This place was not great. We were looking for a beer garden, and found this place to wrap up our office beach day. The menu was plain, prices were high, drinks weren't good. I guess as people have said before, you're paying to be on the boardwalk and have live music (although whoever was playing then was not very good either). Our waitress was also somewhat catty, and I don't appreciate poor service.
- loaded nachos: chips were stale, the toppings were meager, not great
- buffalo wings: these were NOT buffalo wings. They should've have buffalo sauce, but it was basically wings with hot sauce (like actually kinda spicy hot sauce). Would not recommend.
- margaritas were ok at best, just all the drinks were really expensive.
I was very displeased with this experience.
It took an hour for us to get our combo platter (which they had run out of half the ingredients for so we swapped nachos in for wings and potato skins). When it came they shorted us two poppers, two mozzarella sticks and the nachos were pretty sad. Definitely not enough to feed the four people in our party like the server told us it would. The server blamed the guys in the kitchen for being jerks and did not even offer or attempt to remedy the situation.
The drinks are pretty good and not badly priced.
Bad food, bad service and bad staff. I would not recommend this place to anyone. Steer clear!
It was my first time at the Venice Bistro, and it was great. Â The bartender Junior was super attentive, and the rest of the staff were really nice. Â The view was awesome, we had a few pitchers of Juniors Famous Sangria and yep its famous for a reason ,the live music was cool! Check it out!
Review Source:There was a cockroach crawling on the wall next to where I was sitting. Â Saw the B rating after I ordered the food. Â Overpriced drinks and food. Â No refills on soda. Â Have been to dive bars and would gladly spend a night on Sunset Blvd drinking Everclear with homeless bums than spend another second in this place with all of Hell's mental patients steps away on the boardwalk. Â It is sooooooooo dirty in this place! Â Only wish I had eaten at the place next door with the firepit and big tv instead. SUFFERED through the night because I knew the band but will NEVER set foot in this place again!
The bartender (Junior?) Â was VERY nice....so was the other guy. Â Owner very nice too but this place needs a good cleaning and a BAR RESCUE, STAT!
dirty, dirty dirty and scary freaky weirdos steps away.
This place was horrible. Ordered a pitcher of beer took 30 minutes to come and when it did it was warm. Â Food took just about an hour. Â Food was garbage could barley get a few bites down before deciding to cut my losses. Â Would never go back. Â Feeling more sick by the minute. Gross place. Very disappointed.
Review Source:We had a pitcher of Blue Moon and 1 Margarita. It was $45. Ordered chips and salsa which ended up being chips and very watery tomato sauce. I guess it's just the price you pay to hangout in Venice. We left the waiter a good tip only because my wife needed a band aid and he gave it to her. If not we were leaving him $2. I don't think I'll come here again.
Review Source:This place has to be the worst spot on the boardwalk. Horrible drinks, stale chips, and disgusting food served at room temp. I had to get up multiple times to get (pay for) extra shots to pour into our $9.00 margaritas that didn't come with any booze in them. Than the server was upset with us when we complained about our food and drinks and completely neglected our table after the fact. I hope this place falls into the ocean!
Do not waste your time or money here.
Service took forever just to get a waitress (had to go to the bar twice to ask for one) and when the burger I ordered came out it was bland, warm, and overall underwhelming. Nice area to people watch and enjoy a beer, but there are better places with way better service. Â Didn't get food poisoning fortunately.
Review Source:Not so bad. Was bar hoping on Venice boardwalk. Did not try their food, but the service at the bar was great. The girls were super nice and we enjoyed our stop there. I'm guessing they are a mexican food joint...? We didn't even look at the menu to be honest. Had a tequila shot, a margarita and we were outta there.
Review Source:This place is completely different during the day versus the night.
By day, it poses as a tourist-y spot, always very crowded, nice outdoor patio etc.
By night it becomes a concert venue for all those Venice artists and an outdoor party spot for the local shelter-impaired.
Definitely so much more fun at night. You will have a story if nothing else. Plus, cheap drinks and bartenders who will hook it up!
We parked in a spot right in front of the Bistro, unloaded our bikes and set off for a long ride towards Manhattan Beach. Upon returning a few hours later & loading up the bikes, my friends decide that they wanted to listen to the Doors cover band & have a couple beers before heading out. I concurred. The sun was about 45 minutes from setting & the crowd in the front patio seemed to draw us in. After IDs were checked we headed in...finding NO tables to be had.
My friend spotted a few empty barstools nudged up on the backside of the bar & that's were we bellied up.
