Circle Bar

I am a fan. Very unique but small place.

Fuck this place! I stepped on a piece of glass, started bleeding every where and the «security» put me in a back room so that no one else would see what happened. I am headed to ER because my foot won’t stop bleeding. I have only been here an hour and this is what I deal with?!

Went there for the 1^st time on a Saturday on the way from some where else. 21 and over, no cover. Not sure of what dress code. I was dressed nice because I had just came from some where else then decided to check this place out. The bar is is in the shape of circle so name is spot on. Bartenders were nice and fast. The night I crowd make was mostly white, with a sprinkling of latino, asian and black. Also for the most part crowd, were refreshingly friendly. I was rolling solo when I went. I was posted at the bar and a few occasions people at the bar stuck up a conversations with me. I go to Hollywood from time solo and that rarely happens.
Dance floor is a different story. It is very small. I got there a little before 10 pm and walked right in. I’d say a little before 11 p.m. crowd starting showing up then heading to the dance floor. DJ was playing good music get’s packed! I MEAN PAACCKKEEDD. I tried to get on the dance floor and after 2 or 3 minutes I realized that wasn’t happening I went back to the bar. Took a couple minutes to cross the dance floor just to the bathroom. I was on the way to the bathroom when some bitch who was standing at the bar turned around then said «MOVE!» and started forcing her way through the crowd back to her spot on other side of dance floor. She looked to be in late 40’s to early 50’s so you’d think she’s old enough to know better. Also men’s bathroom is small. 1 toilet & 1 urinal. Lay out not great either. If there’s 3 or more people in the bathroom have to play musical chairs to get around. I took off a little after 12:30 and noticed long line to get in.
My suggestion come early to get a spot to sit or reserve spot, enjoy some drinks, have conversations of with people around you or who ever you come with. Crowed seemed to be friendly. Could some people watching too. Dance floor gets ridiculous 11:30 or later so if you’re OK with that head to the dance floor at your own risk. If you want space go before 11 while there is space then when it start getting crazy bounce to another venue with bigger dance floor.

Music is really good like some other people have already mentioned. The only problem is this place is crowded with a LOT of dudes. There was no balance in the male to female ratio.

Can’t get enough of Circle Bar! Every time we come here, it’s always a good time. An eclectic crowd, great music, the drinks made me happy, the vibe is just GOOD. It’s nice to get away from the typical LA, snooty, look-​at-​all-​my-​injections crowd and go have a good time with real people. I love this place.

Despite the negative reviews, this place exceeded my expectations. The line to get inside was just like any other dance bar on a Saturday night, took about 15 minutes to get inside. But boy was it packed. Expect to be shoulder to shoulder most places you go, unless you’re sitting at the bar near the exit. The DJ was great, spinning a mix of current popular music with some old school here and there. Drinks are pretty cheap also so you won’t break your bank too much. Downside for me was the amount of dudes just walking around trying to hit on girls. My friends are I were just dancing and we would constantly see guys shoving their way through trying to creepily dance on people. So if you and your friends are just trying to have a good time, maybe find a bigger, less crowded place. Aside from that, this place is a great one to stop by on your weekend bar hopping adventures.

Things you need to know:
— No cover
— Dress casual but on the trendier side
— Parking in the back across from the fish place ($ 2/​night I think)
— Best for small groups (like 2 – 3)
Disclaimer: I don’t know much about drinks so my review is mostly going to be about the experience. Ya? Ya.
Biggest appeal: the dance floor and music. BUT be warned, it’s pretty small and it gets crowded real quick — we’re talking like… crumping in place status. Sometimes it gets really annoying and you get the occasional elbow to the back (or in my case head ’cause I’m short) or stiletto to the toe (read: wear closed toe shoes and thank me later).
That being said, if you can bear the crowds, this place is always poppin’ from Thursday to Saturday. They have a different DJ every night as far as I know:
THURS — old schoolish, more electronic music relative to the other DJs
FRI — I want to say more old school (90s-​00s especially) but don’t quote me on this
SAT — DJ 4tify /​top 40s and hip hop, best night to come in my opinion
The layout is kinda weird, the huge circle bar takes up way too much space in the room so you have to squish down these narrow side pathways to get to the dance floor. You also have to go through the dance floor to get to the bathrooms which can get pretty annoying when you’re trying to turn up and people keep killin’ yo vibe. On the plus, there’s usually always a good crowd here — interesting people for sure. Lots of travelers come here for some reason, so there’s always a different mix of people. It’s such entertaining place to be and that’s why it’s my go to spot when I’m in the mood to dance!
BOTTOM LINE: Bend ova make yo knees touch yo elbows (space permitting) — Lil Jon

This place is bullshit no where on here or on their website states a strict no hat policy. My boyfriend just bought a brand new Yankee ball cap to go with his outfit and they stated that he can’t wear it in and they would hang it on a hook outside. Its a brand new hat.
Needless to say we didn’t go in but the next people they welcomed in looked like two bums but got in because they weren’t wearing hats!
At least we found a cool bar down the street that welcomed us right in.

Hit or Miss. You can count on the 11pm crowd and waiting on a drink for a few minutes but every now and then circle bar has a solid night with great music and a decent entertaining crowd that is just standing there. 3 stars because you can pregame with music and decently priced drinks.

I don’t look like I drink French 75s and trounce around Santa Monica with my ol’ high school classmates who’re now lawyers in fancy beamers and flashy jewelry, but sometimes I AM that fool (or at least this once I was).
An’ I don’t always like goin’ into a dive bar and askin’ for said cocktail, but homie did not care.
Just made that joint proper.
Dead early on, but fills up quick with all kinds. The layout is prime people-​watchin’, an’ they don’t care when two of your close Jersey fam wrestle you back into your seat (as opposed to getting wrestled out of bars, my modus operandi).
Get at these fools.

