Four Manhattan Beach restaurants have earned top awards in the past week. The awards come at the tail end of what has been a banner year for recognition of Manhattan Beach restaurants.

This week, Esperanza Cocina de la Playa won Interior Design Magazine's 2021 "Best of the Year" award in the Fine Dining category. 

Back in October, Esperanza took top honors in the "Upscale Restaurant" category of the Hospitality Design magazine's 17th annual HD awards. Esperanza was designed by Gulla Jónsdóttir Design of Los Angeles, and is owned by Baja Sharkeez Restaurant Group.

Also this week, The Arthur J was named to the L.A. Times' just-released annual list of the Top 101 Restaurants in Los Angeles. It is the only Beach Cities restaurant to earn a coveted spot on the list. 

Describing The Arthur J as being in the mold of "steakhouse as swank supper club," L.A. Times restaurant critic Bill Addison notes: "This is the place to delight in shrimp cocktail (fresh and bouncy rather than rubbery) alongside a dirty martini; dry-aged, bone-in Kansas City strip steak; creamed corn sparked with Aleppo pepper; and thick fries cooked in beef fat, with malt vinegar and Dijon aioli."

Meanwhile, The Arthur J, Love & Salt, and Sugarfish have just been named to Eater L.A.'s "19 Essential South Bay Restaurants."

The list notes that The Arthur J's steaks "rank among the best in Los Angeles." It also calls Love & Salt "an established neighborhood classic," and says that Sugarfish offers "the full slate of some of the best sushi in town."

Manhattan Beach restaurants and restaurateurs have already earned time in the national spotlight this year. 

In October, Love & Salt owner Sylvie Gabriele was part of a group of women chefs and restaurant owners who earned honors from the prestigious James Beard Foundation for their nonprofit known as Regarding Her and its contributions to women in the restaurant industry.

These honors come at a time when the city has been in the spotlight for its decision to close down temporary outdoor dining decks by January 3.

DigMB's sister publication, MB Confidential, has an op-ed today about the future of outdoor dining decks in Manhattan Beach.