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The Venice Whaler

3.6 (1.2k reviews)
Closed 11:00 am - 2:00 AM (Next day)
Updated over 3 months ago

The Venice Whaler Photos

Business Info

THE VENICE WHALER ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Classy
Moderate noise
Good for kids

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Oysters
Alexa S.

I come here multiple times a week and love the food, vibe, energy. My favorite server is KAM because his vibe is always up!!! The whole staff is always accommodating over the last five years I've lived here, but Kam really makes you feel at home. The food is fire, the atmosphere can't be beat and the happy hour is unmatched. Hospitality on max. Thank you Whaler staff!

Umami salmon bowl
Maria R.

Stopped by here after community service at the beach around lunch time. Service was fast and nice. I had the shrimp trio tacos and one crispy cod. I enjoyed both a felt like the shrimp could have use a little more seasoning but overall it was pretty good light weight meal with a nice sea breeze the fish and the shrimp were cooked perfectly. Actually pretty good experience. Really enjoyed the views by the beach. Parking is available next to this restaurant so it's like the perfect location. It also has a bit of shade so the it's a really nice vibe. The salsa was a bit spicy and the chips were perfectly crispy i really enjoyed it.

Brussel Sprouts
Robert D.

We had an excellent Valentines day date here. Our service was prompt and attentive. Our food came out fast. And we had the ambiance of the sea. Couldn't be happier.

Pet friendly
C C.

The quality of the food has gone down since I first started coming here almost a year ago, regularly. I recommend the other location in Santa Monica right across from the pier, it's top tier & food quality consistent. Came here on 4/14 the server was very nice, host was sweet, it's not a customer service thing it's a food quality thing, and for that, I will no longer be coming here.

Appetizer Time!
Greg T.

LOVE THIS PLACE! This is, to me, the classic Venice Beach bar. Lots of outdoor tables, and upstairs is their bar and patio area that overlooks the ocean and all the people enjoying the Venice Beach vibe. This is the perfect place to watch a California sunset. Every time I've been here (and it's been a few times by now) I've always been upstairs on the patio. Super-easy to order drinks & snacks from friendly servers. My Whiskey Sours here have been consistently tasty, and the appetizers have been consistently delish! The Venice Whaler is now a staple for me on my visits to Venice Beach, and I can't wait to get there again!

The bar
Melanie O.

I came here early in a the morning and it was such a nice vibe. The ocean was right in front of us, and it just felt cozy inside the bar. The food was soooo goood, I wasn't even hungry when I went but I saw that they had a Nutella French toast and decided to try it. I fell in love with it! It was sooooo yummy. My partner also got the steak with chimichurri and the steak was soooo tender. I was very impressed with how tender and delicious it was. And lastly the spicy tuna with crispy rice was good as well ! Severo our server/bartender was super nice and chill. I want to come back for the Nutella French toast and spicy tuna haha.

Grain bowl with shrimp

The grain bowl with shrimp was great! I recommend ordering this! Great sunset views on the roof and will come again

Logan M.

Brunching at The Whaler felt like waking up in a California postcard--sunlight, sea air, and a fire pit full of friends who know how to live. The staff had that rare Westside mix of chill and genuine kindness, like they were happy you showed up and weren't just pretending. Rick Ross would call it brunch for bosses, and he'd be right. The Whaler delivers good vibes, great food, and the kind of laid-back luxury that makes you want to order another round and stay a while.

Christine C.

Stopped by to catch the dodger game. Great service and also their wings ??? A MUST! These were delicious & very savory. Friendly staff. I believe the downstairs is closed but we had access to the upstairs dinning and bar. Great spot for sports.

Pepperoni Pizza
Connor Y.

The Venice Whaler is cool bar at the beginning of the Venice pier. It's has terrific outdoor seating with a view. They have great service we were well taken care of and the food was ok. I had the Coconut shrimp and was ok there shrimp was cooked good but I felt like it lacked the coconut flavor. But it was nice and crispy. The pepperoni pizza was good nice sauce crispy crust and you get a lot of it at a good price. The house fries were really good nice crispy and a ton of flavor highly recommend trying the fries. 4/5 stars

Susannah H.

