Ive been there several times. It is a small, intimate setting, yet every time ive been there they managed to make room for someone to be playing live music. Service has always been acceptable and prices are normal for California..(high) The drinks are decent and the food is standard barfood fare and quality. The attraction here isn't just the food or drinks... to me it us the intimate, living room ambiance read more

Unless you're a local or know someone who's extra special so you can go upstairs, it's over crowded, no place to sit and impossible to get a drink within 10-15 minutes of waiting. read more

Very pretty inside and out. Dj was nice and inviting. Live and was an easy listen. Otherwise patrons and staff very unfriendly. Definitely not a spot to try if you're new in town or visiting read more

Downstairs Bar - Bars Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

Very dismissive and disrespectful female staff member with brown hair. Speaking with her, it seemed like she wasn't happy to be working. After asking for my ID, she tossed it down instead of handing it back to me. The food looked good and there was a nice place to sit outside with my dog, so I decided to still stay for that. Once my order was ready, same staff member just held it out the window, no eye contact, no utensils and no water was offered. I asked her for napkins, and she ignored me and never brought any. Wouldn't come back despite the decent food. Worst service I've had ever. There was one other staff member who was courteous. read more

Rude and inattentive staff member. Maybe having a bad day but no reason to take that out on patrons. Nice empanadas - but made us feel unwelcome. read more

Ordered 2 pinot noir and was charge 50+ dollars. Completed rip off. Never will go there again.

Small venue. On the nights ive been here, it's crowded, fun with a good mix of people, DJ. Bar service is spotty obviously when it's busy. read more

This is a tiny bar with a few outside tables. Upstairs is a private club for members only. With that said, pretty much a locals place. Good bar food for early diners. The bar fills quickly and with only one or two tending the bar service can be fairly slow. Live music on most Thursday nites. Friday and Saturday same. I like it here cause I'm local. read more

MJ is amazing. Such a great experience. Great drinks and great environment. Will be a regular for sure read more

Definitely do NOT recommend. Went with my wife today when they opened. Many people outside were being served. They were all white. We were the only people of color. Sat at an outside table. We weren't served. Figured, okay, we will walk inside and order. We walked in and the bartender looked up at us and said "oh fuck" with a disgusted face and turned her back to us. A man standing at the bar turned to look at us with an awkward glance. We immediately left. Went down the street to Uncorked where we received excellent service and wine. Don't waste your money here with these whack ass people. read more

This place looked great, loved the decor. Didn't love standing by the bar waiting for 20 minutes to get a drink without anyone ever acknowledging us. We left after that. read more

Awesome. Like having a cocktail in a really cool person's house. But really tiny house. Enjoy the atmosphere and cocktails but get there early. The seating is comfy but small. Cheers! read more

Very bad experience with this Bartender. She was very rude. She ignored us for more than 25 minutes read more

Downstairs Bar - I had a very bad experience with this Bartender. She was very rude, looks like she don't want to serve us. - Bars Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

I went there last night & ordered 4 Tito's Mules & bartender charged $47.96 & I asked about $8 everyday special, she said no. I took my friends & made me embarrassed & ripped me off. Here is some pictures of the special on the door says $8 every day! read more

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Good food, good drinks, great place Friday after work. The music is always good - fun vibe. I wish they'd get one more server or someone that focuses on the outside tables as it's a challenge to get service. read more

Found this lil gem yesterday just strolling thru cute Manhattan Beach.. Such a cute classy lil joint!! The nicest bartender, 2 of my FAVORITE red wines & DELICIOUS bar food!!! Cant go wrong here!! We will definitely be back!! Thank you! :) read more

I've only ever come after work between 5pm-8pm on a week day, accompanied by my husband. I suppose it was the right time because there typically aren't many patrons. We always sat by the open window that faced Manhattan Avenue. The Downstairs Bar is actually on the corner at street level, which is cool because you can see families walking, joggers, kids on skateboards or bicycles, and you can smell the ocean. It's a quaint establishment and the drinks are excellent and are priced from $12-$14. You can get food here which is quite good as well. It comes from the restaurant upstairs. It's a great place to come for a quick bite to eat as they have $10 appetizers including excellent salmon, pork and beef sliders. If you get the burger or the beef sliders make sure to ask for the special, homemade barbecue sauce. It's to die for! read more

Fun place to hang @ Manhattan Beach with good audience and deicious cocktails. And fun music + good location.