There were 2 girl bartenders looking busy without really doing anything. To my right behind the bar I spied about 3 dozen used pint glasses by the sink threatening to tip over. It took about 180 seconds before one of the two finally took our order. A bit pricey for 3 domestic pints in plastic cups, but my buddy picked up the tab & the rest of us were cool with that.
The band Peace Frog was loud & sounded similar to the Doors. I'm a fan of the classics in the rock genre & that's the best I could muster up for this band..."similar".
If the band is there, the only way to head for the restrooms is nudging your way through a small gap between the bar & wall, Â through a small hallway going through part of the kitchen, then to a small dark corner behind where the band is set-up. I can't speak for the girl's facilities, but the men's room is horrid @ best.
As we were just about to order another round, we spied the waitress take an order from a "waiter?", pick up 3 dirty pint glasses from the pile next to the sink & proceed to pour draft beer into those used glasses. I looked to buddies on either side of me & our jaws just hit the floor.
We finished what was left of our over-priced domestic swill in our clean plastic cups & we high-tailed it out of there.
Am I fan of the Bistro? I used to love this place about 10 years ago. Now? Not so much.
1 star for atmosphere.
If you don't mind sticky bar tops, cooties or a chance of contracting a staph infection, this could be a fun place for you...
This has been a deez® public service announcement & I approve this message. Eat & drink responsibly.
HAHAHAHA! This place is a joke. The only reason im writing this review is because its a great spot to watch all the crazy that is venice beach. The only reason this place is still open is because its right on the boardwalk and everyone wants to sit right on the boardwalk and have cocktails and people watch, and because they have live music. But you can tell that the owner either doesnt care or forgot that they owned the place, or they pay free rent.
We couldnt find a free table. Its really more of a free-for-all, no one seats you (or maybe it was just us), so we went to the bar until one of the outside tables became available to order drinks. We sat there and a bartender took our orders... but for some reason had to tell the dumb girl next to him what we were having... and by dumb, I mean slllooowwww.... she didnt know the prices of the drinks which were way overpriced...
BUT MY FAVORITE PART......!!!!
Dumb girl bartender To male bartender "This drink is 4, and that one is 6. 4 and 6 is 10, right?" silence for 10 seconds... I had to turn around because I was gonna laugh right in front of her. Then my friends all made jokes about her that she was oblivious to until they werent funny anymore.
So we got a table outside. No one came to our table. They saw us, and I know they did because I was checking a couple of the servers out, but no one came over. I had to flag one of them down and ask him for a menu. I was starvin marvin, so i wanted to see what  munchies they had.  But no one ever came back to our table, which im relieved about because the food people were ordering looked gross. The servers were too busy texting and standing at the entrance.
Thank god venice beach is filled with crazy people to entertain me otherwise i wouldve been upset!
An extra plus was the poo on the toilet seat and the toilet.
I am investing my valuable time in creating a login and voicing my criticism because I do not want anyone else to fall victim to this shit hole!
Had a great time at Waterfront café and stopped at this place on my way back home because the Ale House was full and I needed a drink fast.  The service is awful because the bartender is an arrogant prick who can't work under pressure - welcome to the real world pussy.
I was told that the scotch I ordered was a double shot to make up for the long wait. Â I took one sip and it was all water. Â My girlfriend ordered a vodka cran and it was all cheap cranberry juice. Â I was so pissed and so over it that I just paid and left my brown water there. Â The server complained to the bartender about my tip, why should I spend more than 2 dollars on a 20 dollar bill for brown water and cheap cranberry juice that we didn't even drink? Â I was with friends and didn't want to create a scene, so I wrote my complaint on the receipt and got out of there before I let it ruin my good night.
the venice boardwalk is known for its eccentricities; its gritty charm attracts many inquisitive eyes during the sunny hours of the day. but within the patio of venice bistro on a late saturday evening, i got a taste of the local vibe. the cold dark sidewalk of inactivity was sharply cut with the edge of lively music within....a jovial crowd dancing to classic rock of the utmost enjoyment.
a local i was with told me this is his fav spot in venice. he went on to mention the establishment is cool because they let the homeless enjoy the music within. "oh, are there some inside right now?" was my response. he laughed and said nearly all of them. and on closer inspection i suddenly saw it. but honestly all i saw was happy individuals who like to dance. i respect that =)
once the music ended...they went on their peaceful way.
my time here was limited to a few drinks on the front patio. pitchers of light domestic beer are $15. meh, its the venice boardwalk. they let you eat pizza from next door there...the server girl was friendly, peppy, and attentive. no complaints really. its a chill place.
