Trivia night on Thursdays. Yay!
i didn't quite notice until the trivia host pointed out - the whole bar was being waited on by one guy! Â the place was packed... but we got our drinks quickly - the food was typical pub food (i only tried the fries)...
It's a fun trivia night... though it's the only trivia night i've ever been to. Â If i'm in the area again, and we have a team, i'm game.
This joint is a utility. Â Plain and simple. Â Real pub with real people from the UK running it, it's really more like a working class kind of place. Â "No frills" is an understatement. Â Not what you'd expect in Venice or Santa Monica. Â More like what you'd find in a blue collar neighborhood in, well, the UK. Â Lights may be a bit too bright at times...
Quiz night is fun.
I admit it, I Â originally went to the Cock N Bull just because I liked the name. The kitsch factor did it for me.
Once there, there was really nothing that stood out to me. It's a bar... it has karaoke, trivia nights, and the occasional band playing. It does serve Kronenbourg 1664 and Carlsberg, but I was surprised, and well, I'm surprised in general that "British pubs" in LA don't serve Abbot's! Â The beers are $5 during happy hour. They do broadcast soccer games, but it's pretty much just English soccer, not even UEFA leagues in general and the sliding cover charge is $10+.
The food is also really greasy. English food is one of those cuisines that gets a bad rap because it's seldom prepared right. If it's done right, it's great, if not, it's bland and greasy. Cock N Bull has the bland and greasy part down pretty well.
I have to say that it does have somewhat of a real English pub atmosphere, but not the good kind. If you've ever been to England and walked into a place full of territorial, brash, suspicious, Â locals with a herd mentality, then this place will remind you of that.
Years ago, I threw in organized dart leagues, blind draws as well as sanctioned tournaments. However, over time, for one reason or another, stopped to the point that I didn't even own a dart set anymore. At least that's what I thought because recently, I found a set I won in a tournament and lately, I've been looking for dart bars to practice, so I can get back out on the scene and have some fun.
And that's why I ended up at the Cock 'n Bull last Friday night.
The pub, with a red phone booth outside - dart boards (2), pool tables and patrons with the oh so cool accent - all accounted for. They even have a public lot so you don't have to brave parking on Lincoln in Santa Monica.
TV's and a jukebox for some audio and visual entertainment - eventually some eye candy came in to mix in with the old crabby English crowd. A nice mix of people - all just having fun, just hanging out on a Friday night.
Side note: dart boards are in need of a little TLC and it's chalk scoring boards for those who have issues throwing with chalk dust on your fingers. No white boards.
Overall - cool place and it's close to home!
We love this place. It is neighborhood-pub perfect.
The have an okay variety of beers, food and liquor. The kitchen has recently been re-vamped & I think they got a new chef. Looks way better in there!!
I wouldn't come here for a posh LA bar experience... it's more of a rowdy Saturday night neighborhood get-together type deal. That being said, it's friendly and noisy and a little rough around the edges - just the way a good pub should be.
The bartenders are great - all of them are welcoming and nice.
The prices are pretty reasonable for LA.
The only thing that really bothers me is that there is NEVER any music playing. There's a jukebox with some good tunes, so if you like ambient noise, bring your singles. Other than that, I loves me some C&B :)
We  just came from the Cock N Bull (so called) British Pub in sunny Santa Monica today. It was NOT like a British pub at all decor wise. In fact, it reminded me of Frank's lodge on Everybody Loves Raymond! We had the fish & chips which were not very good at all & the so called chips were less like British pub chips and more like McDonald's fries! Then we ate the rhubarb pie which was good. My iced tea was weak and her hot tea was good. The service was friendly but slow.  This place is not very British at all,in fact.
So avoid the Cock N Bull's food and just go in for a few beers.
Well this a tale of two places. 5 stars if you are looking for a place to catch a soccer game. Especially EPL or Euro games or the World Cup. Fantastic atmosphere, great beers, stouts and lagers. Also a very fun place to go for British New years eve party. at 4pm  you will celebrate the new years to all kinds of tunes from the past to present. Good DJ as well as decent finger foods provided. As for the food on a regular basis it's just A-ok to Meh. Not the best representation of British fare.
