Santa Monica Bars & Nightlife

Offhand is a chill spot for a glass of wine with a friend—an easy space to relax with a good natural wine list. (By day, the space serves as a coffee house under the name Please Enjoy.)

A meal at 1 Pico comes with the best element of staying at Shutters on the Beach: the view. You know where the sidewalk ends and the sand begins? That’s where you’re sitting. Or rather one floor up in the breezy, wood-beamed dining room. And judging from the hamachi tartare, squid-ink pasta, and simply, beautifully prepared market fish, chef David Almany designed the menu with the scenery in mind.

From Main Street, you can just see Ashland Hill’s tiny brick front—big enough for a handful of stools at the bar and a kitchen counter for quick orders. Keep walking and you’ll get to the picnic-tabled back patio. For food, there are shared plates (crispy cauliflower, shishito mac ’n’ cheese) and Ashland Hill’s take on pub food (a shawarma wrap, fried chicken sandwich, white cheddar burger with Parmesan cheese fries). Drinks range from “super local,” i.e., Ashland Hill’s own, to Southern Californian, Stateside craft beers, and a mix of California and international wines. There are cocktails, too, and if you happen to be a gin drinker, this is where you want to be. There are dozens of gins to choose from, maybe ten different kinds of tonic, and a menu of fixings to go with it all.

It doesn’t get more local than drinking Santa Monica-made beer in this no-frills tap room. If you’re new to the game, start with their 310 blonde ale and check the food truck schedule before you go. If you’re taking the metro from further east, Santa Monica Brew Works is just a couple of blocks from the 17th Street/SMC stop.

Esters has long been a good hangout for a glass or two and a cheese board after work. The wine list runs a staggering twenty-eight pages long and is broken down not by region but by taste, which makes landing on a bottle so much easier. Local delivery—within five miles—is free, providing you spend $100, which is all too easy when the list is this good.

We love the choose-your-own-cocktail method practiced here: Pick your spirit, a fruit or veggie, and some herbs, and resident mixologist Vincenzo Marianella will whip you up a delicious cocktail. They also have some pretty rad signature drinks if you'd rather not work for it, and the $5 price tag during happy hour is inarguably awesome.

When you daydream about moving to California and lounging in a beach house, the image you conjure probably looks something like the Bungalow. Its notable address on the corner of Wilshire and Ocean means that the west side hang-out has a solid view of the Pacific, with the décor to match—the shaded patio is dotted with hammocks, relaxed couches, and white-washed Adirondack chairs gathered around cozy fire pits. They also lay definitive claim to the best margarita in this part of town. Unfortunately, the secret's out about this spot, so the lines can get long on Fridays and Saturdays—we'd only recommend it for a weeknight or Sunday afternoon.