It's places like this that make you appreciate simplicity. Chez Jay has been around for a very long time and you can tell that its success and survival is unique in its own respect. While so much around it is changing, there lies a little divey bar/restaurant that could easily turn the clock back on any customers perception of time. The place is a historical landmark in Santa Monica (or at least it should be). read more

Yes! Everything about this place... Yes! I have been to Santa Monica more times than I can count, and I'd never even noticed this place. I was actually told by a local resident and regular of this spot, to check it out. So glad I did! Nice little dive (always my fave), dark, cozy and the food is not even what you'd expect! The butter steak, omg. The sticky toffee desert, omg. I was very impressed with the food! Honestly, I can't wait to go back. read more

This is my favorite place in Santa Monica bar none. The food is really good. The people who hang out here are locals not tourists and michael the general manager is awesome and has tons of great stories. Also you can eat and spit out peanut shells and toss them on the floor. read more

An institution in Santa Monica. You have to go with the flow and you will have a great time. They treat everyone like a local and the food is always solid. It's not fine dining, but it's a great hang. read more

"Let's walk up Ocean Ave. and do a shot at every bar we pass!!!" "OK!!!" Famous last words...We started at Chez Jay which none of us had ever been to. The bartender served us peanuts and said that whatever we did, to make sure we threw the shells on the floor. Um, SURE! SOUNDS FANTASTIC! ESPECIALLY AFTER THAT GIGANTIC SHOT OF TEQUILA! The bartender also said they served pretty good food which we didn't try. Onto to the next bar!!! read more

i really like the idea of this dive bar, but the food wasn't good. burger was overcooked and bleh. liked the potato wedges but that was just a side. other things like a creamy scallop dish weren't good either. better off just getting a drink next time, if i even return. really nice people though. see where to get a burger instead in my latest burger roundup on my site. read more

I was surprised by all the good reviews of this place - it was horrible! My baked potato was partially cooked, the steak was medium rare like I asked but covered in this burnt crust. The salad was one of those cabbage carrot mixes you can buy at the grocery store for a dollar. Overall not good and I'd not recommend it to anyone. read more

Great spot in the heart of Santa Monica, part dive bar part burger joint, you may actually see some celebs there, but whatever happens you will be doing it for a good low price. read more

If you can't stand all the fancy SM places, Chez Jay is the hang out for you. A surfy-vibed dive bar, the bar food is great and their dinner service even better. Try the Sand Dabs sitting in a booth or order a Rib Eye Special at the bar and make new friends on the bar stools around you. Great with your pals or on a date. Awesome stuff! read more

Love the atmosphere and great food! The scallop potatoes are on the must have list. We stumbled across this place and we are glad we did.

The atmosphere is cool but NY steak tastes like Indian food and the scalloped potatoes have bananas in them and it's just wierd. The New England clam chowder was good and the Ceasar salad was good as was the sticky toffee pudding. read more

Hubs is working out of town in Santa Monica so I came up from San Diego to join him for the evening. He mentioned that he stopped by this place for lunch and he really liked it so he wanted to check it out for dinner. AMAZING. I loved the old school vibe. We both had steak and lobster. I must say the best I've had. Any time, any place. The waiters were more than spot on. Very attentive. I've also never had a cocktail served to me so fast. Ever. Even if I was the only person at the bar, sitting in front of the bartender!! It was almost as if she knew what I wanted before I ordered it and made it. (Sapphire Martini, straight up, 3 olives). This is not a fancy place so please don't make any assumptions, have an open mind, a martini, and a steak dinner. You'll thank me ;-) Can't wait to come back! read more

Excellent tuna melt! Free and easy parking with a great location near Santa Monica Pier. Yay!

We popped in here after my husband's marathon. It's a small place. I think it must have opened its store a long time ago because all over the walls are old pictures of chez jay. It's a cool little place, decorated like a pirate ship? Its very warm and friendly, but you can tell its old because of the wear and tear. We could not get our stroller through, but the waiter helped us move it to the back. I thought the vibe of the place was like the show cheers! Everyone seemed to know everyone. It was very welcoming place. Every time a marathon runner came in everyone cheered. The food was good too. I got the clam linguini. They put a lot of clams. The taste was ok. I was hungry so I ate it all, but I felt it was missing something. The sauce was creamy, not too rich. The clams had little rocks in them so some bites I was spitting out. I got my boys the mushroom burger with sweet potato fries. They liked it a lot. I didn't even have to put ketchup! The sweet potato fries were amazing. I think I ate most of it because it was so addicting. My husband ordered the bacon burger and he enjoyed it. He got the regular fries and they were good too. They put some garlic and other herbs on it and it was delicious! The price is very decent, especially for Santa Monica. There's not a lot of people who work there. I think just 2. But even so, we didn't have to wait to be served and the food came out relatively quickly. read more

