Riviera Village, Redondo Beach, CA

Riviera Village is the six-block shopping district at the south end of Redondo Beach, and it runs more like a small beach downtown than a mall. More than 300 shops, restaurants, galleries and salons fill the grid between Pacific Coast Highway and the bluff, with the Palos Verdes cliffs rising just to the south. Housing around Riviera Village follows the South Redondo pattern. Older beach bungalows and rebuilt single-family houses share the side streets with townhomes and condos, and some upper floors look over the rooftops to the water. The Hollywood Riviera neighborhood of Torrance begins just past the city line. The beach is a short walk west. Stairs lead down from the Esplanade to the sand near the Avenue H lifeguard tower, and lifeguards watch swimmers and surfers on the county beach below. The food is why people from across the South Bay come here. Gabi James on Catalina Avenue serves Spanish tapas and paella, The Rockefeller is known for a kalbi cheesesteak, Little Sister does Vietnamese dishes like banh mi, and Locale90 bakes Neapolitan pizza. Coffee Cartel, at 1820 S Catalina Ave, is the coffee house most mornings start at. Daily life can happen on foot for anyone living within a few blocks of Catalina Avenue. Trader Joe's sits at 1761 S Elena Ave, Smart & Final is on PCH, and the Riviera Village Farmers Market sets up on Elena Avenue. Local readers of Easy Reader voted the village the best neighborhood shopping area six years running. Parking and weekend crowds are the tradeoff. Evenings and summer Saturdays bring diners from other towns, and the side streets fill up with their cars. Living within walking distance means you can skip that search entirely and still reach the sand before your coffee cools.