Yelp review: "I have recently been coming to the venue. Really enjoying the music and food. Til I was recently there for the KRS-ONE show and lecture. Great time. Thanks to Keano for the hospitality and laughs. But I noticed that during the lecture, the topics KRS-ONE was talking about was playing out right in front of my eyes. I had seen Keano working security and bar-backing. He wasn't allowed to take food or drink orders, and when I asked why, he said he wasn't "qualified". He seemed to be the only person running food back and forth and other things constantly. The server I didn't even get her name but it was one time the tall blonde girl, and another time was the short light skinned girl. They both didn't seem to want to be working at all. Every time I went there, the servers were just bad. The girl Mya was amazing and friendly. The other 2 both times were very dismissive and rude. Both girls got my order wrong. One time the blonde just didn't bring my food and when confronted she had an attitude towards me like it was my mistake. Luckily Keano came and apologized for their mistakes. It's unfortunate that this place has 1 guy who seems to be doing more work than the rest, but is considered "unqualified" to take orders. The amount of time I've seen both servers waste just standing there or being on their phone while watching others working hard, is the exact example of what the lecture was about. I hope Keano gets compensated properly, and the other 2 girls either gets trained better on how to do their job and come to work with a better attitude, or management needs to find better people. Such a shame for an amazing place to be operating with poor staff and management. They are losing so much money with the people they have as "qualified". Keano was the best for showing us welcome and he made sure we had a great time Thank you read more

Was here for a private Pardee real estate catered, 20th anniversary, party! As we are clients, having purchased through Colleen :) Was delightful evening: band was playing, yummy food was catered, and drinks were delicious even me with my virgin margarita! Even had thoughtful, rustic party favors too. Parked across Lincoln, was easy peezy to walk over too. Moody, elegant, intimate cozy, coastal bar vibes. Never knew this was here all these years in Venice! Now we know. Something a lil different than the abbot Kinney tourist fare, or oceanfront dive bar variety. May return shortly and try the Saturday brunch bc why not? Right. We Always enjoy food with live music and the beach nearby. It really doesn't get any better than that, esp in this LA Heatwave. Here's to many more years and more Venice Beach history. Now off we go to an evening of Art Crawl heehe. read more

The Venice West - Pardee real estate founder speech - Music Venues Near Me - Venice, California

Great vibe good ambiance Good bands Door cover a little high Lacks chairs for ppl to sit on read more

Sister Nancy rocked us on in style, dance and energy. What a crowd of people that all wanted to let go and dance our hearts out. Sister Nancy did just that.... Allowed us joy! read more

I had to go to Los Angeles for work and was fortunate enough that my work dates coincided with a Shinyribs show. If you've never seen them perform, make it a priority. It's different types of music that works and you're guaranteed to have a good time unless you're just a mopey person, and even then, you will enjoy yourself. The venue: I'd never been to this place but it is reminiscent of old school bars with a small stage. Getting a drink can be a challenge because everybody goes belly up at the bar but be patient and you'll get attentive service when the barkeep gets to you. Drinks are stiff, pours are generous, and prices are very reasonable for the area. The sound is great, we started at the back and made our way up front. It's a bit of an elbowing game but as long as you're not a jerk, people will step aside for you. It probably also helps that I'm 6'3. I enjoyed the show and will revisit if work takes me back to L.A. read more

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Came here to enjoy a concert and I thorough enjoyed my night! I parked a few blocks away on a residential street, so just a heads up on parking. I had a VIP table and it was ready for me when I arrived. I wasn't particularly hungry, but I did want to try some of their food. I'm a big fan of fried pickles, so I ordered that as well as some non-alcoholic drinks. I love how reasonably priced the drinks were! As for the fried pickles, I was a little disappointed because they were a bit too salty for my taste buds. I only ended up eating half. But since I was here for the music, it didn't negatively affect my overall experience. I was very impressed with the stage, sound and lighting system. It is the perfect venue to host an intimate concert. I will definitely be back to try their happy hour!! read more

Great place for live music on the west side. They booked some really good acts. The bartender slings drinks in rapid fire.

