Around Orla Bar
2 stops, all within a short walk
1
0.3 mi
5:30 PMDinner
2
7:00 PMCocktails
← Best cocktail bars in Los AngelesDate night guide · Los Angeles
A cocktail night in Santa Monica
A proper drink between dinner and dessert.
4 spots · Jump to the list
These are bars you go to for the drinks themselves — a considered menu, careful technique, a bartender who can make you something that isn't on it. They sit best in the middle of a night: after dinner, before dessert, or as the nightcap. Restaurants with a strong bar are on the restaurant lists instead.
This guide ranks 4 cocktail bars in Santa Monica. Editors' picks come first, then the rest by rating, and the plans below build a whole evening around the best of them.
Make a night of it
Routes around the top spots on the list, with the best-rated places nearby for the rest of the evening.
Around The Bungalow
2 stops, all within a short walk
1
< 0.1 mi
5:30 PMDinner
2
7:00 PMCocktails
Around Bar Chloe
2 stops, all within a short walk
Cocktail bars in Santa Monica
Editors' picks first, then by rating.
Good to know
- What's the best cocktail bar in Santa Monica for a date?
- Our top pick is Orla Bar, rated 4.8 out of 5. The Bungalow and Bar Chloe round out the top 3.
- Are there affordable cocktail bars in Santa Monica?
- Yes — Orla Bar and Harvelle's are all $$ or under.
- What should we do before or after?
- Make it a cocktail night: dinner, then cocktails, then something sweet. The plans on this page pair each top spot with the best-rated places within about a 20-minute walk.