Best bar in Santa Monica, hands down.
A selection of what seems like a hundred beers and so many varieties of scotch, you would go bankrupt attempting to try them all.
But what's really great is the atmosphere. Â In that, it actually still feels like a bar. Â Through a combination of City policy and hyper-gentrification, most bars in Santa Monica have become more restaurant than bar, and the rest have been turned into lame so-called "clubs". Â T
Not the Daily Pint. Â It is an old-school bar through and through. Â Sunlight rarely makes an appearance; the ventilation suffers during busy times; pool, foosball, and shuffleboard tables are always competitively occupied, and intelligent, boastful, and local conversation prevails, with the robust encouragement of high-quality beers.
The bartenders are knowledgeable about their craft and can make you a perfect recommendation based on your tastes. Â Moreover, the place has not been inundated with a line at the door comprised of people looking for the next "hot place" (they're all downtown searching in the wrong spots). Â So, shhhhh about how great this place is.
The bar has two areas, the quieter "bar" side, with only ambient music coming over from the "gaming area" side, where speakers pump out jukebox-requested music (no lame wanna be DJ here).
In the words of Toby Keith ... I love this bar!
This is my gf's favorite local dive bar hangout and I can see why; the service is quick and the bar is totally no-nonsense. Just a good place to hang out to shoot the shit with some adults.
Warning, they love their beers here and the regulars will poo-poo your choice of Stella Artois when there are clearly some cool IPA's on tap. But what can I say, I was in the mood for my Stella; love me or hate me, I will have what I want.
Anyway, it's hot as Hades in here and people are super-chatty, from the attentive bartenders to that guy who always has the corner seat and has glasses lined up in front of him. It's just a reliable, happy local joint that welcomes new visitors. And apparently, on certain nights, food trucks line up out in front. I mean, BONUS!
Great beer and whiskey selection, but kind of pricey. Â Also, only one bartender on Friday after work. Â She read nice, and was hauling ass, but could definitely use some help. Â Finally, there is no air conditioning, and it is about 10 degrees hotter inside than out. Â That is the main reason for the two stars, and if i ever come back it will definitely be in the winter.
Review Source:Loved this place! Kicked it here with a few friends on a casual Friday night and ended up having way more fun than expected. The place is fairly large but not too spacious with all the pool tables, shuffle board tables, karaoke area, and little tables spread around. We played shuffle board for a while and then wandered about before we discovered that you could borrow JENGA! They have a number of sets of jenga at the bar and you can exchange your ID for box of Jenga. We had so much fun with it!
The bar area was always crowded with plenty of over-worked suits chatting up girls, and quite a few 60+ year olds hanging out with their buddies.
Overall, the atmosphere was great, the people were interesting, and the drinks seemed alright. Definitely recommend this place, especially for a casual night out!
This bar... When did it turn into the local hipster joint?
There's karaoke some nights.
There's a wide selection of beer and scotch.
There are pool tables and a shuffleboard table!
Space is tight, but overall it's a nice bar if you're in the area. Â
Parking is hit or miss.
Air circulation could be worked on...
Came here last night with some coworkers! I'll admit it was the second time I've been here, but I liked it more this time around.
The parking situation is not good, like most of this area of Santa Monica. If you can walk/bike/bus it, I'd go that route!
The bar itself is HUGE and the areas surrounding it are a little cramped, but it's more cozy than crazy. The selection of beers on tap and in the bottle is pretty solid, but it's their scotch/whisk(e)y board that blows my mind, even though I've yet to venture away from beer here!
For a "dive" bar, it's pretty pricey. I'd really consider this to be more of a pub/lounge than anything, though. Since I don't live in the area, I don't really go out drinking, but if I'm ever staying on the westside one night, I'd love to kick back here with friends.
I have been here many times and their beer and whiskey selection is quite extensive. Â I don't know if I'm cursed but I always wind up asking for the beer that they have just run out of... or the one where the tap is being changed, etc., you get the idea. Â The typical crowd I've witnessed is mostly groups of guys in their 30s.
Staff has always been friendly and service always quick. Â There are two pool tables as well as a shuffleboard table. Â The bathroom is pretty disgusting, though, as others have noted, (even by dive bar standards); I wouldn't recommend bringing a date here. Â They don't serve food, either, but that didn't bother me.
