Review: 2026 Manhattan Beach Food & Wine

The 2026 Manhattan Beach Food & Wine event was a massive success. For the third iteration, Producer Shelby Russell of Electric Avenue Events and Culinary Curator Chef Neal Fraser of RedBird moved the event to an upscale hotel called West Drift. They have been having media events there for the event since inception, and it is a gorgeous hotel. Therefore it was a perfect location. Also C-Cap (Careers through Culinary Arts Program) was once again the honorary non profit who will receive a portion of every ticket sold. In addition C-Cap students are earning street cred by working with the chefs throughout the event. 

2026 Manhattan Beach Food & Wine

The new venue provided many sections for food and drink vendors. It seemed that there was food and spirits everywhere. There was a lower ballroom filled with various selections and it also spilled out onto the beautiful grounds. The pool patio also featured several great tastings, then as I walked down an outdoor corridor to the night market, I saw all kinds of spirits, wine, beer sake. Finally when I arrived at the main outdoor zone, I found even more fantastic cuisine. 

2026 MB Food & Wine Favorites 

Since there was just too much great food to talk about, let’s discuss my favorites. Chef Yoshiyasu Aiba of Sushi Roku Manhattan Beach provided mini dishes of Tuna Tataki. It was simply divine, and so tender. It included Garlic Chili Paste, Grated Daikon Radish, Chopped Chive, Garlic Chips, and Garlic Ponzu Sauce. It was lovely to start with a fresh light, a bit of heaven. Sushi Roku Manhattan Beach is the sister restaurant to BOA Manhattan Beach which I had the chance to review almost a year ago. Chef Brendan Collins of BOA served up his famous BOA Cigars. These are what look like crispy meat egg rolls (open ends) which came with black garlic yuzu emulsion and truffle chili crisp. See my BOA review below. 

Bison, Seafood Wagu Beef and More

Another nearby favorite…was Porterhouse Restaurant in El Segundo. Chef Bijan Shokatfard provided a scrumptious offering of Bison, Smoked Scallop, Chimichurri Scallop Tartare with Matcha Brûlée, Chimichurri Sauce. This delicious medley was presented in a Wonton Cup. This was both artistic and delicious. To be honest, if I had read the ingredients prior to eating, I may not have tried it. But it was so delectable. The union of the Bison and the scallops and of course the sauce and crispy crust, it was all so good. 

Out near the pool I spotted Holy Basil a well known restaurant with several locations in LA. Chef Dean Aprapornnoparat presented a dish called Pla Goong. This translates to a simple dish of tiger prawn herb salad. A sexy tiger prawn sat atop some delightful greens. Roland was up front serving and we stuck up a conversation. It turns out he is an alumni of C-Cap, and said he loves participating in these events because he has learned so much. 

A couple booths down, Chef Hugo Bolaños of the Four Seasons Westlake Village brought us an American Wagyu NY Steak. This was so tender and simply stupendous. It had a lush Szechuan Peppercorn Sauce, Honey Mustard, with tiny pickled mushrooms, as well as crispy Brussel Sprouts. The mushrooms and brussel sprouts were excellent too. 

Favorite Wine at 2026 MB Food & Wine

Of course I enjoyed wine throughout the evening. However RedThumb Natural Wines from Spain made a big impression on me. Co-founder Dave Schavone poured me a 2024 Tempranillo. This offered notes of dark berry, yet was bright on the palate with a hint of smokiness. However I returned to try the 2023 Monastrell, and was blow away by it. The full bodied was rich with an earthy spice plus a tinge of chocolate. It was exquisite and had a long finish. 

A luscious Lobster Roll in a soft bun was calling out to me from Rock’N Fish. Created by Chef Shaun Dry this was so flavorful. I adore lobster and the bread just cradled this savory protein with just the precise proportions. Moreover, Rock’N Fish was also handing out mini Navy Grogs. In case you didn’t know this is a very potent rum drink. I grabbed one just for the fun of it, stopped at a table to enjoy my lobster roll and cocktail where a few other ladies were gathered. I took one sip, and said wow, “I got a buzz from that one sip.” The ladies laughed and agreed that it was dangerous, but delightful. 

Other top picks were David Lefevre’s Honey dipped Fried Chicken (Manhattan Beach Post), Chef Neal Fraser’s Lamb Chops (Redbird), Chef Vartan Abgaryan’s Chicken Wings (Momed Atwater Village) and Chef Ray Hayashi’s Koji Glazed Prime Rib on Mild Bread (RYLA).

Incredible Desserts

There were simply so many more, but it’s time to move on to desserts. Rossoblu’s Chef Steve Samson offered a simple but elegant plate of Stone Fruit and Pistachio. A delicious pairing of peach with Lambruso Vinaigrette, Stracciatella, and Persian Mint. It was a nice combo. 

The Wife & Somm went above and beyond with their dessert spread. My absolute favorite was the Wife’s Mini Classic Chocolate Cake and the Lemon Lavender Cake (displayed as mini cupcakes). The latter was so light since it was a citrus cake with notes of lavender and floral. While the first one the chocolate offered rich butter cream frosting – so yummy. My husband adored the Wife’s mini Basque Cheesecake which had a caramelized shell. I liked that as well and we both enjoyed the Honey Spice Cake (honey, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg, cream cheese frosting). All of the above was fantastic, and I must confess we both went back for seconds. 

As we wobbled out of the West Drift, I said to my husband, “They did it again, that was a great event.” And he agreed. If you are a foodie, don’t miss this two-day festival. Manhattan Beach Food & Wine is an exceptional culinary event – not to be missed. https://www.manhattanbeachfoodandwine.com/

As promised here is my BOA Restaurant Review. Read other articles on ETG’s Restaurants & Wine Reviews Page. Or Find out more about foodie events on ETG’s Food Wine Festivals.