SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WEBGUIDES
NEW YORK WEBGUIDES
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If there's anything better than kicking back on the beach with a cocktail in hand and watching the vibrant sunsets off the California coast, than it better be a place with diamonds in the beer bottles and nightly Prada giveaways. LA is one of Cali's most adored cities for a virtually constant supply of warm weather and sunshine, and the best way to enjoy some of those warm LA nights is at a bar in Hermosa or Manhattan beach. Most of the twenty-somethings who patronize these hangouts are beach-bum surfer types who miraculously walk in from the beach looking like supermodels no matter how much sand they have in their pants or how badly they need to shower off the chewy aroma of tanning oil. Most definitely a laid back alternative to the big city bars in the heart of LA, beach bars are the place to order some frozen coconut and pineapple concoction no matter what time of year it is and live as though you're on vacation in Fiji.
Aloha Sharkeez
52 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach, California; Tel. 310.374.7823
This popular Hermosa Beach local bar starts drawing in drinkers as soon as the doors to Aloha Sharkeez cabana like confines swing open and the blenders start their daily workouts. The twenty-something beach bum model set—the ones that seemingly don't have jobs, but never a lack of money—vie for bar stools and scantily clad hotties at this Los Angeles beach bar with Aloha Sharkeez signature bucket drinks that are as big a draw as the tanned eye candy. Nearly every night, Aloha Sharkeez is packed from patio to dance floor with drinkers going for a more laid back alternative to the busy Los Angeles bar and club scene. |
Baja Sharkeez
3801 Highland Ave., Manhattan Beach, California; Tel. 310.545.6563 |
Big Dean's Muscle Inn Cafe
1615 Ocean Front Walk, Santa Monica, California; Tel. 310.393.2666
Why it's called Big Dean's Muscle Inn Cafe is anybody's guess. No one here is big, named Dean or has muscles—big beer bellies maybe—and the only exercise that patrons are performing are 12 oz. curls and sprints to the bathroom. The beer is cheap and so is the conversation at Big Dean's Muscle Inn Cafe. With a localized crowd and a few tourists, this is a great spot to grab a cold one after the beach and talk nonsense to nobody.
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Blue Lounge
20356 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, California; Tel. 310.456.3010
Blue Lounge is a Malibu beach bar with nightly DJs and dancing. Housed in Malibu's seafood mecca, Moon-shadows, this sapphire-blue-lit lounge rocks almost every night of the week with a diverse LA crowd. Famous faces are always being spotted at the Blue Lounge, like Mel Gibson, who USED TO love a drink, right down the road from his Malibu estate. |
Brig
1515 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, California; Tel. 310.399.7537
This futuristic, '50s-style art-deco bar and cafe is big with an open area to fit the hundreds of posers, Lenny Kravitz wannabes and all the tongue-flapping try-to-hards, talking about film and script deals they're never going to get. Happy hour comes complete with a DJ, pool table action and enough drunken girls to hit on. Folks who don't mind the pricey drinks—and are looking forward to happy hour—ought to get thrown into the Brig.
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Circle Bar
2926 Main St., Santa Monica, California; Tel. 310.450.0508
From Sunday through Thursday, this very well-known Santa Monica singles bar gets packed with would-be starlets and Paris Hilton wannabes, dancing to DJs spinning acid house and trance. At 2am, the Circle Bar closes, and there are dozens of newly hooked-up guys and dolls wobbling around and down the block. The police show up a lot on the weekends, but it's a safe place with lots going on in the neighborhood. The Circle Bar is a great joint to grab a drunken babe and take her on a moonlit stroll along the beach, so she can throw up without any of her friends seeing. In case anyone is wondering, the bar goes around in a big circle. |
Club Sushi
1200 Hermosa Ave., Hermosa Beach, California; Tel. 310.372.5939
Only open until 10pm and 11pm Thursday through Saturday, this place packs them in, and during weekend happy-hour, forget about it—it's even more packed. Club Sushi is a great family outing joint and has screens showing the games and stock reports. There are numerous sakes here, served by an in-the-know staff. Don't be fooled by the name—there are Japanese folks eating here, so it has to be OK. Walks on the beach after eating at Club Sushi are a regular activity. |
Library Ale House
2911 Main St., Santa Monica, California; Tel. 310.314.4855
Everyone from suits to surfers comes to the Library Ale House, mostly for the 50 different types of beer and the outdoor beachside patio. Whether relaxing outside or sitting inside at this woodsy, craftsman-style bar and lounge, the Library Ale House makes everyone feel comfortable, even those who just want to kick back and read, taking in some fresh air—well, as fresh as LA air gets. They are really cool here about people not ordering anything, and why shouldn't they be? Vote for favorite beer and win stupid but fun prizes—signs that this is for sure a drinking bar. |
Mor Bar
2941 Main St., Santa Monica, California; Tel. 310.455.6720
Mor Bar is more than just a bar. It's a fabulous bar that offers a groovy happy-hour with half priced food and drink like a lot of other SM joints, but on Wednesday afternoons, Mor Bar is where a young hot Hollywood and LA beach crowd gets their groove on, dancing and moving to live DJs who spin soulful house, making this a popular mid-week spot. At this seaside guzzling destination, they give more food, more alcohol, more music and the people become more drunk and more rowdy—that's why they call it Mor Bar. |
Paradise Cove
28128 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, California; Tel. 310.457.2503
The Paradise Cove is a very cool beach cafe and the only bar in Malibu that's right on the sand. With an ocean view and a private cove for a romantic lunch or dinner, Paradise Cove is just the spot, and they have great seafood and steaks. Up all night? Paradise Cove also has an awesome breakfast with killer Belgian waffles—the perfect pre- and post-surf session restaurant. |
Veranda Bar
1910 Ocean Way, Santa Monica, California; Tel. 310.551.5533
Housed in the elegant Casa Del Mar Hotel, this beachside bar is a serious hot spot, especially on the weekends, when there are so many pretty women, decked-out to the nines. Sexy waitresses slither around the lounge, between the people sipping martinis and gazing out at the sometimes moon-lit ocean. The Veranda Bar is definitely the spot to hook up with an attractive and weary traveler and take a long walk on the beach. |
World Cafe
2820 Main St., Santa Monica, California; Tel. 310.392.1661
World Cafe gets crowded certain times of the day and especially on the weekends when a lot of young people are enjoying the relaxed atmosphere, kicking back on the beachfront patio, one of the nicest on this trendy strip of Main Street. The Californian cuisine is good and the World Cafe's menu offers something for everyone. The drinks match the drinkers with happy hour serving up lots of $5 apple martinis and $3 kamikaze shooters from 5:30 to 7pm Monday through Friday and the World Cafe makes delicious finger-food to-boot, like chicken tacos and hummus with crudites all for $3 and under. |
—Los Angeles bar and club reviews by Alanna Lee, Ryan Osterbeck and Buddy Seigel
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