We went here on a Saturday evening for drinks before dinner. The rooftop area was very cute however completely packed. I could barely get in at the bar to order a drink and it was pretty pricey. Got 2 basic cocktails for $50. Music was sooo loud and there's tv everywhere inside and with the amount of people it was so overstimulating even outside area.

Breakfast smash burger
Fiona W.

We've come for bottomless mimosas 2 times! Its a great price and they bring you the bottles of prosecco. We always come with large parties and they are always able to accommodate us. Kayla was an amazing server! She was super attentive.

Outdoor patio area (1st floor NE side)

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You go for the prime location. All else is meh as far as food and drinks. Outdoor heaters do not work well

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Whaler M.

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1 month ago

Classic beach bar but the worst margarita pizza of all time. It tasted so odd. How do you mess up a pizza ?

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The Venice Whaler Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - The Venice Whaler

I know it's super early! But we are going to the Chargers Ravens Monday night game in November and will be staying in Marina del Rey Sunday -Tuesday, is this a cool spot to hang and watch the NFL games on Sunday?

Not really a sports bar. Check out Tony P's or maybe Coco Beach

Do you take reservations?

They do not take reservations, but they usually have enough space in their outdoor tent space or upstairs in their bar area. Weekend nights can get busy.

What time do the open on Saturday, website says 8, yelp says 9, Google maps says 12?

Hi Garrett, We just updated our hours. We open at 8am on Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday @ 1 is there a lunch menu also or just brunch?

Hi, Julie. Our both our all-day menu and brunch menu will be available on Saturday at 1PM. Thank you.

Philly cheese steak?

One of THE best phillys ive ever had. They import their rolls from Philadelphia (chef is from philly), and the meat is always so juicy and fresh, mixed with the white cheddar.... the perfect combo 🤤

What are their specials?

Poor service!

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The Mulberry - Cheesecake

The Mulberry

4.1(102 reviews)
4.6 miSawtelle

Absolutely LOVE this place. The Mulberry is a very warm and intimate place where you can enjoy…read moremodern Korean comfort food. All dishes are carefully crafted with its colorful details, and its simple but bold flavors prepared for you through an open kitchen. This place gets busy the minute they open their doors so make reservations prior. 1. Korean Aguachile: fresh tilefish sashimi with finely sliced cucumber and white floral decor simmered in ice cold kimchee broth they pour at the table. Soooo good. Must order. 2. Soy Marinade Blue Prawn: My favorite dish of the night. Huge raw blue prawns (head attached) marinaded with soy sauce. Served with barley rice topped with Ssam jang (type of bean paste sauce), and seaweed paper. You wrap all ingredients in the seaweed paper to make a hand roll. Soooooo delicious. Can't walk out without trying this. 3. Beef short ribs: good but nothing unique in its flavoring . Beef steak(medium rare and super tender) that's lightly marinaded/glazed (so not overly sweet) with kbbq/short rib sauce. This is one of their fan favorites so I suggest you try it.. 4. Chilled Acorn Noodles: chewy cOLD noodles made with acorn (just like the acorn jelly side dish we eat). The noodles are seasoned with Korean Cho-go-chu-jang (Gochujang paste), crispy cucumber slices, loads of dried seaweed flakes, and perilla oil. And you just mix them all together. Sooo good and paired well with the short ribs. Incredible. 5. Bluefin tuna and trout Bibimbop: like a poke bowl but so much better. Rice at the bottom with loads of lettuce strips, bluefin tuna sashimi, radish slices, and cavier. Seasoned with Korean Cho-go-chu jang (Gochujang paste with a twist of vinegar). Very good as well. For drinks we tried the shikhye slush (shikhye is a Korean sweet rice drink dessert). They used a slushy shikhye base with warm cinnamon and ginger spices and pisco for a kick. Also tried the Sujinggwa manhattan which is sujunggwa (traditional Korean cinnamon ginger dessert tea served cold) and a single malt. This was fabulous. Overall fantastic experience. Fantastic food, cool ambiance's. And great service. Highly highly recommend this place!

