Neptune’s: Agreeable, Unpretentious, Bizarre

King Neptune’s in Sunset Beach, a sort of bar-restaurant-museum where ambience and basic seafood both come in generous portions, is one of the most bizarre and unpretentious places in Orange County, or maybe anywhere.

Started 21 years ago by ex-Marine Dick Harrison as a place to display his collection of nautical and military artifacts, it just sort of grew, and keeps growing, along with Harrison’s conglomeration of flags, photos, ship models, figureheads, scrimshaw, uniforms and assorted articles of war, mostly World War II vintage. There also are folk art touches: The men’s room is papered in matchbook covers, the ladies’ room is covered with buttons, sections of the dining room are covered with keys.

Like Sunset Beach itself, the place is something of a time warp harking back to optimistic post-war days when men were men, drinks were drinks (the cocktails each contain 2 1/2 ounces of liquor, the menu brags) and baked potatoes were the size of one-man submarines. Food preparation is no more exotic than the slice of pineapple on your mahi-mahi but the fish dinners--shrimp, catfish, calamari and other standards--are dependably satisfying and, except for the lobster, all priced in the $10 to $15 range. You can also get steaks and prime rib.

Entrees are preceded by a typical green salad (mention arugula here and it might be mistaken for a Pacific atoll) topped with good homemade dressing. The clam chowder is exceptionally creamy and well-stocked.

If you’d rather not contemplate a wall of bayonets while wielding a steak knife, you can watch ‘40s “soundies” starring the likes of Peggy Lee and the Ink Spots and big band performances gleaned from movies and TV shown almost continuously on television monitors positioned just about everywhere. There’s live entertainment on Fridays and Saturdays by groups of local musicians that go under no formal names but, like much of what’s found at King Neptune’s, just sort of came together agreeably.

King Neptune’s Seafood Restaurant and Nautical Museum, 17115 Pacific Coast Highway, Sunset Beach. Open daily, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Dinners are served after 5. (213) 592-4878.