The 12 Best Bars in Santa Monica Right Now (2026)

Santa Monica’s bar scene has quietly become one of the most interesting on the Westside. Forget the tourist traps near the Pier — we’re talking rooftop cocktail programs, natural wine bars hidden in residential neighborhoods, dive bars that have earned their sticky floors, and a few spots that are genuinely hard to find on purpose. Here are the 12 best bars in Santa Monica right now.

The Cocktail Bars

1. The Bungalow. The Fairmont hotel’s beachfront bar is the best outdoor drinking experience in Santa Monica, and we’ll fight anyone who disagrees. The tiki-inspired space has fire pits, swinging daybeds, string lights, and a cocktail menu that leans tropical without going full umbrella-drink. The mai tai is strong. The crowd skews young and attractive. Go on a weeknight when you can actually get a fire pit without reserving one.

2. Elephante. You know it as a restaurant, but the bar at Elephante might be the best part. Fourth-floor ocean views, aperol spritzes at sunset, and a negroni program that takes itself seriously. Happy hour runs 4–6pm with half-price drinks — the best deal on the Westside. Arrive by 4:30 or you won’t get a window seat.

3. The Penthouse at the Huntley. The 18th-floor bar with the most dramatic view in Santa Monica. The cocktails are well-made if slightly overpriced — you’re paying for the altitude, and it’s worth it. On a clear night, you can see the coastline from Malibu to Palos Verdes. This is the bar for impressing out-of-town visitors or celebrating something.

“The best bar in Santa Monica depends entirely on what you’re in the mood for. That’s the sign of a city that finally has a real bar scene.”

The Wine Bars

4. Tar & Roses. Andrew Kirschner’s wine bar on Santa Monica Boulevard has one of the deepest wine lists on the Westside — organized by style rather than region, which makes it accessible even if you don’t speak sommelier. The small plates are some of the best food in town (the bone marrow is mandatory). The bar seating is first-come, no reservation needed, and the bartenders know the list cold.

5. Force of Nature. The women-owned natural wine bar above Abbot Kinney in a century-old Victorian home. The wine list rotates constantly and skews biodynamic and orange. The rooftop has a pulley system that delivers pizza from the restaurant next door. It’s the most interesting bar concept on the Westside and the wine is genuinely excellent.

6. Esters Wine Shop & Bar. The Main Street wine shop that doubles as a bar after 5pm. The selection leans natural and small-production, the staff knows every bottle on the shelf, and the outdoor patio on Main Street is one of the most pleasant places to drink wine in Santa Monica. Buy a bottle at retail, pay a small corkage, and drink it on the patio. It’s the smartest wine play in town.

The Dive Bars

7. Circle Bar. The recently reopened historic dive on Main Street — one of the oldest bars in Santa Monica, and now it’s back. Cash-friendly pricing, strong pours, a jukebox that leans classic rock, and the kind of bartenders who remember your name after two visits. This is the bar where locals actually drink, not where tourists take photos.

8. Chez Jay. The nautical-themed dive on Ocean Avenue that has been serving stiff drinks since 1959. The interior is dark, wood-paneled, and covered in memorabilia from a different era. The martinis are enormous. The steaks are surprisingly good. It’s the kind of place that makes you feel like you’re in a different decade, and that’s entirely the point. One of the best hidden gems in Santa Monica.

9. The Basement Tavern. Below the Victorian on Main Street, this underground bar has live music most nights, a full cocktail menu, and a crowd that skews local and unpretentious. The jazz nights are particularly good. No cover most evenings. It’s the bar you end up at when the night takes a turn — in the best way.

The Specialists

10. The Independence. The craft cocktail bar on Wilshire that treats every drink like a thesis project. The seasonal menu changes quarterly, the bartenders wear vests, and the ice is hand-cut. It sounds precious, but the drinks are genuinely extraordinary — the kind of cocktails that make you realize you’ve been drinking mediocre old fashioneds your entire life. Reservations recommended on weekends.

11. S Bar by Katsuya. The hidden gem of Brentwood’s nightlife scene. Technically a lounge attached to Katsuya, but the cocktail program stands on its own. Japanese-inspired drinks, moody lighting, and a crowd that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The sake cocktails are the move. Late-night on weekends is when it comes alive.

12. The Victorian. The upstairs cocktail bar on Main Street that plays the elegant counterpart to the Basement Tavern below. A carefully curated cocktail menu, exposed brick, and candlelight. It’s the bar for a proper date night — the kind of place where ordering a well drink would feel wrong and a Manhattan feels exactly right. Pair it with dinner at one of Santa Monica’s best restaurants nearby.