On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Mon-Sun. 6:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Loading...
Slick place. I go here with my friend Johnny Z when I'm in west LA. It's a good spot. Plenty of lot parking. Next door to Smart and Final. There's 2 pool tables and 2 dart boards. They got a good happy hour. Several good beers on tap. Played hours of pool in this place. LOTS of seating. Never been in here when it's real crowded. I've mostly been here at happy hour though. It's always an older crowd at least at the happy hour. There's a slick little fenced in smoking area in the back. They got tons of TV's to watch sports on. Be careful of the rickety bar area by the pool tables and the 1 dart board...you will hit it with the pool cue and knock all the drinks on it on the floor. Johnny Z has proved this multiple times. Good place...enjoy Del's! If you catch me there I'll kick your ass in pool.
P.S. Get's bumped up to 5 stars from 4 because 1 night after I made this review I played pool for 3 hours with Richard Tyson (the bad guy from Kindergarten Cop) and Rowdy Roddy Piper who were both WASTED beyond belief. Funniest night of my life I think. They were out of control. So much fun. Del's rules!
Del's gets four stars based upon my aggregate feelings toward it after three visits, which went down as follows...
(1) A Wednesday. Karaoke night. A friend of mine saw this joint when he was driving down Santa Monica and thought it looked divey enough to become a cool place to hang out. We had gotten tired of the bars on Wilshire--see my two-star review of South--and were looking for a change of scenery. Well, we got it, and we got it in a good way. A few moments after we walked in, two enormous dudes--were they bouncers?--asked to see our IDs. After checking everything out, they told us, "Now don't go starting any bar fights," and, believe me, hearing it from the two of them, we had no plans to. We posted up at the bar in the center, not realizing we were sitting on the edge of the karaoke stage. Now here's the really amazing part: EVERYONE WAS INCREDIBLE AT KARAOKE. Do they pre-screen the karaoke participants? We stayed for four or five performances and they were all top-notch. Needless to stay, a five-star night.
(2) A Friday. Who let all these young people in? Last time I went, Del's was populated by an older, grittier, more interesting crowd. This time, it seems like the frat bros from Wilshire got word that Del's was a cool spot and they all headed down. Yuck. Two stars.
(3) A Thursday. Bucket night and live music night. I think I've said enough already! Five domestic beers for $14 and a live band that certainly wasn't bad... In fact, they were good, and it was a blast when they invited some Del's regulars to come up and sing or play the harmonica on a song or two. Five stars.
I love this place if I am on a mission to get wasted!
The bartenders make awesome mixed drinks, the beers are pretty cheap and the people are fun to laugh at.
A classy joint this is not, but it is a place to watch other drunk idiots pretend they can sing while enjoying a four dollar beer.
The only reason to ever hang out at a karaoke bar is if the drinks are cheap and strong!
It is usually stuffed full of older people and those who are would not meet the dress code requirements at other local bars.
This is definitely a dive bar that is has only half way been taken over by the trendy and annoying.
There are a couple of pool tables here, but my group and I have never utilized them. There are plenty of stools and standing room.
Usually a good amount of parking an the street or I think you can park in the Smart and Final parking lot after hours.
Great dive. About 5-6 beers on tap and a full bar. The pool is cheap, the beer is cheap, and the crowd is trashy.
If you want to get out of the house but keep it low key, this might be the best place in LA.
So sad this place will be closing down early 2010....had so many good times here.
Ya can't beat a place where you can sit at the end of the bar and play computerized bar games. Service has always been topnotch. The crowd is kind of weird though. Earlier in the night its older gentleman (often times creepy) as the night progresses the young hotties come in. Its definitely laid back fun, non- of that hullabaloo Hollywood trampy stuff.
One of my favorite bars in SoCal - definitely worth checking out.
OH! They do have karaoke some night's if that is a bother, call beforehand.
Before I forget - they do accept debit/credit cards however there is a $10 minimum and the beers are cheap so if you're going for "one maybe two" bring cash.
I think that I've learned more at Del's than I have in over 30 years of school. You figure that because these guys are usually settling their bar tab by the time I show up that they have to be full of it, but alcoholism is not indication of knowledge. Some of the things these guys talk about show up at Del's before they break it on the AP.
