The Godmother of Malibu Cafe and Catering

One word: «divine». Has a very personable feel with open seating in the back that overlooks the tennis courts and hills. My server was the sweetest lady and told us all about the menu. We didn’t even have to look at it! I had an awesome protein salad and my guests indulged in sandwiches. It’s simple, classic and clean. Makes for a nice getaway from the «city».

This is amazing food by the godmother!!! The salads are incredible and I had a Ceasar salad with salmon!!!
I also get the iced tea because it’s delicious and they give refills.
It’s outdoor seating and there’s a beautiful fountain and it’s a great setting.
Often select this place on business lunches

Well wow. Just received a nasty message from someone who probably works here. I didn’t intend for my review to be biased or hurtful. Godmothers café was delicious and I enjoyed their tomatoe bisque. The restaurant has now changed to a place called West. I’m simply stating that it’s no longer what it used to be. Also, the reason I went twice is because, like I said. I wanted to like this place. And I was giving it a second chance hoping that the first time was just an off day for West. Well it wasn’t and the food was still pretty terrible. And no… I’m not «hard to please» like you said. The brisket sandwich was good. Everything else was bad. Like for real though. How do you get fries to even taste like that.

I love this place! Great lunch spot in Malibu. They have a great kale salad and breakfast sandwich. The service is always prompt and nice.

Really no words. We called 20 minutes prior to our reservation we’d be late. We were assured it wouldn’t be a problem. I had wanted to try Godmother’s for SO long! I chose it for my Mother’s Day event~ HUGE mistake! It’s not only not Godmother’s, it seems there is absolutely no staff. We were told we would have to wait for a party of seven to come and be seated (once we arrived 15 minutes later than our reservation! Drinks were promised, and didn’t come for 25 minutes– and only because we asked! Needless to say, we left… Stinks it was our Mothers Day lunch…

Had a nice Saturday lunch on a secluded patio in Malibu! I would say ‘restaurant’ is not really the correct term. It’s an outdoor café maybe… Order at a little take out window and seat yourself on the patio overlooking the courts. Odd but we were the only people dining at noon on Saturday. Menu is fairly short but several interesting items. We had a tuna sandwich, lovely but I thought it might be ahi and it wasn’t. The salad we ordered was great and a large serving. Prices are great for Malibu, setting is tranquil, and staff was very pleasant. Nice find!

This restaurant is inside a tennis club but everyone is welcome to the restaurant regardless if you’re a member at the club or not. I would get lunch here at lease twice a week. The servers are all super sweet and the Godmother herself is pretty awesome, she’s a serious dog lover like I am so she’s cool in my book.

I love this place! It is a great Sunday brunch spot! The food is wonderful and a very relaxing atmosphere! I went with friends and we had a nice time.

I have eaten here occasionally… The food is always good.
So what if she Yells at her employees! They probably deserve it!
I yell at mine too!
She is nice

I work in the area and eat lunch here about once a month. The food is much better than at those tourist traps along PCH and the price is par for the course in Malibu. Also, watching people play tennis on blue courts while eating a $ 15 lunch really helps you feel like you’re one of the bourgeoisie.

Got some enchiladas and tacos for an office party. The total was $ 240 and then I added 4 caesar salads and the total was $ 330. Hmm. The salads were dull (underdressed, no chicken) so that felt like a rip off. The enchiladas were a casserole I wasn’t aware of this but if I were I don’t think I would have ordered. IT was a bit mushy, texture-​wise. The tacos were a hit except the tortillas came hard and crispy (maybe from being heated too long) and they were more like tostadas. Overall, there were some huge hits and medium misses with this company.

This place is located in a racquet club. Cute little place with great sandwiches. I got the turkey bacon sandwich and it was good. I also got a smoothie that was pretty good too. They had some loud construction and the godmother herself came out to yell at the guys to stop and quickly apologized for the noise. There is additional parking at the bottom of the parking lot in a dirt lot. There is also a cool view overlooking the tennis courts.

This was a difficult review to write. I have such mixed feelings about this place. I truly enjoy the food and the beautiful atmosphere, and for the most part, the service has been acceptable. Servers are slow and complain loudly about split checks, but usually fine. Overall, it would be tolerable if not for the owner.
As one reviewer mentioned, the Godmother herself acts terribly. She is loud and mean to her staff as well as customers! I saw her yell at a lovely couple for sitting at one of the tables behind the court when the café wasn’t very crowded. She made them move forward. Unbelievable. Sure, it makes more work to walk back there, but there is NEVER a reason to yell at customers. I would’ve left. I’m surprised the couple stayed.
The best part is the salmon salad and tomato soup. I keep coming back for the tasty and fresh food and the convenient location to Pepperdine. It is the perfect long lunch when you just need to escape school.
I give it a solid 3 stars for food, it’s perfectly acceptable. But minus one star for the Godmother. I keep going hoping she won’t be working when I visit…

I loved this place when I first came upon it. Beautiful location, although the food was not that exciting or tantalizing.
However, the reason I’m giving Godmothers such a bad review is how utterly horrible the Godmother-​herself was to one of her employees. Right in front of her clients, I witnessed her being verbally abusive and quite mean-​spirited to one of her kitchen staff. While I will admit that I don’t know exactly what inspired such a rant, I do know that her behavior was simply inappropriate.
Also, my friends hired her to do some catering for them and then promptly fired her after one meal. Her food was below standard and not of enough quantity to feed the amount of people there.