Parking: street parking can be rough to find during peak dinner time on weekends but not bad early…read moreevening on weekdays Reservations: Limited availability on Resy makes it seem harder to get though we were able to make one. Tables looked available around 5pm though so walk-ins could be possible. Ambiance: Outside was nice and inside looked dimly lit and romantic. We were seated promptly and service was good. Food: Rice slushy had a strangely strong cinnamon-like taste to it that traditional rice punch doesn't have which was so overpowering, it made it difficult to go back for more sips. Oysters - good though small, enjoyed the kelp mignonette Korean Aguachile - Delicate tilefish completely overwhelmed by cold kimchi broth with actual icy slush in it and small amounts of fish Steak Tartare - The hot stone bowl seemed to defeat the purpose of a tartare, as it cooked the steak once mixed. The perilla leaves were also cut in large strips relative to the beef. Chilled Acorn Noodle - The perilla oil was nonexistent in flavor though the dish didn't need it and was good without. Overall, portions were small for the price and dishes weren't well-executed so despite being excited for more Korean options in West LA, I'd much rather make the drive to Koreatown for better portions, prices, and flavors.

Photos
The Mulberry
The Mulberry - Salad, had too much white lettuce which was very bitter 7/10

Salad, had too much white lettuce which was very bitter 7/10

The Mulberry - Acorn noodles

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The Lincoln - www.TheLincolnVenice.com #TheLincolnLA

The Lincoln

4.0(312 reviews)
1.4 miVenice
$$
Hipster vibe
Live music

great spot that slowly turns into a full-on club as the night picks up. Starts off chill, but give…read moreit some time and it gets packed... like barely-room-to-walk packed. Energy goes way up with it though. Music is consistently great and the crowd matches it. Mostly a younger, high-energy vibe. If you actually want to enjoy your drinks and maybe chat with the bartenders, show up early. Once it gets going, it's all motion and noise. It's never disappointed us. You kind of know what you're signing up for, and it delivers every time. Ambiance leans classy without feeling vintage. Dim lighting, a touch of rustic, and just enough polish to set the tone without overdoing it. They've got a patio too, which comes in clutch when you need a breather or want to actually hear the person next to you. We usually do street parking and it's not too bad if you're willing to walk a bit. Reservation needed: Not really, unless you've got a big group and want your own section Parking: 6/10 - Street Crowd: 8/10 Vibe: 9/10 Service: 9/10 Music: 9/10 Drinks: 8/10 Price: $$

I love it here! Ever since their remodel, this has been a go to spot for me. The ambience is…read moreamazing, low light but enough to still set the tone. I had a Miami Manny and boy was that thing smacking. That mezcal boy o boy.... Our bartender was super cool and helped navigate through the wide selection of drinks. I highly recommend going here!

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The Lincoln
The Lincoln - The Lincoln

The Lincoln

The Lincoln - The Lincoln

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The Lincoln

Little Fatty - Orange Chicken

Little Fatty

4.0(1.4k reviews)
2.7 miMar Vista
$$

My wife and I visited Little Fatty while on a short LA business trip. We didn't have reservations…read more(I recommend a reservation) and the host told us the wait would be about an hour and this was a Monday night! She told us that we could be seated at the bar immediately, which is what we opted for. She placed us at a lower portion of the bar with two seats, which was perfect. The bartender, Justin took our drink and dinner order and I have to say, he makes amazing cocktails! We had egg rolls for an appetizer, which arrived very quickly and went well with our cocktails. I ordered a rye old-fashioned and my wife ordered a house creation, "Jesuit's Tea Party," which she enjoyed. For our entrees, I ordered Hainan Chicken and my wife had the Walnut Shrimp. Mine was really good, but I have to say I like the Walnut Shrimp better. They have their breading skills dialed in, so next time I think I'd go with something fried. All in all a great experience. Great vibe and everyone was very friendly and attentive.

