The City's Nightlife Starts With These Hotspots For Beer (And Champagne) Lovers The Tokyo Sumer Olympics are over but you can still create some Gold Medal moments of your own when PubClubbbing in this lively city. A big part of the Tokyo nightlife are the beer gardens. And these are not beer gardens like you find in Germany in that they are all in parks. In Tokyo, … [Read more...]
Hot Good-Looking Waitresses Get Bigger Tips Than Unattractive Waitresses
Not Only Do Pretty Girls Get Bigger Tips But More Rounds Of Drinks Are Ordered, Too It happens. I admit it. Just did, in fact, which prompted me to write this column. Like everyone else, tip good-looking waitresses better than ugly ones. I'm not even sure it's a conscious thing, at least immediately. When determining a tip, I look into service and whether or not … [Read more...]
Exploring The Signs Of A Classic American Dive Bar
Classic Dives A True Taste Of American Drinking Establishments By The Bartender, PubClub.com's Roving Party Animal (and dive bar aficionado) I often look at drinking establishments as I do people. Certain ones have particular characteristics and distinctive personalities. Yes, bars can have personalities. In my world, there are position bars, closer bars, poser … [Read more...]
There Are Good Bars and Bad Bars, Smart Bars and Dumb Bars
Dry Tour Wine Bar in Venice, CA, Loses Customers By Charging Full Price For Drinks on a Pub Crawl Just as there are good bars and bad bars, there are smart bars and dumb bars. Sharkeez in Hermosa, Manhattan and other Southern California beach cities is a smart bar. It welcomes new customers, takes care of loyal customers and if presented with a large number of patrons … [Read more...]
The Nightlife Blogger: In Praise Of Dive Bars
From The Barstool, By The Nightlife Blogger, PubClub.com Dive bars are one of my favorite types of watering holes. I like being able to casually walk into a bar, plop down and have a cold beer that doesn't make me say "geez. that's expensive; I better drink slowly." I like reading funny bumper stickers, seeing old neon beer ads and other stuff that would be cluttered crap … [Read more...]
Mutt Lynch’s, One Of Newport Beach’s Classic Dive Bars, Reopens After Remodel
By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Nightlife Blogger Mutt Lynch's, one of Newport Beach, CA's classic dive bars, is back open after a four-month remodel. "Still a party and you're invited," reads the message on the old-fashioned marquee. It is one of the trio of traditional and – among locals, legendary – dive bars along the walk and bike path adjacent to the beach. The … [Read more...]
Fins Up To Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville In Sydney, Australia
Darling Harbor Location Will Attract Tourists But Locals Can Also Toss Out The Anchor By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Travel Blogger & Parrothead I'm always looking for a smart woman in a real short skirt. You know, one that knows how to flirt. And perhaps she's waiting for me at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville in Sydney, Australia. What a perfect … [Read more...]
Pancho’s Manhattan Beach South Bay’s Top Cinco de Mayo Bar
Mexican Cantina Features Laker Girls, Live Music And Most Lively Crowd In The Beach Cities The question locals ask is not if we will go to Pancho's for Cinco de Mayo but when we will go to Pancho's for Cinco de Mayo. And with the Laker Girls there from noon-2, I would say sometime between noon and 2! The only problem with that is you may never leave, and the … [Read more...]
Florida Has Some Of America’s Best Beach Bars
Square Grouper, Ocean Deck And Waterway Cafe Three Of The Blogger's Top Spots It's summertime and if you're by the coast, life's a beach. If you're there, life's also a series of beach bars. And the best ones are in Florida. Beach bars in Florida are, in many cases, right on the beach. I love going to the Whale's Tale in Destin to watch sunsets (and it's also … [Read more...]
Valentine’s Day A Top Party Night For Singles & Singles Bars
Single Girls Want A Little Romance And A Hug; Single Guys Want Sex Single people don't have to be depressed about not having a partner on Valentine's Day, for romance is just a singles bar away for them. In fact, they should rejoice, for Valentine's Day is right up there with the Wednesday before Thanksgiving as one of the top non-holiday party nights of the year. … [Read more...]