This is the pre-8:00 pm weekday Del's that I'm talking about where the drinks are stiff, and unless there's a big sporting event, the jukebox is flowing and you can actually hear the music and the regulars are really regulars who will bring their own home cooked potluck cooking to a holiday party or Monday night football game.
The weekend Del's is way different and still a great vibe. Not too pretentious of a crowd, so much so, that I've seen some of the daytime regulars pop their heads in.
First and foremost, this bar is not NEARLY dark enough to be considered a dive. Granted, it is divey in most other respects, but when I'm on a drunken rampage I most certainly don't want people to be able to clearly discern my features! I mean, If you see me drinking a pitcher of beer by myself through a straw, I don't want you to recognize me on the streets in my day to day life... turn down the lights!!!
That being said, I love Del's. It has TWO pool tables, which is extremely important, because I hate having to go up to pool-table-hogging douchebags and say, "Can I play winner??" It's other amenities include a REAL dartboard, abundant seating (swaying from foot to foot as my seventh beer sinks in is hella obnoxious), and that super fun money-wastin' videogame thing. I don't know what it's technical name is, but my favorite game on it is Penthouse Photohunt.
The pièce de résistance is that this bar is walking distance from my apartment, making it a possible contender for bar of the year.
A cute little sidenote: they serve beers in pint glasses that read, "Stolen From Del's Saloon." I don't know about you, but I took that as a personal invitation to steal as many glasses as my purse would hold. (4)
This is the absolute epitome of a dive bar...a rarity, I thought, to be able to discover such a place in the trendy streets of L.A. From the bare-breasted painting of a well-endowed, yet clearly underage, girl hanging above the bar to first dates making out on the stool on my left to crotchity old guy gambling electronically on my right to chick snorting coke in the one-stall bathroom and then vanishing into thin air to drunk asian man smacking me on the head w/an errant pool stick and then asking me what my name is (was that an attempt at a pick up? haha) to lastly a Mexican hooker (I think?) this place really does "have it all"!
There are two(?) pool tables and technically two bar areas set up although I guess tonight being a slow night only one bar was in service. Not very big space-wise but it gets the job done. Del's accepts credit cards but they have a $10 minimum meaning you have to order at least two drinks (well drinks were ~$6 a pop).
Totally walkable from the bf's place so now I have more options of where to storm off to after an argument...it's definitely that kind of place, a place where you can sulk and watch tv or just vibe out to the tunes (not a bad playlist tonight - of notable mention, 2 Bill Withers songs: "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Use Me") and don't have to worry about making fake conversation or answering to anyone.
Pretty decent dive bar. The beer prices weren't too bad, they didn't have Guinness on draft. They have couple of pool tables, a dartboard (right near the bathrooms which kinda made me nervous) and a old school look/feel interior to it. The bathroom is freaking small so I can see it getting ugly on a busy night. It was mostly college students or young adults inside the bar, saw a few regulars there but mostly young college students. The bartender checked up on us a few times, she had nice cans.
Overall, not a bad dive bar if you live close by or you need a place to go on the weekdays to hang out and have a beer with a few.
Del's is my go-to dive bar on the Westside. It's like divey Mcdivey. Cheap, good drinks, pool tables with some major local hustlers who would take you for all you had if not if not for that "no gambling" sign, a dartboard where the drunkies really start missing the mark as the night wears on, the giant TV that sometimes plays CNN and sometimes plays sitcoms and Sex and the City on mute with subtitles, really super nice bartenders. The atmosphere is relaxed and uncomplicated. Quiet enough to have a decent conversation. Loud enough to have had a good night out. And it tends to attract a very diverse set of non-fufu Westsiders.
But one thing that confounds me about Del's to this day is the very expensive flat panel television on the back wall that is consistently showing a slideshow of pictures from a far more upscale looking bar with very well-dressed people that is clearly not Del's. True, that after a couple of drinks, I start giggling and it doesn't matter anymore, but still, as a matter of course, if you're going to put on a slideshow like that, why not just show pictures of good times in your own bar? Rock the dive Del's!
