The Albright

The Albright is a two-generation family story rooted in the Santa Monica Pier. Yunnie Kim Morena’s parents emigrated from Korea and opened SM Pier Seafood in 1977, running it for 35 years before passing it to Yunnie and her husband Greg, who took over in 2013, modernized the space, and renamed it The Albright, after the nautical knot that ties two lines together. The relaxed, picnic-table atmosphere stayed. What changed was the ambition to make a pier restaurant into a model for sustainable business.

The Albright became the first Green Business Certified restaurant on the Santa Monica Pier, and went on to win the SQA Award for Excellence in Stewardship of the Environment in 2016 and the SQA Grand Prize in 2017. But they didn’t stop there. The Morenas established a sustainability committee under the Santa Monica Pier Lessees’ Association, pushing recycling and organic waste collection across all pier tenants, not just their own kitchen. The program helped convert hundreds of tons of organic waste that would otherwise have gone to landfill. Greg Morena also sits on the board of Heal the Bay, bringing the restaurant’s ocean commitment beyond the menu.

The Albright’s menu follows a local-first approach, built on fresh ingredients from the Santa Monica Farmers Markets and nearby waters.

The Albright is what happens when a family business decides that legacy means more than longevity. The Morenas inherited a pier staple and turned it into a green trailblazer, dragging an entire tourist destination toward better practices in the process. It’s a strong case for Tinġo’s core belief: that caring for the environment and running a thriving restaurant aren’t in conflict. They reinforce each other.