Taco Tuesday at OB’s Manhattan Beach Can Make Wednesdays Tough
Nightlife Blogger Likes Living In The Moment Have you ever woken up in the morning and felt like immediately going back to sleep? That's the way I felt on this Wednesday. Blame it on Taco Tuesday at OB's in Manhattan Beach. Why is it that when I go there, I can't seem to leave until the place is practically empty? I crack open about two handfuls of the free … [Read more...]
Why Basel Switzerland Is One Of Europe’s Top Secret Nightlife Destinations
Dynamic Swiss City Has Lively Cafes, Pubs And Clubs If you're looking for an off-the-beaten-path party place in Europe, a destination that has invigorating nightlife that puts and keeps you in a lively mood, then I highly recommend Basel, Switzerland. Basel – a mid-sized, manageable city in the northwestern part of Switzerland on the border of both France and … [Read more...]
Stella Promos In Gaslamp Bars Previews San Diego Wine & Food Festival
McFadden's, Whiskey Girl And Lucky Bastard Saloon Bring Beers And Cheers What better way to get primed up for the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival – which includes fine Belgian beers, as well – than to tag along with a promo night for Stella Artois in the bars of the Gaslamp!? Not much that I can think of, quite frankly. And so I did it on Thursday night. And it … [Read more...]
El Segundo Rock & Brews Hosts Goose Island Craft Beer Dinner
Menu Pairings From Gene Simmons And Paul Stanley Restaurant With Premium Chicago Beers Here's a tasty temptation that will rock (and roll) your dinner world. Rock & Brews in El Segundo, CA – the original of the Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and Zislis Group rock-themed restaurants – is hosting a dinner featuring items from its menu specifically selected to be paired with … [Read more...]
Bar Blogger Reflects On His Month-Long Australia Travel Adventure
Sydney, Surfer's Paradise, Byron Bay and Brisbane – And Mates – Entertain This American Traveler I didn't fall in love with Australia, or with an Australian. But after spending a month Down Under, I sure did LIKE Australia and spending time with Australians a lot. In four weeks, I traveled to Sydney, Surfer's Paradise, Byron Bay, Brisbane and back to Sydney. In many … [Read more...]
Sydney Tiki Bar Sugar Lounge Manley Beach Earns Blogger’s Cheers
Mai Tai Meets Satisfaction And Polynesian Decor Fits The Location Hard to port! Drop the mainsail! Cut the engines! I have found a place to toss out my anchor in Australia, a tiki bar in a great beach town outside of Sydney. It's called the Sugar Lounge and it has strong rum drinks, tiki dccor and a view of the ocean. As an additional bonus, you arrive there by ferry … [Read more...]
Alabama And Notre Dame Alumni LA Game-Watching Bar Is Sonny McLean’s
Santa Monica Sports Bar Is Home To More Than Boston Teams For 2013 College Football Season Alabama and Notre Dame fans shared the bars for the BCS National Championship game last season, and for 2013 they will be sharing the same sports bar in Los Angeles. Sonny McLean's in Santa Monica – known primarily as the Westside's top Boston bar – is hosting alumni groups from … [Read more...]
Las Vegas Pool Party Rehab Hard Rock Hosting Bikini Contests
July Sundays Feature Girls Competing For REHAB's 2014 Bikini Team As if the REHAB pool parties are not enough on their own, the Hard Rock hotel is now holding bikini contests! It's the REHAB Bikini Invitational 2013, which is a five-week national search for girls for REHAB’s Bikini Team 2014. So to go along with all the bikinis of the patrons in the pool, there's now … [Read more...]
