Dudley Market

Of all the restaurants in this town where people slurp oysters in Adidas Sambas, no one does a cool seafood dinner like Dudley Market. It’s a crudo party with ocean views of Venice Beach, just far enough from the vaping rollerbladers and tourists commissioning airbrushed t-shirts. The menu combines dressed-up fish, great wine, and the city's best burger. To do all the above with the nonchalance of a neighborhood restaurant—especially in Venice—is almost unheard of. Dudley Market makes multi-tasking look easy.

The ocean is Dudley Market's entire personality. Lots of spots train their servers to blab about sustainable fishing practices like celebrities explaining their skincare brands. This place operates its own fishing boat and they don’t even brag about it. When you order the bluefin tuna sashimi on the restaurant’s patio, glance to your left and wave at the water where your food grew up. 

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Not every fish at the restaurant started its day on Dudley’s boat, but that doesn't mean the menu isn't seasonally informed and exceptional. Unlike most overplayed crudos, you'll remember Dudley’s buttery scallops bobbing in tangerine ponzu. In the hiramasa sashimi, one bite explains why people first bothered searching the Pacific for sea life. Other raw plates blend Thai and Mexican influences without shifting the focus too far away from the ocean-to-table theme. But like a magician with four kids at home, Dudley doesn’t stop with one talent. They also serve our favorite burger in town. Just by itself, the soft brioche bun would easily sell out in a bakery. And when you add the juicy wagyu patty with caramelized onion-bacon jam, you get the gold-plated superyacht of LA burgers.

Dudley Market’s space, which looks like a beachside vacation rental, is just as versatile as the menu. On the patio, steady streams of neighborhood people and their mollusk-loving friends sit watching the pink sun melt over the water. Inside, DJs spin disco, and wine club regulars pick up whatever mineral-forward white the surfer sommelier is loving that month. If you don’t mind shouting or bumping into strangers on the way to the bathroom, you’ll fit right in.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

On paper, Dudley Market sounds like a restaurant with too many ideas. It’s fish tacos, silky crudos, and that burger. It’s tuna fishing and a Westside wine shop. It’s disco DJ sets and a patio for watching the sunset. The magic of this place is that they execute the full package without looking like they're trying to do it all. And there’s not one other it-girl crustacea restaurant in town that can say the same.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Oysters

Dudley Market has a great selection of raw oysters, but what makes these memorable is their pepper-lime mignonette. It’s refreshing and doesn’t overpower the taste of watery ocean brine. Order these.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Dudley Burger

Dudley would still be our go-to on the Westside if the only thing they served was seafood, but they go above and beyond with a very good burger, too. A beefy, perfectly cooked thick patty, cheddar cheese, dill aioli, fresh arugula, and a caramelized onion-bacon jam on a brioche bun—Dudley’s burger is special. It’s sweet and savory, briny and peppery, and something you could eat three times in one week and still not get bored of.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Tuna Crudo

There’s no better place or time to eat bluefin tuna than here and now. Dudley Market catches each fish on their boat in the Pacific. By the time it gets to you, the tuna is transformed into uniformly sliced, thin ruby-red pieces in shallow bath of ponzu. Bright, slightly sour, and unmissable.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Scallop Crudo

Six buttery slices of raw scallop rinsed in tangy tangerine yuzu, topped with subtly spicy Anaheim peppers and a pinch of microgreens for earthy zing. A must order. Incredible.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Anchovy Caesar Salad

Between the punchy anchovies and croutons tossed in olive oil and crisped until they're crunchy, this is a salad that deserves its own TED talk. Each leaf is evenly coated with dressing, as if the kitchen team dipped them one by one.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Shrimp Mulita Quesadilla

Dudley’s quesadilla is a sleeper hit. The plump shrimp inside tastes like a lemon-pepper makeout session. Add two layers of cheddar cheese crust, a squeeze of lime juice, and you've got the perfect starter. Order this to balance out the raw dishes dominating your table.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Fish Tacos

When we’re feeling low, we imagine the flaky fry that coats the edges of these rockfish tacos as our own, golden-brown, weighted blanket. It’s tempura-battered and thick, so you’ll always get a sturdy crunch under all that cabbage slaw and rich crema.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Tom Kha Clams

A perfect combination of sweet, spicy, and creamy. You'll be scooping the coconut-heavy tom kha broth in this dish until you see the bottom of the bowl. Order a side of fries to sop it all up.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Wine

Coming here without getting at least one glass of wine would mean missing out on a key element of Dudley Market. The servers gladly guide you to the perfect sauvignon blanc from Slovenia to go with your sunset oysters. Unlike the rest of the menu, most of the wines are not local, but if you’re into Italian, French, and German wines, you’ll be OK with that.