Nice unexpectedly classy bar. They have daily specials, and I can really see how this place is a new local favorite. Its small but it gets crowded fast on a Saturday night starting maybe 8pm. A DJ takes the corner area by the window area, and its even more packed. read more

My fiancé and I were in town. We spent Jan 7th night perusing the area, looking for places for our friends and family to enjoy during our future wedding weekend. This bar is NOT a place we would recommend. We were "welcomed" by the bartender's disgusted face and sat down waiting for her acknowledgement. She continued to talk to a customer and failed to acknowledge that we sat down. Once she came over, she asked if we wanted anything. I asked her for the menu, and she corrected me... "oh, the DRINK LIST?" Long story short, this will not be a place we recommend. We couldn't even try what they had to offer without seeing through the bartender's attitude. Her lack of willingness to do her job plus her priority to talk about her life was more important than providing service to new customers. read more

Worst bar in town .. I was there with a couple of friends and a female bartender was extremely rude to us , ignoring us the entire time ! She seemed very unhappy working there .. so rude !!! Never coming back and I'm pretty sure neither my friends ! read more

Pretty good Calamari from @downstairsbarmb . This is somewhat of a shameless plug. Wednesdays with Ji Hae or Andi bartending is the night to go. But actually most nights they have great looking, personable bartenders. Half off all Bourbons is enough to get me to any bar. The food is surprisingly good. I've only tried a few dishes but each time I've been impressed. Plus it's a small friendly atmosphere. Ji usually introduces everyone at the bar to each other. Easy place to make fast friends. I'll be back to try some more grub and whiskey. read more

Boy has this place gone downhill. I'm a local and a frequent visitor for 16 years since the Side Door days. Popped in this week after Strand House Bar closed early with 3 friends. We were a group of 3 ladies and 1 guy, all professionals and well dressed for a nice evening out for dinner and drinks after work. The place was empty except 6-7 guys sitting at the bar. All booths/tables empty and two bartenders working. On quiet nights I've always sat at one of the tables and the bartenders immediately come over and take drink orders-figured it would be the same. Not so-despite being walked past several times by one bar tender he neither acknowledged us or prompted us to order at the bar-we had menus in hand and were thirsty. Clearly we did not walk in to just sit down and talk-it's a bar-where you drink-new concept right. You would think they would want to sell said drinks to thirsty customers. Had any other bars besides Ercoles or Shellback still been open we would have left. The bartender walked past us again and we flagged him down and he said I'll get your order when I come back. He did. Only to be followed by the female bartender 5 minutes later asking us what our order was again stating that we "probably didn't hear him because he so cute but we are closing at 12am" Ok. She serves our drinks another 10 min later and said "you are going to have to close out and drink fast we are closing now" but we just got our drinks and have been sitting there for 45 minutes. They then proceeded to tell us they can give us a to go cup! Um illegal! We sat and continued to drink our cocktails. The bartender came over again and said we are closing you have to leave again offering us a roadie cup. There were still 5 guys sitting at the bar in no hurry to leave still chatting up the other bar tender and not being aggressively asked to leave. I expressed my displeasure with this whole experience and the terrible service they provided and of course we had already closed out and tipped! They clearly only care about the members only upstairs and care less about any business coming into downstairs. Not to mention the women's bathroom was appalling! The public beach bathrooms are cleaner. Smelled like a urinal and clearly the men at the bar had been using the ladies room. Downstairs you can do better. read more

For good wines by the glass, this is a very fine joint. We're picky about our grapes, so were pleased to see impressive labels like Le Cigare Volant and Rombauer Zin. If money's no object, you can top class bottles, like Silver Oak or Justin Isosceles. There's decent food too, that comes from the upstairs private club. We had a delicious cheese and meat plate, but they have good lamb skewers, sliders, fish tacos, and flatbreads. We had a friendly waitress who took good care of us. The only downside is it's small and parking is tough in MB. read more

Excellent bar bites and good drink selection, loveee the daytime vibe. it's a little too... interesting... at night. Best for regulars and locals :) read more

Mmm lovely vibe super cute bar great bar tender "Eva" oh the fish tacos amazing!! Can't wait to to return:)!