Hermosa Beach Fight Bad For Pier Ave Bars
Crackdown On Nightlife A Possible Result From Rare Incident This one goes under "a few idiots ruin a good time for the rest of us." A fight broke out in Hermosa Beach on the last Saturday night of June – talk about June Gloom! – and it was substantial enough that the Hermosa Beach Police called in for assistance from neighboring Manhattan and Redondo. Pier Ave, was … [Read more...]
Saint Rocke Delivers Another Good Night Out In Hermosa Beach
South Bay's Top Live Music Venue Again Provides An Enjoyable Experience Saint Rocke in Hermosa Beach is one of those place that, when I'm there, I say to myself, "now why don't I come here more often?" It's the top live music venue in the South Bay Beach Cities and always gets good bands. It's not like many great live music bars in that it's not hot, dark and sweaty – … [Read more...]
Dockside Tropical Café Florida Tiki Bar Seeks Internet Fundraising
Landmark Florida Keys Waterfront Bar In Marathon Will Feature Live TropRock Music Imagine having an open bar tab at a tiki bar right on the water in the Florida Keys, a place where the house band plays Trop/Rock music, where you can have a rum drink and then jump in a kayak for a quick paddle and return for another rum drink. It's the Dockside Tropical Cafe in Marathon, … [Read more...]
Silvo’s Hermosa Beach Shows Good Customer Service With A Cold Beer
Manager Makes A Warm Budweiser A Cold Bud With A Simple But Impressive Solution It's often the little things that impress me the most, small gestures that go a long way toward making me loyal to a person or a place. Silvio's, a small restaurant/bar in Hermosa Beach, CA that specializes in sizzlin' Brazilian food, did one of those small things for me recently. I'll … [Read more...]
Chicago and Boston Bars in Hermosa Beach LA Stanley Cup Party Spots
Silvio's And Fat Face Fenners Full Of For Fans Of Blackhawks And Bruins If you're from Chicago or Boston and live in Los Angeles, there are two bars in Hermosa Beach that are the party places for the Stanley Cup Finals between the Blackhawks and Bruins. They are Silvo's for Chicagoans and Fat Face Fenner's Fishack – also known as FFFF or simply Fenner's by locals – for … [Read more...]
Old Tony’s Fire Chief Signature Drink Is The Perfect Party Starter Cocktail
Redondo Beach Pier Restaurant's Signature Cocktail In Its Crow's Nest Bar It's not the wildest bar in the Beach Cities, and certainly not one of the trendiest. But Old Tony's on the Redondo Beach Pier does have a couple of things that no other place can match, and that it a still-in-the-70s atmosphere and a drink called the Fire Chief. Old Tony's has actually … [Read more...]
John Denver Tribute Artist Jim Curry Opens The Cave In BIg Bear
New Year-Round Convert Venue To Feature Rock Tribute Bands If Jim Curry sounds as close to John Denver as he looks, then it's going to be one "Rocky Mountain Night" night at the new live music venue in Big Bear Lake, CA. Curry, a John Denver tribute artist, is opening The Cave, an entertainment venue in the old Village Movie Theater. Big Bear Lake is located two hours … [Read more...]
Getting To The Marina del Rey Yard House On The Bike Path
Directions From Venice/Santa Monica and Playa del Rey And The South Bay I was thrilled when I heard a Yard House was coming to Marina del Rey. Great, I thought, a place to stop along the bike path for some adult refreshment in a place that's bound to be lively. It's a Yard House, after all! Now that it's open, I can indeed confirm it's a hip and happening place to stop … [Read more...]
Yard House Sets The Bar For Bars And Nightlife in Marina del Rey
Restaurant/Bar Just What MDR, Playa Vista And Venice Residents Need In L.A. My suspicions are confirmed. After going to the Yard House in Marina del Rey, I can now report, without fail, that it's setting the bar for the bars in this Los Angeles coastal community. Not that MDR was exactly Mykonos (that's the wild party place in the Greek Islands in case you are not … [Read more...]
