When Duke's Malibu reopened on Friday, March 13, 2026, people were waiting outside early that morning. The restaurant had been dark since January 7, 2025. The building survived the Palisades Fire, and then winter rain sent mud down Las Flores Canyon and roughly four feet of debris into the dining room. It took more than a year to reopen.
Duke's is one of two anchors that now set the shape of a Malibu guest dinner. The other is Clark's Oyster Bar at Cross Creek Ranch. The stretch of Pacific Coast Highway between them is about to be watched more closely than it has ever been. So the useful question for a visitor weekend is how to order the evening around a sunset table, a new town square, and a highway with cameras on it.
The room that came back rebuilt
Duke's sits at 21150 Pacific Coast Highway, on ground that has held a dining room since the Las Flores Inn opened in 1915. Time Out described it as the place where Malibu takes out-of-town guests, and that description held for nearly 30 years.
The rebuild changed the details. General Manager Jimmy Chavez told Westside Current that the restaurant's koa wood cladding, a hardwood native to Hawaii, was taken off by hand, milled, refinished, and put back up by hand. After the mud, Chavez said, "we gain a brand new restaurant on the other side." At the reopening he told FOX 11 that the patio was redone and that the view is better than before. The kitchen returned with its former executive chef, Calvin Holladay, and most of the earlier management team. Before the doors opened, the restaurant hosted a dinner for the first responders who had staged in its parking lot during the fire.
The Barefoot Bar came back first, in late 2025. The dining room followed in March, on limited hours, four days a week, typically noon to 7 or 8 p.m. Those hours were described as temporary while staffing built back up, and this reporting does not confirm what the schedule is today. A summer 30th-anniversary celebration was also planned, and I could not confirm it took place. For a guest visit, call ahead or check dukesmalibu.com. Duke's has always been a daylight-into-sunset restaurant, and the reopening hours made that even more true, so a booking there anchors the early part of the evening.
A town square that did not exist two years ago
Eight miles or so of highway and a few turns away is a different kind of dinner. Cross Creek Ranch, a development of 11 buildings, started with Kith, which opened on July 4, 2024 as the first business on the property and drew a line of shoppers. Clark's Oyster Bar held its grand opening on Tuesday, October 28, 2025 at 23465 Civic Center Way. The Austin-based MML Hospitality group runs it, and its own materials call the center Malibu's new seaside town square.
The room has a saltwater aquarium at the entrance, cedar shiplap, and a large patio with views of the Santa Monica Mountains. Forbes reported that guests at opening weekend were happy to have a proper sit-down seafood spot, with raw bar platters, Champagne, and California wines. That put Clark's alongside two established names, Malibu Seafood and Broad Street Oyster Company. At opening, Westside Current listed a Monday through Friday happy hour from 3 to 5 p.m. with half-price martinis and burgers. Clark's website still lists an afternoon service window on those days, though prices from the opening weeks may have moved.
Lucky's Steakhouse sits a short walk from this cluster at the Malibu Country Mart, 3835 Cross Creek Road. So the Civic Center area now holds an oyster bar, a steakhouse, and retail in a walkable stretch, with parking that is easier to plan around than a roadside stop.
The drive between them
Duke's and Cross Creek are separated by a highway the city has spent three years trying to slow down.
Malibu's PCH Speed Safety System is in its warning phase. According to The Malibu Times, the city announced on Aug. 18 that construction was nearing completion. The system will use up to 10 cameras at five locations along the 21 miles of PCH inside city limits, and it flags vehicles traveling at least 11 mph over the posted limit. On Sept. 15, the city said installation of the cameras, poles, and speed feedback signs was underway. The timeline the city has laid out calls for a 60-day warning period beginning in late September 2026, which has just passed, and full enforcement in late November. During the warning period, drivers who trip the system are supposed to receive warnings only. Camera locations, privacy rules, and the full schedule are on the city's PCH safety camera page, and that page is the one to check before quoting exact dates to a guest.
The cameras arrived through a specific history. The city reports that injury collisions on PCH have fallen 22 percent while citations have risen 59 percent, and that Caltrans has completed about $4.2 million in safety upgrades along the corridor. The Canyon News noted that more than 60 people have died in collisions on the Malibu section since 2010. The cameras are the latest piece of that effort.
One correction for anyone who has read older city or Caltrans pages. They describe quick-build roundabouts planned for PCH at El Matador State Beach and Encinal Canyon Road in early 2026. At its Aug. 10 meeting, the City Council put that project on hold and removed it from its capital improvement program. No roundabouts are going in.
Putting the evening in order
A sunset table at Duke's and a late dinner at Cross Creek Ranch both work as plans. What the cameras add is a reason to leave a few extra minutes between them. The list below sets out what to confirm for each stop.
| Stop | What the reporting supports | Confirm before you go |
|---|---|---|
| Duke's Malibu, 21150 PCH | Reopened March 13, 2026 after a 14-month closure; rebuilt patio; Barefoot Bar and dining room | Current days and hours; whether a 30th-anniversary event is still scheduled |
| Clark's Oyster Bar, 23465 Civic Center Way | Opened Oct. 28, 2025 at Cross Creek Ranch; raw bar, aquarium, patio | Current menu prices and happy hour details |
| Lucky's Steakhouse, 3835 Cross Creek Road | Located at the Malibu Country Mart | Hours and reservations |
| PCH between them | Speed cameras finishing installation; warning phase began in late September, enforcement expected in late November | The city's PCH safety camera page for exact dates |
Two smaller openings on the east end are reported but not confirmed. La La Cabana, at 21337 PCH, serves Mediterranean and Moroccan dishes such as a kefta tajine, and it appears in a February 2026 Wander restaurant guide. A Baja-style Prima Cantina was reported in October 2025 as preparing to open at 22235 PCH in the former Tramonto Bistro and JUJU Asian Kitchen space. Confirm either one is open before promising it to a guest.
One date on the calendar
Malibu Moves takes over Zuma Beach on October 24 and 25, 2026, in its third year. The weekend includes a half marathon, 10K, 5K, 1-mile Zuma Dash, and kids run. Founder Erica Segel started it as a women-owned local business, and it reports having donated more than $115,000 to local charities, including Malibu schools. If guests arrive that weekend, the event page has the course and timing details worth checking before booking a Saturday brunch.
The Malibu Chili Cook-Off ran September 4 through 7, so it is behind us. The PaliBu Chamber of Commerce lists an October Sunset Mixer at Summer Somewhere Wines on Thursday, October 22, from 5 to 7 p.m., which suits a visitor who likes a glass of wine before dinner.
Book Duke's for the hour before sunset, allow time on the drive to Civic Center, and leave the roundabout question off the itinerary.
Have a Malibu table you think belongs on this list, or a question about how the coast is shaping up this season? Cassandra Hepburn would like to hear about it. Let's Connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
