30 Best Bars in Santa Monica

“Love that Michael’s has a new front patio bar. Great food and drinks. A classic!“

“Loved the cozy environment especially in the patio area . Food was great! The potato cakes with apples was amazing . Our group of 9 loved all of the food ! Would recommend to others“

“Food was excellent and the ambiance sitting outside was great. We had the pork chop, puréed herb potatoes, appetizer sashimi and olives. Everything was top notch, food and service. Pork chop was very moist and the sauce they serve with it brought the pork chop over the top. Pure heaven. I wish they would change their policy regarding happy hour and allow happy hour if you sit outside. We have a dog and since he cannot go inside the restaurant then allow us to have happy hour outside with our best friend. Most restaurants make this exception. We would certainly frequent your establishment much more often as we love happy hour.“

“Fun ambiance, good drink selection and it's easy to meet nice people as they host lots of events here.“

“One of a kind whiskey-craft beer neighborhood tavern/pub. Absolute Santa Monica / westside institution.“

“Futuristic recovery tiger zinda hain“

“Haven’t been to a rooftop in a while, so why not go to the beach during winter lol?!

Parking: They have valet at a ridiculous price $$$, or you can get lucky with metered parking spots around the area.

Ambiance/Environment: This rooftop is located in ‘Sonder The Beacon’ hotel. They’re on the 6th floor. Take the elevators up by pressing PH. It’s a medium size space with indoor & outdoor seating. The outdoor area is nice with a beautiful view of the beach, and we could even see the Santa Monica Pier. Some furnitures seem outdated and not as clean.

Service: The bartender that assisted us was knowledgeable about the menu and even gave us her favorite recommendations. I believe her name was Amber? But shout out to her!

What we ordered:

1) Coco Burger - 80/20 beef burger, caramelized onion, bacon, cheese, passion fruit BBQ sauce, lettuce. This was one of their popular food items! It also came with fries. The burger was cooked well and had lots of flavor! Make sure to dip everything in their sauce! Idk what’s in it, but it tasted amazing lol!

2) Fried Hot Chicken Sandwich - pineapple slaw, Swiss cheese, garlic aioli. This was also another one of their popular food items. The chicken was huuugggeee. It wasn’t as spicy to me, but it still tasted good. I drenched everything in their dipping sauce.

3) Drunk in Love - spicy, tequila blanco, Serrano, agave, watermelon juice, lime juice. This was recommended to us, and I loooved it! It was definitely spicy. It’s also on the sweeter side, yet still strong.

4) Pumpkin Spiced Espressotini - I chose tequila, and this also came with black coffee liqueur, pumpkin spiced syrup, & espresso. This was so strong, I couldn’t taste the pumpkin buuut I still enjoyed it! If you love coffee and alcohol like me, this if for you!

5) Pendejadas - poblano infused tequila, mezcal, prickly pear, mole bitters, citrus, black salt. This was also recommended to us. Ooof this was strong! Not too sweet.

6) Margarita - Who doesn’t love a classic cocktail? Had to keep the tequila theme going lol.

Pricing: We came to a rooftop bar for an experience, and that’s what we got. The views were amazing! The cocktails were fun, and the food was delicious. The furniture can use an update, but the vibes and music were lit.“

“Best nik naks & steak strips ever!“

“Great food and drinks 🍹 really good 👍🏾“

“Best steak and service . Say hi to Hillary she is the best !!!“

“We went for happy hour, which is only one hour, from 5-6, but it is truly the best in Santa Monica. Everything on the menu is half priced, but full quality. You can't go wrong. Everything is excellent. The drinks, food, service, atmosphere, and even the other people around you. Everyone is just in a good mood. The servers move fast - unlike some happy hours where they try not to serve you, they serve you quickly and often. It's a good idea to look at the menu in advance to get an idea of what you want. They put on an auto tip of 20% of what it would be without HH prices (which is fair) and they circle it so you're fully aware. Plan to arrive about 10-15 minutes early if you don't have reservations so you can sit at the bar. They open at 5, which is the start of HH, but you can line up earlier than that. Parking is tough as it can be in Santa Monica. It's by the beach, so if it's a nice day, you may need to walk a bit if you don't want to park at the hotel.“

