Upper Manhattan Martini Lounge

Looks like I was right. CLOSED. That’s what you get for hiring douche-​bag bouncers. Ironically, its replaced by Sharkeez!!!
You got sonned, son!

That’s 3 out of 3 stars. Three is my maximum for clubs. This looked like a pretty good spot to get drunk on overpriced Coronas and not be able to move in any direction.
Manhattan is basically a meat locker for the 30-​plus sandals set, and I am happy to say that I was with exactly all the cute girls who were in the club that night. The rest of the crowd put lie to LA’s reputation for hot women.
I left early. I wasn’t at the beach to get crabs.

For an upscale bar in an upscale neighborhood, I was disappointed in their selection of wines and liquors. Grey Goose and Knob Creek are the nicest spirits you have and you call yourself a martini bar? Booooooo.
But it’s LA, right? I’m under the impression that that’s as nice as it gets.
They get some credit for hosting some sort of burlesque show on some days, but I’d never seen it and they shows were on hiatus for the summer. Strange.
Food was sub-​par. Some items were served cold, some items were much too salty, and some items tasted like I was at Applebees. Went on a Friday night and the atmosphere was kinda blah. They turned up the music to get the vibe going, but it’s hard to feel the vibe when there are only 8 people in the place… and when you’re party of a party of 5.
Pricey and sceney but has potential if you’re drunk enough.

I LOVED the feel of this place.
The décor is incredible, it gives this place such a warm feeling…
I like the older crowd, you don’t have 21 year old girls in mini skirts flirting with your man and acting stupid.
The only thing I’m not very happy about is the prize of the drinks. WOW! It’s probably more expensive than Hollywood!!!
I’ll definitely be back soon.
Oh! and a definite plus… The dancers. So different and so awesome!!!

Based on Thursday nights… aka «Ladies Night», the theme song goes a little like this… «I like to coug it, coug it… I like to coug it, coug it… I like to… COUG IT!»
Wow… what a cougar-​den! And man… were they on the prowl that night! They made me feel like a teenager, watching in awe, as these older woman were straddling and freaking on these young dudes. It was kind of nasty-​ass. One of the old frisky felines was straddling this young chap on his chair and bent over backwards and her legs were in the air over this guys head! I almost wanted to stamp their foreheads with an X-​RATED sign. Remember people… this is still during happy hour! There was a point when this couple (young dude, old lady… duh) were swinging from the burlesque railings ON STAGE and their legs were wrapped around eachother and they were just swinging away… in front of everyone. I almost *lost* my burger…
Speaking of the burger… I asked for it to be cooked medium-​well and it came back raw. RAW! Like bleeding… and still in the form of raw ground beef… I even scooped it out with my finger and it was still soft and mushy and pink!!! It was disgusting… Unfortunately, I realized this a little late and had just under half of it… BLECH! I’m so lucky I didn’t get sick! The fries were good though… and they had this amazing blue cheese dressing for me to dip it in.
The bartender hooked me up and gave me my Vanilla Stoli /​Diet Coke for $ 6 instead of the $ 11 they normally charge even though it wasn’t on the happy hour menu… I had 2 and they were strong! All that alcohol probably killed the bacteria from the raw meat I had just consumed and was probably my only saving grace for not getting sick. Eew.
The place is pretty though, with waterfall-​adorned walls and pretty fixtures throughout. I had high expectations of this place… my bad.
I’ll probably check this place out again… but definitely not on a Thursday night… unless they’re still cougar night… er… ladies night… when I’m 45.
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With the re-​do this place looks a lot better than Harry O’s did.
They really styled it out. I haven’t had much of the food, but what I have had is tasty. It’s pricey now, perhaps to compete with some of the more posh bars down the street in DTMB?
We did happen to go in with family one night after Pancho’s for some live music and we were one of 7 people in there. The musician had the speakers up so loud we were screaming to talk to each other… and that was with our 60 year old parents, so someone needs to tell the managers of the restaurant to «Know their audience». A Tuesday night in the dead of winter with one table of old people doesn’t need the volume up all the way… we would have enjoyed the music had we not needed earplugs.
All in all, we will definitely be back.

