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Santa Monica / Westside, Los Angeles, CA
Where historic Route 66 hits the bluffs overlooking the glistening Pacific Ocean sits the scenic city of Santa Monica that, along with much of LA’s Westside, has a relaxed and affluent vibe that starkly contrasts to the more hectic areas to the east.
By day there’s no shortage of outdoor activities, as the area’s wide, sandy beaches and adjacent bike paths are full of fitness-minded locals swimming, jogging, and playing volleyball. Tourists and families crowd the iconic Santa Monica pier and the popular weekly Farmers Market, while many of the city’s homeless laze along the grassy paths bordering Ocean Drive.
The shopping district centering around the Third Street Promenade bustles day and night with restaurants, fashionable stores, chill bars, a movie theater, and plenty of street performers to entertain the masses.
Much of Santa Monica’s nightlife caters to a preppier yuppie clientele that prefers more casual evenings of drinking and dining at the many seafront restaurants and hotel bars.
Those who want a livelier scene in this part of Los Angeles, however, will find a number of rowdy sports bars along Wilshire Boulevard that draw college students from nearby UCLA, as well as several “meat markets” on Main Street that fill up on weekends with a tipsier and flirtier crowd.
What to Do in Santa Monica / Westside
20s / 30s / After Work / Bar / Beer / DJ
Party Earth Review Boasting the cheapest drinks on the Westside, Mom’s Bar & Lounge is an upbeat crowd pleaser that knows how to pack them in. Happy Hour sees plenty of chatty young professionals pouring ... more
12238 Santa Monica Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90025
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20s / 30s / 80s Music / Bar Food / DJ
Party Earth Review One of the most popular wine bars in Santa Monica thanks to its unpretentious social scene, Bodega Wine Bar draws an irreverent crowd of young professionals and upscale Westside residents ... more
814 Broadway
Santa Monica, CA 90401
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All Ages / All Types / Chill / Food
Reviewed by Kalina S.
"If you're looking for the sense of community that you can't quite find wandering through the smoggy maze of LA, look no further. On Sunday mornings, t ..." more
2640 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90405
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20s / 30s / 40s / Blazers / Couples / DJ
Reviewed by Katie M.
"I don't come to Santa Monica all that often, but when I do, I try to make it to one of the better hotel bars in LA: the Cameo Bar at the Viceroy Hotel ..." more
Viceroy Hotel
1819 Ocean Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90401
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20s / Bar Food / Beer / Beer Lovers
Reviewed by Billy K.
"My Take: I love Big Dean’s Oceanfront Café. Don’t let the “Café” part fool you – this is a beach bar in every sense of the term. It’s semi-hidden just ..." more
1615 Ocean Front Walk
Santa Monica, CA 90401
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30s / 40s / After Work / Asian Food
Reviewed by Shelby G.
"My Take: Hillstone is a swanky, intimate American and Japanese restaurant in Santa Monica that offers guests a cozy, yet chic setting for a gourmet me ..." more
202 Wilshire Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90401
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20s / 30s / 40s / Actors / Bar / DJ / EDM / Pop
Party Earth Review A prime watering hole for hotties and ex-frat boys, Circle Bar kicks into high gear after 10pm, when the alcohol flows freely and the dance floor fills up with rowdy young partiers ... more
2926 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90405
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Blouses / Bluegrass / Chill / Steak
Party Earth Review Buried beneath the beautiful mansion/event space The Victorian, Basement Tavern is a casual speakeasy, so hidden that visitors would have to be profoundly lost to stumble upon it ... more
2640 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90405
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20s / 30s / Ambient Rock / Bar / DJ / Hip
Party Earth Review Fierce winds destroyed the original Arsenal in the 1870s, the Great Flood of 1916 laid waste to the second version, and a flicked cigarette burned the third incarnation to the ground ... more
12012 West Pico Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90064
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Acoustic / Acoustic / Bar Food / DJ
Party Earth Review A time warp back to Prohibition, with a distinctly modern twist, The Charleston attracts a large spectrum of Westside well seekers with classic cocktails, amped-up comfort foods, and ... more
2460 Wilshire Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90403
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More things to do in Santa Monica / Westside:
- → After Hours
- → Date Ideas
- → Happy Hour
- → Pubs
- → Singles
- → Bars
- → Free Things to Do
- → Lounges
- → Restaurants
- → Sports Bars
- → Brunch
- → Good for Groups
- → Outdoors
- → Shopping
- → Venues
- → Cocktail Bars
Where to Go in Santa Monica / Westside
- * AREAL 20s / 30s / 40s / Acoustic
- * The Apple Pan All Ages / All Types / Burgers
- * Bay Cities Deli 20s / 30s / 40s / All Ages
- * Blue Stove All Types / Beer & Wine Only
- * The Bungalow at the Fairmon... Actors / Affluent Hipsters / Casual
- * Cock 'n Bull British Pub 20s / 30s / 40s / Beer / Breakfast
- * The Daily Pint 20s / 30s / 40s / 80s Music
- * Food Breakfast / Brunch
- * Hide Sushi 20s / 30s / 40s / ATM / Asian
- * Literati Café Breakfast / Brunch
- * Mom's Bar & Lounge 20s / 30s / After Work
- * O'Brien's Irish Pub & Resta... Brunch / Budget-friendly / Burgers
- * The Room Santa Monica 20s / 30s / 80s Music / 90s Music
- * Sonny McLean's Irish Pub 20s and up / 40s / Bar Food / Beer
- * Third Street Promenade All Ages / All Types
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