Editorial
The best bars in Venice Beach Los Angeles are not what you find when you follow the crowds down the boardwalk. They are one block inland, in the alleys off Abbot Kinney, and on the quiet side streets that feel like a different city than the tourist stretch by the water. We have been coming here long enough to know the difference between a bar that exists to serve sunburned visitors and one that has a regulars problem — meaning the regulars never want to leave.
Venice has two bar scenes running in parallel. There is the Abbot Kinney corridor — walkable, well-designed, and priced accordingly — and then there is everything else, which is often more interesting and a third of the price. Both are worth knowing about.
Venice is not primarily an after-work neighbourhood — most people who drink here have either worked from home or do not have conventional hours. But there is a real after-work culture that develops along Abbot Kinney from about 5pm, and these spots catch it well.
The best bar discoveries in Venice are the ones that locals treat as their own secret. These spots rarely appear on top-ten lists but come up repeatedly when you ask the right people where they actually drink.
Venice Beach rewards the people who ignore the obvious options and ask where locals actually drink. Hinano Cafe and the Townhouse represent the honest end of the spectrum — unpretentious, cheap, and reliable in the way that good dive bars always are. The Brig and High Rooftop are where you go when you want Venice to feel like it costs something. For after-work drinking specifically, our Los Angeles after-work bar guide covers the full city, including everything worth knowing on the Westside.
Marcus covers the West Coast and Latin America for barsforKings. He has been drinking in Los Angeles since 2009 and has strong opinions about which neighbourhood has peaked and which one is about to.