While the burlesque show wins an extra star on an otherwise one star review, this place really need to step up it’s culinary «game» to remain sustainable. The décor is cheesy even for Miami standards; just look at the pink martini glass on the back wall. The crowds is a mix of interesting variety: ranging from girls that would complement the décor to grandpas looking for cougars that are looking for guys wearing shirts that are two sizes too small.
As for food, yes I’m a snob, however given the décor I’ve decided to have no expectation or something safe so I can be pleasantly surprised. I decided to order a Chicken Caesar salad… I meant how can you screw up a chicken caesar salad? well, their talented chef managed to do just that. Although the portion is generous, but they put the salad in a tiny bowl? WTF?!! why would you put a salad in a tiny bowl? you can’t mix the chicken without making a mess. The chicken was so overcooked that I spent the better part of my evening flossing.
As for service, the staff and the kitchen needs some needed training. To be fair, the staff are extremely friendly, however, it took them almost an hour to get us our appetizers.

The overall rating for this place might not agree with me but I had a BLAST here last Friday!
The food was delicious, drinks were strong (may have added to my good time), live dancers, DJ and best of all surronded by great friends… YEP! Definitely a Blast!

Went here for happy hour. The louge was cute. There was a cool HUGE martini glass in the wall with water in it. or something. You gotta see it. Also, one side of the wall had the tv projected onto it. You couldn’t really see much though. because it was against some type of waterfall on the wall type of deal. Anyway, we ordered the
1) Chicken Picatta $ 22 (Chicken Breast stuffed with Sun Dried Tomato, Marjoram, and Ricotta served over garlic mashed potatoes with sauteed spinach & a caper, lemon, and parsley buerre blanc) and
2) Petite Filet Mignon $ 29 (Filet with rosemary infused lyonnaise potatoes, shitake demi-​glacé & sauteed asparagus).
And. sneaky as I am. I was able to try my friend’s Turkey and Sage Meatballs
3) meatballs over crusty baguette, tomatoe sauce and parmesean cheese!
The Chicken Picatta was okay. I didn’t like the actual chicken picatta. i only ate half and gave the other half to Frank. The mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach were delicious though. ALthough. my opinon could be biased. because I loveeeee garlic. :) Also. there was something about the sauteed spinach that I liked. I couldn’t really figure out what though. There was some kind of tangy sauce in it. I guess the lemon and capers.
The Turkey meatballs was the best out of the three. It’s an appetizer, but it’ll fill you up.
When we went, we had a 20% off coupon from their website. Basically it said if it rains, then you take 20% off your entire bill. So check their website for cool deals! :)
I parked at the structure on the corner … it’s metered. and operating hours were until 8pm. Free afterwards! :)

So I’m very into ambience & this place has it.
If your having dinner sit in the nice comfy white leather couches booth. It’s really, reeeaaaally comfortable.
Their food is el delicio.
Drinks…ooooooh yeeaaaaaaah
Burlseque show is really cool.
The only reason y I didn’t give them 5 stars is because it’s kinda small & when it turns into a club theres not that much room to dance but I guess I can’t really complain because it is a lounge :-)

Swanky. Reminds me of the bar at the Luxor. I like the décor, luxurious semi-​translucent marbled table tops and colorful soft lighting in and around the bar. Looks like they cater to an older crowd. (30+)
At $ 13 a pop, a bit pricey for me but they do have a daily happy hour that lasts til 8 during the week. Thursday night, kind of quiet but good DJ and vibe. I’d come back for a drink (the last stop of the night) and some dancing. I hear they have a good burlesque show so will check it out next time I’m in town.
There’s a $ 10 cover charge for guys on busy nights. (i.e. Thursday night) It was a total snausage fest when I went.

Tucked away near a calm neighborhood in Manhattan beach, the lounge is classy, suave, and possesses all the right ingredients for a chillaxing night with your girlfriends or a romantic night out for couples that won’t break your wallet. *shout out to Barry in recommending this place/​show. You’re the bomb!*
Came for the Lala’s show a few days ago and I must say, I really enjoyed the ambiance and the show. We ordered long island and another drink that was also too fabulous to describe. Although the show lasted around 10 min. it was an enchanting performance that provided enough reason to come back the second time.

