I'll keep it simple . Great food ! Shitty service Questionable prices . If you're in the area it's a cool place to grab a drink and some food but be ready to pay up and see if you're lucky that the servers might actually feel like doing their job that day. read more

Mikey is just the best bartender In town. Plus he wears the best shirts. The drinks are good and so is the vibe. read more

Shellback Tavern - Environment. - Dive Bars Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

Met up with friends here. I forgot about the MB Open (duh) which meant the place was packed and had to park a ways! A totally different vibe at night compared to the post-biking on the Strand afternoon crowd. I'm no shortypants but on this particular evening, of course I hadn't felt so short since I watched the World Cup in Germany. Cheap drinks considering this is high rent MB. The server was very communicative about closing out the patio. Evening metered parking always a struggle. read more

Always have the best time, the bartender Mikey is the nicest guy and goes above and beyond for the people here!!!!

Definitely an the end of the night kind of place, divey beach club vibes. It was totally packed on on a Saturday night, and had a line to come in. No cover, casual clothes. We went for a birthday and lingered around standing as a mob inside. The bartender was amazing, weaving through people with full beers, and being impressively attentive for how crowded it was. My group mostly had shots and beers, and it was the place to be for party the people by the beach. It was too crowded for me personally, and as someone short, hard to make my way through the throng of surprisingly tall people haha. The bathroom situation is... surprising? Clean enough for a bar, but kind of like a crammed hostel with two random stalls at different levels, haven't seen a bathroom like that in America. I had a good time with my friends. I was driving, and therefore not drinking, so not the target audience for the night. read more

Shellback Tavern - Inside - Dive Bars Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

Arrived early evening on Friday night. It wasn't packed at the time we were easily able to sit at the bar. And hour and half later that completely changed. It was packed! People squeezed in everywhere and I can see why. The music was great, a mix of today's hits with an old school 90s, 00s vibe. Everyone's vibing and drinks are coming fast. They had a surprisingly large food menu to choose from. I had the nacho with steak plate, pretty damn good only recommendation is to add more steak because it was pretty scarce but the rest was good. Parking is difficult at this location if you don't arrive early. And you do have to pay for the meter. Great place For food and drinks and a great vibe. read more

Shellback Tavern - Jameson and ginger ale - Dive Bars Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

Been coming here for years. Great vibes and great views. Even better service from Jack Mehoff the bartende! thanks Jack read more

Shellback Tavern - Mike Ehline at Shellback - Dive Bars Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

Mikey is an amazing bartender!! Great service and great drinks!!!! Visiting from the Central Valley and we'll definitely be back next time we're here read more

Shellback is a great place for happy hour! Great food. A friendly and accommodating staff and reasonably priced drinks.

The bartenders are amazing! Great location with great music. It's a little dead of course during day but by the end of the night it's packed. If you go to back right of establishment you can have a great view of the ocean while drinking your drink of choice. I ordered some steak tacos but I have to say everything on taco was great but the amount of meat completely over powered the taco it's self. The steak itself was cooked and seasoned every well! Other then that it's a great place to wind down and have some fun on Manhattan beach! read more

Shellback Tavern - "filet Mignon" Carne Asada Steak Tacos ( 3 ) - Dive Bars Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

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The best around! I haven't been in 5 years and guess what it's the best service and best fish and chips. read more

Shellback Tavern - Fish and chips - Dive Bars Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

Well how can you beat a dive bar with these views. Would love to come back when its busy. Seems like a super fun place. Please note we didnt eat here had a few delicious beers only, but we will be back for sure. read more

Shellback Tavern - Great little hang out on the beach! - Dive Bars Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

Location, Location, Location! Sitting right at the entrance to Manhattan Beach Pier makes for an outstanding location! My buddy and I stopped here on a Saturday afternoon for a quick bite to eat. We were able to snag a nice little spot outside overlooking the Pier. Not a bad place to people watch and just enjoy the ocean breeze. We ordered up some wings and a few beers with the very friendly staff. We weren't disappointed, the wings were crispy and hot like promised. Great little spot, we will for sure stop by more and more. read more

Shellback Tavern - Hot wings - Dive Bars Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

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If you're looking for a laid back bar with reasonable prices and awesome bartenders this place is for you. Mikey is awesome and when I had a few too many and left my cell phone there, he held onto it for a couple of days until I could make the drive back and pick it up. My go to spot to come when I'm in Manhattan beach. Thanks again Mikey!! read more