Wowzas - this place rocks. Were you one of the lucky few who witnessed my Rupert Holmes "Escape" rendition? No? It was amazing.
It gets seriously crowded as there are two pool tables and a significant space devoted to the karaoke "stage" - which is really a section of wood flooring with a mic stand and a monitor in front of and behind it (so others can wail along with you). Obviously there are some locals who frequent this place and make it that much better - the lady in her 60s/70s who sang "Fame" like it was nobody's business and the character who dominated the pool tables the entire night (he brought his own pole, a one-fingered leather glove, and wore his hands-free headset the whole time - serious stuff).
Drinks are cheap, which is good bc it's seems to take forever to get them.
I've been there twice on Saturdays. The karaoke is pretty off the hook - everyone in the bar gets into it. But both times its been crowded to the point of cramped and the drinks have been slow in coming. Bleh.
Would be better on a less crowded night, otherwise its aiight.
Whoever sung that amazing song 'One bourbon, one scotch, and one beer' may have been at Del's when he wrote it, because this would be my destination of choice for a Leaving Las Vegas type drinking binge.
The place is definitely a little shady, but even the regulars are friendly or ignore you, so not a shady dive bar, just a feel good one.
As a former drinker, I am not the most frequent bar attendee but I have been summoned to Del's twice in the last month and had a pretty rockin' time both nights. I have lived around the corner from Del's for about 7 years, give or take a move or 2, and never wandered in - not sure why; I just assumed it was a divey hole in the wall (and not the good kind) so I headed west or east to a more, um, suitable watering hole. Man, am I bummed about that. Let me share why in this short list:
Karaoke on Saturdays
Open pool tables on Saturday nights
Smoking patio
Totally usable bathrooms
Tasteful nudie portrait on the wall behind the bar
Eclectic crowd (lots of age, race, sex diversity)
Free soda for my sober-ass
Bouncers who do nice things like bring water to the puking girl out front (not me!)
Baron Davis spotting last weekend!
After writing this, I kind of realize I don't want to post it cuz I like my just-crowded-enough Del's. Lemme think of some minuses... oh! Sometimes it gets crowded around the pool tables and you have to say "excuse me" a lot to take your shots. And there are some drunken, gnarly bar flies. But they sing Fleetwood Mac on karaoke so it kinda makes up for it.
Like many, the fact that this place is walking distance to my apartment makes it my favorite dive bar. Great selection of drinks, friendly bartenders with generous pours, AND they sell slim jims. On Wednesday night they have karaoke night and if you ask nicely, Bobby will help you sing "I Make Love to You" by Boyz II Men to your lady friend(s).
My first experience here, I walked in on a Saturday night. The Karaoke was going full blast, and the place was packed. The singing I heard was coming from an elderly man, in a wheelchair. I follow the chants of... 'SWEEEEEEEEET CAROLINE....... (Audience participation: "Bah, bah, bahhhhhhhhhhhhh...") GOOD TIMES NEVER SEEMED SO GOOD... (Audience participation: "So good, so good so gooooooood!") He was really going for it. His girlfriend was a middle aged, overweight woman donning a Captain's hat and showing her skills on the tambourine. The peanut gallery sitting to their left had maracas, harmonicas, shakers and noise makers galore! Everyone from the old drunkard in the corner, who more than likely had been there from 1:00 p.m., to the the 'Too-Cool-For-School' college kids, were all singing in unison. Inebriated and happy to be alive and present!!!
THAT BEING SAID: Del's is the ideal dive bar on the Westside. It has all of the 'DIVEY' essentials: Older locals, cheap drinks, dart boards and pool tables. Not to mention, there has been some major staffing changes... IE: The 'overweight hog with a pair of saggy DD's hanging out of her tank top trailer-park style' whom ADAM G referenced (A few posts down), has been replaced.
This is a down home bar, unlike many on the Westside, where you can chat it up with the older locals (Anywhere from 11:00 a.m. until around 10:00 p.m.... because the older ones usually go home and go to bed at that time... haha!!), all of whom are full of stories, full of life and never unwilling to buy a round or two for the entire bar, all whilst playing KENO or MegaMillions on the California Lotto Machine that runs all night long. At the same time, you may bump into a few youngsters who have been passed the torch and are always welcoming.