“Great food! Beautiful view. We will definitely be back.“

“I will like to give a shout out to the chef. I think his name is Shawn or Sean. When we got to Santa Monica, we looked up restaurants to go have our 26 year anniversary dinner, we stayed at Hotel Delmar right across the street. We googled the restaurant menu, and decided what we were going to have. when we got there, and they brought out the menus, all what we decided to have was not on there. I was crushed. Because I had my mind set on the Halibut. I said it's ok I will just have the Ribeye, mind you I had a ribeye steak the night before. When the waiter came back, my wife asked if it's possible to get the Halibut and he said let me check with the chef. He came back later and said the chef said it's no problem. I was blown away. That was the best Halibut ( besides mine) that I have ever had. Thank you chef Shawn. From one chef to another, thank you. you made my night.“

“Fun place and great location“

“A fine home-like steak house and my black & blue 10oz filet melted in my mouth like it should, really fine cut. All at our table loved the mushrooms, spinach and fries plus shrimp cocktail and beers and wines. Sadly they were out of my lamb chops first choice but that will bring me back I guess-“

“Had a great time. The staff friendly.“

“Such yummy food and chill atmosphere. The only problem is the close at 8pm when it’s still light outside?!? I’ve seen them turn away several customers many many times. I think it was a covid thing originally so hopefully they go back to more normal hours. At least stay open until 9pm please 🙏🏻!“

“Romantic atmosphere playing throwback 90’s-2000 hip hop/R&B with a dark, laid back and speakeasy feel. Santa Monica gem!“

“Fun place , great staff , love the decor and of course awesome Kombucha 😋“

“Always great times! Wonderful people, fabulous world class live music & sweet vibes. A real community feel. Filled with music lovers. Definitely a staple LA hott spot. Keep Supporting live music! 🔥🎶“

“The entire experience was wonderful the food , drinks and service will definitely have me returning. Even the Owner was so friendly personable, came out spoke with us about different options on the menu, sang happy Birthday to my sister and even a picture with our was absolutely a worthwhile outing.“

“Usually hotel food is alright, so we decided to play it safe and get a burger and it was actually really good. The patty was juicy, and everything was very flavorful. The fries were also really good, crispy, and well seasoned. Not sure about the rest of the menu, but I would definitely get the burger and fries here again.“

“it's chill and the beach is across the street“

“Yikes band ----our friends ---play there sometimes yeah super fun We like Basement Tavern a lot“

“The best aperitive in LA, with Salvo at 12-12 a wonderful location. Thanks a lot“

“This place has a very nice vibe, just pleasant people, nice decoration, good customer service, and I absolutely loved the line dancing classes, although I have a long way to go to catch up with some awesome dancers there 😃. But seriously, I highly recommend this place if you want to have a nice, fun evening.“

“Hurry for the best Mexican breakfast! So glad I chose Gilbert’s for the delicious everything from the warm, homemade chips with sides, soft tortillas and holy frijoles. Having tried several Mexican restaurants during my visit this was hands down my fav! Loved the outdoor seating, great service- met the founder’s daughter, whose parents from Guadalajara, started it 50 years ago. Good coffee too! Will for sure return when back in Santa Monica! Muchas gracias!“

“The atmosphere was fabous. The staff were all great, friendly, and very attentive and professional. The drink presentations were phenomenal. Great time, not too crowded, so service was quick. I recommend this spot to anyone wanting to het away and have a spirited eveni ng.“

“First time here. Enjoy our dinner, super yummy food and the great customer service from the bar manager . She was great at recommending and explaining our drink had an old fashioned with tequila, she even came back to ask how we liked it. We Never had an old fashioned with tequila and it was really good. The ambience of the place, didn’t have to wait to be seated. Highly recommend this place.“