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British pub lacking British everything (aside from 1 or 2 beers)....However they had high prices. $6 a pint seemed kinda steep but considering the location i can see it. My big beef is that their menu is hugified. Shottie "chips" isn't something you would expect from anything British. Oddly enough they were really pressing the sale of burgers. I thought the staff and customers were pretty chill but not sure its enough for a 4 star. I am sure I'll be back as they do have a patio.
squeeze your eyes shut and think of happy hour,
-s
The Britannia is the worst bar in Santa Monica. Period.
It's not so much a pub as it is a shit hole where racists, date rapists, and degenerate morons go to drink until oblivion.
I did not appreciate the rudeness of the karaoke hostess (cf., the Gamorrean Guard from _Return of the Jedi_) but the bartender amazed me with his uncanny ability to ruin a Jack and Coke. I guess that's bound to happen when you make your ice with dishwater.
Be sure to bring your boxing gloves because the ex-con bouncer with the neck tattoos wants to fight everyone who walks into the bar. And that means you, tough guy in flip flops! (Yes, he actually said something to that effect.)
If the Britannia really needs to hire a chemically-imbalanced psychopath to check IDs, then you should know what to expect if you make it past the puddle of vomit at the front door. Then again, you wanted an authentic Brittish Pub experience...
(Rethinking the Star Wars analogy, I would call the bouncer the pig guard and the karaoke skank the love child of Jabba the Hutt and Salacious Crumb. Sy Snootles was also in attendance and sang "I Will Survive." And a dude who looked like Doctor Who, who might have been a legitimate UK tourist, perhaps from the future.)
Walk two blocks down to Ye Olde Kings Head. The bouncers are friendly, the bartenders are top notch, and the people are great. But if you like a-holes, then try your luck at Britannia. And tell Bib Fortuna I say hello (i.e., the Russian girl from Palisades who was incredibly rude for no reason to my friends from Ventura County.)
Final thought: Britannia does not rule. It sucks. Big time.
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Rub a dub dub.....The Britannia is a decent pub.
The beer list is short, the food is decent and the service is typical pub type service.
One thing that gets under my skin is when you walk into an establishment and they have a happy hour, but it is not advertised nor does the server let you know, it just seems a little seedy to me. Minus one star for poor communication.
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now, i love los angeles, but i rarely make my way further than downtown anymore. this weekend i actually made the effort and ventured away from my beloved south eastern corner of the county and my safest oc and made my way out to the western edges of los angeles county only to end up here at britannia pub in santa monica. what a let down.
i came for a late lunch with the parents and even after walking into the stuffy and warm pub, decided to continue and give it a shot. i ordered the fish and chips and a bloody mary, since they were boasted as the best in santa monica. extra spicy, please. my dad ordered the same beverage, but with a curry sampler. mom also had the fish and chips and bf had some shepherd's pie i think. upon receiving our drinks i asked my dad how he liked his mary and he said, 'not enough vodka.' :D mom enjoyed her gin n tonic, and bf enjoyed his guiness. my fish and chips arrived, the lunch portion, with one fairly large piece of fish, what appeared to be frozen french fries, and a small serving of the most disgusting peas i've ever tasted in my life. no one had fresh veggies, and i don't know if we just weren't supposed to attempt to eat them or maybe they were supposed to represent a sort of garnish, but i was pretty disappointed by these dry, lifeless, flavorless tiny green balls on my plate. the carrots on my bfs plate were equally disgusting and the 'seasoned beef' in his dish was bland. the chips were as i expected, nothing to rave about and the fish was just ok.
from what i remember the beer selection was minimal and standard. guiness, bass, a cider, stella, miller light [gag] etc and decently priced at around five or six bucks a pint. since we were sitting towards the back of the place and i couldn't see the bar from my seat, i asked the server girl for their selections on tap after i forced down the thick and vodka lacking bloody mary. she quickly said, 'they're listed on the back of the menu, i'll give you guys a few minutes and practically sprinted off' she maintained the short, borderline rude one liners during the entire meal. she would ask how we were doing, but obviously didn't want to hear an answer. ha.
throughout the entire meal we kept referring to other pubs closer to home that are superior to britannia. at first i was sad when i realized the pub down the street from my house, in lowly santa fe springs, offered up better english style foods than this place, but then i was like ok, fuck that...i can walk 10 minutes from my house and get awesome fish and fritters~! at the end of the meal we all agreed that we should have just went to maggie's pub. i have it made :P
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If there is one thing in this world I can not stand it is a sticky table. Right as I put my arms down to read the menu a slime overtook my forearm as the stench of stale beer invaded my nasal cavity.