I HIGHLY suggest this place for any night of the week. Saturdays and Wednesdays are a KICK in the pants due to Karaoke. BUT- If that isn't your thing, there's a rockin' Sunday and Monday night scene including Monday night football specials including cheap pitchers and bottled beer bucket deals.
See you there!
The epitomy of a dive bar. The crowd is diverse in a way you have to see to understand.
I fully expect to be here one night when a brawl breaks out with pool sticks breaking over people's heads and all.
Ok, I like dive bars. And yes, this is the a great example of a dive bar.
I was here on a Weds night (karaoke night). It was very crowded. Lots of regulars. NOT a college crowd, a lot older.
Good:
Easy going atmosphere.
Bad:
One overworked bartender.
One asshole of a bouncer. This really deserves mentioning. Not only did this guy bump into my once and spill my beer, but he did it TWICE and knocked half of my beer onto my buddy. No apology. Just an angry glare. Read the other reviews, this seems to be an ongoing problem. I have no idea wtf is up the bouncer here.
Hands down the best hole in the wall bar in West LA. You don't get your annoying Hollywood crowd here and the atmosphere is really nice. There are two coin-op pool tables as well as electronic dart boards. You don't have to pay an arm and a leg for beer here which is a breath of fresh air.
The people that go here are so chill and fun to get along with. Say no to Hollywood!
After much consideration (3 minutes), I've decided you need to have four things to be a true dive bar:
#1. Cheap booze.
#2. One of the following: pool, darts, shuffleboard, old school arcade game.
#3. No popped collars.
#4. Weird smell.
Check, check, check, aaannnd... check. The drinks at Del's are cheap (if not a little watered down), there's pool and darts for 50 cents a game, nary a popped collar to be found, and then of course that odd odor that only dive bars seem to have.
Added bonus: parking is super easy, just find a spot on the neighboring side streets or in the Smart & Final lot behind the bar (and then come on through the backdoor entrance like the dive bar VIP that you are)
And for all of you looking to release your inner diva, there's karaoke two nights a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Now I know that karaoke by definition is pretty obnoxious, but for some reason it's way more tolerable at Del's than at say, Gaslite. Don't ask me why, but it probably has to do with the lack of popped collars.
I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could, but I can't... lucky for Del's I feel like rounding up.
DISCLAIMER: This is a dive bar West LA style. Not too divey, but very, very far from swanky. Don't bring a girl here on a first date or anything, unless you're certain she likes that sort of thing.
That being said, here's a list of reasons why my friends and I like Del's.
1. Decently priced beer and cider.
2. Darts for 50 cents.
3. Pool for 50 cents.
4. Sports on TV(s).
5. Close to home so we can stumble home drunk if needed.
6. Friendly, quirky patrons who want to play pool with the winner.
7. Cheetos and Doritos in a paper plate (this replaces nuts, of course). Free.
8. Jukebox pumping good tunes picked by us, usually.
9. No jerky frat guys wandering around crowding up the place with their huge egos and pecs.
I've never been on karaoke night but something tells me that could get ugly. The clientele is a bit sketch at times, and for the most part there's ONE bartender all night which probably means she's cranky. Stay on her good side by opening a long, long tab.
Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name. If you're looking to become a regular somewhere, I'd say here's your place.
Ever been so depressed you want to drink alone? Then you go to a place where everyone is depressed too, and it looks like they've been there drinking since 8am.
Ever wanted to leave Q's 'cause the UCLA kids get on your nerves, but you still got a few drinks left in ya?
Ever want to belt your own version of "I'm every woman...Its all in me..Anything you want done baby I do it naturally. oh oh oh oh!"
This is a great dive bar. Don't eat the food.
