Paradise at Paradise Cove beach in Malibu

Welcome to Paradise!

Paradise Cove is just north of Pepperdine on the PCH (Highway 1) in Malibu, and it offers a delightfully easy beach experience from LA.  Looking to avoid the endless beach walk from overpriced parking lot to sand, and feeling rather overwhelmed by the vast expanses of beach that are the Santa Monica beaches, my family has finally found an ideal beach spot.  Paradise Cove offers easy access parking (three dollars with restaurant validation), an outdoor shower for sand removal, non-regurgitation inducing bathrooms right next to the beach, and a fantastically old school indoor/outdoor restaurant.  The beach itself is indeed a cove with a towering cliff to the north and a quaint pier to the south.  The setting of the beach obscures any view of Los Angeles, and this helps feed the feeling that you are indeed away from it all.  
A walk down the beach provides ample opportunities to observe small marine life from snails and mussels to hermit crabs and minnows.  If the tide is right you can check out the tide pools or walk (carefully) over the protruding rocks.  The population of the beach is primarily families who have settled in for a few hours of vitamin D either before or after a meal at the cafe.  There is a generally easy going and wholesome vibe to the environs.  
The restaurant is out of an era of beach blanket bingo and beach boys.  Hundreds of pictures dot the walls evoking days of surfing, fishing, and sunblock free sunbathing.  There is usually a wait (though they do take reservations if you are the organized, plan ahead type), but your lobster beeper will let you know when your table is ready, and the Adirondack chairs facing the water are a great place to wait and munch of peanuts.  The menu is your typical beach fare: margarita glasses of shrimp, all kinds of fish, burgers, fries, salads, and breakfast treats.  
This sun and grub spot is a perfect outing from anywhere in LA if you are up for a 30 minute drive.