LA Nightlife Scene Monday Social Now At Hollywood’s Sound Nightclub
Longest-running Weekly Club Night In Los Angeles Cranks It Up In June Monday Social, which has been part of the Los Angeles nightlife scene for two decades, has relocated to Sound nightclub in Hollywood. It's first event is June 3 and it features DJ Felix da Housecat. Formerly housed in Playhouse Nightclub (among other venues throughout the years), Monday Social … [Read more...]
Arnold’s A Great Dive Bar Discovery In Waikiki Beach
Hawaii Tiki Theme Just Part Of This Honolulu Attraction Let it be stated for the record that I love dive bars. And also let it be known that I'm no trend guy. Just because dive bars have become "in" places (I credit $15 "specialty cockatails" at places that suddenly have become high-end lounges) doesn't mean I follow the passing interest. I have always loved – and … [Read more...]
Yard House Preparing To Open In Marina del Rey
LA Nightlife To Get A Boost From Popular Restaurant-Bar The taps are in place, the kegs are in their chilled home and the staff is being trained. The Yard House in Marina del Rey, CA, is preparing for its opening on June 2. The location on Maxella Ave., a block up from Lincoln Blvd., has a patio and a very open layout. And, in true Yard House tradition, there's lots and … [Read more...]
South Bay Bars Provide Fun Partying For Visiting Australia Friend
Old Tony's Fire Chief Starts Inferno Of Bar Hopping Someone pinch me. I'm having too much fun. My friend Casey has been in town, visiting from Sydney, and I'm taking her around the South Bay Beach Cities. And she's adapted to them like dolphins to the surf. She's a natural! She loves the beach, of course, but she also loves the bars. Apparently where she lives, many of … [Read more...]
The Reef In Long Beach And Its Sunday Brunch On My Party Bucket List
Great Bartender Makes The Blogger Anxious To Return For More Drinks I'm putting The Reef On The Water in Long Beach on my party bucket list. After seeing it for several years and going past it but never going into it, I finally popped in for a drink. I was at an event at the Queen Mary and quickly tired of paying 8 bucks for a Jack & Diet that was so small and full of … [Read more...]
Playing Tour Guide To The Bars In Hermosa, Manhattan, Redondo Beach
South Bay Nightlife Daytime Playtime Awaits A First-Time Beach Cities Visitor It's time to play South Bay tour guide again, as I have a friend visiting me in Manhattan Beach. It's her first time to the Beach Cities and that's even more exciting than someone who has been here before, because it's all new to her. And I love playing South Bay tour guide! First, we'll get on … [Read more...]
Carmel’s Best Bars And Most Fun Nightlife Is Mundaka And Ody’s
Hip Lounge And Dive Bar Make For A Fun Combination In Monterey Bay You will never mistake it for Paradise Beach on Mykonos, New Orleans or even down the coast in Hermosa Beach. But Carmel, CA, has some fun nightlife, and my two favorite places are Mundaka and Ody's Tavern. There are the two best bars in Carmel and frankly, probably also expanding to Monterey. They are … [Read more...]
Rock & Brews Redondo Beach Opening Opens Up A Fun Day Of Barhopping
Crawling Through The Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach Bars The opening of the new Rock & Brews rock and beer (mostly) bar in Redondo Beach, CA, provided the perfect launching pad for a day of bar-hopping in the South Bay Beach Cities. I had arrived to Rock & Brews from Manhattan Beach and what followed was a full day of fun. It also included a margarita at a … [Read more...]
Rock & Brews Redondo Beach Introduces Itself With A Very Grand Opening
Gene Simmons And Paul Stanley Provide The Perfect KISS To New South Bay Bar So far so good. Actually, so far so great. And that's only after one afternoon. Rock & Brews in Redondo Beach, CA, opened to media, city and state officials and Wounded Warriors war veterans on Wednesday, May 8. And by the time you read this it's open to you, too. And I strongly recommend … [Read more...]
