Main on Main

Been here a few times, and everytime I come here I’m underwhelmed. It’s like a big giant open space with a few seats on the side, and I guess all that space is supposed to be used for dancing? Not really much dancing all the times I’ve been here, but hey maybe it’s just me.
The people I know who’ve been here say it’s awesome. I really don’t know if I’m just the bad luck charm or just come here on bad nights (Friday nights aren’t very good choices I guess?) but from my experience, it’s just so bland. The music is cool, but this is not the only place in Santa Monica to go to for good music. Drinks aren’t too pricey, which is good considering that it’s Santa Monica.
It seems like a cool place to just hang around and chill with your crew; however, they list this place as a dance club, and like I said, the nights I was here, there was very little dancing. Like, if this was listed as just a lounge, I would have no problem here. But they list it as a dance club, so I come here expecting to see everybody gettin their Lil’ B on, and nothing is happening. Minus one star.
Oh yeah, supposedly there is a cover charge of $ 5 if you arrive after 11. I came here after 11 once and managed to make it in without having to pay, but the line was not long at all. I have also heard about them charging the cover at like 10:30 sometimes, so it’s not really consistent. I definitely would not pay to enter this place though. If they are charging, just do yourself a favor and go somewhere else. Minus one star, because the idea of paying to enter this place is just pure comedy. This is the kind of place you go to when you wanna go out, but you don’t want to break the bank, so paying a cover charge defeats the purpose of coming here.
Stop through if you’re in the area, but don’t plan a whole night around coming here.

Cool place but FUCK the bouncers.
Halloween night. I’m wearing a huge mask. You can’t see my face. My girlfriend and I go to the bathroom. After I get out I wait like a gentleman for my girlfriend to finish in her bathroom. But I’m told by the OVER FUCKING AGGRESSIVE little dick bouncer in the back that «I’m peaking» in the women’s restroom. I assure him «no sir! I’m waiting on my girl.» He argues with me again in a very shitty ex-​marine like tone. How about you go back to Iraq and die for nothing! Ok ok… That last statement was harsh, but that’s just to personify how he made me feel last night. There was NO reason to start shit! He was just looking for people to kick out. It’s people like this that take police jobs and then abuse their power. Fuck him! Cool bar though.

Last night was my birthday and the bouncer Mark was amazing! No long line and he let all my friends come in. He even surprised us with a table! We danced the night away and the music was great! Thanks Mark for making my birthday more memorable.

This bar is whack. The bouncer looks like a little twig. People are always fighting in there with no one to stop it bc their only bouncer is not even a bouncer. The people inside are all high schoolers with fake ids, and no ones ever in there unless they’re really young or creeps. Dirty, boring, and just overall not a nice bar. If you really want to have fun circle bar across the street is great.

This place is known to be a ghetto spot on main but depending on your mood and how much you want to bump and grind it can be fun.
But they have gone too far, last night there was an obvious issue and the entire place smelled like raw sewage, not the usual main on main stank, this was at a hazmat level.
I would not surprised if people are ill from breathing in the toxic fumes in this place.
I made it known to the girl collecting cover and the security know they had an issue but they could care less.
Do not go in this place unless you enjoy breathing in port a potty fumes.

Jason at the door is awesome. Bartenders. So friendly. Abi is so awesome and she can pour a mean drink. Oh and the drinks aren’t that expensive. Love the dancing.

Don’t believe the hype! This place absolutely bumps.
Main Street in Santa Monica can best be described as a bro-​fest/​ho-​fest on most weekend nights. Inside Main on Main, however, there is a solid mix of hip hop and diverse young people.
For the record, all clubs are a little gross. This place is a lot of fun and despite the silly little cover charge (ok, bruh, you can have five dollars), the crowd and the music totally redeemed it.
I would rather slam my hand in a car door than set foot in one of the many Irish pubs along Main.
If you appreciate urban culture and are not afraid of a little diversity, get your butt on the dance floor and show the haters what’s up.

Don’t waste your time coming here. I don’t know the Dj’s name but he wears a hat and has long brown hair. It is such a shame to see a completely empty dance floor and a DJ playing crappy house music. Get a clue man. If no one is dancing you are doing something wrong. lamest night ever. Oh, and when I POLITELY tried to ask him if he was playing anything other than house for the night he was super rude! How is it that some DJ’s don’t realize they are playing music for «the people» and not just for themselves?