Review Source:Oh this is the place if you fell in love with England. I come here as often as I can to watch Manchester United games. They open as early as 5:30am for matches and serve beer at 6am...nothing like a cold 1664 or Guinness in the morning for breakfast. Highly recommend this pub for football (soccer for you americans) matches. Food is delightful. I will be coming back for the next big match!
Review Source:It's a no frills British pub with a divey tilt. Â Other than it's remarkable and memorable name, it's actually quite forgettable. Â The outside needs paint, and the inside needs younger customers.
Perhaps, I am not seeing the Cock 'n Bull in all its glory. Â At night, they occasionally have live music (I recall years ago, "The Young Dubliners" playing here regularly). Â However, these days during happy hours, it's more like 50 somethings, not so happy at all. Â The kids went to college. Â The wife left. Â The factory has shutdown. Â Unemployment would be easier if paid by the pint. Â Albeit, nice blokes all around.
Santa Monica has tons of pubs. Â With its handful of TV's, even a ice cold Boddington's wouldn't pull me in here again without some changes. Â Okay, that was a really bad example, that actually would work for me.
Cock 'n Bull is not off the chart, instead, it's off the map. Â Gordon Ramsay / Kitchen Nightmares should take a look at this place, and give it a swift kick in it's old and droopy buttocks.
This was a great place (err, one of the only places in L.A.?) to watch the Rugby World Cup in 2011...an absolute must-see, as the boyfriend is a Kiwi.
We didn't order food, but had a couple of beers and received prompt service in a packed and mostly-friendly crowd. I got the feeling Cock 'n Bull was a great place for adrenaline-dependent "football" hooligans and rugby fans during games.
The crowd was lively, but extremely disruptive patrons were given too many chances to ruin the experience for others.
Just the thought of this place makes me want to throw up in my mouth.
My Dad was visiting from out of town and was in the mood for some good ole fish n chips. We were on Lincoln at the time, saw the sign, and decided to mosey on in.
Here is my experience:
The service was terrible. The lovely gentleman who was serving acted as if he had a log shoved up is @$$. Â Broken stools everywhere, it was actually hard to find a semi-decent stool to sit on. Every time the bathroom door swung open, the dining area filled with the sweet aroma of urine and feces. When the food finally got to our table it was luke warm and SOAKED in grease. And to top it all off, my water glass had a dead fly in it (i've got the picture to proof it).
The Cock 'n Bull is now a running joke in my family, and my Dad is never going to let me live this one down.
Three friends and I came here to watch Chelsea v. Liverpool this weekend. It's exactly what you think it would be, a run-down, dark, divey old bar. Nothing really memorable, even though we had fun watching the match.
We parked for free on the street, then learned that there was a $10 cover that day. At 9AM. There were flyers advertising the viewing all over the bar, none of which mentioned a cover, and no one had told my friend about a cover when she called, either. Obviously, the crowd was buying enough food and beer to all cover themselves. Charging a cover, especially a surprise one, at 9AM, was unecessary and lost points with me. I went to see a lot of the World Cup matches in bars two years ago, which were an even bigger deal, and never paid for them.
We had a few pitchers of Stella for breakfast ($18 a pitcher) and had fun shit-talking and cheering. Service was sloooooowwww..... you'd think that by charging everyone a cover, they could afford to staff some more servers for such a busy day! We ended up going straight to the bar to order more pitchers.
I'd come back here for another game, because it's a fun atmosphere, you get to hear people yelling lots of ridiculously British things, you gotta love the name of the place and all of the immature jokes you can make with it, but there was nothing interesting enough about it to make me want to come back otherwise.
Not much more to say except that this is a great British pub. Â Really the only place to watch a big international football (soccer) match, or better yet the big rugby game!
