The Del Monte Speakeasy

Don’t go on a cover night, the people who organize/​book the bands are jerks, especially when you ask why you’ve been waiting 2 – 3 hours for the band to start (NOT an exaggeration). Other than those 2 ass-$”@? The low ceiling, lay out and 6″ high stage lend for an intimate live music experience. we’ve been there a bunch of times and ALWAYS leave when the DJ comes on. on a Friday some of the patrons are people who started drinking/​popping/​or snorting hours before we arrived maybe from the beach, tourists, or after work get togethers. These ‘people’ make it unpleasant… So if you can bear the downsides it’s a cool spot. We’ve seen some excellent musicians there.

Cool speak easy hipster vibe. Came during comedy time. Two comedians were good and two weren’t. I like how it’s a private scene.

Went here for a friends birthday a reserved a few tables. It was so fun! Perfect atmosphere for a celebration and they let us bring our own cake in to celebrate with!

Another cool spot in Venice! At first we thought the entrance was in an alleyway but it’s actually on a busy street (forgot the name of the street) but the entrance is next to a coffee shop I believe. I tried their Moscow mule and it taste a bit different from other places (I’ve tried them with real ginger beer /​sweetened ginger beer). It’s dark in there and people seem to come in smaller groups. Want to come back and try different drinks!

This place is SO cool and chill and as a tourist, definitely a spot to check out.
Additionally, the staff are amazing! I left my wallet at the bar and they not only replied to me fast, but also sent me my wallet over after I had left California.
Great people, great vibes, and GREAT prices. CAN’T BEAT THAT!

Will go back time and time again for another Moscow Mule and conversation with the bartender George. Very cool bar.

First time here.
People were mostly in small groups. It seemed that a lot of them were regulars from Venice or nearby.
Not my type of crowd, but that’s not to say there was anything wrong. Upstairs was pretty much the same story.
I’d give a try again.

We attended the speakeasy’s 100^th anniversary party, in conjunction with Repeal Day on Saturday evening and it was a blast! The party was going on all day, but we arrived a bit before 5:00PM. We had planned on stopping by for a bit, then heading out to dinner and a movie, but we ended up having so much fun that we stayed until midnight.
When we arrived there was no line to get in, but by the time we left it was packed and the line was going down the street. You enter on the main floor, and the original speakeasy is located in the basement. There are bars on both floors, and as the night progressed, both got increasingly more crowded. The main floor is chic and well-​lit with an alcove to the side with ample seating and a pool table in the back. The basement speakeasy is dark with a dance floor and tables to the side.
To celebrate their 100^th anniversary, the venue was serving a delicious, free catered dinner. The centerpiece of the dinner was a huge roast pig, with accompanying dishes including cheesy grits, Brussels sprouts, salad, rolls and mini chocolate brownies for dessert. The food was excellent!
At 5:00pm they had a jazz duo playing old-​timey hits from the 20s and 30s in the downstairs speakeasy. They warmed up the crowd as more guests arrived, and my boyfriend and I snagged a table to eat. A bit after 6:00, a speaker gave a historical presentation on Los Angeles and prohibition. It was incredibly interesting to learn about how local history was affected by prohibition, and what role the Del Monte Speakeasy actually played. The speaker was a charming old man who was funny and clearly very passionate about history. A few hours later they had a live band, then the tables were cleared and a DJ played for the rest of the night.
One of the bartenders downstairs served a mean Manhattan, and we ordered a few throughout the evening. I mixed things up a bit with a Moscow Mule, made with homemade ginger beer, and a «20 Mile Limit,» a drink with rum, whiskey and grenadine. My boyfriend stuck with Manhattans and Old Fashioned Whiskey Cocktails. They had free punch, which tasted like a red sangria that wasn’t too sweet or strong. They were also serving special prohibition era cocktails, and they gave everyone a few tickets for $ 1 drinks.
We danced until midnight, and the party was still going strong, but we’d been drinking there since 5:00 and it was time to make our exit. The bartenders were expert mixologists, the live music and entertainment was a blast, and overall, we had a great evening!
Sunday was rough.

