Pepsi NEXT is partnering with Airbnb to send lucky winners to cool destinations as part of their Unbelievable Taste Escape contest. Fans can get involved by sharing notorious hotspots and hidden gems using #PepsiNEXT and #TasteEscapes hashtags. You can also visit the Unbelievable Taste Escape site and win one of four fun getaways.

Our friends at Pepsi NEXT encouraged us to share some of our favorite local hot spots. Well there’s are no shortage of amazing places to eat in the LA area. We got food trucks for days, authentic cuisine options from countless cultures, hidden hole-in-the-wall joints, quality fast food (I’m looking at you In-n-Out and Zankou Chicken), and upscale venues in every corner. Everyone fancies themselves a foodie in Los Angeles. It just goes with the territory. And it’s not like we’re all snobby about it either. We really do have some fantastic places to eat in this town, and we’re damn proud of it.

Nobu Malibu is one of these places. It’s an experience. An event. Are there more legit hole-in-the-wall sushi joints in town? Most definitely. Hamakaze on Washington in Venice comes to mind. The Malibu location isn’t the first or most notorious Nobu spot, either. Celebrity Chef Nobu Matshuisa has opened Nobu restaurants all over the world, from multiple locations in New York and LA to satellite restaurants all the way from London to Dubai to Melbourne to Moscow. There are more than 20 Nobu restaurants worldwide, but the Malibu spot is something to behold.

Nobu Malibu first launched in 1999 as a quaint restaurant couched in the confines of the Country Mart shopping center in Malibu. Last year, the new beachfront location opened up on PCH with tons of fanfare. It’s a sprawling, grandiose location with floor to ceiling windows, rustic woodwork and views that can’t be beat. I mean check out this sunset:

And that’s just during cocktail hour. Things look this gorgeous before you even start tasting the food.

Then you get to the Yellowtail Sashimi with Jalapeno Peppers. I mean, just look at this plate:

And then you hear the wait staff talk about the Japanese Wagyu Beef and how these cows are treated, how they get daily massages and live a life more luxurious than yours. After sampling top shelf sake in bottles the size of an offensive lineman’s leg, you finish everything off with an amazing variety pack of deserts.

So yea, this place is a total trip, man. The wait staff is flawless (no unattended napkin shall remain unfolded!) and the sunsets are gorgeous. The parking lot is lined with supercars and it’s a situation where you’re like, oh look, there’s Sting sitting at that table and there’s secret service-level security all about to make sure he gets back into his Sting-mobile safely when he exits. All part of your typical Tuesday night out. Go check this place out!

Yellowtail Photo Credit: jayweston@sbcglobal.net