The Westside Guide

Late Night on
the Westside

Where to eat, drink and go after 11 PM — from Venice to Santa Monica, Marina del Rey to Culver City.

Open Till Midnight
Start Here

The Westside closes early

Kitchens shut. The boardwalk empties. By 10:30 you're standing outside a dark storefront wondering where everyone went.

But it's all still here. You just have to know where. Everything below is open past 11 PM — and it starts at 1321, because our lights are still on.


Still open at midnight

Every day, 11 AM to 12 AM. When the kitchen has closed and the bar just called last, we're still open on Venice Blvd.

Grinders · Papers · Glass · Puffco · Lighters · Snacks · Collab merch

Still Cooking

Where to eat after 11

A few of these run till 2 AM. One never closes on weekends. Call before you drive — late hours change.

Till 2 AM · 24hr Fri–Sat
Diner · Santa Monica

Mel's Drive-In

Chrome booths, milkshakes, and full breakfast at 3 AM. Open till 2 most nights, all night Friday and Saturday.

Santa Monica
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Till 2 AM
Pub · Santa Monica

Britannia Pub

Burgers and beers till 2 AM, just off the Third Street Promenade. Loud, easy, and open when nothing else is.

Third Street Promenade
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Till 1 AM Fri–Sat
Italian · Santa Monica

Éléphante

Rooftop Italian with an ocean view. Midnight on weeknights, 1 AM on Friday and Saturday. The nicest room on this list.

2nd St, Santa Monica
View & reserve →
Till 1 AM
Sushi · West LA

Kanpai

Fish flown in from Japan, plus ramen and izakaya plates, till 1 AM. Locations on Lincoln and Sepulveda.

Lincoln & Sepulveda
Visit site →
Late menu
Sushi · Marina del Rey

Blue Ribbon Sushi

A proper late dinner in the Marina. Sushi and Japanese steakhouse plates, with a dedicated late-night menu.

Marina del Rey
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Late hours
Burgers · Venice

Marathon Burger

Wagyu smash burgers on the boardwalk, open late. Five minutes from the shop — the natural last stop.

Ocean Front Walk, Venice
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Late hours
Ramen · Culver City

Tatsu Ramen

A bowl of Old Skool at midnight in downtown Culver. Order at the tablet, sit down, say nothing.

Downtown Culver City
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Till midnight Fri–Sat
Burgers · Culver City

Stand-Up Burgers

Plant-based smash burgers that win over skeptics. Open till midnight Friday and Saturday.

Culver City
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Past 2 AM
Korean · Santa Monica

Sun Nong Dan

Galbi jjim and ox bone soup, served deep into the night. The closest the Westside gets to a Koreatown 3 AM.

Santa Monica
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A word about Brentwood

Brentwood shuts down early. San Vicente is beautiful at 9 PM and asleep by 10:30, and the old late-night spots have closed. If you're up there after 11, head west to Santa Monica — or south to Daikokuya on Sawtelle.


Last Call

Bars that go the distance

California stops pouring at 2 AM. These three use every minute of it.

01
Dive · Santa Monica

Chez Jay

A sixty-year-old dive and city landmark, half a block from the pier. Peanut shells on the floor. Open till 2 AM.

Ocean Ave · till 2 AM
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02
Speakeasy · Santa Monica

The Basement Tavern

Under The Victorian on Main Street. Live music most nights, and happy hour till 2 AM on Sundays and Mondays.

Main St · till 2 AM
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03
Neighborhood · Culver City

Rocco's Tavern

Big, loud, screens on the wall, kitchen running late. Where the whole group can agree to end up.

Downtown Culver City
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Where the Night Goes

Dance floors & late lounges

The Westside doesn't really do nightclubs. What it has are bars that turn into one after 11 — the DJ comes on, the tables get pushed back.

Till 2 AM Fri–Sat
Tiki Lounge · Venice

Belles Beach House

Hawaiian plates and tiki cocktails that give way to a late-night lounge. DJs Thursday through Sunday, once dinner clears.

Washington Blvd, Venice
Visit site →
Till 2 AM daily
Institution · Abbot Kinney

Roosterfish

Venice's legendary LGBTQ+ bar, on Abbot Kinney since 1979. Closed in 2016, back since 2022. Open till 2 AM every night.

1302 Abbot Kinney Blvd
Visit site →
Live & late
Since 1915 · Venice

Townhouse & Del Monte

One of the oldest bars in LA. Drinks upstairs; downstairs, the old speakeasy runs DJs, comedy and burlesque.