I read about this place last August 2018 and it sounded interesting. It did not disappoint. Burgers on/by the beach. If you find yourself near Manhattan Beach you should check it out. Parking right across the read more

Not that anyone reads yelp for this place but here it goes. $9 for a beer at a "dive" bar should be a crime. I've been to plenty of dives, bathrooms disgusting, that's fine. But to be filled with a bunch of college age kids and to still have that amount of filth while charging those prices?? I don't get it. Whoever wants to waste their money here feel free but I'll be elsewhere spending the same amount per drink for much better quality alcohol. read more

Since we are still in the COVID-19 pandemic no more drinking allowed inside so the bar set up a few tables in the alley way with a partial ocean view. I wanted a beer on tap but you have to order food also - I decided on a chicken taco. The beer on tap selection is from the big corporate companies and no small micro-beers. The taco was gringo style but was actually pretty good tasting with the small flour tortillas they used. read more

Shellback Tavern - Taco Tuesday 2020 - Dive Bars Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

Mikey is the best bartender ever!!!!! Had the best time ever at Shellback! Love you Mikey!

Don't pass over this place! Relaxing day at Manhattan Beach was topped off with fun drinks and great bar food. Whatever you think of typical fried bar food, the Mahi Mahi options were amazing. The blackened Mahi Mahi sandwich was an out of control portion that I'm still dreaming about. Subtly seasoned, not overpowering. I added a slice of cheese for fun. Partner had Mahi Mahi tacos and loved them, could barely finish. Just for fun, try the calamari. The clientele is laid back and friendly. There is always visual entertainment from the passer-bys. Our amazing Russian server kept us all in place, everyone take care of and satisfied! read more

Shellback Tavern - Amazing Mahi Mahi lunches. Tacos and blackened on a sandwich. Huge portions with a side of calamari. - Dive Bars Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

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Fun, lively place across from Beach. Bloody Mary's, sliders and nachos all good. Lots of tvs for sports watching and good music too. read more

Service was great! Food was decent for bar food. But as we were eating there were baby roaches crawling on the wall....

1. The waitress, whether intentionally or not, ignored us for fifteen minutes. Shoutout to the table across from us who pointed out to the waitress that we'd been there for a while and no one had acknowledged us. When she finally came over, we had to ask her to clear the table of empty glasses from the party before us. She was really unfriendly. Seemed like we were an inconvenience to her. Wasn't aware we weren't allowed to sit at a table here with a baby. We were just trying to have a drink and some dinner. 2. If you click "Menu" on Yelp be aware those prices are completely incorrect- I'm not talking about the pictures of the menu from four years ago, but the prices for individual items listed on Yelp. The actual menu prices are significantly higher. Frustrating since one of the reasons we picked this place was the lower prices. We ended up walking out. We were excited to try this place- we love dive bars. Won't be back though. read more

Hung out here one night with 3 other friends, 2 of us left briefly to use the restroom on the pier because the line for women was SUPER long. Anyway, leave and come back and at the door we ask if we can come back in...he says no. Let me say I would have had no issue going to the front......but he proceeds to let others go in. Specifically white males and a few white females. I go to the front prepared to stand in line and I ask that bouncer what the deal was, and why that happened. He explains a few things to me and I just say that is not what happened and my friend (chinese) and I (african american) are not happy with how we felt we were being treated. This bouncer proceeds to blow up and say that we were being disrespectful and rude and that we would not be allowed back in. I do not stay anywhere that I am not welcome so my friends and I left and I will never go back.......and to think I almost bought a hat :/ From my experience I would agree that this establishment definitely has racist tendencies. read more

This place is great... and omg the location!! Total dive bar with the best atmosphere. Food was fantastic! I will go back for the guacamole and chips any day. Super fresh.. chips were still warm. The cheese fries hit the spot and the club sandwich was great. Drinks were great and prices are good. If your lucky enough to go on a night where Rob is the bartender you will never be disappointed with your drink. He's awesome! read more

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Fun beach bar right by MB pier, always a blast. Great music; Fanta shots.., need I say more ?

Addison did a wonderful job of checking in on our group every 15 minutes! Restaurant like service!