I've been here a few nights. Â It's close enough to the bars in Santa Monica and West LA, so it's fun to stop in along a bar hop. Â They even participated (don't know willingly) in the short lived guerilla gay bar; and I hear from friends who went that they were the finest hosts, but maybe lacking in martini glasses.
So what's to do here? Â Eat, but look forward to typical bar food. Â You know, small kitchen, and not the best around, but hey, it gets the job done. Â Have a beer; my standby is Boddington's and the gf likes her Strongbow. Â And the billiards tables! Â I just shot my finest game here, so I'm a fan of their pool tables! Â They have a stage, and things like trivia, dancing, and all that cock n bull. Â I really wanna come by for their Sunday "traditional" dinner.
BEST FISH N CHIPS in Los Angeles and maybe anywhere!!!
I have been driving by this place for the last 23 years and have never been in. Â Was at Enterprise fish company looking for fish n chips and a patron at the bar suggested Cock N Bull so my girl and I had a beer, hopped on our bikes and ventured over.
There was an older gentleman from Massachusetts who happened to be an ex fisherman with his son at the bar. We started talking and he highly recommended the fish n chips and stated they are the best he's had out west, so we knew we made the right trip.
I always have them with tartar sauce but the fish (cod from Iceland) was so fresh and tasty that I ate with just some salt and vinegar...holy sh*t, they were FANTASTIC!!! Let me also say that the FRENCH FRIES were maybe the best I've had! Fresh cut soaked in water over night just like my Uncle use to make me as a kid.
This was really a treat and can't wait to go back. All the food that came out of the kitchen looked really good and can't wait to go back and try the Sunday roast beef!!!
If craving fish n chips this is the place to go.
I came here mid-day on a weekday to meet a friend to watch a Manchester United match. While they show all sorts of matches, like FIFA and UEFA tournaments, it seems that MUFC fans are the majority of patrons.
The food was alright, as I'm not a huge fan of English food, but the fries were good and the selection of beers was great.
The screen is large for most to see, but I can see this place getting crowded for a huge match, so I'd come early if you're thinking of watching one here.
I came here with friends to watch the women's World Cup final against Japan. The news must have spread that this was one of the few places open (on Sunday) and showing the game, because the moment the game started it was PACKED.
If you've ever been to the King's Head in Santa Monica on a busy weekend, it was *that* kind of packed.
Watching the game with such a good crowd was a ton of fun, and I think the Cock 'n Bull is nicely suited for these kinds of big sporting events.
Unfortunately they only had one older waitress working that day, so service was crazy slow, but I imagine that's an exception and not the rule.
The staff were all friendly, and the burgers were good and cheap. Not the best ever, but more than satisfactory for bar food.
How could you not be curious about a bar named the Cock 'n Bull?! I know it always turned my head as I drove by it on Lincoln, so last weekend I finally wandered in with some friends.
The first thing we noticed was that it was reeaaaaallly bright. It has the feel of a traditional pub, and if you know the kind of folks who hang out in dive bars and pubs, you usually don't want to see them with the lights fully on! However, we stayed because there was plenty of space at the bar, even on a Friday night. We were helped right away by a nice-enough bartender and had a good number of beers on tap to choose from and some soccer on TV.
The place was definitely a sausage fest, and I could see why - with the darts, soccer, and wood-paneled decor, it kind of struck me as some dude's really nice basement.
Definitely not the place to go if you're looking for some serious ambiance, but if a beer and some footy on the telly is what you need, give it a shot!
This place is very low key and unpretentious which is nice. Â The food is typical British fare; it's nothing delicious but when you're hungry, it'll suffice. Â The prices are good. Â They have trivia nights on Thursday and the place gets pretty full. Â The trivia's pretty hard, but fun to do and the crowd that shows up is also pretty cool - late twenties-ish and pretty easygoing. Â Otherwise, the bar seems to have a crowd that's slightly older than that.
Parking - there's a small lot next to the bar, meters out front, and residential parking around.
I only came here once, it was my first time coming to the pub too. Â I came here with a friend to visit her friends during a trivia night. Â They had a full team so me and my friend just got a drink and sat off to the side.
