Santa Monica’s Ocean Avenue is now home to the West Side Oyster Club, the latest restaurant by Greg and Yunnie Morena. The couple’s new seafood restaurant debuted on June 26 in the former Blue Plate Oysterette, which closed after 17 years in early January.
The Morenas are longtime Santa Monica business owners who have become deeply embedded in the coastal community. In 1977, Yunnie’s parents founded SM Pier Seafood, which eventually became the Albright on the Santa Monica Pier. The couple took over operations after Yunnie’s notable career at Fred Segal and Greg’s career in fashion and finance. (Greg recently resigned from the Santa Monica City Council to attend to his businesses, according to the Santa Monica Mirror.) The Morenas were early to adapt sustainability into their business model by investing in local seafood sourcing, helping to make the Pier more green, and prioritizing Greg’s tenure as a board member of Heal the Bay.
West Side Oyster Club evokes the Northeast with rustic woods, sandy neutrals, and white tiles; diners can find a mix of reasonably priced fish and chips, blackened shrimp tacos, deep-fried oysters, garlic shrimp, and a clam chowder bread bowl. One section of the menu has been dedicated solely to rolls and po’boys, which include lobster two ways: chilled New England–style or tossed in warm butter. Shrimp and oyster po’boys get served with Old Bay–dusted potato chips. Order the seafood platter for two or four diners with cocktail sauce, mignonette, and lemon wedges. To drink, find bottled and draft beer, plus wines from California, France, Italy, and Spain, along with cocktails like the Palisades Sunset with lime, pomegranate, and a chipotle tequila. The restaurant seats 80 total, with 50 seats on the patio overlooking Palisades Park. Greg has encouraged diners to order the caviar to-go pack with potato chips, creme fraiche, and chives to picnic on along the park’s verdant expanse.
Blue Plate Oysterette owner Jen Rush attributed its closure to reasons familiar to restaurant operators in the region: a significant drop in tourism since 2025, rising costs, shifting dining habits, and the ongoing closures of retail and office spaces; Rush also cited safety concerns and the unhoused encampments in Palisades Park. In 2026, downtown Santa Monica additionally saw the closures of the 30-year-old Britannia Pub, the Misfit Restaurant and Bar, and Bar Monette. In April, the Santa Monica City Council declared an emergency to expedite programs and services that address homelessness and prevent residents from becoming unhoused, writes the Santa Monica Mirror.
Greg gives credit to the City of Santa Monica for the recent drop in encampments. “As of late, Santa Monica has really done its part,” says Greg, referring to new “housing-first” policies and policies designed to attract businesses and visitors. “Palisades Park is totally different than it was four months ago.”
For the couple, the West Side Oyster Club will live as a love letter to Santa Monica. They say the opportunity to take over Blue Plate was ultimately a surprise and a challenge. “It was a chance to be something that we love,” Greg says.
West Side Oyster Club is open from Monday through Thursday from noon until 9 p.m., and open at 11:30 a.m. Friday through Sunday at 1355 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, CA, 90401.
More for the table:
- As if I needed another reason to love Santa Barbara, the California Wine Festival might have me traveling northbound from July 17 to July 18. Organizers will host tastings and events, as well as a tri-tip competition. Find the full details on the festival site.
- My Eater Los Angeles team (myself included) has been fawning over Venice’s new Palestinian-owned cafe, tea room, and yoga studio, Inara Coffee. They’ve even got some special programming underway, with a Love Island watch party at 8 p.m. tonight.
- I’m more than curious to visit Maggie’s Refuel, a luxury gas station owned by Alex Canter (the fourth-generation owner of Canter’s Deli). Los Angeles Magazine reports that the gas station takes inspiration from Japan’s elevated 7-Elevens and the Italian Autogrill chain. Alas, I’ll have to wait until 2027 to see it.
- Happy to see Barbara Gene’s Soul Food return in pop-up format. Starting July 19, the team will host four throughout the summer with $12 wings and soul roll platters. They’ll take pre-orders and designate a pickup spot.