We found out about a Beatles tribute band (Beat 5) playing a Sunday at The Venice West. We'd never been before and we'll definitely be back. Fantastic music, great venue, tasty drinks and wonderful staff...especially our server Treestan. If you are looking for a fun Sunday brunch with live Beatles music I highly recommend The Beat 5 @thebeat_5 the first Sunday of the month. read more

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The food was great as I didn't not expect that coming to an event I purchased tickets for. Service from the bartenders was also very good considering a packed crowd. The presentation of the bar is very welcoming and appreciated for a music venue. I will be back read more

Great bands every Saturday for Grateful brunch. Really good burger. Nice Bloody Mary. Great hang with your love and friends. read more

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Went last night to see Journey Jukebox. I want to complement the bartender. He was very friendly & nice and made the evening more enjoyable. Will definitely come back to this venue in the future. read more

The Venice West - Music Venues Near Me - Venice, California

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I came back to this bar to see Led Zepagain and was hoping to score a free ticket. To my amazement the show was sold out and this venue has lots of floor space too. I waited in the standby line outside and was lucky to get a free ticket from a fan. The bartenders were crazy busy getting all the drink orders out and you should expect to pay around $14 per mixed drink. The sound was very loud even with earplugs. read more

So excited to see GoldFord play at an intimate space. Also fortunate to get a VIP table What wasn't fortunate or even my part time job was getting the random ass people that just came in out.. and that when they came in and obnoxiously obstructing the view which was the point of selecting those tables So it wasn't just me having to say something but 2 other parties that had to address the issue. So if you're going to sell and "resell" tables have a staff member that controls it better than the customers read more

The Venice West - VIP????! maybe - Music Venues Near Me - Venice, California

TOO LOUD!! Great place for live music. Staff is cool, food is good. Place is comfy. I took off one star because it's TOO LOUD. You cannot talk once the band starts. It's exorbitantly loud. Totally unnecessary. Last time I was there to see Coco Montoya I honestly couldn't take it anymore. I could not have a conversation with my friends and it was just really un enjoyable. And yes, I'm 58 years old. However, I went up and asked the sound guy if he had any ear plugs and he did. So that was cool. When I go there now, I always bring my own earplugs, but I really wish they could just turn it down just a tad. read more

The Venice West was pretty cool. Just a little bit too square for us. (The crowd was too square) The staff/ employees even the security guards were all awesome super friendly and welcoming. Definitely love the vibe they all had going on. The decor is nice and inviting. Love the setup and it's very well maintained. Our waitress I believe her name was Bee but I didn't get a receipt so I'm not 100% sure that's her name. She was freaking awesome such a sweetheart and on top of her game!! We never had to ask for anything. She really made our Valentine's night out a great one! Food/drinks 5 stars means amazing 4 stars means good 3 stars means ok 2 stars means bad 1 star means horrible Beer 5 stars Cadillac margarita was 5 stars in taste but way too small of a glass for 17 bucks a pop. Cauliflower fried chicken was 5 stars but definitely a little skimpy on the portion but delicious AF. Onion rings 5 stars very fresh and tasty Fish tacos 5 stars Very tasty, fresh, and super crispy. Pepperoni and spicy honey pizza 4 stars Very tasty but needs some kind of spicy to tone down the honey. Unfortunately the honey isn't spicy. Parmesan fries 3 stars were crispy but lacked flavor. Flourless chocolate cake gets 1 star It was the most horrible cake ever. It should be named flavorless chocolate cake. Absolutely disgusting. Also a shot out to the older gentleman in the kitchen who brought out or food. He was super friendly and fast. Knocked off 1 star for the fact we had to wait an hour over the start time for the live music until 9pm instead of 8pm and the little tiny glass for the Cadillac margarita. Other than that everything was good. Overall a decent spot for some live music, food, and drinks. read more

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Completely impressed with this venue. Did not know what to expect tonight as I was gifted tickets. Was super pumped when the staff welcomed us to a high top table early and were tentatively taking care of us drink after drink! The fries lemme tell you about those Parmesan Garlic Fries - perfect little drunk snack! The venue overall was completely rad, clean, and super a vibe for what it was! Sound quality was solid even after some difficulties. I'll certainly be back especially if there's a show up my alley next time we visit! read more

The Venice West - Music Venues Near Me - Venice, California

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It was fun! Wandered in here on an early Saturday afternoon (1230pm I believe). There was a great band playing, the bartender was handsome, nice and attentive. There was a menu for food/brunch. There was a good amount of people in here. The place is large and clean. The bottled beer choices are minimal but they had many on tap. Full bar. Everyone looked super happy! Thanks for the great company Venice West! Selud! read more

The Venice West - Music Venues Near Me - Venice, California

Charged $30 ticket to get in. $300 for a table. The placed was packed. Then they kicked everyone out around 10:30 pm for a different event? Really terrible. Don't recommend. read more