I would like to say first that I am the kind of person who is rarely in the mood for THIS level of diveyness. I love cheap, casual, and even grungy, but I also like a crowd that I feel like I can really socialize with, and I don't get that feeling here. I was here pretty late one night with a few friends who LOVE this place, and I just couldn't get into it. Drinks were strong and inexpensive, but the rest of the patrons were just quietly staring into their cups wherever they were sitting. Plus this place is tiny, it boasts like one bathroom stall, a couple pool tables, and a bookshelf full of used books, one of which I drunkenly borrowed and have yet to return. This is a 2 star rating that means I would totally go back, but more than likely it won't be my first choice. You definitely have to be in the mood for this place...
let's start off on a bright note......del's seemed like quite a cool dive on the westside and the bouncer was initially pretty cool when we arrived. we were joking around how i felt old until he said he was in his forties . could've fooled me cause he looked like he was 30max.
as for drinks, they are very reasonably priced and the bartender was very cool. she poured the drinks well and two wines and three ketel sodas came out to be 24 bucks or something like that.
this is when everything went downhill......my friend's decided to go outside to get a smoke. since i was talking to the bouncer dude, i did not notice and when i was done with my conversation, i was like..."wtf? where did everyone go?" so i took a few steps outside to see if they were outside and all of a sudden..............
WHOOSH...BAM....SNATCH.....CRUSH!!
the bouncer snatched the drink out of my hand and crushed the cup thus showering me in booze. dude!!! can you say asshole?
i've taken cups of booze outside on various occassions...and i do admit out of ignorance at times.....only to be told nicely by the bouncer that i would need to go back inside....at del's, they will bum rush you, take your drink and crush it.
fuck you dude.
I heart Del's Saloon.
This is a total DIVE, so don't expect much when you go here. Karaoke on Wednesday and Saturdays is fun but you never know what kind of crowd you're gonna get. They have 2 pool tables that are only 50 cents per game, darts and cheap drinks.
Maybe it's just the people I go to Del's with, but I always have a good time when I'm there! Not to mention it's only a stumbling block from my apt. I've met a few of the regulars there too and we all agree that it's just a good place to drink and hang with friends.
Oh yeah, it's a Buffalo Bills bar... so it gets fairly crowded with their fans on Sundays during football season.
Love tattooed on one hand. That's for the fact that this place serves cheap booze, was walkable from my apartment(In LA no less) and karaoke nights were never a dull affair.
Hate on the other. There's an older woman who bartends here and once shut the place at 1 just because she felt like it. That. Was. Not. Cool. Certain nights in here also carry these inexplicable bad vibes with a capital "B" and unless you've hung out here and felt it...
Yeah, I don't know either.
Updated 7/22/08:
Damn you Judd Apatow. You know why.
Two words: "Knocked Up"
_______________
Great dive.
It's the kind of place you go on a weekday in the early afternoon to chill out, sip cold American macrobrews, and figure shit out.
I didn't see any fools whip out their Crackberries/smartphones when I was there the last time, so I think it's still hipster-free during the day.
Not a bad spot if you don't mind belligerent bouncers and their drunken buddies trying to start fights. Don't spill your beer or you'll have the bouncer asking you questions in a not so friendly manner(I think he was drunk), and his buddy following up with "you better listen to that guy if you wanna come back here again", gee thanks but no thanks I don't fraternize with gorillas. I have no problem with security as long as their keeping the peace rather than looking for a fight.
Very chill bar, though I'm not sure what it's like on karaoke nights. It reminded me of the bars I used to go to in NYC. A gin and tonic was about $5. They played a good mix of music, from Led to Brazilian Girls. One guy in there was semi-homeless, but I'd rather be around that then the majority of the people at Q's.
UPDATE: Went last week and the bartender was nothing short of a b**** to my brother and I, for no reason. On top of that, the semi-homeless guy smelled a lot more homeless this time around and there wasn't any avoiding his smell. Finally, the 50 year old drunks were a lot more aggressively drunk this time. I'm still giving it two stars because it has a lot of potential and I desperately want there to be good dives in LA. I just doubt I'll ever go back.
---
Take Big Blue Bus #1, 14 or Metro #704, 4.
Well. For 8 years living in the neighborhood, I never tried to go there.
And one day, my friend told me that they have a pool table and cheap beer on Thursday night.
Ever since, we start going there almost EVERY NIGHT to play pool.
There is nothing special about this dive bar. They have Karaoke night on Wedesday and Saturday. They open at 6am! They have two small coin pool table, and two darts boards.
