Our One Day Hermosa Beach Experience & How to Do It Yourself

I imagine Californians consider Hermosa Beach as just another cool beach town. Everybody knows it. Everybody’s been there. But I haven’t, really. On a recent trip to Cali for a concert, we had only one day to spend in Hermosa Beach. This is what we did, and if you want to ever recreate our trip, you should do these things, too:

Grab Coffee and a Croissant from Café Bona Parte
I ordered a latte. I pronounce it lah-tay. The checker pronounced it lah-day. Is that a California thing? I stared at her with a little confusion, wondering if I ordered the right thing. It was the same thing—the lah-day and lah-tay. Just note the dialect if you ever find yourself there. We took our breakfast to go and walked to the pier to watch the surfers catch some waves in the early morning.

Ride Bikes
There are plenty of places to rent bikes from. We rented two beach cruisers and got to peddling. It was an easy ride up and down alongside the beach. They treat their boardwalk like a real road, including signs and flashing lights.

Eat at Captain Kidd’s for Lunch
Well since you’re at the beach, you have to eat a bunch of fish, right? Captain Kidd’s is almost too much. So. Much. Fish. They offer everything from tunas to grouper to salmon and much more.

Choose your fish; then choose your meal (you can make your fish into a sandwich). How do you want it cooked? What sides do you want with it? What about a drink? Done. In about 10 minutes you get a bit of sweet, sweet Omega 3 right into your belly.

Go to Tony’s on the Pier
Known as Old Tony’s, it’s a must do for a mai tai. This little place has been around since 1952 and hasn’t changed a bit. It’s an old-school, classic beach bar, and you can feel it. Sit at the upstairs bar, where you have a panorama view of the Pacific. Apparently, it’s a great spot to watch the sunset, too. Bonus: if you order a mai tai, you get to keep the glass. I had several in my luggage.