They have a good selection of beer.. I guess? The price is typical, 7 for my Stella.
The trivia night is fun! I think they pay out 50 for first place, 20 for 2nd, and 10 for 1st. Â You can form teams up to 5 people and you will play 4 rounds? which will last about 2 hours, loads of fun. Â The subjects include, history, sports, movies, tv shows, music, etc. Â Even though I didn't play as a team, me and my friend formed our own team and just played for fun and did pretty well!
Very fun for a thursday night out with friends if you just want a drink or two. Â The people are great here, no rowdiness, just nice people wanting a fun night out. Â The bartenders are awesome too! Everyone with a british accent haha.
Whoa, a ton of trivia groups found this place over the last few months, which is good for their business but bad for us patrons. Â Last time my group went, the place was packed and still only the one lady serving. Â It was impossible to get service. Â She gave us a hard time for not ordering alcohol (we did get food, though!) and basically wouldn't refill our waters. Â As regulars we didn't think we deserved such attitude.
We're searching out a new trivia location. Â Oh well. Â One fewer group for the new crowd to compete against.
Our dodgeball crew rolls through here on Thursday nights, which also happens to be trivia night. It seems pretty authentically British and a true dive bar complete with occasional broken seats and dirty glasses. With that being said, the staff is always super friendly and tries to be accommodating. The vibe is very laid back here, which is really nice, and there's nothing like the feeling of ALMOST being on the winning team for trivia.
The most tragic part of this place is the disappointing food though. I've had the fish and chips, onion rings, wings, breakfast sandwich with an egg. Everything I've tried lacks flavor and is super greasy. I think the egg was crisco flavored.
SOOO. Long story short. This is a GREAT, low-fuss place for sweaty dodgeballers to drink and be merry. Everything else is just okay.
I wanted very badly to like this bar since it's really close to my house which would mean yay I found my neighborhood watering hole to go and have too many drinks and not worry about driving.
But...
While the scotch selection is decent, the beer selection sucks (not a single ipa). the bartender/owner/whoever is not very nice. Swears he told us when we came in that it's cash only. I don't believe it because we sat at the bar for 10 min before he acknowledged us. Other times had to get up and walk over to him to order. Wouldn't care if he was busy but we were 2 out of probably 10 people in this big bar on a Sunday night and he was staring at the ground. Looked like some brits were getting hooked up but despite us trying to be gracious and friendly, the bill ended up being ridiculous. Â
C'est la vie...
Cool little place. Â It's supposedly an authentic English pub, but I've never been to England so I couldn't tell you if that's true. Â
Good size place and I can imagine this place getting packed for big soccer games but we were there on a Friday night and it was dead.
They serve full 16-oz. pints and don't cheap on you like pretty much everywhere else in LA with 12-oz. "pints." Â They also serve Kronenberg 1664 which isn't impossible to find but it's nice to find a place to get it on tap.
The place does have a few problems, the biggest being that it's cash only. Â Sure it costs money to process credit card orders but guess what, Â if I've got the plastic down I'll probably order more than a beer. Â Seriously people, its nearly 10 years into the 21st century!
The second problem was the cost: $6.50 for the Kronenberg (they had the typical domestics so I'm assuming they're about $5.50 or so). Â If you're going to take cash only and have the opportunity to under report on your tax returns, I expect a cut in price.
The third problem is it's bright as day. Â It doesn't need to be a dark pit of hedonism but I'm also not planning to perform open heart surgery at 1:30AM.
This place looks like it's a great time when those crazy euro-sports are on TV and looks like it's a good place to grab a quick pint if you live down the block but I wouldn't go out of my way to come here if I didn't already live on the Westside.
This can be a fun place but it's never somewhere I'll think of going. Â They have a fun trivia night (I forget which night, maybe tuesdays?) but they don't have enough chairs for everyone. Â perhaps it's too popular for its own good.
It also gets really hot, not sure if there's no AC or they just don't turn it on until the summer.
