SoCal dive bar crawl mapped: follow this beach food route tonight

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• Stop 1: Chez Jay — Santa Monica — 3:25 p.m.
• Stop 2: Hinano Cafe — Venice Beach — 4:38 p.m.
• Stop 3: Prince O’ Whales — Playa del Rey — 5:30 p.m.
• Stop 4: The Harbor Room — Playa del Rey — 6:01 p.m.
• Stop 5: The Shack — Playa del Rey — 6:27 p.m.
• Stop 6: Ercole’s — Manhattan Beach — 7:23 p.m.
• Stop 7: Torihei — Torrance — after 8 p.m.

On a recent Saturday in September I marked another birthday by doing what feels increasingly rare in Southern California: spending the afternoon and evening moving from one longtime beach dive to the next. With old friends, family and a loose schedule, the crawl doubled as a reminder that these weathered bars are social anchors worth preserving as neighborhoods change.

I planned the day to catch daylight and ocean air, then finish with a proper dinner — the kind of low-stakes itinerary that lets people drift in and out. A bar crawl is forgiving: you don’t need everyone to arrive at once, and the rhythm of short stops keeps the group moving without forcing anyone to stay longer than they want.

Stop 1: Chez Jay — Santa Monica — 3:25 p.m.

Opened in 1959 and a quick walk from the sand, Chez Jay still feels like an old neighborhood refuge amid escalating rents and redevelopment. The room leans into its past with red booths and checked cloths; service is straightforward, pours are generous, and the house rules gently nudge you to relax (I ignored one of them).

Stop 2: Hinano Cafe — Venice Beach — 4:38 p.m.

Hinano has been a fixture on Venice Beach since the early 1960s, a packed, no-frills spot where surfers, locals and tourists collide. There’s no full bar here — just beer and burgers — and it felt refreshingly unchanged: loud, busy and optimistic, like stepping back a few decades for a perfect sesame-seed bun bar burger.

Stop 3: Prince O’ Whales — Playa del Rey — 5:30 p.m.

Crossing a marina and into a quieter stretch of Los Angeles, we hit a compact cluster of three bars in Playa del Rey. Prince O’ Whales brings the nautical grit: a grumpy-but-good bartender, college-football noise and a small patio where late afternoon light and ocean breeze do half the work of unwinding you.

Stop 4: The Harbor Room — Playa del Rey — 6:01 p.m.

Inarguably tiny — part dive, part snug yokocho — The Harbor Room is all wood and lived-in character. Drinks come with a sense of intimacy (and occasionally a mistaken order); friendly neighbors nudged us toward dinner from the adjoining space and someone deposited a steaming foil of ravioli at our table. It’s that kind of place.

Stop 5: The Shack — Playa del Rey — 6:27 p.m.

One block and several martinis later we landed at The Shack, a larger surf-bar classic with the right amount of wear. The Shack Burger, topped with a butterflied Louisiana hot link, made for a decadent bite to share. The bar felt like stage-set authenticity—worn, roomy and exactly as comfortable as it looked.

Stop 6: Ercole’s — Manhattan Beach — 7:23 p.m.

Almost a century old, Ercole’s could easily be the centerpiece of a crawl: a fiercely independent spot that has survived waves of development and still draws a mixed, loyal crowd. The cheeseburger there is simple, chargrilled and local — proof that some neighborhood institutions resist becoming curated destinations and remain functional, beloved community spots.

After a quick call to our dinner reservation — we were running about 20 minutes late — we drove inland for the last stop.

Stop 7: Torihei — Torrance — after 8 p.m.

We ended the night in Torrance at a compact izakaya where sake and yakitori felt like the most sensible way to close a bar crawl. A bowl of simmered daikon in dashi, topped with katsuobushi, was quietly restorative. Skewers, cartilage, grilled meatballs and a small chicken-and-rice bowl made for a restorative, savory finish.

I was home, showered and in bed before 11:15 — proof you can have a long, sociable night and still make a reasonable parent’s bedtime.

• Why this matters now: long-running neighborhood bars are under pressure from rising property values and changing tastes; they survive when communities show up.
• Practical takeaways: start early to enjoy daylight, plan flexible meet-up points, and snack rather than commit to one heavy meal if you want to hit multiple places.
• Must-try items: Chez Jay — classic martini; Hinano Cafe — sesame bun burger; The Harbor Room — unexpected ravioli; The Shack — Shack Burger with hot link; Ercole’s — chargrilled cheeseburger; Torihei — daikon in dashi and yakitori.

More than nostalgia, this kind of small-civic ritual helps sustain local businesses and keeps neighborhood traditions alive. If you value unvarnished, convivial places where the décor is history and the regulars are part of the room, showing up — and spending a little — is the simplest way to keep them around.