King Harbor Property To Welcome South Bay Locals For Food, Drinks & Entertainment
The revitalization of the Redondo Beach harbor does not begin with the proposed revamping of the pier.
It starts when Shade Hotel opens on Harbor Drive.
And that could happen in early to mid-May, or perhaps as early as the last week of April.
To be fair, the newly refurbished Redondo Beach Hotel and the existing Crown Plaza have set the tone but the opening of Shade is the shot in the arm the area really needs to get the motor running, so to speak.
A Sophisticated But Casual Setting
Whenever it does happen, Shade promises to bring to Redondo Beach just what it needs, and that is an upscale setting that’s casual enough to welcome in locals passing by on bicycles and living on the boats in King Harbor Marina.
In an exclusive interview with PubClub.com, General Manager Ryan Leach – a Palos Verdes native – discussed the plans for the new hotel with a prime focus on what is most important to locals, the bars.
“We’re thinking of locals, from the liveaboards on the boats in the harbor to those who ride their bikes down to Redondo Beach,” he said. “We want it to be a comfortable place where locals feel good about going to for a beer or to have a drink.
“We want the locals to embrace it.”
Unlike the Manhattan Beach property, the Redondo location is divided into two buildings, one being the hotel and the other an events building. In between the two is a ground-level restaurant and bar with a large outdoor patio; this is the main dining and drinking area for locals.
Locals will also be invited to the rooftop pool on the hotel side, especially for what Leach called “Sundays Fundays.” Yes, a pool party in the South Bay!
Now before you start having flashbacks of Chillers except with a Spring Break touch – or a South Bay version of Rehab at the Las Vegas Hard Rock – just hold those thoughts racing through your mind. This is Shade, so it’s going to be sophisticated. There’s likely to be a $20 cover charge and cabanas with soft DJ music.
There is also the possibility of a third bar, tho it’s more in the chin-scratching “hmmm” stage right now. There will be a rooftop area on the events building enticingly called the Sky Level that could be turned into a bar, or just used for special events, like the pool area at the Manhattan Beach Shade.
For the most part, it is the ground level restaurant and bar that will be the main focus for the daylife and nightlife. Look for bands and local musicians to provide the music.
“It will have great dining with breakfast, lunch and dinner,” Leach said. “It will be open seven days a week so people can stop by for a drink, watch some sports and have live entertainment.”
That entertainment is yet to be determined, although PubClub’s suggestion of a steel drum band on weekend afternoons was warmly embraced. As was a signature cocktail, something that will draw people in the way the Fire Chief does at Old Tony’s on the Redondo Beach Pier.
Unlike the Zinc Lounge in Manhattan, the bar won’t have to close ridiculously early, so Leach says it will be a cozy, sophisticated but also South Bay casual nightlife destination.
There will be a Happy Hour and also brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.
According to Manhattan Beach GM Shaunna Mckelvey, who is heavily involved in the food and drink planning, bottomless mimosas are a possibility with the brunch. It’s something other South Bay locations are doing, including two within a one-minute bike ride of Shade, BALEENKitchen ($14 until 2 p.m.) and R10 ($14 until 3 p.m.).
“It won’t be for $14 tho,” she said with a laugh.
All bars will have 24 beers on tap and a “cocktail specialist” in Mckelvey’s words, to create drinks.
As far as the hotel, there 54 rooms (Shade MB has 38 rooms by comparison) 42 of which have a balcony facing the harbor with soaking tubs on the balconies Overall, the hotel is three levels of rooms plus the rooftop pool.
The bottom line is this: Shade will have a restaurant and bar open to locals, it will be open-air “with views from Palos Verdes to Malibu” in the words of Leach, it will have Happy Hours and weekend brunches and live music, and there will be one or possibly two more places to have drinks with views over the harbor.
Most importantly, Shade Hotel Redondo Beach will be as much for locals as it will be for its guests. And that alone will make it a desirable destination in the South Bay.
Address: 655 North Harbor Drive, Redondo Beach, CA
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