First time here and was blown away! Lex and the bar staff are on it!! Great drinks and very fast and efficient. Only had the calamari which was amazing but the pizzas looked tremendous too! Very cool intimate spot if you get the opportunity to see a show. Highly recommend!! read more

The service was great, drinks were strong, food was good. The venue was intimate yet did not seem too small. Great place to catch a band and have a drink. Crowd was mixed and very chill. read more

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This is usually an awesome venue and they do their best to get solid bookings for shows. The bartenders and staff are great! They just started this double booking in the same night crap. Let me splain... Went to a show that started at 8p no opener. They went on right at 8 and then right at 10p that was it. 2hours for $40 ticket for a tiny bar. The reasoning? They have a disco from 11-2p. I'm all for disco but wtf?! If I knew that was the case I might not have gone or at least had that knowledge going in. Not cool and will second guess going again. read more

Nice space, good sound, good food! (Especially Brunch) Great and varied musical acts, professional sound

Juliana and Keano were amazing!! Put up with me and my drunk friends. They deserve the world! (And a raise)

I love this venue more for the ambience and music as they do not really have many gluten free options aside from fries and 1 pasta . Service is attentive and their Shirley Temples are perfect! read more

Sunday music unlimited mimosa for an hour what a day The manager was very cool, since it was our 1st time here he was telling us about all the bands , the food and drinks. He was very informative. I order homemade nuggets with tomato salad. Yum yum. I enjoy the service here read more

Good drinks, music and friendly bartenders with stiff pours Came to see a Doors cover band read more

The Venice West - Ketel Soda/Espresso Martini - Music Venues Near Me - Venice, California

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This place is a great venue to see your favorite artist perform up close and personal. It's a cozy little space with a large dance floor and bar area. I recommend doing the VIP table and getting food and drinks. The seats are a good view for any performance and the food is delicious and cooked fresh! read more

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I have visited the Venice West for both a night out and for brunch and I will absolutely be coming back here for many events in the future! Ambiance - overall great vibes here 24/7! There is almost always live music from jazz, blues, funk, soul, rock and everything in between. The staff is friendly and the people who come here are all a lot of fun - it really attracts a wide range of ages and demographics which is what makes it so great! There are tables out during brunch but at night the floor is mostly cleared for dancing other than some seating on the sides. Service - such friendly workers here, you'll absolutely be taken care of! Food - brunch was great and had something for everyone. I will say I didn't notice a lot of vegan/vegetarian options but they do exist, I would just look at the menu before you go if you do have any dietary restrictions. Everyone in my group enjoyed their breakfast - some favorites included the salmon Benedict, breakfast burrito, and chicken sandwich. Drinks - great bloody Mary's and great selection of other cocktails and beer! They also have bottomless mimosas!! Price - typically LA prices for drinks and food I would say, but they do have happy hour deals! Overall - a great local spot to have a drink or brunch and listen to some live music. They have a schedule of music online and on their social media so definitely plan before you go. From what I've seen there's typically not a cover unless it's one of the bigger artists playing. Highly recommend for a night out of dancing in Venice and a fun brunch with friends! read more

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Our server helped herself to a bigger tip than we left.It was about half of our bill.My wife called and they kept hanging up on her.When she would call back ,they stopped answering read more

Great little venue with awesome staff. Drinks were also really good. Would definitely come back for another concert!

Good venue. Only one bartender at a sold out show. I'm sorry, that's what lost you stars! She's wonderful but drowning. Come on, you're actually losing money this way... read more

Cool bar near venice beach, good music, the only thing that was confusing was the lack of diversity. I could count on my hand the amount of POC in that bar. At one point they let in a bunch of young rowdy white kids who obviously didn't know the band and were making fun of the political situation pulling up pictures of "Ice cream trucks" at the same time the band was talking about the no kings protest. Seemed like they were just there to drink and get rowdy. I do want to say that the management and staff were extremely nice and friendly especially the girl in front! we felt welcomed by them but not the actual people in the surrounding area. Not really the bars fault but it would be nice to see maybe a sliding scale or bipoc night something that encourages more poc to come in through the doors read more

