Seafood favorite Clark’s Oyster Bar will open its newest location at the Cross Creek Ranch Malibu restaurant and retail complex, nestled between the Santa Monica Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, on Tuesday, October 28. It’s the sixth location for the Austin-based restaurant chain, which opened in Montecito in December 2024 and in Silicon Valley’s Menlo Park in April 2025.
Clark’s Oyster Bar’s opening is a modest victory for Malibu, a city heavily impacted by the nearby Palisades Fire in January 2025. Though some of the severe damage impacted Pacific Palisades, limited access to the Pacific Coast Highway and ongoing recovery efforts have posed challenges for Malibu restaurants seeking to rebuild, like the Reel Inn. Clark’s co-owner and chef, Larry McGuire, says his opening was delayed by eight months due to the fire. “We love spending time in California,” says McGuire. “Clark’s doesn’t really have a growth plan, so Malibu was just the right opportunity. It’s nice to get out of the Texas heat and be in these beautiful places.”
Clark’s Oyster Bar Malibu will showcase a similar menu as its other locations. Find jumbo shrimp cocktail, steak tartare, a shrimp or Dungeness crab Louie, and up to 11 varieties of oysters over ice with mignonette, horseradish, and cocktail sauce, as well as other classics like New England clam chowder, grilled Spanish octopus, crab cakes, linguine with clams, and cioppino. A supple lobster roll comes packed with lemon aioli, lettuce, and butter; brunch offers eggs in a hole and a broccolini and caramelized onion quiche. For meat-hungry diners, large-format plates like an oak-grilled New York strip steak make the dinner menu. McGuire developed a handful of new dishes for Clark’s Malibu, including a warm beet and Brie salad and wood-grilled oysters.
Clark’s Malibu will offer a full bar with some twists on classic drinks, such as the Malibu Mule (a variation of the Moscow mule), plus seven different martinis that will pair nicely with raw oysters or the pan-roasted burger with Gruyere cheese. Wine from small California producers will also feature heavily on the menu, alongside bottles from France and Italy.
Lambert McGuire designed Clark’s 175-seat Malibu outpost to take advantage of the canyon and ocean views. Look for the mural from Los Angeles-based artist Nikolai Haas, as well as the saltwater aquarium that’s always present at each Clark’s location. With the arrival of Clark’s, Cross Creek Ranch is shaping up to be a hotspot; the shopping center welcomed Kith ice cream in 2024 and is set to host future locations of Wally’s, Pura Vida Miami, and Chitchat Coffee & Matcha. The area seems to be in mass redevelopment, signaled by a recent approval by the California Coastal Commission to demolish and replace Gladstones Malibu with a Frank Gehry-designed, Wolfgang Puck-run restaurant.
Clark’s Oyster Bar Malibu is the 30th opening for its parent company, MML Hospitality restaurant group. “We’re happy with how the restaurants out here are getting where they need to be,” says McGuire. “There’s a lot of work to be done, but we’re patient and optimistic.”
Starting Tuesday, Clark’s Oyster Bar Malibu will be open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., weekend brunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., happy hour Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday through Thursday dinner from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday at 23465 Civic Center Way, Malibu, CA 90265.