Came here on a Sunday to watch Peace Frog. The band was cool, but the service was horrible! One of the waitresses was such a bitch! She had a very bad attitude, and when she finally brought me my beer, she says "It's $5.50" I give her a ten and she gives me two bucks back and says "It's cool right?" No, it's not cool, you don't decide your own tip you fucking cunt. I don't tip bad service. So she storms off and returns later with my change. The rest of the  night she kept staring me down. Needless to say, I didn't order another beer since I didn't want to drink her spit, or whatever she would've probably put in my beer. FYI, I wasn't the only one who had a bad experience with her.
I will never return.
While the restaurant itself is definitely a little worn down, it's a perfect environment for the Venice Beach area. Â The bistro is very open, and lots of "uniqueness" pops in and out from time to time, especially when the live bands are playing.
I basically only have been to the Venice Bistro to sing live band karaoke with the Average Joes (AMAZING FUN!!). Â The acoustics in the place are pretty good, but it can get pretty loud inside. Â Service is good. Â The food is nothing exceptional but it's certainly not gross. . .it's what you would expect of your average food-stand-at-the-beach, which is a good thing for the casual, laid-back atmosphere that Venice Beach represents. Â On the whole, the place is average, but to me, if you've got the right people, you can make it a good time here.
Venice Bistro is only cool because you can go upstairs and enjoy the view of the ocean.
Other than that, this place has crappy service and is overpriced (like most of the other Yelpers mentioned). I think the beer was a little over $7 a glass. Â We ordered buffalo wings for $8 and got 6 tiny wings in return. Â Ordered french fries, but they never came. Â And it took half an hour for our server to come around and check on us. Â
Never again.
I always either start or end my venice trip with the Venice Bistro! They don't open until 12pm but as soon as they do, it's jumping! If you're not lucky enough to get outside seating, don't fret: they have a HUGE upstairs with several tables by open windows.
I think the best part of this place is the dive factor. The bathroom is ridiculously skeevy- the saloon bathroom doors begin just above where your bare ass ends...there's usually several girls crammed in there talking about one nasty thing or another. One time I was there and some drunken 50 year old woman needed my help zipping up her pants. It was priceless!
If you're lucky enough to get an outside table, you are bound to witness homeless drunken hippies that seem to just flock to the place. They hang outside the bar and dance to the live music or just meander about talking to themselves and barking at dogs...TRULY a Venice Beach experience!
I recently went to the Venice Bistro and was beyond disappointed, I was actually outraged. I was there with two friends. The first time I went in, I ordered 2 mimosas and a beer. Both of the mimosas tasted like soap, but I chalked it up to cheap champagne and downed it. The second time we ordered a round from the waitress, we ordered 2 margaritas and a beer. My friend and I couldn't drink more than a sip of the margaritas, they just didn't taste good. So I, being a bartender, decided to ask the bartender if maybe the sour mix had gone bad. While I was waiting for her attention (she was really busy), I heard 4 other patrons complaining to her about the 10 dollar margaritas that didn't taste right. The bartender kept telling them they were made correctly and that was all she could do. When she finally made it to me I approached the situation as maybe the mix was bad, or maybe they didn't have any lime juice or triple sec in them. She immediately told me she was going to get the owner. An older man came over and immediately lashed into me telling me there was enough tequila in it and that was that. I reiterated that maybe the mix was bad. He proceeded to pour himself a glass of sour mix and chugged it. He said it tasted fine. When I asked him if i could just have two separate drinks please, he took my drinks out of my hands, poured them on the ground and ordered me out of the bar. I tried to explain to him that I was a bartender and just wanted different drinks (the margaritas were just gross), he told me he didn't care where I worked, but I had to get out immediately.
I'm a bartender at one of the busiest bars in Los angeles, and was totally appalled at his behavior. He told me he was the owner and I was shocked. I wanted a different drink, for 9.50 I didn't think that was a crazy request. I have never written a bad review for a place, I understand being busy and overwhelmed, but the treatment I received was unacceptable.
This place gets a 4 for just being there forever... don't matter what it costs... that it's dirty... that it's got a rat hole of a bathroom... etc. cuz it SHOULD be dirty, have a rat hole of a bathroom, and so on... we need dives... they're on the endangered list in Venice.
I just wonder how these people survive. They don't seem interested in making money. They had one overworked server for the whole place and you had to go hunt her down (not her fault) if you wanted anything because it might be 30min before she made it out to wherever you were sitting.
