The Best Bars in Santa Monica Right Now

Santa Monica has always had a complicated relationship with nightlife. It goes to bed earlier than it should, the parking is difficult on weekend evenings, and for years the bar scene was either tourist-trap adjacent or forgettable. That has changed. The stretch of bars worth visiting now spans from Ocean Avenue to Main Street and covers everything from serious cocktail programs to legendary dives that have outlasted every trend around them.

"Chez Jay has been open since 1959. It has outlasted every trend in Santa Monica nightlife, every rooftop bar that opened and closed, and every craft cocktail bar that tried too hard. There's a reason."

Elephante — Ocean Avenue

Elephante sits above Ocean Avenue with a rooftop terrace facing west, which means on a clear evening you are watching the sun set over the Pacific while drinking an Italian aperitivo. The cocktail program is Mediterranean-inspired — lots of amaro, Aperol variations, clean citrus — and the food menu holds up better than most rooftop spots. It's lively without being loud. Reservations for the rooftop terrace are strongly recommended Thursday through Sunday.

This is the right answer when you want to impress someone visiting from out of town, when you need the combination of a great view and a good drink, and when you don't want to go to a place that exists only for the view. Elephante earns it.

Chez Jay — Ocean Avenue

Chez Jay opened in 1959 and has barely changed. The nautical theme is real, not ironic. The peanut shells on the floor are intentional. The back booth is where Frank Sinatra used to sit, allegedly. The martinis are made correctly: stirred, very cold, in a real glass. This is a dive bar in the way that only decades of consistency can produce — not a dive bar that was designed to look like one.

Go on a weeknight. Sit at the bar. Order a martini or a beer. Talk to whoever is next to you. This is what Santa Monica looked like before it worried about what Santa Monica looked like.

The Misfit — Santa Monica Blvd

A lively American bar and restaurant on Santa Monica Boulevard near the Promenade with a strong cocktail program, good food, and an energy level that's higher than most Santa Monica spots without tipping into chaos. The back bar is well-stocked. The bartenders are competent and fast. Good for groups, good for a date, good for showing up on a Friday night without a plan and figuring it out.

Pasjoli Bar — 2732 Main Street

The bar program at Pasjoli (technically a French restaurant, but the bar is worth visiting independently) is one of the most underrated drinking spots in Santa Monica. Chef Dave Beran's team applies the same care to the cocktails that goes into the kitchen: balanced, interesting, and clearly made by people who know what they're doing. The room is small and the bar seats go fast, but it's worth getting there early to claim one.

The Other Venice Option

If you're willing to extend the evening, the bars on Abbot Kinney in Venice — three miles south on Lincoln — run later and with more energy. The Roosterfish (a longstanding gay bar) and several wine-forward spots make the short trip worthwhile if you want the evening to keep going after Santa Monica closes up.