Have lived in town for 10 years and have always loved the spot. Sidedoor was great most of the time with great people working there, the Red Room was great every once in a while with mostly great people working there, but Downstairs is always great with only great people working there (and better ownership / management). Side benefit for folks in a relationship... It's Downstairs, not The Downstairs... So if your bedroom is upstairs and your girl is in bed, "Where were you last night?" "Downstairs, then I slept on the couch." "Oh okay!" None the wiser! read more

My friends and I had a great time here. We walked there up the Strand and had a drink on a Sunday afternoon and enjoyed it so much we went back for dinner and Monday Night Football before we flew home. Sam and MJ took good care of us and we chatted up some friendly locals as well. read more

Not sure what's upstairs. If you ever see me here, don't bother bringing me a contract to sign, it won't be legally enforceable. Plus, I'm not good at signing paper when I'm cross-eyed. Good drinks here, shocker, (literally, not the thing you do with your fingers). read more

Great atmosphere and super fun people, definitely worth sneaking off the beaten path to indulge a little. read more

Downstairs Bar - Amazing Moscow mule manhattan beach style - Bars Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

I gave this place one star which is precisely the same number of opportunities I gave them to impress. Something really strange happened when I wandered into the bar this evening after leaving a haircut appointment. I had a little time to spare since my wife was also having her hair done, and while I've lived in the area for 20+ years I had never been to The Downstairs Bar. When I sat down at the bar, for some inexplicable reason I became completely and utterly invisible to the young woman tending bar. I sat at the end of the bar for about 10 minutes and watched her piddle around behind the bar, and talk to some of the locals, and clean a few glasses. I could've swore that at one point she looked at me and mouthed the words "I'll be right with you". So I mouthed the words right back "thank you". I sat there for another 10 minutes and she absolutely never looked over at me. I quietly stood up and walked out. Walked across the street to the Arthur J where I became completely visible again and received outstanding service. I'm honestly not sure what her deal was but I have never been in there before, and they were not busy at the time. I won't be going back, and despite what I may have thought as a kid, being invisible is not all that I thought it would be. Sad excuse for Customer Service. She should be fired. read more

Wonderful bar with awesome delicious drinks. Marvelous atmosphere and interesting creative decor. Qualified and friendly staff. read more

Went with a couple friends, ordered a rum and coke, got a bill for $45. Discovered she put someone else's drinks on my tab. No apology from the snotty waitress. This was the second time I've been there...the exact same thing happened the first time. I gave them a pass then, but not now. Never again. If you like waitresses/thieves with attitudes and bad service, this is your spot. read more

Yup, I like it. Been here many times and never know what you're going to walk in to. Yes, very small and seats maybe twenty. I like it as a second stop after leaving another watering hole. It's normally quite and occupied by locals. They have live music at times (small bands or singles) and drinks are not cheap but ample. Great bartenders. It sits below the 900 Club (where the kitchen is located). Oh, and the food (not a restaurant) is way above average for a bar. Parking is Street only. Which means there ain't none! Walking is the preferred means of transport at the beach! That's pretty much it. read more

My understanding is that the upstairs is a private, members-only club. I would expect that any non-member who ventured upstairs without an invitation, or without being a member's guest, would be politely asked to leave. If the upstairs is as nice as the downstairs, I'm sure the members are very happy. There are great drink specials served by friendly bartenders during the week, as well as DJs and sometimes live music. Follow them on IG to see what's going on for the evening. You can watch the game on television while enjoying a delicious cocktail, or a glass of wine, and feel the ocean breeze coming through the open windows. Late evenings can get loud and crowded in this intimate, cozy space, but in a good way. The clientele is mostly young professionals and beachgoers in their 20s and 30s. This is one of my favorite places in MB within walking distance from my home that I can go for a drink, knowing that the experience will always be pleasant. No cash, CC or debit only read more

Bright and airy little bar in downtown Manhattan with a view of the ocean. Friendly bartenders, awesome food, and live music or fun DJs on weekends. Place gets packed on Fridays and Saturdays, and it is usually a fun crowd. Bring a credit or debit card, they don't take cash. Overall this is definitely one of the best spots to go out in the South Bay! read more

This place is awful! My boyfriend and I came here for drinks after dinner at Love and Salt and couldn't get the bartenders to even acknowledge us for almost 15 minutes, even after approaching the bar. After attempting to be patient, we finally receive our $16 glass of wine after another 20 minutes. Unfortunately, it was terrible. We approach the bar twice to ask if we could try something else and was ignored again, twice. To make matter worse, one of the two bartenders was more worried about lighting candles than providing service to her customers. We finally left and went to Arthur J, where we had an amazing experience and a legit $16 glass of wine. Will never return here again. read more