The Sidewalk Cafe • 1976

What started in 1976 as a modest takeout window next to Small World Books has become the Venice Boardwalk's ultimate theater seat, where Bob Goodfader and Skip Dixon's expanded patio restaurant frames an endless parade of street performers, bodybuilders, and boardwalk eccentrics. The menu spans American and Mexican fare — burgers, tacos, pizza, homemade soups — but the real draw remains the oceanfront perch under red-and-white awnings. Pull up a chair, order a cold one from the full bar, and watch Venice's timeless circus unfold.