The Nightlife Blogger: Having Cold Beers In LA’s Smallest Bar On A Sunday Afternoon

The Harbor Room In Playa Del Rey A Good Place For A Cold Beer On A Warm California Day

By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Nightlife Blogger

It was a sunny Sunday afternoon here in Southern California (yes, another one) and a couple friends of mine and I were finishing up our champagne brunch on the deck of Whiskey Red’s overlooking the boats in Marina del Rey.

Times such as these always require a “let’s go somewhere else and have another one” if, for no other reason, to get up and stretch the legs. Plus one can only drink so much champagne on a warm and sunny day before switching to something else.

So I suggested we go to LA’s Smallest Bar.

We were only five minutes away, me on my bike and they in their car, and we met at a tiny sliver of a bar hidden from view unless you know about it. It’s called the Harbor Room and it’s in Playa del Rey.

Just as we got there, a group of six to seven ladies walked in ahead of us and, combined with the half dozen old-timers sitting at the bar, the place was crowded.

Not elbow-to-elbow crowded, mind you. But enough to where the lone bartender – a nice but somewhat weathered lady – was close to the point of being overwhelmed. It took her about five minutes to get our order of beers (just $5 each and ice cold!) and pop the tops on the bottles.

On the jukebox, a faint sound of a Hank Williams song played on the juke box. Above the bar, the faded autographed photo of the 1984-85 Showtime Lakers taken at the Manhattan Beach Pier not far from here hung unnoticed until I pointed it out to my friends.

The Harbor Room has a capacity of, oh, about 15 people. A long-time PDR local told me it is officially “the smallest bar in Los Angeles.” It’s hard to argue with him so I’m going with that title.

I can also tell you it’s a good place for a very cold beer on a warm and sunny Los Angeles afternoon.

Cheers!