I'd recommend the Daily Pint to a group of guys that want to hang out and drink some high quality craft beer but that's not typically what I'm looking for in a bar.
I came here the first time with a date who lived around the corner. Â There weren't really sparks flying, but at least the atmosphere was alright. Â We were able to snag a little bar space against the wall, but it was still rather crowded. Â In fact, I don't think I've ever been here when it wasn't crowded. Â There are plenty of good beers and scotches available, and the prices are pretty standard for Santa Monica. Â I've been back a couple times with friends, and I've had some great conversations with other patrons at the bar. Â Overall, it's a decent place to grab a drink, but a bad place to hang out with more than one person.
Review Source:A mighty fine place to grab a pint on the west side, a low key place on a low key street at that, which makes it also the sort of place you can catch up, make new friends (and actually hear them). Â They have a phenomenal selection of beers, rotated out, and likely many of which you've never heard of before and an intimidating list of firewater. Â
One step below, serve everything in its respective glass and a spot about dive. Â A friendly staff will help you out, and thankfully offer suggestions. Â
A pint will run in the $7 range typically -- though brews that, if you've done this sort of thing before typically cost a little more, cost a little more, with the higher alcohol / tripels / and the like running you something like 9. Â
They also have games! Split down the middle, half of this watering hole offers pool and a few other contests as well as tele if you are so inclined.
Stopped in here briefly on Saturday night. One of the girls in our group used the restroom and found a log of feces on the toilet seat. We brought it to the attention of the manager and she threatened to 86 us if we continued to talk about it, and called us liars even though we had a picture of it. This particular manager should attend a customer service class, her service SUCKS!
As for the rest of the staff... they were great!
It is a rare bar in Santa Monica that can pull off the "everyone is welcome", "come have a round of jenga on us" vibe whilst providing an impressive beer list. Â As for the atmosphere, I love places that are a little dark and rough around the edges with a slow cooker full of mini hot dogs resting in the corner (which happens on Sundays during football time). Â Great place to watch NFL games on a giant projected screen while eating the aforementioned hot dogs for free. Â If it's hot outside, it's sweltering inside because there's no a/c but that's nothing a little belgian beer can't fix.
Review Source:Went here for the first time last night and I have to say, I really enjoyed this place. Its a really great dive bar with a small town feel. In LA, who would have thought ?!
They have a great bar selection and of course the scotch is bomb as well. On the evening I was there, they even offered free beer tastings...sweet!
There's pool and shuffleboard to entertain you as you get saucy.
Here's the deal. I don't like whiskey. Can't stand scotch. What I do like is beer, $6 car bombs, an awesome bar staff, and pool. This place has all of the above.
This may become my new joint for whenever I make it to the Westside.
Now even though, as I stated, I can't stand the spirits they are well-known for, I can still appreciate the huge selection they offer. They literally have a menu with filled with pages and pages of scotches. When you sit at the bar, bottles of the stuff hover over your head.
Did I mention the ambiance is delightfully dive-y without being gross? I can't say anything to the heat. I went at the end of December during a cold snap. I felt fine.
Be sure to double check the prices before you order if you want to avoid an experience like mine.
I visited this place yesterday evening for the first time for a friend's party. It was difficult to decide which whiskey to order, because they have a list on the wall WHICH DOES NOT SHOW THE PRICES. I decided to go for a Macallan 12, but saw the bottle of Macallan 25 next to it and decided to give it a try. The bartender pours it in the glass and then tells me it's $118. I asked if she was mistaken. She answered "no, this is a very expensive whiskey and I cannot pour it back in".
I'm giving then one star because:
1.- when I have ordered whiskeys (in other places) that cost up to $30 per glass the bartenders have always double-checked that I knew the price. They didn't do it here, even though, as I said, it's difficult to figure out the prices yourself (they didn't give us any menu).
2. So far they'd have deserved two or three stars, given that the mistake was mine. But the WORST part is that the whiskey was not good. I imagine that the they don't sell it very often (except for other clueless clients who make mistakes like mine). Such an expensive bottle, that likely lasts them one or two years, should be kept in a special room at a particular temperature. Instead, it was over the bar together with the other whiskeys. It must have been opened for months and as a result the whiskey tasted bland, worse than the Macallan 12 I have a home.
I paid the $118, drank the bland whiskey and left, never to return again.
