In a parking lot mishap, her boyfriend’s Harley lurched forward unexpectedly, knocked over three other motorcycles and broke its gear shifter. On dealing with the craziness, Solis said, winking, “As long as the people are nice, we are nice.”Īmanda Martin, a biker from Redondo Beach, is already convinced of the crowd’s camaraderie. “They think steak fries are actually steaks,” she said. Lee described a common misunderstanding among European tourists. “Sometimes we get phone calls from Italy and France,” Solis said of the curious tourists not just from Orange County, but from all over Europe. Lee hires security guards from May to September, but primarily to keep bikes parked off PCH, and customers with alcoholic beverages on the patio.ĭuring its busiest summer Sundays, Neptune’s Net can push through 2,000 customers and $15,000 to $20,000 in sales. “It’s more the locals that are the crazy ones.” “Harley people are the sweetest people,” she said from behind the register. Manager Arleen Solis said she hasn’t seen any problems among the bikers in her 16 years at Neptune’s Net. The seafood restaurant is a pit-stop on their five to six hour, 150-mile circuit.ĭespite the tough reputation of gruff, goateed motorcycle clubs, the Neptune’s Net crew appears friendly. Tom Hensley and Geis, both dressed in zip-up racing suits, both from Camarillo, visit Neptune’s Net as many as three times per weekend. The pilgrimage between Net and the Rock Store, a volcanic-rock country store that many consider the California Mecca for motorcyclists, even attracts celebrities such as Jay Leno. Most bikers follow the winding canyon roads that connect Mulholland Drive and Pacific Coast Highway, said Deal. “We always include Neptune’s Net and the Rock Store in our rides,” said Stefani Deal, a biker from Agoura Hills. Every Sunday, dozens of roaring “hogs” pull up curbside. Harley-Davidsons and Honda racing bikes are an unmistakable part of Neptune’s Net’s weekend atmosphere now. “We’re one of the most important stops in California,” she said. The motorcycle scene started strong 20 years ago, according to Lee, who bought the restaurant with her husband Chong Lee in 1991. “Every time I come here it’s about the same,” he said. David Geis said he remembers the diner from when he started riding at age 18. “I’m accepting that.”Īpparently bikers get caught in the Net, too. Toston leaned against the wooden Neptune’s Net sign and listened to motorcycles revving. Zentner nodded and said, “They have a laid-back attitude without pretending to have a laid-back attitude.” “When I come here now I can definitely spot who the locals are,” she said. Unlike longtime customer Taylor, Toston detects more changes in the home-away-from-home of her teenage years. We would come to watch our surfer boyfriends,” she said. “All the really good surfers at my school - I’m talking middle school here. Toston remembers afternoons spent eating clam chowder with friends. I can drink beer and there’s cute surfers,” she said, smiling at her boyfriend Eric Zentner. Malibu local Laura Toston has eaten at Neptune’s Net since she was five. Longtime customers return like migrating whales off the coast. Since then the seafood diner has changed hands twice and names once.ĭespite changes, tradition runs deep at Neptune’s Net. “I’ve never eaten there,” said junior Drew Hoff.įormerly called Jake’s Diner for the owner Jacob Eastman, the restaurant opened in the early 1950s. Yet despite winning the City-search “2001 Editorial Winner: Best Cheap Eats” in Los Angeles, Neptune’s Net continues unnoticed by many eligibly cheap students. Originally a local hangout for surfers at County Line, Net has become a motorcycle and tourist destination as well, according to restaurant owner Michelle Lee.Īppearing in such movies as “The Fast and the Furious” and “Point Break,” Hollywood, too, has taken notice. “It’s the most eclectic crowd I’ve seen in my life.” “If you like people-watching, this is the place to do it,” said Lorie Bollinger, a biker from Agoura Hills. Black leathered bikers often pack the picnic-bench patio seating alongside surfers, beach-combers and wide-eyed tourists. Neptune’s Net, a glorified seafood shack and hamburger joint with nearly 50 years of history, keeps reeling in the catch. “Try the shrimp and don’t mind the Harley guys,” said junior Kelia Tardiff, nodding toward the 35 Harley-Davidson motorcycles parked in front. Sixteen miles up Pacific Coast Highway, Pepperdine students discover Neptune’s Net, a beachside restaurant that boasts enough seafood and black leather to put Disney’s favorite underwater villain to shame. From Pepperdine students to motorcycle clubs, the historic PCH eatery, Neptune’s Net, draws a diverse crowd.
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