Oh well, a fun British pub atmosphere if you're into that, but i think i'd rather go to the King's Head.
I can only echo what everyone else is saying. Â This is a great pub. Â No-nonsense, but welcoming. Â VHS tapes of UK football playing during our visit--a chance to catch up on games you might have missed. Â
Strong drinks, good selection of English beer and cider. Â We need to go back & try the food.
Do you want a real pub? Â Then this is your spot. Â English and Irish ex-pats all come here and there's good reason. Â This is the real deal. Â A real, no nonsense pub. Â It's our local hangout. Â The food is authentic pub fare too. Â Greasy pies, mushy peas, oily chips.
I'll never forget the time we showed up with the girls and won the Quiz Night. Â The regular winners had been on an 8 week winning streak. Â Then we ousted them out of nowhere. Â It was pretty classic. Â Quiz Night is pretty damn fun.
Cock N Boring.
This place is kind of blah. Â It seems a bit sterile and too bright. Â They have their "newish" wood floors and that really takes away from the dankness that a place like this needs to be. Â The bar staff is nice enough and a lot of the locals are either expats from the UK or local blue collar dewds.
I have seen Vespa club meetings here. Â They take over the place like a Fine Young Cannibals video. Â You know what I'm talking about: Â tons of mirrors, denim jackets, scarves, etc.
Don't half step. Â Come here if you are in the neighborhood and just want to have a pint or a low key evening.
This place would not be a first pick for a date or anything, unless you were dating Al Bundy....but with that said...I used to live down the street on Lincoln and I loved this place....one of those kind of places you can walk in on your own and have a quick beer and a snack ...the staff is always friendly....and I recommend the banger rolls...which is a banger sandwich with grilled onions on a bread roll...very tasty if you ask me.....
Other than that I would only eat their on Sunday....for 2 things.....roast lamb with all the fixings....yum yum...roast potatoes, veggies, yorkshire pudding ,gravy and mint sauce.....also the other is the crumbles....I miss them and crave them....they have either Rhubarb or apple depending on the week....with a nice crumble topping and then covered in hot custard....love it!!!!!
The best thing about it though was the staff...because they used to give me the leftover lamb leg bones for me to take home to the Chihuahuas....And boy oh boy did my doggies love when I'd bring them home a leg of lamb bone.....
Good
British
Food
Choose two of the three, the old saying goes. Â Good food, yes. Â British food, it exists. Â Good British, sure. Â But never, ever, ever may one employ all three at the same time. Â There can be no "good British food..."
A visit to the Cock & Bull supports that old saying, but one shouldn't hold that against the Bull. Â It's not their fault that their nation's food is a vitriolic mixture of morning beans, chips that aren't really chips, and probably far too much tea that is good for even the most rabid of tea-fans (they exist.... i hear).
But you're not going to this British eatery/pub to eat the food. Â No no no. Â That'd be the equivalent of going to Disneyland to ride the teacups and leave (not that bad an idea, come to that, but more on that later). Â If you love football (not the cheeky American football; rather, foot futbol) and live within thirty minutes of Santa Monica, your only destination to watch a game would surely have to be the Cock & Bull. Â Not only because the atmosphere seems authentically British (bald bartender with a cool accent who seems nice enough (like a big teddy bear.... that could pummel you alive if it wanted to). Â Dingy floors. Â Copious amounts of alcohol. Â Weird old guy sitting on a stool towards the periphery of the bar), but the sheer amount of effort they put into providing an awesome viewing experience is unparalleled by a regular 'American bar.' Â
Suppose Manchester United is up against Birmingham at 4:30 in the morning. Â On a Sunday. Â The Cock & Bull will be there for you. Â Suppose there are more than three games on at a particular moment, what to do? Â Cock & Bull has about 6 telly's, including a giant projector that'll usually be devoted to the match of the day or some rugby matchup. Â Being surrounded by football, authentic fans who love the game, and copious amounts of alcohol and you have a recipe for some jolly good fun.