I really loved this place. It's not pretentious, a word I usually attach to west side places (sorry, I know that's biased). I'd recommend this place to anyone who loves scotch, or who has a scotch lover who's coming into town. =)
The only knock (although some would say this adds ambience) was that the place is quite small and wasn't well ventilated. There were so many people inside, I found that it was unbearably warm and hard to breathe. Sticky. Could be better now though as I went a couple of months ago.
Still, love the set up. Nice, friendly bartenders. Laid back vibe. Â
Just go. Okay?
This place gets hot as balls. That's my main memory. It's pretty small so it gets very cramped with all of the people they let in. I came for the beer selection and though they carry some brews you may not be able to find many places in town, it's definitely a better place if you're a scotch/whiskey fan. Definitely better selection for the scotch afficionados.
Parking situation around here not great either with permit streets, but if you arrive later, you should be able to find street parking. If you are looking for a dive full of sweaty dudes and want to sweat off a couple pounds while drinking, this is your haven!
Excellent, frequently-rotating beer selection with four rotating casks (!) and an obscene whiskey list. No food, but they have a binder full of menus that you can call for takeout with (or if only you had an app on your smartphone that knew where you were and were able to provide localized restaurant recommendations...). Great place to watch football on Sunday mornings-- they even set up crock pots full of chili and hot dogs and fritos. And a very well-worn shuffleboard table.
(completely irrelevant personal note: I've been living in LA for two years and have yet to write a yelp review for anything out here, so what better place than my favorite beer bar? I was killing some time before my flight back home and saw this nondescript place right near the Pico Lanai apartments and knew I just needed to go in. 2+ years later I live a mile from the place and go there often.)
Great place if you are a beer / whiskey lover. Â The selection is amazing and be sure to check the chalkboard behind you for what's on tap.
but this place GETS REALLY HOT. Â the fans don't do much, and it's just unbearably hot and small. Â Really bumping environment with people lounging at the bar, playing pool, or singing karaoke. Â There aren't many bars around this area, and it definitely beats out the Speakeasy bar that's down the street in terms of crowd.
I'm sure this is a lovely place ... that is, if you don't mind the sketchy, crack-riddled hobos in the back lot.
Now, I'm sure this is okay for a lot of guys, but for two little Asian girls? Yeah, no. Especially when we pulled up in the super dark (Not even dim. Just straight up dark) and empty back lot, surprising the shit out of one of the hobos with our headlights. That wouldn't normally be a problem, except the dude was peeing in a corner of the lot, and turned around mid-pee, his stream still flowing.
Of course we booked it the hell out of there.
3 stars for the lovely hobo pee and for scaring the holy bajeebus out of me. If I ever make it into this damn place, I will update this review.
This dive is refreshingly divey. Mmm.
Pros:
Amazing whiskey selection. If you're a whiskey guy, get in here. Right now.
Good craft beer selection, including CASK beer.
Awesome dive ambiance. Awesome.
Cons:
No food.
Bad parking.
Words to the wise:
After-hours, park in the smog place next door.
Order food at the Greek place a couple doors down. Z Garden I believe.
One of my favorite bars in West LA. Â This place has an awesome whisky and beer selection.
The best part is that they have foosball, pool, and shuffle board to pass time with. Â It makes the entire place such a fun and social atmosphere.
What really sucks is that they don't have food - boo :( Â Occassionally there is a food truck outside. Â Parking also kinda sucks.
I've been coming here for years. It's a weird dichotomy of divey/dirty yet expensive, and attracts a lot of dude-bros, and lots of white people in general. You will see lots and lots of plaid.
There are games like shuffleboard, foozball and pool, and they have karaoke on Saturdays. The bar is split into two halves with a wall between them and the bar opening to both sides, but they're usually understaffed. Bring cash!
My hefeweizen last time I went was $8, which isn't cheap, but they have a pretty good selection of international and domestic brews.
Overall, it's a pretty casual place to hang out in an area that's sorely lacking in nightlife. Parking is easy to find on the street.
Best selection of whiskey/whisky in Los Angeles, hands down. Their rotating selection of beers is also top notch (and they almost always have Pliny, yay), though the prices are a bit higher than average.