After I cleaned up in the dingy bathroom I proceeded to order the fish and chips and a black and tan. The grub wasn't bad and the beer on tap was nice and cold. My buddy, a british expat was not too pleased with the Bangers he ordered. The place was filthy and they didn't say anything to the guy at the next table over who lit up and smoked a cigarette which pissed me off and thankfully is illegal in SaMo. I hate taking the law into my own hands. The food loses this battle of the stars, it would have earned 4 if not for the grungy tables and unscolded smoker.
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Well okay.
Sometimes you can't escape Boston even when living in LA and barhopping in Santa Monica. The popped collared polo shirts, distressed jeans and flip flops and the frat boy style sing-alongs to "Sweet Caroline" really took me back to my Tufts days. It was "Kerrie's" 21st birthday, after all. Whoever Kerrie is.
There were banners up all over the place, and pink balloons, and tons of old people juxtaposed with the rest of Kerrie's friends? As soon as the girl in the sparkly, gold dress and hooker heels walked in, I knew this just had to be Kerrie. I mean who else but a freshly turned 21-yr-old wears a beauty queen outfit to a dive bar?
In Britannia's defense, the bathrooms were pretty nice and my drinks were relatively cheap (especially compared to Manhattan standards). And according to my friends who took me here, the crowd isn't as lame when it's not Kerrie's 21st birthday...
I'll take their word for it... but I highly doubt I'll be back anytime soon.
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The butter-face waitress in here has to be one of the worst I have ever experienced. Extremely intentionally rude and unattentive, and she is usually there. This place is poorly managed and the beer selection is very poor for a pub. The food is overpriced. There is hardly any service if you sit upstairs. A half star only because they show soccer here.
Skip this place and hit up the Kings Head down the street. The food, service, beer, and vibe are all much better.
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Fish & chips here is great! The fries are perfect - that just-cooked, crispy on the outside and soft and hot on the inside texture. In fact so was the fish now that I think about it. Everything came out piping hot and delicious. If you get a basket of fries separate from your meal they come out with this yummy chipotle dipping sauce too.
Good proper UK beer selection here, including Boddington's & Guinness. They even had a special Guinness certificate on the wall signifying their awesomeness at serving up the perfect pint.
There's a really cool bartender named Demetri that works here, very friendly. All in all a wonderful place to take a load off our tired feet, post-LA Walk!
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I've been going to the Britannia on and off for the last 6 years, the staff are always friendly and the food's good (especially the Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich and Captain's Fish and Chips). Sadly some of the bar staff have moved on (especially Susie) but the new people are all nice.
I'm from England and I much prefer the Britannia over the Kings Head. From experience the attitude of some of the staff in the Kings Head has to be seen to be believed, in my 6 years living in Los Angeles I have been to the Kings Head about 5 times. The Britannia is nice and close to 3rd Street and is always fun to visit.
Britannia every time for me in Downtown Santa Monica!!
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Oh Britannia..
I returned here the other day for a basket of fries and a beer. The fries were fresh and hot. Not a fan of the ranch or the other dipping sauce they gave us with the fries. I stuck with good old ketchup.
When we first entered, the bartender immediately greeted us with a loud, cheerful hello. It caught me off guard, and i had to laugh just a little bit. And our waiter was a funny Spanish man with an accent.
I had forgotten how great this place is. If i remember correctly, they have really good Shepherd's Pie...all that goodness enough to induce a heart attack.
This place is small but not too small. There is an upstairs too, but i've never been up there. It also seemed like many regulars occupied the bar stools at the bar.
It really is a good place to have a beer or five, and have some British food if you want.