Circle bar is grungy and crowded — not worth the long wait. The dance floor is suboptimal, as you spend most of your time being pushed around by other drunk passerbys also trying to find a good open spot on the dance floor. Drinks definitely will be spilled on you and you’re bound to get elbowed or butt-​bumped in the back/​side. The only pros include good top 40s music and no cover.

Yesyesyes!!! Great bar, no cover.
Music was on fire with the top 40 and hip hop. Place was packed and it was a really good time. So glad I got to go out to a GOOD place in LA. Guesd the rumors are true, Santa Monica is where it’s at for nightlife.

Awful drinks. Bartender did an awful job. Paid way too much for well drinks. It’s not hard to make a vodka sour or margarita. But hey, maybe it was his first day the bar. On a Monday night. It was not busy.
we had been at another bar earlier and had fantastic drinks (with well alcohol). Then decided to go to the circle bar and couldn’t even finish them they were so bad. I will not go back there.

Bleh no.
This place is filled with subpar music and subpar dancing. A bar that is shaped like a circle just makes for a terrible use of space. There is an unnecessarily long line for a place that is so boring. The DJ was not playing any consistent genre of music so I would hear one song I liked for about a minute and then it would switch to some lame low hype song. Alcohol couldn’t even make this place seem fun for me.
The bouncers are pretentious and give off a try-​hard feeling. From my observation, if you suck up to them long enough, and make them feel important enough they’ll probably let you cut the line. (not unusual for a bar but lame for a place that isn’t even that fun)
There are so many other fun bar options on main street, I would suggest walking somewhere else.

This is one of my guilty pleasure spots. I wind up here when it’s really late and I don’t feel like going far or dressing up. If you drive here be ready to search for parking. There is strictly enforced metered parking and parking lot parking. You can try your luck with side street parking but watch out for Permit Parking signs.
The venue itself is small. There is– You guessed it!- a Circle Bar. Good luck trying to get a drink. Gather some courage and make your way to the bar and loudly order a drink as soon as you get acknowledged by a bartender. The drinks are decent.
The music is great, but the dance floor is small. So long as you don’t mind being smooshed like a sardine you will have a blast.
There is a small outdoor patio for smoking.
The one huge draw back is that I often encounter creepers. Random men that come here alone and stand in the middle of the overcrowded dance floor to cop a feel on a sloppy mess of a girl. You’ve been warned.

This is one of those places that you’ll only ever want to come in when you’re super drunk and want to dance. Because if you’re not drunk enough, you’ll probably suffer in here.
Circle bar, like the name suggests, is a bar that’s shaped like a circle. The bar area is right in the middle and separates the dance floor from the door. The music here is great, I love it, but the dance floor is TINYYYYY. And I don’t blame the bar for letting in more people than necessary because it’s their way of making more money, but holy moly, the dance floor is literally asses to asses and everyone is sweating and smelly it’s totally nasty – which is why I said you gotta be drunk enough to endure this kind of environment. As if the dance floor wasn’t tiny enough, the bathrooms are BEHIND the dance floor, so people are constantly pushing and shoving to come in and out and it can get pretty frustrating. Most of the times my girlfriends and I just want to dance and have some fun but there are a ton of creepy guys preying out here. Some of them are just totally rude and would grab you without asking so be careful!

The last time I was here, a guy walking in behind my group said something along the lines of, «Does anybody actually LIKE the Circle Bar?». This pretty much represents a common attitude about the Circle Bar.
Let’s be real — the Circle Bar is not some amazing and bedazzled bar/​club. It seems to get a lot of hate from folks, but it stays busy because it’s great for what it is — a pretty casual spot to get your dance on when you’re hanging out on Main Street. I have the most fun when I roll into this spot with a group of friends around 10 or so, when it’s still pretty chill and the early DJ is on.
The good:
–Happy Hour 9−11pm (I forget the exact deals, but I know wells are about $ 6)
–Friendly bartenders that serve you quickly
–Decent DJ (I prefer the girl who tends to DJ early on Saturdays)
–Mixed crowd
The not-​so-​good:
–If you arrive very late, expect the following: a slow-​moving line, a claustrophobic bar area that you have to force yourself through, and an increasing number of sketchy guys
–THE BATHROOM — it is extremely small, and once it gets crowded, you have to force yourself across the dance floor to get to it. There’s not enough room to wait in line inside, so you have to wait in line by the DJ area.
In summary: come check it out with your friends when you’re just looking to chill and dance to some tunes. Arrive early on weekends to beat the crowd and high prices.

I visited during a halloween event. They bait and switched us on a drink special, and showed absolutely no remorse doing it. Just looked at us angrily when we said he could have mentioned the price before opening a bottle of beer. It was pretty clear we were there as part of the event.
I don’t recommend anyone support this shady bar when there are at least 5 better ones on the block.

Checked out Circle Bar on Main Street for the first time. There’s a lot of people in here… and the tremble on the music is higher than the bass … I’m all about that bass so the screeching was kind of annoying BUT the music was good and the waitresses seemed to be hot.
Toilets were over flowing with piss. If you like people all over the place, then this is for you! don’t wear fresh kicks !

Went here for my bday a few weeks ago…
Drinks had us drunk, and the music had us all hot n sweaty from dancing…
Diverse crowd… fun on the weekend! Only set back is its small and gets crowded quickly. Throw sum friends up there early… Steal sum seating and you’re ON!