My first time here! Mainly because it took some early planning on my part purchasing the tix in advance and the only music i recognized was this Fleetwood Mac cover. Similar to Saint Rocke but a different crowd vibe. All good! We were greeted at the front door. They do have your name on the guest list as well. Staff is friendly and chill. We had reserved a table which was great for dining of course, but also people watching! They tables were like up along the windows so plenty of space for standing and dancing. The tables are a bit cozy, so we got to know the other tables. The management is lenient about sitting on top of thecomfy booth seating for better viewing which is really cool but no jumping around in the booth as evidenced by the staff putting the kibosh on those shenanigans. This is a very well managed space with a proactive and responsive service team. We ordered the awwsome Cauliflower Wings which is their signature appetizer. We also ordered the burger which was great too. Our server was very attentive and the tables were regularly bussed. Parking on the street in a residential area. So definitely we'll be back to check it out for brunch. read more

The Venice West - Yummy Cauli wings! - Music Venues Near Me - Venice, California

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Hit this caliente spot in Venice area. U must come early because it's standing room for the concert time otherwise grab a drink and chill.

Very impressed with the staff at Venice West; especially AJ and Keano! Everyone is very welcoming.

I loved this place. The security was very welcoming and the bartenders were amazing. A server named Ava came up to our booth to help us but her customer services was horrible. She was late on our drinks and food and when approached about the situation she gave me an attitude and smerk. Great business but that woman has to go. A very much recommended place without Ava. read more

This was a refreshing place. Great welcoming staff from front door, security, bartenders paid attention to you right away. Lay out was great and sound system was on point. The TALENT last night was Epic. OG DJ Cut Chemist was spinning and was flinging Afro funk fire beats and burned up the turntable. Whew! Clean, respectful people attending here never had an issue with crowding yet the place was pretty full. Dance floor was full everyone had a great time. read more

The Venice West - Me out front - Music Venues Near Me - Venice, California

I've driven the The Venice West space many times and not really thought twice about it--not bothering to read the calendar of events posted outside, assuming it was a cute little local venue that the guy from IT would try to get everybody to come to because his band was playing--only really starting to pay attention to the calendar when I started running and would stand at the light at Lincoln and had ample time to read. Boy, was I surprised to see the caliber of talent this place was booking. Whenever I'd run by, I'd notice at around half of the list were artists I recognized, and about half of that list were artists that I would love to go see. Allow me to reflect on the series of amusing mishaps that unfolded during what should have been a straightforward visit to The Venice West. One day as I was running past, I noticed that Cut Chemist was going to be playing there on May 13th. Amazing. I love Cut Chemist, and I doubly love being able to walk to go see him. So, I purchased two tickets on May 8th. Quickly received tickets via email. Fast forward a little bit to when I was trying to make plans for the show--where to eat? I checked the The Venice West website to check out the food and drink menu--"elevated" bar food staples (my emphasis not theirs) like pizza, sandwiches, salads, and some mains which looked good enough so why not just eat there before the show? Checked the tickets, saw that it was an 8pm show with doors at 6, so I made a 6pm reservation. Show up at 6 for the reservation and door is locked. Over the next 15 minutes or so, a small queue is starting to form of... older folks. I thought "Weird, is this what Cut Chemist fans look like these days?" and briefly lamented the passing of time and my fleeting youth. Finally the door opens and the host staff check us into our reservation and asks for our tickets, which she can't find for some reason. Last name, first name, phone number, she can't find the tickets, which I am gamely trying to show her on my phone and which she is blithely ignoring. After what must have been some divine intervention, the staff located the tickets, saying "Oh you're here for the late show!" me: "Late show? The show's at 8, right?" staff: "Ok come with me, do you want to sit near the stage?" We walk into the venue which looks great. A long, open (yet cozy) room with two main sections: an ample bar area at the entrance, and a more open stage and floor area. You are immediately greeted with the bar area, lined on one side with the bar, the other with booths/banquettes (that line pretty much the entire eastern wall of the space), with some high tops peppered in the middle. The stage area comes next, an open hardwood floored space currently occupied by dining tables, lined on one wall with a gallery wall of photos and posters (think House of Blues but not in a bad way), and capped by a raised stage. Special shoutout to the LA themed toile wallpaper in the restrooms, an amusing and satisfying detail. One seated, we see QR code flyers for Missus Jones, who appears to be an Amy Winehouse tribute band. Interesting. Amy Winehouse is great, I muse. The singer probably doesn't even have to do a full on Amy approximation, the songs feel like they would lend themselves to a fun night of live music one way or another. I would soon find out. But first, we eat. The cheerful, enthusiastic server sold us on the honey and pepperoni pizza and the beef dip sandwich that "melts in your mouth", to which we added fried pickles and several rounds of drinks. Food was fine. Not great, not terrible. Even bad pizza is usually still pretty good, you know? Cocktails were definitely better than the food. So, after catching up with my friend over food and drinks (it had been a while), it's coming up on 8pm and I'm trying to figure out where Cut Chemist's turntables are and where (how do I put this delicately?) the-crowd-that-I-would-expect-to-see-at-a-Cut Chemist-show was, when I noticed the Missus Jones bass drum head on the drumkit on stage. WAIT A MINUTE I'M HERE TO SEE CUT CHEMIST. ARE ALL THESE OTHER PEOPLE HERE TO SEE THIS BAND? IS CUT CHEMIST PLAYING? My mind races. I check the tickets. Show, 8pm. Doors, 6pm. Ok, that's what I thought. I feel a slight, fleeting sense of relief which evaporates once I check the The Venice West calendar. WTF CUT CHEMIST LATE SHOW? 11PM? MISSUS JONES AT 8? I definitely can't stay for the whole show due to other obligations--and I'm not trying to hang around a venue for 7 or 8 hours. I manage to have a good time for the most part, the band was fine, bartenders were really great, the sound in the venue was great. ACCORDING TO THE MISSUS JONES INSTAGRAM, THEY'D BEEN BOOKED SINCE AT LEAST MAY 1, SO THERE WAS SOME SORT OF MAJOR STUFF FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS, ESPECIALLY NOT NOTIFYING TICKETHOLDERS OF THE SCHEDULE CHANGE UNTIL 6 MINUTES BEFORE SHOWTIME (ALMOST 2 HOURS AFTER DOORS OPENED) EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD KNOWN FOR TWO WEEKS. read more