Little Fatty is an Asian fusion restaurant that specializes in Taiwanese soul food. David Kuo is…read morethe chef and owner of Little Fatty. The restaurant was previously called Status Kuo and then rebranded to Little Fatty. It is also attached to a bar called Accomplice Bar. [Parking]: Metered parking only and I was able to find a spot two blocks away on Grand View Blvd. [Reversation]: For parties of 6 and smaller, reservations can be made on Resy. For parties of 8 and larger, there is a minimum spend of $75 per person prior to tax & gratuity. No-show fee = $15 per person. [Experience]: The receptionist greeted our party just outside of the restaurant and checked us in. Outdoor tables were available, but our party opted for indoor seating. The lighting was dim with a romantic and casual dinner vibe. At the end of the meal, the staff offered our table hot towels to clean our hands. [Menu]: Menu highlights on Resy include Chinese BBQ Pork, XO Fatty Noodles, Walnut Shrimp. Other Yelp highlighted items include Orange Chicken, Beef Roll, and Hainan Chicken. Burger Tuesday is offered ONLY at the bar. A bowl of rice is an extra $4.00. The staff also gave our table a cute cocktail menu with drinks named after each LA neighborhood. *** Squid Ink Xiao Long Bao (shrimp and pork soup dumplings, fresh ginger - $18.00): Only came with 6 pieces of dumplings. The dough was a bit thick and the flavor was just alright. XO Fatty Noodles (rolled rice noodles, XO sauce, bean sprouts, garlic chives, fried shallots - $22.00): The noodles tasted slightly salty. I couldn't tell whether I had sliced pork belly or flat noodles in the dim lighting and it turned out to be thick slices of flat noodles. Orange Chicken (orange soy-based sauce, dried chilies, orange zest - $22.00): Super crispy orange chicken, but it was crunchy type of crispy and tasted a bit dry. Walnut Shrimp (mayo, candied walnuts, sesame seeds, red cabbage - $25.00): his dish came with lettuce and looked really nice. The flavor was solid and it tasted very healthy. *** Personally it was an overpriced experience for mediocre Asian fusion food. I would much rather visit Jade Rabbit in Santa Monica for cheaper and more delicious Asian fusion food or Din Tai Fung in Santa Monica for a more consistent dumpling and noodle experience. The only reason to come here is for the date-night vibe. Honestly, the food tasted more like Northern Chinese fusion cuisine than Taiwanese fusion cuisine.

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Little Fatty - Sparkling Rose in celebration of my anniversary.

Sparkling Rose in celebration of my anniversary.

Little Fatty - Cucumbers

Cucumbers

Little Fatty - Yum! Loved this dessert.

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Yum! Loved this dessert.

neat

neat

4.2(255 reviews)
3.7 miSawtelle
$$

Came here for happy hour on a Friday night after work. Luckily we found street parking fairly…read moreeasily just about a block from the bar. Appreciate that the bartenders were attentive and that the place wasn't too full or busy. Happy hour drinks are worth the price. The regular cocktails are good but cannot compare to more well known places. I liked that there were bar seats, standing tables and seated areas. I wish they had some bar snacks but because they don't offer food, you can bring your own.

Stopped in on a Saturday night. It may have been way too early (around 7:30pm) but we easily found…read morea seat at the bar. It had a cool vibe and tons of allocated bottles on the bar (tequila and whiskey and whisky to name a few categories). The staff greeted us quickly and supplied us with some menus. I opted for the Idyllwild cocktail and loved it! It had the most complementary flavors and was so refreshing with the bourbon, yuzu, chartreuse, honey, and lemon flavors. My husband opted for a neat Caballito Cerrero Puntas pour (high proof agave spirit). They only had 0.5 Oz for their bottle and only charged for the partial pour. People came in and ordered anything from cocktails to neat pours to flights. It was a cool spot and the bartenders seemed pretty well versed in different cocktails, giving a few suggestions to different patrons. Even making a few Espresso Martinis for a couple of girls that didn't really like their initial cocktails. Staff was cool, attentive, and pretty quick and efficient with the pours. I'd definitely be down to try more drinks here if we roll through again. Luckily, we found some close street parking and it wasn't super busy so we easily found parking in the area. It also wasn't super packed in the venue so we could've opted for other seating--lounge areas, a few tables, or just at the bar.