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this place was quite dead when i went... but the bartender made a really good raspberry lemondrop!
my friend and i got drinks at the bar then moved to a table, and the waitress did not bother us. this can be both good and bad, but i think it can be interpreted in a good way in that she saw that we had drinks and did not want to bother our convo by asking if we wanted food.
i think im gonna go back and get fish and chips with beer, and i'll write a more detailed review!
stay away ! -racist , racist , racist, racist-
look i am white but heard one the owners talking ," if you're white it's all rite" is what i heard but take that money and hope they leave soon, this is an example of an old man balding white hair, short with glasses said and he didn't know we were listening . look i travel around a very diverse group ( racially mixed male and females) don't give them your money, he referred to a female as the "c" word and well if your into underage girls , you'll have no problem finding them coming over from the neighboring "hooters" because going there first to eat you find about these girls and age and school and stuff but after 12:30, they are in the pub and they say shh! i know the bartender and/or the owner, hey
a.b.c. are you listening?
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There is no way in my mind that Britannia beats Ye Olde King's Head. First of all, Britannia is no where near as clean, kept up, or spacious. We had a beer in here last Saturday and I was sorely disappointed, but I had wanted to give it the old 'college try' because I wanted to see if it was any good. Ok, they didn't mess up my Sierra Nevada on tap, but they had Harp (Irish) and Bass (English) and Guinness (Irish), and not Newcastle, Boddington's, Tetley's, or Fuller's (British)? I would rather have Smithwick's than Harp anyday, too. Weak....Lame...
Also, the whole place smelled like Malt Vinegar. I am not a Malt Vinegar fan. Yes I know it's British to have with your fish and chips, as H&P sauce is also popular, but I'm just not a fan of the Malt Vinegar. To have the whole place smell of it is another story. They also had Naan on the menu and organic fish tacos. Naan is Indian ,debatable whether that's true British food. And "organic fish tacos"? Yuppie SM, not British. Give me some bangers and mash already! The locals in there seemed nice enough and our waitress was pleasant enough, but the crowd and the beers are way better at Ye Olde King's Head.
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Oh Britannia,
This place would seem to be pretty damn good if it weren't for Ye Old Kings Head a block up the street. The beer selection is decent. The staff is gracious. The food is good, though sometimes the curries have been a little greasy.
There's almost always (real) football on. An area out front if you want to eat outside (but I believe doesn't allow smoking). Sandwiches are just under $10 while meals are a little over.
What was awesome was the fact that the waitress had a British accent. That somewhat tickled my fancy. However, the service was a bit slow. Granted I was sitting outside, still. Anyways, I had a Shepard's Pie and it was okay, but it was better when paired with Guiness.
Then the weird part came and there was this bum who came by asking for money. The waitress immediately came and shooed him away. That was cool of her to do that and with such promptness. Major props.
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Man....I had a pretty awful experience here......But I didnt wanna be too harsh since the Laker game was on and the place was a mad house. But seriously....30 minutes for drinks....Come on! I had always wanted to come here. Every time I'm walking down the promenade I see it and I'm like " Man! I wanna go there".....I just picked a bad day to go on. The place it OK.....like any old sports bar. They had an upstairs that i didn't check out and a full bar....with Bodingtons....which is the reason I gave the 3rd star! I heart Bodingtons!
We were there for the entire game and only had 2 drinks! Which is seriously not cool....
I'm going to come back next week and give them a second chance. But of course I will go on a non-laker game day!
I really really wanted to like this place
maybe next time.....
I will revise!!!!
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English tourists and good times.
This is a good place to go for just chilling out or if King's Head is too crowded. I had some friends visit that were occupying themselves one day went there and really loved it. It's funny because I don't have any local friends that have been there! Ha.
Anyway, there is nothing interesting to report. It's just a bar in a sea of flashy bars and restaurants catering to tourists in the 3rd St. Promenade area.
Don't half step. Ride your bike here, but don't drive from across town to go.
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Call me completely crazy, but I have this sneaking suspicion that there are more than three different beers in the whole of Europe.