Friend was performing a show here and I stopped by. Everyone was extremely friendly! The bar was huge with quick bartenders ready to help. They did have tables but removed them from the floor once the show started. I'd definitely come back again if I'm in the area. The fried pickles are delicious! They do serve food too! read more

The Venice West - Nice stage setup. - Music Venues Near Me - Venice, California

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I don't know where to begin. I'll just preface this with the staff is great. I blame my grievances on management and ownership... here goes... My small group of friends all signed up for the "Boozey Brunch Bingo" set for 11:00 am on a Sunday. All seemed like a great time, drinks, food, bingo.... Well one thing was true, Bingo! We sat down at 11:00, we were waited on 30 mins later, and told there was no food, there was problems with the kitchen. Fine, we can wait. Took our drink order. Our drinks didn't come out for another 45 mins. There was ONE waiter, ONE bartender, to serve the at capacity bar of well over 100 people! Then finally we get word we could order food, but only appetizer's, which are basically only food that are taken from the freezer and straight into a deep fryer. No thanks, we will wait till real food can be served. I noticed the first order of food came out and sat at the bar getting cold for at least 30 mins. We were waited on a second time for drinks, which we ordered another round for the table. Waited 30 mins, then noticed what we had ordered had gone to the table next to us. They sat there for 20 mins till finally someone at that table came and asked us if they were ours, then graciously delivered them to us. In the meantime I went next door and purchased drinks I brought in and proudly drank at the table. That was all the service we received in the 3 hours we were there. Think they did finally start serving the brunch menu around 1:30. We ended up paying full price for the 4 drinks my husband and I had. Which was two beers and two aperol spritzers, which was mostly melted ice when I was finally able to consume it. We paid $60 for the 4 drinks with tip. Extremely over priced. The bingo I thought was really well produced by the people who put it on. There was a band and really enthusiastic announcer. Great. The cost of playing 5 rounds of bingo was $10. Great, I'm in. But the prizes were laughable, especially since they handed out a grand total of five prizes for the 100 plus players who all paid $10. The first prize was a pair of socks! No joke, the winner stood there as they held them up and was like, are you serious? There was a table next to us where the couple played about 6 cards, so they paid $60 to win a pair of socks! There was a few t-shirts that were given out in the subsequent rounds. Overall the whole experience was very disappointing. I wish I had gone next door and gotten a hoagie to bring in and eat. We all felt like we were being held hostage by the bingo game, otherwise we all would have just gotten up and left long before 2:00 when it all was over with. I would have just walked out without paying but they had my credit card. Shame on the management and owner for such bad staffing decisions! Apparently this is nothing new! It's always been understaffed for their brunch events! WTH!? Get it together people! To conclude, I'm seriously wondering if this is just a money laundering front. read more