There’s that song—or is it several songs?—about driving up the Pacific Coast Highway, top down, sunshine on your shoulder, redhead at your side, wind blowin’ in your hair, Beach Boys blaring, waves crashing on the shore, lookin’ for adventure. It must seem impossible that such a cliché California experience could exist in reality, but it can and does (convertible and redhead optional) along the sunny stretch of California Highway 1 north of Malibu. And the place to stop for lunch in that California Dream is Neptune’s Net, the iconic roadside seafood joint across the road from the world-famous County Line surf break.
There’s a palpable sense of déjà vu walking into the place. It’s where FBI agent Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) meets waitress/ surfer Tyler (Lori Petty) in Point Break, and serves as a background for meals in The Fast and the Furious, Iron Man 3, and The Hills. “With every filming, the restaurant attracts new clientele eager to come and eat at the restaurant filmed in their favorite TV show or movie,” says Margaret Cho (not to be confused with the comedian of the same name.) Cho’s parents, Michelle and Chong Lee, purchased the restaurant from longtime owners Paul and Dolly Seay on July 4, 1991, after seeing an ad in the local Korea Times newspaper… the original structure built by original owner Jacob Eastman in 1956…