Just saw a Doors cover band here, Peace Frog. They seems to play here often. I'm told that The Doors played here back in 65... don't hold me to that. Anyway, back to Peace Frog. They were loud, very loud, and surprisingly good. There was even someone who claimed to be Morrison's son, had just gotten out of prison, was with his soon to be wife to whom he had just gotten engaged, and was singing Riders on the Storm! Well, Morrison certainly had no shortage of partners so I guess it's possible... anyway it makes for a colorful story.
And the food... does anyone come here for the food? OK the New England Clam Chowder was genuinely good. The rest of it... blah.
I am always amazed to sse that Venice Bistro is still operating. Afterall, it isn't the cleanest, fanciest or cheapest place on the beach, but then again nothing really is. I came here during the week during happy hour, so that means that a pitcher of margaritas or sangria will only run you 25.00.Yeah! 25.00 for a small picture. RIPOFF! I was fine drinking beer for 5.00. Not too expensive I suppose.
So your asking yourself why the 4 stars? Well the truth is, I love to people watch and the Bistro is perfect. While I was there I saw some homeless people get into a fight. OK not much of a fight, more like a few sucker punches thrown. It was pretty sad actually, but entertaining nonetheless. I thought about calling the cops, but just as I was about to punch 911 on my cell phone I hear one of the locals telling a couple of regulars that that was Venice justice. I put my phone away and drank more beer and searched for more Venice justice.
Old holdout for old school Venice Beach.
This place is so-so. Â The cocktails are not too good and the beer always tastes a little off. Â The food is a bad version of pub grub.
BUT, the saving grace of this place is that there are live african and hand drummers in front of the place every Saturday and  Sunday.  I think they start at noon-ish.  Sit out on the front patio and soak up rays and listen to the drummers jam.  They are super good.  Bring a few bucks to tip the drummers.  Support local mucic and free expression in Venice.
Don't half step. Â Tip the players, as they help make the Boardwalk what it is.
It has been said many times, by poets, scholars, magicians, and derelicts alike, that Venice Beach is the "Satan's Asshole of the North Pacific." Â Be that as it may, the Venice Bistro can very well be described as the throbbing, persistent hemmorhoid that irritates this diabolical metropolitan orifice. Â
Even using my most elucidating seeing spells, I was unable to find any redeeming qualities about the Venice Bistro. Â Drinks are overpriced and underserved; my gin and tonic was so weak I had to use telekinesis to switch it with the beer the guy next to me was drinking. Â Not surprisingly, he was so impressed with my capabilities that he was obliged to drink the watery bilge that was served to me in his magicless humility. Â
The food served at the Venice Bistro can be likened to that served at the snack stands at little league baseball games, but with boardwalk prices. Â As a magician, I have to maintain a delicately balanced internnal pH level, in order to keep my powers at their prime. Â When I saw the nachos, I knew that they would disrupt this harmony, and that I would most likely end up blowing the majority of my magical powers into the toilet bowl later that night, so I opted not to touch them. Â Â
Unless your thing is shooting the bull with the beach and boardwalk natives - (euphemism alert!) - who frequently occupy the bar and patio areas - over a couple of medium-cold 7 dollar brews, I would suggest "flying" right by the Venice Bistro the next time you make it to the beach.
A great local (very) casual pub right on the boardwalk in Venice. Good selection of beers & booze, It's usually pretty packed but if you wait a bit you can get a great spot either on the patio or on the 2nd floor, In any case you're in Venice right off the beach. The band's vary pretty widely from 1* to 5*, I've been there to see a fantastic Door's group called PeaceFrog & an amazing Surf Rock group The BoneSharks. Some people say it's a bit overpriced, but considering you're ON THE BEACH, be real, they hardly ever charge a cover charge for the music & the bar food is ok munchie stuff. Â If you're a tourist, it's a great & quite funky local place.
Review Source:Apparently, "Bistro" is French for "watching freaks while drinking in the sun surrounded by coooool people". This is THE dive bar on Venice Beach. You will almost certainly have to share a table with other people, but that's half the fun. The other half I usually don't remember. (Glug! Glug! kidding.) Anyway, get your exercise on...or not...then grab a seat on the boardwalk and prepare for some life sights and great, great, great conversation. The only downside is the Sun eventually goes away every time I'm there. Booooo Sun!
Review Source:Yeah, this place is a bit of a dive, and the booze costs a little bit more than it ought to, but...you have the option of sitting outside and listening to live music as the band plays in the window, and man...it's kind of cool to hear the waves crashing off in the darkness when the music stops, and if the singer's good, and the company's fine...it's a nice place to hang. Â There's something about drinking outside near the beach on a cool fall evening that goes a long way towards making the whole experience a whole lot nicer than it ought to be. Â Of course, the music and the company may vary!
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