Windward Ave, Venice
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DJs nightly
Dancing · Venice

The Little Friend

The Westside room where nobody sits down. Live DJs every night and a floor big enough to use them.

Venice
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9 PM–2 AM Thu–Sat
DJs · Westside

Circa 93

Thursday to Saturday, nine till two. Real DJs, no lull. It behaves like it's east of the 405.

Thu–Sat, 9 PM – 2 AM
Visit site →
Sunset, not midnight
Start Here · Boardwalk

The Waterfront

A Venice classic on Ocean Front Walk, and the best drink on the sand at sunset. Doors close at 10 PM, dark Mondays — make it the first stop.

205 Ocean Front Walk · closes 10 PM
Visit site →

The Venice run: sunset at The Waterfront, dinner and DJs at Belles, last drinks at Roosterfish. Then 1321 on the way home, if you beat midnight.


After Dinner

What's left to do

Not everything after dark needs a drink in it.

01
Till Midnight Fri–Sat

Pacific Park & the Pier

The Ferris wheel runs a light show over the water, and the rides go till midnight on weekends. The pier itself never closes.

Santa Monica Pier
Visit site →
02
Bowling & Arcade

Bowling on Pico

Twenty-four lanes, black-light bowling, and a retro arcade in the back. Two minutes off the beach.

234 Pico Blvd
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03
Old School

Playland Arcade

Skeeball, air hockey, and a wall of cabinets, right on the pier. Cheap, loud, better at 11 PM than it should be.

Santa Monica Pier
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04
Free · Marina del Rey

The Marina at night

Walk out to Burton Chace Park and look across the water at the masts and the boat lights. Quiet, beautiful, free.

Burton Chace Park
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05
Always On

Third Street Promenade

Street performers, late storefronts, and a crowd that doesn't thin until the bars do.

Santa Monica
View on map →
06
Know Before You Go

The boardwalk after dark

We love it in daylight, but it empties out after sunset and isn't the place to wander at 1 AM. Stay inside the bars, park under a light, go with people.

Venice

Last call is 2 AM statewide, and Westside kitchens usually close an hour before the bar does. If you want food, order before midnight. If you want gear, we're open till 12.


Open when they're not

1321 Venice Blvd, Venice, CA 90291

Open daily · 11:00 AM – 12:00 AM

Phone: 310-759-5232

The only spot on the Westside open until midnight, every day.


Good to Know

Questions

What's open latest on the Westside?

Mel's Drive-In in Santa Monica runs till 2 AM most nights and stays open 24 hours on Friday and Saturday. Bars stop serving alcohol at 2 AM across California. For gear, 1321 is open till midnight every day.

Is there anything open late in Brentwood?

Not much. Brentwood winds down early and its old late-night spots have closed. After 11 PM, head west into Santa Monica or south to Sawtelle, both about ten minutes away.

Are there nightclubs in Venice or Santa Monica?

Not really. The Westside has almost no dedicated nightclubs. Instead, bars become dance floors after 11: Belles Beach House has DJs Thursday through Sunday, The Little Friend runs DJs nightly, the Del Monte Speakeasy books live music and burlesque, and Circa 93 goes 9 PM to 2 AM. For a proper club, you're driving to Hollywood.

Is the Venice Boardwalk safe at night?

It changes after sunset. The daytime crowd clears out and it gets very quiet. Stick to the bars and venues, park somewhere well lit, and go with other people.

When is last call in Los Angeles?

2:00 AM. California law prohibits alcohol service between 2 AM and 6 AM, so every bar here stops pouring at the same time. Kitchens usually close earlier.

What does 1321 carry, and how late are you open?

Glass, grinders, papers, Puffco and dab gear, lighters, accessories, snacks and collab merch, plus vapes and nicotine products in store. Open every day, 11:00 AM to midnight, at 1321 Venice Blvd. We're an accessories and lifestyle shop; we do not sell cannabis.

Hours change, especially late ones — call ahead before you drive across town. 1321 is an accessories and lifestyle shop and does not sell cannabis. In California, cannabis is for adults 21+ and may only be consumed legally and in private; public consumption, including on the beach and boardwalk, is prohibited. Alcohol service ends at 2:00 AM statewide. Never drive under the influence — if the night runs long, get a ride. Please enjoy the Westside responsibly.