Godmother Café was a hidden gem once upon a time. Now. not so much. We had the turkey burger ($ 14), enchilada ($ 12) and short rib tacos ($ 12). For $ 14 the fairly average size turkey burger comes with a side salad but I opted for the soup of the day for $ 2 more. For that extra $ 2 I got a tiny bowl of lukewarm soup, definitely not worth it. The burger was alright but nothing special. The enchilada is something they heat up in a bowl and spoon out onto a plate to serve, looks more like a lasagna than anything else and once again, not worth it. Finally the tacos I did not try but was told that it was reminiscent of wet cat food. So i would assume… not worth it. Also, our waitress took our drink orders but never brought them until we asked when our food came, she even served two other tables that sat down several minutes after us their drinks first.

My favorite hidden gem of Malibu. The staff is friendly and the food is always fresh and clean. Great outdoor seating. I love the vibe of this place.
The Salmon dishes are all very good and fresh. Small menu, but everything’s done right.

The Godmother makes a bisque you can’t refuse … or not review.
Over several years, I’ve had the unique pleasure of eating at Godmother Café about once or twice annually thanks to working nearby from time-​to-​time. Unique is the best way to describe Godmother’s. It really does depend on the day you go as to the reception and food you’ll find. I’ve been turned away (ala «No soup for you!) when the place was busy while other times actually was encouraged to sit and relax for hours.
My recommendation is to come with a positive attitude and plan for a longer-​than-​normal lunch cause the odds are you won’t finish within your allotted lunch break. There is no rushing the Godmother. When ordering, my advice is just listen to what is recommended and go with those. Trust the Godmother.
Recently, I had a small business lunch at Godmother Café and was reminded again how good her famous Tomato Bisque can be. A bowl is $ 6.50 and comes with Ciabatta Bread. The bisque isn’t too «tomatoey» or thick like many. It really matches the mood of sitting in the sun overlooking the tennis courts.
A Roasted Turkey Sandwich w/​Bacon, Cranberries, and Cream Cheese on Sourdough Bread for $ 12 came with a side salad of Mixed Greens. It was filling and fresh without being heavy. It’s just what you want for lunch. I tried just a bite of a Salmon & Avocado Salad that seemed pretty yummy, too.
The Godmother has unique hours and is off the beaten path at the Malibu Racquet Club. If you are a member, you already know about the courtyard restaurant, but anyone is welcome to come to The Godmother Café. With free WiFi and California sun, there are few places more peaceful and relaxing for lunch or brunch in Malibu.

It was such a treat to experience this hidden gem that is so close to my work. A small group of us came here for lunch in the middle of the week for a co-worker’s going away meal. Godmother’s provided a perfect and quiet outdoor setting that was coupled with excellent food and great service.
There is great charm to Godmothers from the seating area overlooking tennis matches in full effect to the pet corgi greeting you at the top of the stairway. We happen to go on a day where the whether in Malibu was fabulous so eating outside resulted in a perfect ambiance.
Ok, now for the food. I enjoyed a juicy and flavorful turkey burger with a mixed green salad on the side. The burger was big and was served on a grilled roll with grilled peppers (surprising very yummy). From my recollection my co-​workers really liked the Bree salad and Sonoran enchiladas (and from what I understand these enchiladas can be hard to come by because they have been sold out on a few occasions). At the end our main courses our group shared 2 desserts: a homemade brownie with ice cream and a lemon bar. Believe it or not, the lemon bar stole the show. It had the perfect mix of tartness combined with a sweet lemon flavor.
I can’t wait to come back here for brunch on a weekend to enjoy the beautiful Malibu weather while enjoying tennis matches in the background. The hours seem a bit odd but for such a great experience I definitely plan on coming back because I really want to try Godmother’s for dinner!

Went here thanks to Unilocal for Sunday brunch after a nice hike in the mountains.
Getting here feels a little strange, you drive towards a industrial park and wonder where you are going. Turn right before the big industrial building — don’t head towards the Malibu town hall. You’ll start to see tennis court lights on the right after a barren lot.
The Malibu Racquet Club is really nice. We parked and walked into the lobby. The entrance to Godmother is in the back — left side of lobby — going into the patio.
We were the only ones eating and sat watching a women’s doubles game. I ordered the eggs Benedict and it was delicious. The eggs were perfectly cooked. It had a nice thick slab of Canadian bacon/​ham. The hollandaise sauce was fine. I loved the potato, mushroom, eggplant side. It was scrumptious. The orange juice was just okay. Not fresh squeezed and faintly bitter. My hubby thought that the burger and fries were solid. Friendly prompt service.
Will definitely be back if I’m in town. Nice off the beaten path place.

I’ve been a long time fan of the Godmother, back when it was down the street at another location. It’s tremendously good for soups (tomato bisque is unreal), sandwiches (favorite has to be the meatball sandwich, which I’ve had multiple (orgasmic) times, and the salads (nice, whatever healthy stuff).
The new location at the racquet club has a great outdoor seating area. Super nice folks working here. Long live Godmother!