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Kenny, the Rock 'n Roll cab driver

Text and photos detail bars, nightlife and activities in Hermosa and Redondo Beaches.

Hermosa Beach/Redondo Beach Bars & Restaurants

With a bevy of bars, Hermosa Beach is one of LA's most fun hangouts.

Hermosa Beach. [MAP]

Once a hangout for hippies, Harleys and hang-loosers, Hermosa Beach has transformed itself into a South Bay social mecca. All these spots are within walking distance with many are within sight distance.

A revitalized pier area has replaced cars with pedestrians, beach stores with bars, dives with dance spots. Because the places were originally grocery stores, local bars or tiny t-shirt shops, they are small and lines form quickly.

The one-block, pedestrian-only Pier Ave., possesses a plethora of places. And the ever-popular Sharkeez is the king of this beach town. Locals called Sharkeez the "Black Hole" because they go in for one cocktail in the afternoon and wind up staying all night. People go in for lunch, a Happy Hour drink (pretty much everything is 2-for-1) daily menu specials – the food here is quite good and even borders on spectacular for this type of establishment – or just to get down and par-TY!

New to town? Sharkeez is the place with the big line.

There's a reason Sharkeez is the 'Black Hole;' it's fun with a fun crowd.

Sharkeez has also been selected as PubClub.com's Best Happy Hour Bar. Click here for the Best Happy Hour Bars in the South Bay.

As good as it is, Sharkeez is hardly the only party place on the Pier. Start right next door, for example.

Patrick Molloy's is a clean Irish-looking pub that turns clubby on weekends with house music, lights and dancing. Daytime weekends are at a much more relaxed pace, especially on the patio when crowds gather for post-beach beers, cocktails, enticing appetizers and full lunches or dinners. A daily Happy Hour runs 3-8 with half-priced and food specials that go from $2,95-5.95.

Molloy's has plenty of plasmas, all-day Happy Hours on Mondays and hosts special events on a regular basis. And then it takes on a whole different personality at night.

By night and by day, they play at Patrick Molloy's.

The newest player on the Pier is Waterman's. The tiki hostess stand in front says it all  – this is a Polynesian party palace. It has a bamboo bar, Hawaii's own Kona leading about 10 beers on draught, and a very "aloha" vibe that fits in with its surroundings the way surfboards fit in with the waves.

Waterman's has a good vibe anytime and live reggae on Sundays.

Waterman's is much more beachy than its predecessor, a place called Dragon that was like a loud Las Vegas lounge lost in paradise. Sundays here are particularly lively; there's a reggae band and a crowd of surfers and locals in shorts and sandals all hangin' very loose. It begins to rock on 4 on Sundays and goes until about 8.

Anyone still feeling the wave of pressure to stay out shold "surf" over to Sharkeez.

Get a bird's eye view of the Pier action from Fat Face Fenner's Fishack. Its second-floor balcony provides the only elevated view of Pier Ave and a rustic back bar has live music on weekends. The front has Juan, the Best Bartender in the South Bay. However, getting to Juan can be a challenge because the doormen, but locals should know to show their South Bay i.d., to get in with no problem.

Beautiful babes at Fiesta Hermosa, one of the city's many fun events.

The Best Tropical Drink in the South Bay is the mango margarita served at Cantina Real. It's frozen and delicious, best enjoyed in the daytime on the outdoor patio overlooking the Strand and pier.

The best thing about The Mermaid is its refusal to change. And its sauteed mushrooms. This aging dive is of the Beach City's best restaurants. Those sauteed mushrooms are orgasmic!

Another long-standing establishment is the Poop Deck. Directly on The Strand, this is a dirty dive. Its best during the AVP Hermosa Open and Fridays for 32-ounce Budweisers for $1 until the keg blows. At 7:30, people start positioning themselves to be first in line. By 8, a number of mid-20s girls and guys have gathered and upon reaching the bar, the acceptable behavior is to grab TWO Buds. So that’s 64 ounces of beer for $2! People then retreat to the back patio where they down their 64 ounces in a hurry playing beer pong.

Hermosa Ave. Bars & Lounges

The perfect pub club – Underground (below) and Chelsea Lounge (top).

There may be no life east of PCH as longtime locals like to joke, but there sure is plenty of it east of Hermosa Ave. In fact, this two-block area around the bend from the Pier has become a party playground.

Led by the slick and sexy Blue 32, there are five bars, and that's not counting the sushi resturant on the corner. Crowds come in from Thursdays-weekends and anyone out on party patrol Tuesdays and Wednesdays won't be hurting for activity.

The seductive Blue 32 is Hermosa Beach's hip lounge.
Bottom photo: Rory Peters, LightscapePhotography.net

Blue 32 is a club, er, lounge, er, bar. It's a hot place with a finely-dressed mainly mid/late 20s crowd, hip music and a couch area that can be closed off with metal "drapes." Kind of South Beach meets the South Bay. It has an excellent menu and a good vibe in rather regal setting. Yet it pulls it off in a typical South Bay "cool and casual" style. To get into this club on weekends, be there by 9:30. Because by 10, the line swells like the winter surf in El Porto.

And here's a couple of great treats – buckets of 5 beers are just $15 all the time, and if you get the PubClub.com South Bay Party Report, bring in the printout or on your phone and get a 10% discount off a round of drinks. To get the Party Report, send us an e-mail.

While Blue 32 is for clubbers, the Underground Pub (the main entrance is actually behind Hermosa Ave., at 15th St.) is for pubbers. The Underground Pub is not underground as in an underground dance club, but underground as in the London subway system. This is actually two bars in one – a sports-themed pub with a pool table and plenty of plasmas one one side and a newly-remodeled lounge called the Chelsea Lounge (formerly Cruz Room) on the other.