You can barely move on dance floor after 12.

The crowd sucks so bad, I felt like i was in a frat house. That’s all i need to say.

Good music, however the place is small the drinks can be better. The crowd is a bit ghetto on my first and only visit there a fight emerged it was disappointing as we ALL want to have a good time. Other than that i guess is ok to visit if u have nothing better to do.

When we got in line to get in the bouncer was friendly and feeling the music that was playing. That itself was a good sign in expecting the kind of fun we would have. Granted we got in and it was completely empty, but it was only about 10pm. However, once 11pm hit there was a large rush of people and it got packed pretty quick.
Great old school hip-​hop and top 40. A bunch of tables and seats along the side of the wall. It wasn’t as bad as I was expecting on a Saturday night.

I would put no stars if I could. This place lacks class and the bouncers are high on something. They all seem to be looking for a fight, rahter than letting the patrons enjoy the ambiance. To be honest, my college buddies and I have always gone to this place cause we felt it was fun and friendly atomsphere. The manager needs to train the staff on hospitality, especially the bouncers. They seem to be a bunch of meat heads working the door. I seriously urge you to consider all the other establishments in the area. This place needs a make over. I hope and pray the city of santa monica shuts this place down.
Sincerely,
Disappointed customer!

This place was definitely cool a few years ago… it was the spot me and my friends would have a great night and had great music! The last few times I’ve been there it’s been ok. Music is still decent, bar is ok… but there are a lot more younger people. Definitely not somewhere to go if you’re 25+ … it gets too ghetto too and smells weird sometimes. I give it 3 stars still tho because of the good ol’ memories. Maybe this place is just for the younger crowd.

Love this spot for the size and space, will definitely fill up on weekends — but always a good time. Usually pretty diverse and good mix of people here — love coming here with my coworkers.

8/​16, Sat night
Main on Main? Yuck on Yuck.
You could have shot a cannon through this place and the 5 of us would have been safe.
No idea how this dismal place stays open… it’s seedy and smelly (seriously, who opened the sewer?), with the worst DJ’d music ever. Perhaps the DJ’s job is to keep that dance floor clear, so anyone who mistakenly wanders in will have a clear, speedy path to the exit.
Thank you, Mr. DJ, for making sure there were no pesky dancers to slow me down as I ran out…

The good news:
Alright, come here if you’re looking for a ratchet night that you won’t remember because I promise that being sober here will lead you to the one star reviews. I love that they play old mainstream hip hop and the bar is never that crowded. Yes, it is literally a hole in the wall place where you can’t even tell what it is from the outside, but I’ve never had a bad time here! :) I recommend coming a little earlier, getting a hand stamp, and coming back later to avoid the cover and rude bouncers because they aren’t so bad when there isn’t a line.
The bad news:
Come with a good group of people because I’ve seen some odd people here, but that can sometimes just makes the atmosphere more fun haha.

Came here for a girlfriend’s birthday, and it wassss innneresting…
Arrived around 11pm on a Sat night from Sushi Roku (read my review on that later!) and there was no cover charge.
The BF wanted to get drunk as fast as possible to forget about the money woes that Sushi Roku had just wrought on his bank account. And you have to really yell in this place. Ordered two LA Waters and the bartender smiled and
said, «two waters?»
me, «NO! 2 LA waters Alcohol!»
Bartender, «Oh! Hahaha That would’ve been a very different type of water!»

Main on Main is a cool spot. Whenever I come to LA my buddies always like taking me here and I definitely enjoy myself. This is the type of place that is great to come to with a bunch of your friends. You can take over the dance floor and just have a great time. The drinks are reasonably prices but man are they strong. Definitely getting the value for your buck

Came here for a party, the dress code was clearly not being enforced as the party was casual and the place had been rented out for the group.
My experience was probably unlike a typical night… however I can comment on how it was. Bar service was slow and uncaring, drink options were acceptable, but the service was just bad. Waiting for 15 minutes to get beer in a bottle?
Also, the DJ was rude, and unwilling to take requests… for a private party that had paid in advance.
Bathrooms were disgusting, until a guy showed up to sell his candy, condoms, offer paper towels and clean the place up a bit.