There's 2 pool tables, a huge (but slightly worn down) shuffleboard table and games like Jenga and Dominoes. So you can get drunk and silly and knock small wooden blocks all over the place in a fit of exciting conversation. Win!
Can get crowded on Fri/Sat nights, and sometimes there's only 1 bartender on deck. They're not terribly friendly here but it's kind of a nonissue with all the other high points. I recommend bringing cash for speedy transactions, and tolerance for the stale beer smell that hangs in the sometimes warm, muggy air. Mmm.
Whatever you do, don't show up on Thursday night when they do the free whiskey/scotch/beer tasting. Because, ya know, I want all the freebies to myself.
Step into a bar that absolutely gets it, when I am on this side of town there is no other bar I rather be in.
The Scotch list is unparalleled, Â the beers on tap are carefully chosen with appreciation for all of the various taste craft beers can provide.
My main appreciation for this place lies in the fact that they constantly have Weihenstephen Lager on draft: the absolutely best Lager in the world from one of the oldest breweries.
The bar has an old school vibe that I absolutely adore and there is shuffle board and pool; however, these are mere distractions.
I never stray from the bar because there is far to much Scotch to try and the bartenders that work here have knowledge of all the libations which can lead into some wonderful discoveries about Scotch and its various incarnations.
This dive bar seem to focus on scotch/whiskey and has a huge selection of beers. Since it was so crowded, getting drinks took awhile. I had a walker and diet and it was good. Can't really mess up on that. Drinks were reasonably priced. 2 walker & diet plus a greyhound (mixed cocktail) was $20. Not bad considering it being Santa Monica.
The Daily Pint is a small bar, however, they have a full bar area, 2 pool tables, fooseball, shuffleboard, and karaoke on certain nights. Not sure which nights but they had it going when I was there last Saturday. While there, I noticed signs that says they offer Scotch mixing classes for a small fee. There were another sign that says you could order pizza from a nearby establishment and eat it there. That's pretty awesome!
Last week, Matt B. and I had dinner on the Westside with a few friends. Â We were a group of five, and I happened to be the only woman present. Â We moved to The Daily Pint after dinner, and our proportions were properly echoed in this bar.
I guess a group of guys is more likely to seek out a dive bar than a group of girls, thus creating this obvious imbalance. Â Whatever the reason, The Daily Pint seems to attract dudez-a-plenti. Â Maybe women are turned off by the disgusting bathroom with no seat covers. Â I mean, I'm a particularly slovenly person, and that bathroom pushed my limits pretty far.
Anyway, the place had a cool vibe, despite a crowd and limited seating. Â There was a bar area, where we hung out, as well as a room with games and from the sounds of it, well insulated karaoke. Â The bar was respectable, with a huge beer selection as well as tons of Scotch, if that's your poison. Â The menu was written in pastel chalk in a clean woman's hand, with a couple beers starred as $5 daily specials. Â I saw that Ballast Point was on the menu and that the Ballast Point Piper Down Scottish ale was starred. Â I got a bartender's attention and ordered a Scottish ale and a Telegraph XPA for Matt. Â The service was not immediate, but it was reasonably fast.
When I got the check, I noticed I'd been charged full price for my beer and asked if that was a mistake. Â The bartender said it wasn't on special and that it must have been starred by mistake. Â I was ready to sulk as she went to check and correct the board, but she came back and gave me a $3 refund. Â She wasn't super friendly about it, but she wasn't mean either.
My beer ended up tasting kind of wrong, but I blame the watermelon Jolly Rancher I had on the ride over. Â What was I thinking? Â Think toothpaste and orange juice, but with beer. Â Regardless, I had a good time, and I'll keep The Daily Pint in mind next time I want a beer on the Westside.
Came here last night to watch the Niners game and it was definitely the right place to watch it. Had a Pale Ale Yellow Tail, a microbrew from San Diego, it was delicious. My friend ordered a Stella but the experienced bartender recommended a Bavarian alternative that came in a huge glass and was a much better choice.
The Daily Pint does not have food but you can bring in your own or get a pizza delivered. We ended up brining in some Burger King which was a couple blocks a way. The place had lots of TVs, the bring screen is in the back and the place even has a couple pool tables. The one thing that sucks men, is the bathroom has no lock and it's a small bathroom with a toilet and urinal, so no dumps here.
What I loved was the huge amount of beers on tap and scotches available.
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