The Mercedes Grill in Marina Del Rey: A Healthy Cafe on the Beach

Los Angeles is all about the good life, complete with fresh healthy food, lots of exercise and sunshine. There are many communities that cater to the health conscious vegans and cuisine is often fusion blend of traditional American, Latin and Asian.

The beach culture is full of the relaxed artistic and new age types and is more relaxed than the Downtown business suits crowd that lives life in turbo drive. Venice Beach and Marina Del Rey are adjacent to each other and joined by the boardwalk, a 27 mile cement bike path that runs between the Santa Monica and Redondo Beach piers.

Venice is a bustling place on the weekends when street vendors setup shop offering hand-crafted jewelry, tourist t-shirts and designer sunglasses. It is fun to watch beach bunnies paying for a $2 power spray down of suntan oil and admire the bodybuilders working out on the sand of Muscle Beach.

On the south end of Venice, just inside the border of Marina Del Rey are several fine diners on Washington Boulevard. Valet parking is available which is a must on the weekends or if there is room the beach parking lot can be used for a lesser fee of around $8-10 depending on the season and time of day.

- Mercedes Grill -

The Mercedes Grill is located right next to the beach. The dog friendly patio is popular with celebs and locals who enjoy drinking mojitos and margaritas while watching colorful sunsets. It can get chilly at the beach but there are heaters in the ceiling near the entryway that help keep things toasty. While dining on the patio is great for people watching, some diners light up cigarettes and if can be unpleasant if you are seated downwind of them. Dogs are also welcome on the patio and beachgoers often bring their dogs with them.