This comes with three mini burgers and it was probably the best out of the handful of appetizers we ordered. It's quality beef and the sweet/tangy sauce complements the dish well.
2. Steak & Asparagus Skewers $ 15
-Comes with four small skewers and tasted kind of bland.
3. Tina Tataki $14
- I think this came with two handrolls, but it's been so long ago, I don't remember. I didn't get to taste this one because my friend finished it in two bites.
4. Ahi Tuna Salad $12
- Comes with three slices of seared Ahi Tuna and mixed baby greens. The fish was fresh but again, the portion was small for the price.
5. Hawaiian Glazed Ribs (4 ribs) $12
- These were all right. They were a little too sweet if you ask me and I don't really care for my meat being sugary sweet.
All I have to say is that the restaurant is furnished well and the ambience is nice, but the bathrooms were a different story. The stalls were so small and there was a lot of used-up paper towels on the floor.
I've never been here on a Friday or Saturday night, and I don't imagine I ever will given the impression I have of the crowd on those nights. The location is a blessing and a curse (beautiful setting on Ocean Avenue across from Palisades Park with a nice view of the Pacific, but it comes with the requisite tourists and dbags). You can mostly avoid this element if you come at happy hour or weeknights. I have and I've been happy every time. I can't remember the specifics, but they have specials on food and drinks at happy hour and two nice patios.
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Take Metro #33, 333, 534, 20, 720, 920, 4, 704 or just about any Big Blue Bus to downtown Santa Monica.
The sliders are AWESOME! Even though I'd just had a cheeseburger for lunch I couldn't say no when my vendor ordered the sliders. They were SO good and I didn't even have a heart attack that night.
Everything else was OK. I wasn't paying so I can't complain.
OK so there are two different places where you can review this place, I chose the one with the Lounge name because i did not come for dinner, could not afford dinner here. In fact the happy hour about broke our bank! So I like the name, I'm from Hawaii so I'm a sucker for Hawaiian names, they had a patio, i like patio but what really got me was the 7 day a week happy hour! OK wait first, do not believe the picture below with prices, its out of date. Well drinks were $7, which is kinda crazy when I'm used to $3 at happy hour. So i went for specialty, $8, I had Sangria, very big and wonderful, highly recommended. Also the Ma'Kai Kiss which was good, champagne on top and the Kamasutra, which has lychee and was tasty.
We also had the sweet potato fries, GREAT $4 and the garlic fries which literally had no garlic, very disappointed! LIKE negative a star for that. Also I felt like our server was stalking us, no space ever 5 minutes she was back... GIRL we spent $125 between 5 people on drinks only, please leave us alone.
So yeah atmosphere was great, AWESOME DJ gave me a bomb groove. Nice location, great when the sunset. But for their price I expect a lei when I walk in.
Although drinks were good so I would go back, not gonna lie.
If your looking for a nice event space, it had a great dark yet open feeling.
Guys, if you want to have a date but also want to watch a game, bring your date here b/c it is a beautiful lounge w/ great happy hour deals and fun cocktails. A nice, not-stuffy or uber expensive place to hang out, eat & drink, w/o resorting to divey sports bars. My next Lakers game watch will be here for sure!
PS: Delic sliders (juiciest by far) & great cocktails.
Ma Kai is the future of Santa Monica lounges. It has small dishes, perfect for my need to eat everything on the plate! They aren't too pricey but are delish! Try the sliders, the filet and the sushi (perfect balance of fish to rice). Their sweet potato fries are awesome and the fish (miso cod, salmon and sea bass) are delectable! I'm not really into dessert, so not sure about that (but my friends were woofing down the ice cream cookie sandwich), but the drinks are ridiculous! I don't know what they do to them, but they are strong and delicious! The bartenders are all really attractive and my male companions were panting at every other girl that walked by them, so I guess there's cute girls that come there too.
When we were done eating, we were happy to find that the DJ played all of our favorite songs from indie/rap mash-ups to pelvis pumping electro beats. I danced off my food, kept on drinking (the bartenders liked us because we were nice and good tippers-so they kept our drinks full), and had a great night!
When we were done at Ma Kai, we headed to a Pizza place next door, called Joe's (from NYC) and I was pleased to find out that their pizza was delectable!
All in all I had a great time there and would go back again and again. I highly recommend it to anyone in the Santa Monica area, looking to shake it up!
