Tavern on Main SM — Restaurant in Santa Monica

As a local of 33 years, I can say that this is by far the best bar on Main Street (and one of the best in Santa Monica/this part of the coast in general). What initially drew me in after the latest management took over was how conscientious & caring the bartenders were for a young female patron. I have had countless experiences on Main Street at other local bars where I have felt like my safety has been threatened and where the staff either simply do not care or actively encourage the disrespect of women. This is one of the few bars that I can confidently say makes an effort to be a safe space for women. I am a regular here, and tend to get quite tipsy pretty often. The bar tenders and managers have never made me feel like I was inferior or unwelcome, even when I have stayed well past my “prime”. On multiple occasions, they have even offered to order me a car to go home in. They aren’t the type to kick a potentially struggling woman to the curb, but rather to ask how they can help, which I believe is a huge deal when it comes to bars in general. There needs to be more like this. Many times, I have arrived at the Tavern after long, questionable nights elsewhere because I know that the guys (& ladies) who work there will look out for me. Bartenders Dan (manager), Sam, Jevi, Amber, Rodney, and Joe are all so fantastic. Other great things- they have tons of power outlets all throughout the bar, which is wonderful if you like to do work on your computer (I’ve spent hours there), and affordable food and drinks that are really delicious. I cannot recommend the...

So we drove from the valley to get the Wednesday wings deal…. That is literally advertised on their tv screens and also their menu. We come on Monday and get the $9 Burger and beer combo… noticed the wings were a special on Wednesday. So came back today, only to be told the wings are only on special during happy hour… well you should change your menu wording, bc we came Monday at 7p and got the burger deal, yet the wings are only during happy hour but under the daily specials? Shame on y’all. I just walked across the street to the burger spot and watched a group of 6 people sit down at your restaurant and got waters and then left after 5 minutes… when they walked by I asked them why they left so quickly…. They came for the WEDNESDAY special, the wings. And they were told it was during happy hour only. Man I love the wings here, but your shady business model needs to change. Looks like a few people around the town have experienced the same stuff after reading some of the reviews. Do better. I see ZERO people in your establishment at the moment and all of the restaurants around are packed. Where’s the problem?? Hope you figure it out. Sounds like a...

Deeply disappointed by my experience here—particularly with one of the bartenders who made closing out my tab an exhausting and uncomfortable ordeal. After chasing him down just to pay, I finally found him outside, where he acted like doing his job was some kind of favor and implied I should be thankful for a « free drink ».

As a Black woman, it was jarring to be treated with such dismissiveness and condescension. What’s worse is that this wasn’t a one-off—my girlfriends had warned me about him before. I wanted to believe otherwise, but witnessing it for myself made it undeniable. His behavior toward women, especially women of color, is emotionally tone-deaf at best and disrespectful at worst.

It’s especially disheartening because he’s one of the only Black men in that space. You want to root for your own, but not when they perpetuate the very dynamics we’re constantly trying to rise above. This establishment is not a safe...