Playing South Bay Tour Guide To Bars & Restaurants In The Beach Cities
Showing Off Manhattan, Hermosa And Redondo Beach On Bicycles I love playing the part of host. Taking people around and sharing my knowledge of an area, entertaining them by taking them to fun place. I've done it in the Greek Islands with some friend who went with me for on a trip, I do if with newcomers to the annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach each April and most … [Read more...]
Why Dive Bars Outlast Trendy Lounges And Clubs In The Nightlife Scene
Simplicity Wins Out Over Sophistication In The Long Run One of our local dive bars, the Poop Deck in Hermosa Beach, is celebrating its 56th anniversary this year. Think about that for a moment – 56 years. Eisenhower was president of the USA. Cars were actually stylish then and the only bikinis – crated just 10 years earlier – had yet to make it off the shores of French … [Read more...]
Mickey McColigan’s Hermosa Beach Irish Bar Initial Review
Locals Exited About New South Bay Nightlife Option It's always great when a new bar opens in an area. First of all, it gives us patrons another place to go to and as any local will tell you, no matter how much fun you have in your local bars, you need to break out of your routine. Change things up a bit. And so it is now in Hermosa Beach with Mickey McColigan's, a NEW … [Read more...]
In Full Support Of Breastaurants Like Bikinis, Hooters And Tilted Kilt Hot Girls Bars
Large-Breasted Female Servers A Plus In Sports Bars Every bar and every restaurant you visit have some type of theme. It's marketing. PR. And so, too, do the places that feature large-breasted girls dressed in tight sexy outfits. And the owner of one, Bikinis, has even trademarked the term "breastaurant." This is a great move and in fact, the Bar Blogger is … [Read more...]
When It Comes To Singles Bar Posture I Prefer Standing vs. Sitting
It's Easier To Spring Into Action In Singles Bars When Leaning Rather Than Being Seated I'm not a sitter, nor really a stand-up person when it comes to taking a posture in a singles bar. Instead, I'm more of a leaner. To me, there's something comfortable about taking an arm or an elbow and resting against the side of the bar or a chair, as opposed to actually sitting in … [Read more...]
Hip Newport Beach Sunday Brunch Comes To Five Crowns’ Side Door
Rotating Menu, Craft Beers, DJ And Live Art Make For A Unique Experience One of the best ways to start a social Sunday is, in my opinion, with a champagne brunch. With brunch, you don't have to get up too early and you can stay late. It's really like a European-paced dinner. You take your time and soak in the atmosphere of your surroundings. And now the Side Door, part … [Read more...]
Even Without LA Kings Fever The North End Bar Is Rocking Hermosa Beach
South Bay's Neighborhood Bar Among The Best In The Beach Cities You know what makes a great bar? Well, several things, but in this case it's a bar just being itself. One that has not been tainted by publicity, does not think itself any better because it's been featured on TV, is not anything more today than it was before it achieved local fame. That place is the North … [Read more...]
Why Do Sports Bars And Casual Bars Want To Become Nightclubs After 10 PM?
Hey Bar Owners, Save The House Music For Dance Clubs There is a disturbing trend – disturbing to me, anyway – happening at some of the best bars in America. They are forcing out their most loyal customers, the ones who are there on off days and off hours, in favor of younger faces. And right at the time when things get interesting in bars. What's happening? Sports bars, … [Read more...]
American Junkie Hermosa Beach Extends Friday Happy Hour To 9 PM
South Bay Bar Deserves A Cheers For This Brilliant Move Here's some good news for South Bay bar junkies. American Junkie has extended its outstanding Happy Hour on Fridays until 9 p.m.! That makes it the latest Happy Hour in the Beach Cities. Patrick Molloy's goes until 8, from Monday thru Friday. Sharkeez goes until 7. Then again, Sharkeez owner Greg Newman is not one … [Read more...]