Back on the East Coast you'll find an expression especially common in Boston-- "Crush A Thardee Rack". Said with that distinct Southie accent made famous by Ben Affleck and co., it means, essentially, to drink 30 cans of cheap beer very quickly as a group. I've crushed my fair share of Natty Ice, of High Life...so, all beer snobbery aside, I know my roots if nothing else. However, nothing makes my nose instinctively jerk towards the ceiling faster than when a bar touts that mediocre trinity of Guinness, Harp, and Bass as if it's supposed to set it apart.
I guess that my hang up here is that crushing a thirty rack to me implies a bunch of shouting, exploding into slurred song, and maybe getting caught in a 15 person brawl as it spills out into the street. So, needless to say the term "Pub" implies certain things to me as well. But this place left me wondering: is a legit Brit Bar in fact just a dive bar? After all, if this place were transplanted over seas, I feel like it would play off as the equivalent of an American bar that has only PBR and Michelob or something like that on tap.
I guess, in all fairness, I should confess that though I'm not really into half a dozen flatscreens beaming out sports in my dives, I can still definitely understand the appeal when you're looking for a good sports bar...but when you factor in the flavorless steamed carrots dintymoore beefstew that made up my serving of Guiness and Beef Pie, I guess I just left wanting something more.
Or maybe the moral here is that people in search of some sampling of authenticity shouldn't venture too close to the Santa Monica Promenade...
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Have only been there a few times, typically Thursday nights after the Pier Concerts. Love the Karaoke girl (Nascar Normz) you rock and your voice is beautiful! Someone get her a contract.
The beers are expensive for a little bar like this. But I guess the rent is high since its a few steps from the 3rd street promenade.
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I've only been here a few times, but it was a nice small Pub. Great food, right next to the promenade. Did I say great food? It keeps itself small which is best during futbol season. This place can get crowded, so make sure you get your beer early. But a fun environment and convenient.
I have been here a few times and although its a small narrow bar, you can get lucky and find a seat usually in back. Unless you are there on karaoke night then you will want to be all up in it. The karaoke host is Norma and fine as she is can rock the M-I-C! Yep she sang a song to me and my hubby...and I think she made my panties drop.
Food is good, don't remember what we had but we were starving.
I always have a good time here no matter what.
Just try it on for size, you never know you just might like it.
Despite mixed review, my friends and I went here the other night and had a great time. We thought it was a little small and it was pretty crowded but a very nice grey haired guy helped us out with a table toward the back and they were nice enough to get us situated quick.
The beer choice and menu was pretty typical but the overall vibe was good for a place if you want to hang out and talk. Not too loud. God love the King's Head but no freaking way you can really talk in there without losing your voice for the next day (also a sure sign you had a good time the night before...).
All around a good place in the third street area for a stop for a beer and then some.
How many of you can say you spent your Friday night shootin the shit with a bunch of Ethiopian valets while kicking a little (okay, alot of) ass at pool while watching a muffin-topped blond drunk dance her way through the entire bar as she screeched "Ooooowwwwhhhh" and belted out the trailer park mating call to anyone who would listen as you sat there learning who some of the victims (and their maids) were on the Titanic while sipping Vodkas?
I'm guessing maybe one or two of you (not), but last night, that was the deal here and it was awesome! What a cool bar. It's divey, it's friendly and it's definitely a stage for random intoxicated delights. They also pour a mean drink and are super attentive and welcoming! I don't hang in Santa Monica all that often, but I would definitely come back here and throw back a few beers or drinks with some friends and call it a good night :)
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I have lived in Santa Monica for a number of years and finally went this place for the first time last night. Fantastic English Pub. There is a pool table and a number of TVs to watch futball or football. The owner is very kind. A great place to get together with friends. You wouldn't really think you were at the promenade when your at this place. It's really a nice change of pace from the promenade vibe.
Good Spot.
