HBYC Has Cold Beers & Hot Bartenders
When one thinks of good dive bars in the South Bay Beach Cities, Shellback Tavern and Ercoles at the Manhattan Beach Pier come immediately to mind.
In Hermosa tho, the dive bar is a disappearing relic. The Mermaid has been spiffed up and even the Poop Deck (now just called The Deck) is somewhat of a wine bar.
But there is one place where modern times have not invaded its walls. The Hermosa Beach Yacht Club is still today what it has been for decades, a local legend with its characteristic trait, a plethora of hot bartenders that make this place kind of a local version of the Tilted Kilt or Hooters.
Located on Hermosa Ave., at 1st Street (the blue awning across from Mickey’s deli), “HBYC” as it is affectionately known to as locals, is as classic as it gets in the South Bay, a long-standing bar where beer is poured out of schooners, bottles are stored in an old-style see-through cooler and hot sake shots come from a dispenser.
All served by smokin’ hot and scantily-clad bartenders who give the place its unique character.
The girls are such an HYBC institution that their names and schedule are put on a white board with a magic marker so the patrons know whom is working and when their favorites will be working later in the week.
On the wall is a juke box – no DJ in this place – and there are 80s video games. This place is old school, a true Hermosa Beach classic locals’ hangout.
The crowd is mostly people who can walk to the bar (and walk home) from the immediate Hermosa Beach area. Which means they are in t-shirts, shorts and flip flops. Mostly, they are in the front bar area, the guys chatting up the girl on duty drinking beers out of schooners. This is the case even if it’s a sunny day despite the fact that in the back, HBYC has one of the biggest patios of any South Bay bar.
When the South Bay singles roll in, either as part of a pub crawl or just to get off the pier, they know the can cut loose a little more in HYBC than they can in other places.
They sing to songs on the juke box, jump up and dance in place and act silly without worrying about anything. And THAT is what makes a great dive bar (in fact, HYBC was once named one of America’s top dive bars in a national magazine article). Members of the Los Angeles Kings hockey team have even been into HBYC after games.
HBYC also has something else that makes it appealing to locals in the know – great food. The burgers are 1/3-pound fresh (never frozen) Angus beef. They are juicy and come in a variety of ways.
Be sure and get it (and all other sandwiches) with the bar’s signature “HBYC Chips,” thick-cut potato chips that are flat-out fantastic.
Other food items include wings, tacos and quesadillas.
It’s all as salivating as the bartenders.
HERMOSA BEACH YACHT CLUB
Address: 66 Hermosa Ave., Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
Phone: (310) 376-6767
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