Woo hoo Wednesday!
Comedy followed by burlesque? Methinks yes!
This casual mellow bar is located in the heart of prime Venice. When you walk into Townhouse you’ll see stairs leading to the basement and BOOM, you’ve just spotted the «secret» Del Monte Speakeasy. It’s filled with chill vibes and the friendly employees are extra generous with their drinks. I came on a Wednesday around 9:00 pm and was thrilled to see there was no line or cover charge. The bar itself is very dark and things get heated up… literally, its gets hot. The two hours of underground comedy was fantastic as we sat at a table and watched about six different comedians. Laughter certainly filled the air. Then, at 11:00 pm the seductively steamy red light burlesque show started. Such a blast!
Other nights here consist of salsa, jazz, live bands, dj’s, etc. For sure a cool spot to check out and get your groove on.

Came here on a Monday night — Dark, dimmed, (sexy in a naughty way) and intimate setting especially in the side room on the main floor. Haven’t been downstairs but I hear there are usually live music acts. Pool table and bar on main floor.

This place has a weird vibe. The downstairs is super dark with a large dance floor, DJ and bar. It felt super sketch to me. The upstairs has a pool table in the back, also another DJ and a bar.
It was a very mixed crowd. I couldn’t put my finger on it but I’m thinking it was part tourists, part hipsters, part business people (googlers at the nearby campus), and some other crowd that I am completely missing. It was fun to people watch since everything just seemed so odd.
I had the moscow mule. It was… different? They use pickled ginger which gave it a strong acidic gingery taste and they tried to cut that with cucumbers. Not sure if I was a fan.

Me and my homeboy tried this spot out. We came early.
They have a DJ upstairs and one downstairs. Downstairs is a cool setup and vibe, but pretty dark. The female DJ played some decent music off and on.
The male DJ upstairs with the dreadlocks was dope. Wish he was downstairs.
Later in the night an Asian guy took over downstairs. I wish this dude was there the whole night. He had everyone dancing and on the floor none stop.
As time passed more and more people came and both upstairs and downstairs became packed. A little too crowded for my taste. You could barely navigate through all the people.
At a certain point downstairs was too damn hot. There is no ventilation or air down there. We got to a point we were just standing and dripping sweat. I would not come back late, just too hot.
Have to take a star due to the temp downstairs.
Not a very mixed crowd.

Great table reservation with no cover and a $ 150 drink minimum for 8 people. We loved the corner booth and the service from our server. She was great. If there was one thing I could change it would be that the dj for the evening didn’t really play enough danceable music. We wanted to drink and dance. When we approached the dj to make a song request for a more danceable set, we were immediately stopped by one of the bouncers. I understand he didn’t want to be disturbed while he (DJ Jedi) was «in the zone» but rather than a complete «no» to our request, a much better approach would have been to have us make a written request. There was barely any dancing. More people standing around or just sitting at their table looking at the people not dancing.
Other than that, the ambiance was great. We did like the dj upstairs alot better. We ended up leaving the table to continue our good times upstairs with other dancing people. Would I come out here again, probably not. I need to groove.
p. s. Careful ladies on the last step down the stairwell with your high heels on. It really needs more lighting. It’s a doozy.

Cool venue to enjoy a live jazz performance from 8:00 PM for 2 hours. Then the DJ played various genres as the dance floor packed with beachy, breezy, and beautiful crowds. Had a funtastic and celebratory time with cool friends.
Cheers to living life joyfully!