The pub is cozy but can get quite crowded on Fridays and Saturdays. The lounge has large booths and couches with dancing to hip Euro-style music that's subtle enough to be able to carry on a conversation. Walk between the two for the true pubs and club experience without leaving the building! With its trio of huge plazmas, great food and hearty breakfasts, this "combo club" is a good place to start or finish the day.

That roar by the shore just might be coming from The Shore.

That roar you hear is coming from The Shore, a new bar on Hermosa Ave., owned by longtime local Joe Middler. For years, his Joe's Band was known as the South Bay party band. Joe doesn't crank up signature songs like "Hot, Hot, Hot" in The Shore often, but his casual presence is evident. The one-room bar has a beach feel with in a lounge-type environment.

Farther north on Hermosa Ave. is a round building called The North End. This is fast becoming a hot hangout. Several people, tired of the downtown scene, are enjoying The North End's lack of lines, cheap drinks and super casual atmosphere. They are joined by neighborhood residents who want a few drinks but don't want to walk the extra blocks to downtown. Wednesdays feature $1 tacos.

Dance Clubs

Hermosa – and the entire South Bay, for that matter – does not have a true dance club, certainly not anything approaching to the mega clubs of Hollywood or Vegas. Instead, it has Sangria (Pier Ave.), Saffire (Pier at Valley/Ardmore, next to Von's) and the new Union Cattle Co., which serve to satisfy the clubbers.

There are not many dance clubs in Hermosa Beach, but those that do rip it.

Sangria attracts its share of the best-looking of the good-looking South Bay. The dress is certainly more upscale than many of the other places (which means guys might actually be wearing something other than shorts). It is the biggest of the seaside clubs with a large outdoor patio area and an indoor bar and dance floor. It makes an intoxicating sangria – ask for the "special" which is topped with spiced rum – and is not elbow-to-elbow crowded. There's a $10 weekend cover (no band). The lines are huge on weekends, so it's best to go for dinner or tasty tapas before 9.

Flashback! It's the 1980s and John Travolta is winging Debra Winger around a mechanical bull at Gilley's in Houston. Union Cattle Company has brought back the bull but this is no bull: The joint is jumping on weekends. Dancing, a downstairs patio and upstairs deck and second dance area compliment the cow.

Live Music

South Bay's nightlife was originated around its live music venues. Back in the 1960s, the The Lighthouse Cafe was known thrhought the world as one of the top jazz clubs in the country.

But then live muisc here began to starve. But now, it's made a comeback and has become a major player in LA's music scene. Pennywise is from Hermosa Beach and the lineup of live music venues is so extensive now that PubClub has created a separate article on places that feature bands.

So click here to read about where to hear live music in the South Bay.

– BAR LOCATIONS ON LOWER PIER AVE (310) –
• Sharkeez, 52 Pier Ave. (310) 374-7823.
Website: Sharkeez.net
• Cantina Real, 19 Pier Ave., 372-3454
• At Face Fenner's Fishhack, 53 Pier Ave., 379-5550
• Hennessey's, 8 Pier Ave., 372-5759
• Mermaid, 11 Pier Ave., 374-9344
• Patrick Molloy's, 50 Pier Ave., 798-9762
Website: PatrickMolloys.com
• Poop Deck (1272 The Strand), 376-3223
• Sangria, 60 Pier Ave., 376-4412
• Waterman's, 22 Pier Ave, 372-4482.
Website: WatermansHB.com

– BAR LOCATONS ON HERMOSA AVE. –
• Underground Pub (entrance in alley) and Chelsea Lounge. 1332 Hermosa Ave. (Entrance in the alley), 318-3818
• Blue 32, 1332 Hermosa Ave.
• The Shore, 1320 Hermosa Ave. 376-0414
• Untion Cattle Co., 1301 Manhattan Ave., 798-8227

Redondo Beach
About two miles south of Hermosa is the pier area of Redondo Beach. Hardly as happening as the northern neighbor and the crowd is not as polished and not nearly as young as the rest of the South Bay, but it does have a few places of note.

If you REALLY want to get a quick buzz, go to Old Tony's on the Pier. No, it's not the 360-degee view of the ocean from the upstairs bar that does the trick, it's the South Bay's Strongest Drink that's responsible. It's called a Fire Chief and while one of these rich rum mixtures will set your mood en fuego, two will set off the alarm

On the lower part of the Redondo Beach Pier is Naja's. It's a kick-back place, has a view of the boats docked in the harbor, regular appearances from a gypsy dancer and enough beers – 777 in bottles and 77 on draft, to be exact – to make the live band sound actually sound good. The Land Sharks, as they are called, play mostly ol' time R&R (and really, they are pretty good even without all the beer). The crowd is mainly middle-aged men out for a few brews but it can also haul in the much younger and livelier Hermosa-Manhattan revelers. It's best on Sunday afternoons.

If you're hungry beforehand or afterward, Lou E Luey's next door is an oustanding Mexican-style restaurant.Upscale offerings such as crab & corn bisque and sizzling sea bass make this a great find. (entrees $8.95-$14.95) . It's an excellent spot for Sunday brunch (menu items, not a buffett).

 • Harbor Drive, 655 North Harbor Dr., 379-2900
• Lou E Luey's, 160 S. International Boardwalk, 937-7044
• Naja's Place, 154 S. International Boardwalk, 376-9951
• Tony's, 122 Fisherman's Wharf, 374-1442

• South Bay Guide

• Manhattan Beach Guide

• Surfest Manhattan Beach (watch the video)

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Next stop on the Party Bus: Manhattan Beach