I'd recommend a visit on a Tuesday or Wednesday when Champions League is in session or on a Saturday or Sunday morning when one of the big four is play (Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, & Liverpool). Â You could also visit on an international friendly day, but it'll usually cost 10 bucks to gain entrance since they have to pay loot to get the games via satellite (they get games via satellite, how bad ass is that?)
Even if not for the football, just swing by one day, play some darts, and get drunk enough to feel as if you're somewhere across the pond. Â
Just don't eat the food, unless you're really drunk.
And you only order toast..... Â not even the brits can mess that up.
Cock N Bull Pub
2947 Lincoln Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90405
Phone: (310) 399-9696
My favorite after-work meeting place. Â I think the bartender insulted me last night ("How could you miss THAT mouth?" after I spilled beer down my shirt) but I love him anyway! Â They had just started the Thursday night trivia game when we had to leave but there was a decent crowd AND you could still have a conversation without yelling. Â (I just had a Yelp epiphany - I am always complaining about bars being too loud and/or crowded. Â I am definitely NOT a city mouse - sorry everybody!) Â
I was once mistaken for British while traveling in Morocco and so I consider myself an honorary Brit (that's my tongue in my cheek) and as such, I must say I bloody love this bar with all of my heart.
Cash Only here. Please note this and if you don't get it, there's a little ATM in the corner. Now the only time I ever come here is to watch my beloved England play. Now this is a great place to watch football or soccer because they have a huge projection screen at one end of the pub and there are a couple of flat screens at the bar, as well as two more near the entrance.
The food is good. Take out is available. The staff there are a bunch of limey guys but they're good mates. They pour the Guinness right for me and that makes them alright with me. The fish and chips are great. Bangers and Mash...all the good British food.
Now being a place to watch English Premier League football, the place will open early in the morning. Some games start before six, so this maybe a great place to watch Chelsea beat Arsenal 6 - 0. At night the place is frequented by college students and youngsters, hipsters on the westside. But on football days, that's soccer, you get a lot of British expats come in and since I spent a good fun part of life in London, the atmosphere is all good.
How fun! Â Cock N Bull now hosts a "trivia" game (every Thursdays? Â 8:30p) where teams of 5 can compete for $30. Â Doesn't sound like much but hey, it'll take care of (a portion of, at least) the tab you're racking up playing the game. Â The questions aren't too easy, but are interesting enough where you feel like you've actually learned something while getting sloshed...you know, if you even remember anything by the end of the night. Â Oh, and you get to name your team which is entertaining in and of itself. Â Go East Compton Clovers!!
I gave CnB 3 stars because they didn't offer a drink special to any participants & the food was 'meh'. Â Also, cash only. Â They have one of those sketchy ATM machines in the corner though.
Mad props to the owner/bartender/server. Â How does he manage all three roles at one time?!
I went here for St. Patty's day, and it was pretty fun. I agree with other reviews - definitely a good local joint, a place to get a pint or two after work or in the afternoon...
Lots of pool tables make it a place I will definitely come back to with the girl friends just to hang out. I wish they had more seating - just a few small tables and one counter made it not such a great place for a huge group.
Totally agree w/ Jessica. Â
The best place to watch football, urrr, soccer, but you have to pay. Â Sacrifices have to be made to watch a game standing room with a bunch, of drunk English blokes rooting on the Queen and tearing it up with those anti-German cheers (two WWs, 1 World cup) anad many others.
Priceless.
I may be there this Sun. am for the Arsenal/Chelsea gm.
And besides, gotta love the real, manly name. Â No wimpy LAX crap here.
Four stars for opening at 5am to show the World Cup...and for serving a full English breakfast before they start serving beer at 6am. Â Sure we had to pay $10 to get in, but you could stay for all 3 games and the atmosphere is unlike any other. Â Brits from all around gathered to cheer on their team and it's such a fun place to watch a football game. Â Can you really beat drinking beer at 6 in the morning while listening to a million English accents around you?
Don't know what it's like on a normal night, but since the owners and staff are English it can't be too bad!
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