**4.5 STARS** Tbh, if it wasn’t for the bathroom situation and some creepy guys, I’d give it 5 stars. But I mean it is Venice Beach…
I came here once with a group of friends and love love love it! My best friend came in here randomly because he said he didn’t want to sit in traffic so he came here to just grab a drink. He then came back and told us that we just HADDDDDD to come here. And… He was right, this place is great!
GETTING IN/​LINES:
We came around 9PM and we got in no problem and no lines, we received a stamp on our hand for easy entering and exiting. They need ID 21+. Or maybe it’s 18+ and you get a wristband for no drinking or something. However, when we were leaving around 1:30, the line was sooooooooo longgggggg. That’s how you know this is also a great place to go, when there’s a long line even at around 1:30 am in the morning.
UPSTAIRS:
They have pool, a lot of tables for sitting, and also a bar. A lot, a lot of tables enough for talking.
DOWNSTAIRS:*Stairs Located in the back“
Downstairs, is a FULL DANCE FLOOR and a DJ. But also along the wall they have a lot of tables and booth seats and regular chairs. I danced with my gf’s for a few hours :)
DRINK:
My go-​to mixed drink is a Mojito, unfortunately, they didn’t have all the ingredients for it. :(But the waitress recommended the Moscow Mule and it was a REALLY GOOD MOSCOW MULE. You could really taste the ginger beer in it :) It was a bit pricey though. It was about $ 12.
SERVICE:
Impeccable service! While we were upstairs, the waitress came immediately to help us with our order. Even when we went downstairs there were waitress’s asking for our orders. Not stingy on water either.
BATHROOM: *Located Upstairs*
BAD. BAD. BAD. TWO BATHROOMS? AND IT WAS SOOOOO DARK IN THERE. One girl was throwing up in the bathroom and I felt really really bad. but that did take one stall out… And there was a long line for the bathroom just for the one stall. Security was also at the door waiting to help the girl out of the bathroom.

The bar was a little too dark for my liking. But there was plenty of seats at the bar.
I did however enjoy Tropical Pale. I’d come back for that again.

This place is super cool. It’s beneath the townhouse. Not sure of the separate names but the underground speakeasy gives it a different vibe from upstairs. There’s a stage that host regular events and the bartenders know how to treat customers right.
Stop by if you’re in the Venice area for this hidden gem.

Townhouse /​Del Monte Speakeasy is an excellent bar /​live venue combination right next to Venice Beach pier. Upstairs you’ll get to indulge in their booze creations, most notably their MOSCOW MULE with home made ginger beer, and their HOUSE GIN TONIC which comes out pretty strong. Like.
Grab a seat on one of the sofas in the dark, intimate side room and keep it goin’.
If you feel like dancing, downstairs the Del Monte Speakeasy is your place. Regular live music gigs or DJ’s (it’s getting hot in there!) are spinning the decks in this sexy underground venue. There are regular jazz concerts — grab a g&t upstairs and get comfortable.

One word to describe this place: sexy Underground venue, smooth vibe, and some interesting live music make for a cool night out in Venice. The adjoining Townhouse Bar (located upstairs) is a bit brighter and maybe more «pregame appropriate» but I’d gladly hop back and forth anytime I’m back in the area!

How can you NOT love Del Monte Speakeasy… it’s location is super confusing because its located inside Townhouse. Townhouse is the bar area above while DMS is located down a stairway…
The first time I attempted to come here was on a Friday. They have live jazz music from 8pm-​10pm no cover. No one told me that it was literally downstairs!!!
2^nd time I came here, a bit more prepared after a bit of research was on a Wednesday. On Wednesday they have Underground Comedy for 9pm-​11pm and again it’s no cover and then at 11pm they have Red Light Wednesdays which is a free Burlesque show
I came in a bit late for the comedy so had a few drinks with friends upstairs at Townhouse until the burlesque show started. Overall the drinks are sort of pricey but worth it. They are tasty indeed and will certainly put a spark in your pants (whatever that means).
The burlesque show was awesome. The hostess was humorous and the dancers were tantalizingly seductive. Overall it’s a great time! I would say it’s a bit modern mixed with classic burlesque. The music was everything you could imagine dancing to and the dancers were skilled on and off the pole.
It is free so I would recommend bringing some dollar bills for the ladies. Don’t be a douche –_​-​. But you really can’t go wrong here HIGHLY RECOMMEND.