It has been very quiet dive bar. But ever since they were featured in the movie "Knocked Up" and people from neighbor club shift their direction to this bar, the geography of this bar start changing.
I see more young people coming.
Originally, you don't go there because it's nice bar. You go there because you are surrounded by people.
Once you start going there regularly, you will be greeded by nice bartenders, who're REAL bartenders. (Non-actors). And you start playing pool with other regular customers.
Going to Del's becomes the part of your ritual.
So if you are tired of going to sunset trip, and get tired of "impressing" other people, just show up with your work cloth after work to relax, laugh and sing.... well, actually there are not so many impressive singers at the Del's so please rescue Del's on Wed and Sat!
this is one of my favorite local hangouts since its really close to home...it's a dive bar that is so chill but certain nights it can get packed. it has a couple of pool tables & dart boards and they also have karaoke on wednesday & saturday nights. their drinks are cheap and the crowd is always different except for the regulars that go there...there is always a mixture of different people there. all in all, i enjoy hanging out there drinking a few beers and maybe sing a song or two :)
Del's is awesome - if you like having your beer served to you buy some overweight hog with a pair of saggy DD's hanging out of her tank top trailer-park style, or are amused by 40-something year old mexican women giving you the eye of the tiger across the bar. Some chick that looked like the former female wrestler China tried talking to me here once, and at some point referred to the aforementioned bartender as 'well-endowed.' I never knew 36% bodyfat could qualify a girl as being endowed, nor did I know rednecks existed in LA until I checked out some of the regulars here.
Drinks are cheap, there is pool, and it has that sort of "I may get stabbed tonight" charm/ excitement about it. A nice mix of the non-douchebag West LA crowd and local crazies and degenerates. If Bukowski lived west of the 405 he'd probably have gone here.
Hit or miss. I love karaoke, but it's just too damn crowded for karaoke at Del's! You're lucky if you get to sing one song and most people aren't entertaining to watch. But to grab a dive-licious drink on a weeknight, this is an excellent place. Very nice people. Could be a lot better looking, but they've got conversation to spare.
D-U-M-P with strong, cheap drinks and a few toothless wonders "singing" Karaoke. Fun times...
i went there on karaoke night.
a sun-glassed, veteran invited me to share some of his broken prescription pills from his pocket.
a no-name, love bird jumped out of the bra of a lady who taught me about the dangers of arsenic in apple seeds.
several folks offered to buy me drinks.
i sang "i will survive" and "you be illin'"
good times.
Ah Del's.
I moved here from NY and this is one of my favorite locals. I live less than a cigarette away (1 & 1/2 on the way home).
In the last year it has changed a bit.
the extremely (overly) well endowed bartender cant mix a drink for her life i.e. Mixer first booze on top.
So stick to beer and straight shots yelpers. Speaking of shots, said bartender is too keen on the pours either, so sometimes you'll get a triple other time just a regular one.
It is a dirty bar that is great for people watching. Karaoke is shamefully astounding.
It is a hit or miss bar. You can go in and there is no one but dregs in there or it can get hit with a bunch of UCLA kids so it can be win or lose sometimes.
However, cheap drink results in an easy win. If you just want to get saucy and have a few with some friends it isnt a bad place at all.
If you are drunk enough to take a woman home I would give it a two condom suggestion.
the greatest thing. It opens at 6am.
Best worst bar ever. The food looks like someone barfed in a crock pot, but we're all there to drink right?
Personally, I love dive bars... and a bar that is 2 mins walk from my apartment. I'd go there more often if I don't have to experience what I experienced the first time I went. Some local went up to my friend and started picking on him 'cause of his ethnic background....It was upsetting. I was quite shocked since I thought I was in the "right" neighborhood, apparently NOT. I wanted to play pool but the tables were taken. I'd go there again, but next time, I will probably go with a bunch of white folks.
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Karaoke
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Lounges
Neighborhood: Culver City
Category: Bars
Neighborhood: Beverly Hills
Category: Restaurants
Santa Monica, CA
Category: Lounges
As a recently graduated frat bro living in South…
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,…
If cocktails alone bore you, and you want some…
Here's my picks for Dive Bars in and around West…
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,…
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,…
