Vibe-y bar that has a very SoCal house party feel. Came here most recently for trivia night (hosted by King Trivia on Wednesdays at 7pm). There was 9 rounds of trivia and it’s done all through your phone. If you win, you get a $250 gift card to the Bungalow and a bottle of tequila. For the bar itself, there’s indoor and outdoor seating. The bathrooms are really small and kinda grody, but it makes sense since there’s always a lot of people here. Metered street parking or park at the city garage. There are water dispensers at all the bars. There’s a ping pong table right by the entrance. Lots of tourists come here as well as college students. Overall, very scene-y but when in Santa Monica, you gotta do it.
Dined here last Friday night with my colleague. After spending two hours on dining and drinks, we were asked to give up our table. The waitress which was our second waitress (first one ended her shift prior) said the seat was reserved. Apparently they failed to mention this prior to taking my money.This place doesn't care about you and your feelings but definitely cares about your $$$.
my girlfriend and me were in santa monica as a vacation. We would want to have nice dinner. We made reservation for it but when we arrive to restaurant, we encountered disrespectful behavior of all personnel. So i don’t recommend this place if you want to have nice and peaceful dinner.
drinks and environment were very good it's a shame that the bouncer is mean
Nice view and beach house layout is cool. But really, one of the fakest places in LA. Left after only half an hour. People can be a bit fake in bars in general and I get that, but this place is way too much. Handsy, shallow, snotty, full of people good looking on the outside but dark inside. So pathetic group of people, good luck to them
Visited on 06/26/2022 and found it to be a fairly run-of-the-mill experience. It was a pretty nice setting, though the outside could use more shaded seating along the wall with the birdhouse speakers.The service, however, left much to be desired. My table was assigned an extremely lackadaisical server named Tasha who just inexplicably vanished for AT LEAST 45 min. At the prompting of a couple of busboys (who I regrettably did not get their names in order to thank them here), someone who I assume was a manager finally came over to provide some sort of attention, saying our server was "on a break". Now I could be wrong but typically when a server goes on break, should not that individual ask someone to watch their tables for a little bit? When she finally did return, it was with an aloof "meh...so sue me" attitude. After finally having had enough I went to go get my own card from the bar. When the bartender told me I needed to close it out with my server and saw me shake my head, he gave me a slight, knowing "Yeah....I know" type smile. With the least amount of enthusiasm possible, she brought the ticket and hurriedly ran away. I suppose with the automatic 20% "SERVICE" FEE that is included on everyone's ticket, I suppose there is no real incentive for anyone to do their jobs with decent comportment.In any event, the manager comped my party some drinks, and even one of the previously mentioned busboys comped us some beers. I do appreciate their efforts.With the price points being charged, one would expect better behavior from the staff.
Opened by Brent Bolthouse - The Bungalow; is a space that evokes a breezy, beachside lifestyle. The Bungalow feels more like a home than a bar, it has different rooms like a games room etc. Heaps of tables, chairs and couches. In addition to the front deck with its fire pits, lush foliage and twinkling tree lanterns.After a hotel inspection at the legendary Fairmont Miramar, where the beautiful Moretan Bay fig tree is the centrepiece this was the highlight. Sultry blonde Marlyn Monroe frequently retreated to the Miramar when she wanted to disappear from the media. The classy bohemian-style Bungalow addition continues to play host to many celebrity guests including Kendall Jenner and Matthew McConaughey.The perfect place to drink on a warm Santa Monica evening. It feels like a luxury dive bar.
Ok so the place is pretty & they have a good trivia night on a Wednesday. I’m just confused on their price aim. They have $200 margarita pitchers & $140 sangria pitchers on the menu that must be laced with gold dust. The bill for 6 people who had a couple of drinks each was $300. Average cocktail is $18 plus your service fee & tax. Nice to try once, but that bill is pretty pricey for regular visits even for Los Angeles.
My friend took me to the Bungalow while I was visiting from out of town and it was my favorite bar/restaurant of the weekend. We sat at the outside bar and had Ruben as our bartender, he was SO FRIENDLY. Couldn’t have had a better time! Good music, great drinks, and perfect bar bites. Already planning my next visit back!
I was pleasantly surprised when visiting this bar, as I’ve heard it’s one of the more popular spots in the area. Great location, lots of space, and the service was very good. Our bartender Ruben made us some great drinks and was super professional. Check this place out if you’re in town!