Eh, it’s OKAY I’d say.
We came here last night for drinks, (my first time since the place was Scary-Ho’s) and needless to say, I wasn’t that impressed.
Okay so the décor is ten billon times better and the bathrooms no longer smell like the LA harbor on low tide but…
11 dollars for a Jack and Coke?
Not my cup of tea, especially for Porto.
PS the burlesque show was pretty awesome though.

Came here for a Mad Men season finale viewing party last night. The place is definitely swanky!
Drink prices were reasonable, bartenders were cool. The place itself is super cool. Light up bar and tables, the booths were totally classy (hey, I was surprised they let me in, too!)
It was a Sunday night and the area was a total ghost town. There weren’t a ton of people there but the atmosphere was pretty sweet.
I would come back here again!

*** Upper Manhattan happy hours just … ***
keep getting better and better these days.
today they had AYCE pasta dishes for $ 7!
chick linguini, beef bolognese, turk meatballs
and i also had $ 8 Stoli pomegranate martinis.
is that it? no, live entertainment began @ 8pm,
a burlesque show and a live artist painted tonite.
food was good, crowd was excellent … good time.
*** tomorrow? happy hours 5pm-​2am Wed!!! ***

This lounge has an urban, hip, fun feel to it… you would NOT expect it to be so close to the beach! Completey different atmosphere than every other restaurant around here.
I got a surprisingly good burger during their Wednesday all night happy hour. It wasn’t my favorite burger or anything, but for a happy hour burger, it was good. The house wine was so-​so (fairly pedestrian) and not what I expected for $ 6/​glass.
The shows that they have on the weekends, or the themed nights they were advertising, looked pretty fun and definitely make this place look like it’s worth another try.

Cocktails are overpriced and uninventive. Cougars and douchebags abound.
The menu was divided into cold and hot plates. We settled on the bread and dip plate ($ 10) and the Thai Red Curry Shrimp plate ($ 16). The former was so not worth the ten-​spot. It’s just pita bread and «artisan» bread, hummus, olive oil (?), and tapenade. The shrimp plate was yummy though. Not $ 16 yummy but spicy and saucy.
Ordered the chocolate lava cake and was surprisingly disappointed. How can you mess up chocolate? But apparently here you can.
We stayed for the show which started a lot later than we were told and each performance was too short, PLUS we had to wait an hour between sets. wtf? At least we didn’t have to pay $ 10 since we came before they started charging at the door.
If you want to check out the show, I’d suggest getting there at 9. That way you can just park in the garage north of the lounge and you won’t have to pay the cover. Also, maybe steer clear of the specialty cocktails and stick to your standard fave. It may be cheaper and at least you’ll like what you get.
And yes, there IS a dress code of no sandals and no shorts; collared shirts and designer tees allowed. Weird thing, though, is that I didn’t see a bouncer at the door. Just the hostess. I wonder if she’s expected to enforce the code?

Fun place for a bachelor party, all the staff were fantastic and very accommodating to our needs. The place is fun and swanky without being pretentious.
Good drinks were had by all but the bartender just couldn’t keep the salt off the margaritas and the shot of Petron was excellent. Nothing like great tequila to make you happy.
We all ordered starter salads… this must come with age and my green salad was really good and the caesars were all nice portions. For the main course we all got the filet and everyone was really happy with the cut and doneness but for the price the portion was a little light… at least fill us up on potato or a veggie. If we did it again would order a couple of sides for the table as the feeling was unanimous. Or get tacos around the corner afterwards.
The show was fun and having all the AVP people about was a bonus.
Overall, a great evening and lively crowd. Great atmosphere for an upscale evening.
Would definitely go back for another show.