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You've got two Brittish pub choices on Santa Monica Blvd near 3rd Street. As much as I enjoy the atmosphere and good times at Ye Olde Kings Head, I have to admit the food at The Britannia is superior. The upstairs seating can be a bit stifling if the weather is hot, but downstairs always seems fine. It looks like the limited seating gets filled up quickly on busy nights, but The Britannia has been a great choice for http://ThursdayLunch.com outings and they've always worked out a way to seat our group.
this is my last review as a drinker. i have to stop for personal reasons...
anyway... i've been here before once when it was my friend's bday. i remember it being darker than what i experienced last night.
so the reason i came here last night, was that i was trying to figure out what to do in 3rd st santa monica that was low key and that i haven't tried before. i need something to yelp, ya know? and u know how i loooove dive bars, esp ones with food. i looked up the menu of this place, and the first thing i noticed, was the SAUSAGE ROLLS! i have a soft spot for pastries stuffed with meat.
so i order that and a strongbow for me and a sprite for my friend. the sausage roll was... interesting. it was served with a side of gravy. but i liked it with ketchup every other bite. it was just spiced sausage meat on the inside. the ends of the rolls were a bit dry, but i liked it more with each bite for some reason. by the end of my first roll, i was full, but i would have eaten the other one if i didn't have a slice of pizza AND a baby fat beforehand.
this place is very inviting for some reason. it has a friendly divey feel, without being seedy or dirty. it is well lit for a bar, but dim enough so that people can still look attractive with their flaws. my total came out to $16.10 pretip.
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i'm not british, and i can't assess whether this is an "authentic" style british pub, but... i don't really care. it's a good bar, and tommy and dimitri are two great bartenders. the crowd tends to be older, but not necessarily less rowdy. one more thing: the beatles cover band that plays sunday nights is AWESOME.
I love this place. I worked near 3rd St. for a summer a few years ago and went in here 3-4 times a week. Great bartenders, funnier-than-hell expatriate Brit regulars, and a decidedly un-Westside crowd.
One of my favorite nights of the past few years took place here. 2002 World Cup quarterfinal; England v. Brazil; the following day off. I came in for dinner at about 8:30 (for an 11pm game time) and got the last seat at the bar. Within an hour the place was completely full; I couldn't stand up again for the rest of the night. Over the next several hours I got a comprehensive education in obscene British soccer chants. And the English were very gracious in defeat to the few Brazilian fans there. Best yet, after the place closed a group of people tried for close to 20 minutes to convince me to go somewhere else to catch the early-morning games.
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What a great low key bar for the westside! This is a bar where you can feel yourself in jeans and a t-shirt. No one is pretentious. The drinks are reasonably priced the clientelle and staff are super friendly.
Sunday nights there is a Beatles Cover Band that totally rocks! Went there with a couple of female friends last night and had a blast.
We are going back for the cover band!
great little pub! small, quaint little bar situated right on SM blvd! it was a great spot to have a few beers on a sat afternoon=)the server was super nice!they have some great beers to choose from and for all of you adventurous ones, try BODDINGTONS! for some reason that beer gives a great buzz, QUICK! ill definitely be back to the britannia!
This is one of my regular spots for Guinness in Santa Monica. Ye Old King's Head is overpriced and the Irish bars are too far to walk. Was in again for St. Pat's this past weekend when the place was emptied out by the Fire Marshall for an exit check and head count. The owner/manager handled the situation very well and the crowd put the party on hold - let the official man do his business - and returned to the festivities.
The food here is pretty average, but the drink prices are great and I've never paid a cover.
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From a few weeks ago....
Hope in a bar is like a mouse in a room full of cats. It isn't likely to survive long but there is a lot of excitement before its final death knell.
My hope was that -- through a series of upsets -- USC could manage to get back into the national title game. And the morning games let me dare to hope. LSU lost its second game of the season in OT. Texas and Kansas did their jobs.
For others around me, the hope was in the teams selected to cover the betting pools they invested in. For the guys at the end of the bar, their hope was in the time spent chatting up a nice British lass.
The excitement was in the air for a few hours but alas it ended suddenly. Ohio State beat Michigan. The girl at the end of the bar went to the bathroom and never returned to the counter.
A quiet pall crept in. One by one we paid our tabs and returned to reality.
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This was my first bar in Santa Monica and remains my favorite.
The staff are what set this place apart, friendly and welcoming, they greet everyone they can when they walk through the door. It makes you want to saddle up to the bar and have a pint or two or four. The regulars are regular in this place, it's not your trendy LA scenester kinda place, but that's what's nice about it. No wannabe cool guy mo's in this place and when they do stumble in they stick out like a sore thumb. No this is where the locals hang out for a beer after work, go to celebrate in the evenings, catch a soccer game on the big screen and sit around meeting new faces.
