The Comedy & Magic Club — Restaurant in Hermosa Beach

This post was originally from July 2023, so now over a year ago and no reply from the owner. You better look over your bill carefully or they will over charge you too, don’t try to correct the servers at this venue as they steal you blind. They will make a huge scene trying to embarrass you like they did our group. Worst experience ever, stay away from this place.

Things were good until they went terribly wrong. First let’s get the requirements out of the way, which have nothing to do with this review. You’re required to order two items at the show per ticket, and they have a 3 drink max per person, all not an issue. Our group of 5 all ordered pre dinner drinks and the drinks arrived at the table, so far so good. Then we each ordered food, four plates came out of the kitchen and when the others at our table were at least half way through their meal, my dinner arrived at the table. My friends wanted to wait until my plate arrived but I insisted they eat their dinner while it was still hot, lucky I said that because they were over half way finished with their dinner when my plate finally arrived. After dinner we ordered our second set of drinks. The waitress was struggling to make rounds in our area and things were taking a bit longer then they should’ve, to get to the table, no waters were filling and we just sat until half way through the show before our 2nd round of drinks arrived. When the show was just over 3/4 of the way over the waitress came to check on us and she took another drink order from our table. This is where the evening went off the rails. The drink didn’t show up, so when the waitress walked by my friend leaned over and said “I’m still waiting for my drink”. She then walked back to the kitchen area. After a while she walked by the table again and he asked about his drink and there is when it all started. The waitress proceeded to tell him, he got his three drinks for the night, he tried to explain she never brought him his drink, then a few minutes later she brought the bill which had the missing drink listed for him to pay for Then she proceeded to make up a story saying the drink is not added onto the bill until the bartender makes the drink and the drink is delivered to the table and ONLY at that time is it then added to the bill. He said he didn’t get the drink, which he didn’t as I was sitting right next to him. I was at the end of the table basically sitting walkway so I missed nothing the whole night as guest walked by and bumped my chair. She stood there making a scene, blocking the view of the other guests behind us as they tried to watch the comedians on stage. She said you had your three drinks, then he replied if you brought me my drink, where is my empty glass? This being said, ours drink glasses were all still on the table. She then said I took your three empty glass once you finished them and there is a three drink max per person. She could have knelt down and lowered her voice, but since she thought she was right she was going to show him and the rest of the venue who was in charge. After that she walked off and about ten mins later she came back to the table a set his missing drink in front of him and said “I’m so sorry, I talked to the bartender I guess your drink was never made!!!!” WHAT?!? What happened to the story the drinks don’t go on the bill until they are made and delivered to the table. Why didn’t you go back and talk to the bartender before you decided to make a big scene, the only one raising their voice was you but I’m guessing it’s a easy way to pad the bill and over charge customers for items they never get. NOTE: She had no issues kneeling down, as she apologized, I guess she wanted to keep that part...

I went alone one Sunday to see comedy legend Jimmy Brogan. His crowd work & fast, funny thinking was right on par with the kindness & attention paid me by staff. Though roof parking was full when I got there, the "roof emcee" was very personable & helpful as I queried for any parking advice. I knew there was a nearby parking structure, but going back every 2 hours to feed the meter did not appeal to me. She let me know that the center strip of parking meters allowed much more time, also accepted credit cards & were a good bet at that time of day as beach goers headed home. That was very helpful! The two fellows who checked me in were swell, my waiter was efficient & fast & the other waiter chased down a request he really didn't have to..... and both followed up. A female host checked on me & we chatted briefly. The two nearest early birds also visited with me briefly & shared reviews of their meal as well as previous nights with surprise guests like Seinfeld & Robin Williams still going strong at midnight despite the pleading, flashing lights of management.

There are no bad seats, no bad sight lines but I was surprised when they offered the "balcony." Watching the packed house from behind & hearing their strong responses was a much needed respite. I missed the emcee's name (Del?) but he was very consistent & well written.

My second visit was the next Sunday with a friend. We came early enough to park on the roof, ate at a nearby restaurant but still made it back early enough to be seated front row stage right. From the performer's perspective, only a few rows are lit but everyone had a consistently strong reaction throughout the show. Emcee Mark Schiff, host of the You Don’t Know Schiff podcast was a great surprise to see, Brogan killed again with his material sandwiched with talking to the audience directly.

The ladies restroom was in great shape & the line moved quickly after the show The only negative was the prison guard demeanor of an employee sincerely focused on clearing the room & not encouraging stragglers intent on deeper lookie loo at the mix of comedy outfits entombed in the glass cases. Everyone set the tone for a great night of standup on both visits. And the headliner? Jay Leno is a true master. The kid is going places (& expected as a guest on Schiff's podcast soon, he just finished a Random with Bill...

Quickie: Anniversary shows in July ($20 for 20 comedians) is very worth the money Nice-sized intimate venue with broad collection of entertainers Serves food and makes for a nice date-night locale

Show and venue: This year marks my second year going to the 20 Comics for $20 anniversary show this past July. You pay $20 and over the course of two hours you get to see 20 comics do their bit until they get a ding (about 5-10 minutes each depending on how well they work the crowd). Some people can bomb awkwardly but for the most part everyone is pretty hilarious. It's amazing the amount of new comedians you have never heard of that come out and become your new favorites.

The tickets are general admission so you need to get there early to get a good seat. If the show starts at 8 p.m., try to be there when the doors open at 6:30 p.m. You can get away with arriving at 7 but the middle section will be all full. (The hosts seat you when you get there, best seats go first)

Food: Nice selection of appetizers, entrees and drinks. Drinks $12+, appetizers $10 and up, entrees $15 and up. The spinach dip and chips made for a good appetizer to share between four people. The steak plate was tasty and the pastas aren't bad. They serve food and drinks before and during the show and during the anniversary shows you get served free slices of cake.

Parking: Parking on the top of the venue is super limited. Street parking with meters and metered a lot across the street that can get pretty full. Also another structure on the other side of the pier but if you drive around the lot, you might get lucky. $1.25 and hour for the lot.

Verdict: Love this place! It has a lot of great comedians come through so keep an eye on the calendar for your fave. The anniversary show is just awesome... I love discovering new comics I hadn't heard of before and for just $20 I can see a whole array of them... all different kinds of comedic style. They have $10 Fridays for 10 comics, and I will be fa-sho...