Where to eat in Santa Monica after midnight, and the classic 2am move.
Where to eat in Santa Monica after midnight. kitchens that keep going, post-bar staples and the classic 2am move.
The Gaslite has held its Wilshire Boulevard corner in Santa Monica since 1962, a come-as-you-are karaoke dive open 06:00 to 02:00 with free popcorn.
OrderCheap well drinks and a turn on the karaoke list
TipIt bills itself as Southern California's longest-running karaoke; sign up early because the nightly list fills by 21:00.
The Daily Pint stocks more than 500 whiskies behind a Pico Boulevard dive-bar front in Santa Monica, with sharp rotating taps, pool and shuffleboard.
OrderA rare pour from the 500-bottle whisky wall
TipAsk the bartender to steer a whisky flight; the beer list turns over constantly and skews serious.
Chez Jay has kept its nautical dive-bar dining room on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica since 1959, a city Historic Landmark of steaks, peanuts and lore.
OrderSteak and a martini, peanut shells on the floor
TipThe sandy-floored front room is the landmark bit, designated by the city in 2012; the Backyard patio opened in 2019.
The Georgian Room, in the 1933 Georgian Hotel on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, pairs Tuscan chophouse cooking with live jazz around a Steinway grand.
OrderNew York strip, then the spumoni-style baked Alaska
TipFriday and Saturday it runs to 02:00 with live music; Spaghetti Sunday closes the week with a set menu.
The Bungalow sprawls through a beach-house maze at the Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica, cocktails, DJs and pool tables with ocean air off the bluff.
OrderA spicy margarita on the patio before the DJ starts
TipDress code loosens early; go at 17:00 for a patio sofa because the queue after 21:00 on weekends is real.
Elephante stacks a coastal Italian kitchen onto a 2nd Street rooftop in Santa Monica, whipped eggplant, pizzas and pasta with the ocean over the rail.
OrderWhipped eggplant dip with flatbread, then a pizza as the sun drops
TipGo before sunset for the light and stay for the DJ; weekend mornings it runs ricotta pancakes from 09:00.
KazuNori runs its original-format hand roll bar on Broadway in downtown Santa Monica, crisp nori and warm rice sets rolled the second you sit down.
OrderThe five-roll set, toro and blue crab included
TipNo reservations at the bar; the Friday-Saturday private bar for 7 to 12 was added for the 10th anniversary.
The Penthouse floats on the 18th floor of the Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica, white banquettes and coastline views from breakfast through late cocktails.
OrderWeekend brunch with the ocean panorama
TipHappy hour runs 16:00-18:00 on weekdays; sunset window tables go to whoever books earliest on OpenTable.
Not No Bar plays throwback Euro disco over wood-fired pizza on Main Street in Santa Monica, bar director Kent Thompson's cocktails until 01:00.
OrderThe Soy Del Rancho and a wood-fired pizza
TipFriday and Saturday are fully walk-in; the patio never takes bookings and the room goes 21-plus after 22:00.
Santa Monica Brew Works pours ten house taps in its Colorado Avenue taproom, 310 Blonde to PCH Porter, with Emmy Squared pizza serving till late.
Order310 Blonde Ale with a Detroit-style Emmy Squared square
TipMonday is all-day happy hour; the Emmy Squared after-hours menu runs Friday and Saturday from 21:00.
Harvelle's books blues, burlesque and soul into a low-lit 4th Street room in downtown Santa Monica, one of the Westside's longest-running music bars.
OrderA whisky cocktail down front at the stage
TipTickets go through Seat Engine on the venue site; the long-running Toledo Show jazz and burlesque revue owns Sunday nights.
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