I’ve never been to many wild parks before, but I can imagine how they would be like. The predatory animals would be watching and patiently waiting for their next meal to enter their sights. They look for prey that is old, injured or weak. The predator could either be elusive and stealth and sneak up from behind, or be bold and attack from the front.
That’s how it felt when my favorite LA blogger
and I decided to visit Upper Manhattan Lounge in Manhattan Beach. The lounge is located on Highland and Rosecrans and occupies the former space of Harry O’s. There isn’t much signage on the building and you’ll most definitely pass it unless you had a very keen eye.
Arriving at 7PM on a Friday resulted in a relatively quiet dinner. Caroline was there to review the place, food, and cocktails, and I was there to chill after a long week of work. The lounge caters to the older and more mature audience (aka cougars) of the South Bay. I laughed because Caroline pointed out that we were the only ethnic people at dinner. The crowd was the typical MB folk of older blonde divorcees seemingly looking for some younger men, and their older male divorcees counterparts looking for some young lovely ladies.
The lounge is very upscale, and apparently you’re not allowed in with the typical beach city attire of flip flops, t-​shirts, and shorts. Gents, make sure you wear a nice collared shirt if you want to enter the establishment.
Caroline and I dined on the Curry Thai Shrimp and the Hummus and Bread plate. The curry Thai chrimp was fantastic, and the curry had a great kick to it. The hummus and bread were blah. The pita bread was bland despite being freshly toasted and the hummus, olive oil, and olive purée sides were something you could get from your local Trader Joes.
We imbibed on a few drinks from their cocktail menu. I had the Raspberry Mojito and the Orange Blossum. Yes, they’re very girly drinks but I decided to try them so Caroline would have content for her review. The Raspberry Mojito reminded me of children’s cough syrup. It had a great smell but not so great flavor. The Orange Blossum was really good because it was strong. You could smell the orange and taste the alcohol. After a few sips I was already buzzed. Brad, our bartender, did a great job serving us and entertaining us while we ate and drank.
Apparently the lounge has a cabaret show at 9PM and 10:15PM or that was what Mike, one of the lounge’s owners, told us. Unfortunately, the first show started 10 PM. So when Mike came back around to see how we were doing, Caroline and I called him out on the delay, and being the consummate professional he decided to buy Caroline a drink. He ended up getting her a Raspberry Martini. Like the Raspberry Mojito, that drink smelled fantastic, but the flavor wasn’t quite there. Maybe it’s me and my palate, but from now on I’ll stick to my regular Jack and Cokes.
While waiting for the show to start, we decided to enjoy some of their desserts. The lounge only serves crème brûlée or chocolate lava cake. Being a chocolate lover, I decided we should try the cake. When served, it had freshly grated chocolate sprinkled on top that you could smell from a distance. Instead of having a dark chocolate center, it had white chocolate! What a surprise and what a yummy delight.
The show started with an old jazz band performing and then some lovely dancers came out to seduce and entertain the audience. You have to be there to enjoy it because I can’t really describe their routines. All I remember were a lot of lady parts jiggling around.
By the way, like in Redondo and Hermosa, parking is a hassle since there aren’t many structures in MB. Don’t forget to bring a stack of quarters because most likely you’ll park at the meter. Luckily, Caroline and I were both able to find some metered parking right in front of the lounge.
P. S. Look for Caroline’s review on
Go Trojans! Fight On!

I was invited to a VIP opening of the Upper Manhattan Martini Lounge this past weekend. It was superb!!!
They completely renovated the exterior of the former «Harry O’s». The roof, walls, windows, etc. Even the sidewalks (they added a sidewalk on the south side of the building). Nice addition to the North Manhattan Beach landscape.
The interior is amazing. The center of the room is a bar that has a granite type of bar, that is lit from underneath. On the front wall are a number of booths with upholstered seats. The back wall has bamboo, and some walls with falling water. Then a side room, which has a curtain across for private events. Then a small stage which is used a couple of times a night for a three piece jazz band, and then dancers come out dressed in knee-​high boots, short skits and swing on poles (and a large hoop at one point) to music.
The crowd this weekend was a mix of young professionals and some cougars. But much more upscale than a lot of other places in the north end (or south bay for that matter).
The alcohol is all top shelf, and the wines are very nice as well. No food was served this past weekend, but menus were out to review.
I highly recommend this place.