Perfect little beach bar. Staff was very attentive and helpful. Ordered the corned beef sandwich which was good. Prices are high for a dive bar but the location on the beach makes it semi justified. Pitchers of beer were expensive $15 for a lager. This place is ok. But has a great location, steps from the beach. read more

Shellback Tavern - Dive Bars Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

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Great Manhattan Beach local bar a long history since the early 1920's the have great wings and sliders and favorite is the beer batter chicken fingers. You have a great view of the Pier. The only thing missing is they do not have Teremana tequila which is my all time favorite.. Nothing else compares. Gary read more

Fun spot to stop and grab drinks! Vibe was cool and everyone was having a good time. They didn't have their TV's on though, so no sports to watch. read more

My husband and I were looking for a bar near the water for a quick beer and some wings. We stopped at BrewCo but it was way too loud and crowded. We wanted to be able to hear each other so we went a couple doors down to Shellback. It was empty so we decided it was perfect. We sat near a window so we could see the ocean. We were greeted almost immediately. We ordered a couple beers and some wings. The beers on tap were icy cold and the wings were so yummy! Shortly after our first beer, it got pretty crowded however the service was not affected by it. This spot was perfect for what we were looking for. Nothing fancy about it but beer, wings, and service was great! read more

Shellback Tavern - Dive Bars Near Me - Manhattan Beach, California

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My husband and I stopped in because we thought it would have an awesome view of the water. It does! The prices were more economical. We peeked and then checked out the rest of the block. Please keep in mind, this was around 1pm on a Monday. If there was a lunch rush it should have been toward its end. All the other open restaurants on the block were clearly experiencing one. The Shellback was not. We returned for the view & sat toward the back per staff suggestion. So, no, we didn't just wander in. Waitstaff knew we were back there. My husband, Mr Life-of-the-Party who talks to and charms everyone he meets - even asked a question before going to the mensroom. I was left to take photos of the view and select our entrees. It felt like a really long time. It may have only been 6 or 7 minutes. My husband returned and asked whether I had placed our orders. I let him know that no one had come to take them. He made the executive decision to leave. Obviously, they didn't want our money. Plus, I got the feeling, despite the large menu, that they are primarily a bar instead of a restaurant. We went elsewhere. read more

Mikey with the all time service ! Beers were flowing, vibes were high. Thanks homie. Cheers ! read more

Friendly service. Great burger. Scenic views. Didn't know what convivial meant in the online description before going there. Now I do. Convivial in deed. Five stars read more

I had such an amazing time thanks to Sarah & Rob ! 100% recommend this place for wonderful service ! read more

Beer is cold, service is solid, and my friends say the chow is "okay"; jukebox can wander into the "11" range on the dial, which I don't like. That aside, I definitely prefer the vibe at Shell Back's then many of the other watering holes in town. In the end, it's another of a small handful of South Bay drinking establishments I have been to a half-dozen or so times over the years, so more of a nostalgic stop for a drink rather than a place I want to frequent on the rare occasion I venture into Manhattan Beach. Cheers! RS read more

Classic dive bar: Drinks are good and beer is cold. I had a greyhound and Bloody Mary (not too difficult to make - bloody was just ok). The $17 Cheeseburger sucked although the fries were good but cost an extra $2. One of the worst overdone burgers I've had in a long long time. Been coming here for years as A staple dive bars. Prefer Ercole's (around the corner) where you can get the same drinks and cold beer but a fresh charbroiled cheeseburger. My two cents - order cheeseburger at your own risk. read more

Good food, very decent prices for being right on the beach, and good service. There is a weird restroom setup in the middle of the dining area, and the space has a really divey feel to it. Having been here a couple of times now I can say that it is a decent place to meet up with friends and to have a taco and drink, but it's not anything special. There is also a weird smell that I have come to realize is either something they use to deodorize the place or is the cleaner they use mixed with the smells of a bar. In any case the smell is odd and a little off-putting. Decorations in this space come in the way of volleyball posters and photos. This makes sense as there are several dozen volleyball nets on the beach just steps from this establishment. read more

Great Beach bar with the Best Buffalo wings in Cali!! Dry rub with blue cheese n the side OG - Legit. #gobills

Great chill place to be yourself. Danny is fantastic. Hugely recommend. Good vibes all around.

Epic dive bar! Great wings, view and the staff is normally great. Local dive bar but certainly makes tourists feel welcome.