The food is good to. You don't expect to find good eats at a bar, but they do it well. The usual fried stuff, the burgers are well done, and the specials are always a good choice. Mushroom Pie is surprisingly good as is the Curry Sampler.
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My husband and I went to this pub last weekend when we found ourselves wandering around the 3rd Street Promenade with my mother and no real direction on where to go for lunch. Being of stout British descent, Mom and I decided to go with the Britannia and drag the poor husband along.
It was very good. Your typical pub in that it was small, smoky and filled with regulars who sort of gave us the eye as we went in, but the decor is sort of an eclectic British nautical theme, and the waitstaff were very prompt and helpful.
I made the eternally wise decision of leaving my ID in the apartment when going to the pub, so I can't speak to their selection of imported beers and lagers, but they serve Harp and Guinness so that's enough for me. My Mom and husband both got the fish and chips, which was AMAZING. I got the shepherd's pie, which was only disappointing because most of the veggies had been steamed separately and I had to mix them in myself.
I'd suggest this pub for anyone who's looking for some hearty meat and potatoes meals, but be sure to get there sometime when it isn't a 'classic' meal time or bar time. It's bigger than it looks, but that doesn't mean it's big, and there isn't a lot of room to maneuver between the tables. I imagine that when the pub is full, it's very loud and crowded.
On the plus side, they advertised a Beatles Cover band every Sunday from 10pm-close.
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I didn't realize until this weekend at they have all the Penn State Nittany Lions Football games shown here. Apparently the local alumni chapter has adopted this bar as their place to watch the game.
Unfortunately JoePa and the lions had a heart breaking loss in what looked to be a great season, guess not... sigh...
This was a pretty good bar. If I lived near the 3rd St. Promenade, this would definitely be my local bar. It's a smallish place, and had a good sized crowd, seemed to be about 50% regulars.
The bartenders seemed really friendly and the beer was served quick and it was cheap. After the game I had the tuna melt with fries. Super yummy.
I also visited once on a Sat. night and apparently it was Karaoke night which was jammed in the front where there wasn't a lot of room. But there was still enough room to get around. I'm not a big fan of karaoke, so I certainly didn't participate.
They had an upstairs but I didn't make it up there. I would definitely stop by here for a quick beer next time I'm in the area and in the need of such.
I used to lunch there mid weekdays, which meant I only had one hour. Invariably, I had to go and ask for my check so I could leave.
Prices are kinda high but I must say the food is quite good.
I enjoy sitting upstairs; often, during this time, you can get the whole place to yourself.
The service behind the bar is awful (kinda par for the course at a British pub, is it?). The guys who bring your food are friendlier, and will check on you if your glass is nearing empty.
I have been dying to check out their Sunday night Beatle tribute act!
great breakfast - great service -- love this place
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This has become one of my regular spots in Santa Monica. This is simply to go for the amazing fish & chips! Pair it up with a newcastle, and you have one of my favorite meals. I used to go to Kings Head for my fish n chips fix, until I found this place. The price is very good and the atmosphere is pretty cool as well. That staff are always friendly.
Went here last friday. Was alot of fun. would love to go back. The bartenders are very cool!
Last Saturday, my husband and I sauntered into this pub bleary eyed with the intent to take the "sting" out of waking up. We ordered two Bloody Marys that were made from scratch by a very friendly bartender named, Rich. They were so good...we ordered two more. Meanwhile, we enjoyed chatting with the clientele in a very relaxed atmosphere while watching some horse racing on their wide screen TV. We noticed their food looked delicious. A nearby table ordered the fish and chips. We decided to order their curry special. They let you choose three curries and they serve them in individual dishes with rice and naan. It was excellent and enough food for the two of us. It was a nice start to our day and made my husband much more receptive to shopping in the promenade!
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Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Pubs
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Pubs
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Bars
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Burgers
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Dive Bars
Don't you just hate it when there's too much blood…
I watch the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Penn State…