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neat - Locked and loaded

Locked and loaded

neat - Great night tasting a unique brand - Koval

Great night tasting a unique brand - Koval

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Hatchet Hall - Cornbread

Hatchet Hall

3.9(1.5k reviews)
2.4 mi
$$$

Such a great experience here at Hatchet Hall today! We ended up sitting at the bar and our server…read moreJess was fantastic. Made some great recommendations and her energy is incredible. So genuine and lightweight, loved sitting there. We ordered the deviled eggs, cornbread and meatloaf mash. WOW! complements to the chef Bravo! Everything was fantastic!! Absolutely must try the cornbread. Such a great balance between sweet, savory and spicy. Not a single table was served without them ordering this dish. I can imagine how many they serve a day! The deviled eggs were delicious and surprisingly so filling. I loved the turkey meatloaf with the mash and gravy. So flavorful!! The vibe and atmosphere was great and I can't wait to go back!

My new favorite restaurant in Los Angeles!…read more Since this review, I have been to this restaurant twice due to how amazing the food is. Firstly, I came for dinner on a Saturday night and it's absolutely beautiful inside. I loved the dim lighting and the lights which create a truly romantic experience. Service was great and our servers were amazing. They explained the menu throughly and explained how the items were family style. For drinks, we ordered the pong express which was delicious. For food, we ordered the cornbread, the cat fish bites, the blackened chicken, the carrots and the mashed potatoes. Everything was super delicious and the portions were great. Definitely recommend for any occasion!

Photos
Hatchet Hall - Beautiful bar. Exceeded expedite

Beautiful bar. Exceeded expedite

Hatchet Hall - Anson Mills Corn Bread

Anson Mills Corn Bread

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Ricotta Toast

Wallflower

Wallflower

3.9(499 reviews)
1.4 miVenice
$$$

a friend of mine who lives nearby recommended this spot. neighborhood parking was relatively easy…read morefor a friday night. we got seated immediately and the vibe was bustling and the service was attentive. now for the food... snap pea salad: i always jump on a seasonal snap pea salad. the dressing was heavier than i expected but it did well to balance out the earthiness of the sprouts. great starter dish but a bit small for the price tag. duck lumpia: this is a must order for me. the duck meat was super rich and had that teeth-sinking bite to it. the lumpia wrapper was audibly crispy and the spiced vinegar of the dipping sauce came with a bright acidic punch to balance the richness. beef rendang: crazy depth of flavor and spice. the meat here was also perfectly tender and pulled apart with east. a killer small plate with a big impact. would also order this again. a note on the rice: the chicken/coconut rice was pretty dried out and hard. also in hindsight i feel there's so much flavor elsewhere, an order of jasmine rice would've been a better complement barramundi: it came out wrapped up and extremely hot and fresh. a very delicious, perfectly cooked fish with nice balance between the natural fish flavor and all the toppings wrapped up inside with it. def recommend if you like a meatier, flakier sea bass. manhattan: a nice drink but mostly tasted like a classic manhattan. also in retrospect woudlve gotten something more acidic instead of spiced to differentiate from the spice profile of the food. all in all, it's a bit pricey for me personally but a lot of the dishes we ordered were very delicious and i wouldn't hesitate to recommend this place.

Great food (Satay!) and ambience on Rose, a wonderful, lively Venice Street…read more ,

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Wallflower - SMOKING LEMONGRASS (mezcal, bourbon, lemongrass, egg white)

SMOKING LEMONGRASS (mezcal, bourbon, lemongrass, egg white)

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Wallflower - EATER LA "For a cocktail in Venice that comes with some interesting street snacks: Wallflower" by Farley Elliott (published 12/22/2016)

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The Venice Whaler - tradamerican - Updated May 2026

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