New Starboard Attitude

I still like this place... but after a recent experience I'm knocking off three stars.

I checked out the hours on the menu and they said they were open until 1am on Sunday with all-night karaoke. The place started to pick up around 11pm - right as the bartender and karaoke DJ said it was last call. I didn't get it being that they lost a significant amount of business [I'd say the place tripled in size about 20 minutes before they tried to close] and California last call is no later than 2am.

To make matters more annoying, the DJ kept singing her own songs from 10 minutes until last call to close. Quite a few people had songs in. I found this ridiculously unprofessional and probably the worst way to get tips.

I'm going to find a new karaoke joint in the South Bay...

My friends whom are musicians (Thanks Neil, Bill and Pete), all got together and threw me a Birthday jam session.  I'm not a musician and I never sang with a band, but I do love me some music.  

This bar sits a top Charlie's on Redondo Beach pier just before the hot dog on a stick place.  Apparently, it has gone through some exterior renovations and I thought it looked nice enough.  A narrow staircase leads you upstairs.  It's smallish for a place that offers live music.  My friends tell me that the owner has also installed a new sound system. (It may have been called Charlie's a long time ago, as I think my Mom called it that)

A full bar, though not much on tap for this beer drinker (Better head to Naja's if you like beer).  I noticed they had Guinness in a can, but was mortified when she pulled an iced, one inch thick , over-sized mug and then wrang the can into it like she was doing the laundry.  Expensive at $6.00 each, but it was the best they had to offer me.

People I knew from high school and many new friends were there and after an unscheduled set from the house band, our friends graced the stage and tore it up with the Blues (My friend Bill Berry apparently lived in New Orleans for many years and played at jazz fest, who knew?...he was always the crazy older brother of Allison who gave me a ride home from school once, in his beat up old VW, and introduced me to the Ramons).

There were some regulars in there, whom now resemble bar flies as opposed to beach bums of days gone by.  Our crowd filled the place and we reminisced between sets (it was SO loud), we danced and laughed.

BUT....when our group of guys stopped playing, the joint cleared out and fast.  There were only two or three people left.   It's hard to gage what the place is really like.  They have the funniest ladies room, for a second I thought I was on an airplane it was so small.  It actually felt smaller, but it was clean.

I've been here before 10 years ago and I'm not sure how much I remember of it then, but I ill tell you this.....
My Dad was a rocket scientist by day and a jazz drummer at night and he played here many times and many many many years ago.  I have a memory of me wearing a dark blue one piece swimsuit with yellow whales on it, I was about 7 years old).  He brought me to the beach and said that he would be watching me from the windows as he pointed to this very same bar.  During the day I could see him fine as he sipped on johnny walker and he and I exchanged waving to each other  throughout the day.

As I left that evening, I paused at the very same spot where my Dad sat watching me on that summer day and looked out onto the beach.  On this day, I was exactly the same age he was all those years ago and celebrating my year in a place he to would come to Jam......surreal.

I know I'm not much of a drinker and I'm not really the bar scene type. But, after hanging out at the pier many times over the past year, I wanted to see what this place was about. I love karaoke and always see their sign lit up. My friends like to hang out at Naja's for their beer selection. I often visit Quality Seafood (see my review). This pier is by far one of my favorite locations in LA and this bar has the advantage of having great views from their windows.

I'm not sure that the word "New" is an appropriate adjective for this dive bar. There's not much new about it. The place is old, the stairs going up were in terrible shape, and the decor looked like it was stuck in the past. I came in here late on a Saturday night with two friends. We were taking a stroll around the pier around midnight and decided to check this place out.

Starboard? Idk? Maybe it's the fact the bar kind of feels like it "floats" above the water and the rest of the pier.  Or maybe it's the lights they have around their building.

Attitude? Yes! They sure have plenty of that! If the bar is literally above the water and the pier, they sure think they are above than their neighbors!

When we walked in there was a bouncer at the door checking ID's. We sat down at a small table near one window. There was a band playing and the place was pretty empty (especially for a Saturday night). There were maybe 10 people total in the place, some dancing, some sitting around watching the band. The scene was definitely an older/locals crowd. There were plenty of seats around the bar and by the stage. We had been sitting down for less than 15 minutes when the bouncer comes up to us and says, "The manager said if you guys aren't going to buy a drink you have to leave." Is that how you run a business? We were never even approached by a server or bartender to ask us if we would LIKE ANYTHING! No subtle "How are you doing? Can I get you a drink?" Not so much as a , "I'm sorry but we have a drink minimum on nights we have entertainment." I can't believe this place has such high reviews. We might have purchased drinks if we hadn't been treated so rudely. I will not be back, nor will my friends who live across the street!