We went there on a Thursday night and decided to sit at the patio for a little privacy. We ordered the Black Cod, Tempura roll, Dynamite Roll, and Salmon sashimi. Every dish was beautifully prepared and tasty.
Except for the Tempura roll. It was too simple for me, maybe cause they put a lot of rice around the roll or maybe adding a little avocado would be nice.
The service was great, our waitress was very attentive.
I would come back again to try their drinks.
You can bring in your iPOD and they will play your songs in the restaurant. If they don't, then you get a free drink! How cool is that!
I'm going to bring my Chinese opera....
hehe...just kidding.
Makai has won me over-- not on the food part which is still pretty average-- but on the groovy times I've had here over the past few months on the weekends. Fri and Sat nights are old school fun with great people watching. They have a DJ who plays a great mix of 80's and 90's. It is a perfect for groups. You can still get the party vibe and hold a conversation at the same time. With so few places on the Westside where you can dance, Makai can be super fun (cougars and all!)
The service here is absolutely horrible. Wow. I never thought it possible to take forever to order… Read more »
Food: even two stars is being generous. the food was mediocre at best. flavors were there but i dont know.. it just wasnt good. my friend and i had calamari and the dynamite lobster roll to start. the calamari was good, the roll was bad. for entrees we had the five spice chicken and the grilled salmon. i dont know why, but we were so full after the appetizers that we couldnt eat the entrees. maybe cuz it wasnt all that appetizing anyway. what a disappointment. the only thing i enjoyed was the cocktail. i had the makai kiss and it was super yummy! its got lychee puree in it. i love lychee!
Ambiance: dark, trendy, very loud, two patio dining but needs reservations ahead of time. bar area is decent
Staff: friendly, helpful, attentive
Price: $$
As long as I've been living in Santa Monica, I hadn't gone to this place because it always seemed to be crowded. But for some reason, I decided to give it a try this past New Year's Eve. Luckily, they didn't have an outrageous cover to get in; you only really needed a dinner reservation. My friends and I had a reservation for 8:30PM on NYE, but we had cab issues and had to push back our reservation twice. Both times I called, the hostesses were more than accommodating.
When we finally arrived, we didn't face any hassle at the door. We went in, and were seated right away. The place was already pretty crowded, but not quite over-flowing. We weren't too hungry since we'd been eating all day, so we stuck to the sushi menu; it worked out just fine. We dined on a few rolls, sashimi, edamame, rock shrimp. We also had a few rounds of drinks. Our server was absolutely attentive, and always checked up on us. The sushi was fine. It wasn't anything to write home about, but it wasn't bad either -- especially for the price. That night, the DJ was an Asian chick who was playing some old school R&B/Hip Hop/Dance Hall Reggae. If we didn't have another party to go to, we would've stayed here!
All in all, the place was well. I've heard stories about it being super crowded, and/or the food being not-so-great. I haven't tried the other dishes, so I can't really comment. But our experience on NYE was pretty good. Might try this place again one day.
Poor food doesn't make up for good drinks and view.
Drinks were well mixed and view is good.
Service was slow and inattentive.
Food was poor quality. Had the sea bass and vegetable roll. Sea bass wasn't fresh, few days old, and frozen. Vegetable roll had at least 1 vegetable in there that was probably on the verge of spoiling. Pity that a place can't serve fresh good food, that should be the easy part.
Side note, I wanted to try the sea bass recipe at home. I knew I could do better. Searched, "steamed sea bass recipe" on google, and their dish was the first one to come up. Not only poor quality ingredients, but unimaginative menu as well.
Nothing great. I would not go back.....
OMG! I went there for drinks on a Saturday night...I will NEVER go back! Besides the table service being terrible and the unattentive bartenders; there was a cockroach on the wall!! The busboy came by and cought it with a dirty towel!! Apparently it happens all of the time...Uh- Really?! No thanks!
Cool bar for a date, biz meet or group get together. Has a Happy Hour M-F 'til? (keeps changing) ! The Sushi is not bad, but better as a hot drink spot. Nice crowd dancing to DJ on Fri and Sat nights. Service is inconsistent - sometimes great sometimes not so attentive.Has a couple of covered patios. Tends to get busy later.... Overall, a fun place to hang even during the week.
10 % off for Yelper
Los Angeles, CA
$4.00 Buffalo Trace
Los Angeles, CA
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Lounges
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Lounges
Los Angeles, CA
Category: Middle Eastern
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