Kincaid’s Redondo Beach Happy Hour Makes Customers Happy
Last Call For Discounted Drinks A Good Call They are doing it right at Kincaid's. The place is on the water, has a good Happy Hour that includes weekends and outdoor tables, and provides a classy setting in an area that is, quite remarkably, lacking in classy settings. But there's something else the restaurant on the Redondo Beach Pier does that is making me a regular … [Read more...]
Ercoles, Manhattan Beach’s Dive Beer Bar, Has Margaritas, Too
A Review Of The Tequila-Heavy Cocktail At This Local Watering Hole No matter how much you think you know a place, or how many times you go there, it's still good to take some tips from another local. Case in point, margaritas at Ercoles in Manhattan Beach, CA. That is something I had never previously considered until I was out with a long-time local who said something … [Read more...]
Transition Time The Best Time To Pick Up Girls In Bars
The Guard Goes Down And The Odds Go Up When Daytime Transitions Into Nighttime Speaking from experience, the best time to pick up girls in a bar is not at the peak party times or even last call. It's during the period which I refer to as "transition time." What the heck is "transition time," you ask? And what makes it such a good pickup time? Well, transition time is … [Read more...]
Like Natalie Wood, I Fell Off A Sailboat in Catalina’s Two Harbors
The Harbor Reef Bar and Buffalo Milk Cocktails Make For A Fun Party Location Natalie Wood remains a mystery 40+ years after she drowned off Catalina Island and she's got back in the news somewhat recently after a Los Angeles coroner changed her death from "accidental drowning" to "drowning and other underdermined factors." There's a lot of speculation about exactly what … [Read more...]
Girls In Los Angeles Don’t Go Out To Bars When It’s Cold Or Raining
Only In L.A. Does The Weather Give The Nightlife A Buzzkill It's chilly and misty tonight – a Friday night – and I won't be going out tonight. This is not because I do not want to go out, but I know it's pointless. That's because I live in Los Angeles, and in L.A., people don't go out to the bars when the weather is not nice. They stay home when the weather dips … [Read more...]
Chez Jay Santa Monica Bar Deserves Local Landmark Status
Casual Celebrity Hangout And Dive With Peanuts On The Floor To Be Preserved If ever a bar, watering hole, locals' dive hangout or whatever you want to call it, deserves to be named a local landmark and preserved, it's Chez Jay in Santa Monica. It's a dive without really being a dive. There's a barrel of peanuts, and peanut shells on the floor. There's an old, large … [Read more...]
Top Hermosa Beach Nightlife Advice For Single Men
When A Wild Girl Says She 'Wants To Go To the Pier,' Do Not Follow Her To The Pier A funny thing happened to a visiting friend recently. And it's a lesson to be learned about being single in the South Bay Los Angeles Beach Cities of Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach. He's been in the area plenty of times previously – and will eagerly come again and again – but got … [Read more...]
A Splendid Time in Zurich’s Splendid Piano Bar
A True Swiss Delight, This Nightlife Spot Is One of My Favorite Bars in Switzerland By The Nightlife Blogger The place is absolutely Splendid! I found it because I saw a lighted sign above the door when everything else was either closed for the night or not happening. Worth a look, I surmised. Once again, my bar-finding instincts proved to be correct. I was in … [Read more...]
The Nightlife Blogger: Baja Cantina, The Demise of an LA Legend
Once-Happening Sunday Venice and Marina del Rey Bar An Empty Taco Shell of Its Former Self By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Nightlife Blogger I should be at Baja Cantina in Marina del Rey, CA, right now instead of writing this blog. Having a margarita, chatting it up with friends and strangers. Loading up on the chips and salsa because I want the party to continue and … [Read more...]
Lancaster: A Hidden Gem for Nightlife in LA
There's A Good Party Scene At These Fun Lancaster Bars By The Bartender, PubClub.com Bars & Nightlife Blogger It's not Hollywood and it is most certainly not the beach. But it doesn't have to be either in order to be a good place to party. And that's what I found when I ventured into the nightlife of Lancaster, CA. Now before you start snickering, … [Read more...]