Went here for a drink after my sandwich at Bay Cities. This is a great old place. Been told it's been here forever. Had a double vodka rocks, but may have been a triple! Love the new timers and the old timers. Great place! read more

A CLASSIC. Divey, but clean. thank GOD santa monica has not yet torn it down. Very homey atmosphere and good food. A true gem -- a reminder of what santa monica once was. Rest in Peace, Jay. read more

Great meal, great service. I had the Fresh Flounder special and hubby had the butter sirloin steak. Girls had the top sirloin and prawns. Everything was delicious read more

I hope I don't put anyone off...Chez Jay is an institution, definitely a place that everyone in Los Angeles should visit once. Twice I'm not so sure...the food is great, bar-style surf & turf, comparable to the other old school places on the Westside, like the Galley. But before you go, there are some distinctly new school things about Chez Jay, especially in its post-RAND incarnation. 1) It is LOUD, I don't mean hubba-bubba loud, I mean yelling over the laughter loud. We were there on a Saturday night, so we were probably getting the extreme. Which leads to 2) It is crowded, like if you're sitting near the front, somebody's ass is in your face crowded. 3) The valet is a mixed bag; we were not there too late (9:30ish) and he'd gone home, so we had to call him to get our keys, which he'd left with 4) the nastiest bartender in Santa Monica. This comes from someone who worked as a bartender and then has been a public librarian for 28 years, so I have a thick skin. My friend went to order us drinks, and I went to retrieve my car keys, and he tried to pick a fight with both of us "just cause he could". And this is their Saturday night bartender. The rest of the staff was super-friendly, but if I ever go back and he's there, I'd only order a drink to throw it on him. 5) If you serve bread, don't serve burnt-black bread. That's something my sister would do. read more

I had a quite pleasant dinner here. The food wasn't that memorable but my company was. : ) But I do love their peanut shells on the floor; I love this type of character. I guess I'd go there for drinks next time instead of dinner. read more

this is one of the few places in town where you can get a culotte cut. even PDC stopped carrying it, at least the one in santa monica. there's still straw from the '70s and the bar is tight. sometimes you can run into a bunch of conventioneers from across the street. but most of the time, you can expect to hang with some locals. it's the kind of place you might expect somewhere in queens or in cleveland. but it's literally steps from the beach with one of the few places along the strip with its own parking lot. yeah. get the culotte. call it rump steak. whatever you want. but it is great. read more

great bar for both locals and visitors. don't expect much, but like most bars, its about the people!! oh yeah, get your own peanuts out of the bucket then you are required to throw the shells on the floor!! Enjoy a place that is below the radar for most people and fun at the same time. read more

My review is solely based on the fact that this is the place i first met "him" when i came here for a drink... When i first walked in here, i was "ew! it smells like ass and corn nuts!". But... something was in the air that night and this is the place where i first met my littlo veggie boy. Smoother than a baby's ass, his swagger was on point. Commented on my ring, made me laugh a little bit, and made me feel comfortable in my own skin... And... here we were, a year later... My veggie boy can still make me blush ;) read more

Poor service. I asked the waiter what kind of beer the alagash white was, and he replied, "an ale... well turned out to be wheat. Get to know your drafts. Oh and they were out of anchor steam at 6:30pm. read more

We arrived early and found a spot at the bar prior to our Saturday night reservation. The drink pours were ample and the people were really down to earth. The atmosphere was definitely the dive bar I was told it would be but that's my kind of place, so I really enjoyed myself. By the time our reservation came around the tiny place was packed. We had steamed clams (yum) a bottle of wine and I had the salmon special. The service was good. Our Garlic bread was a little chewy but not a big deal. The cheesecake we shared was good but I think the checkered table cloths, red candles and Frank Sinatra playing in the background was all my favorite part. I will definitely return to this hidden gem. read more

This steak joint is just that, a good old joint in a city STARVED for joints. Been going here on and off for about a century now, and it never gets old, never disappoints. Just remember, it's a joint. Keep it simple, order a drink and a steak, sit back, and catch up with your people. read more

Great dive bar in Santa Monica. Big history with the likes of Sinatra, Martin and such. The food is the best kept secret so dont miss out and see a bit of history before the next earthquake. read more

I tried the food this time around and I must say it was not bad. Steak was relatively tender with fresh orange juice and a fried egg. Service was slow to start with but improved as food didn't take long. read more

Gotta love this place. Have been going there for years and it never disappoints. It's funky and divey and old with old dusty pictures and and really old tables and chairs and saw dust on the floor, but that's the charm. Hardly any places in LA left like this. I'm always afraid ill drive there and it will be gone or renovated but not today, thank goodness. We usually go for dinner and I always have a scotch and a filet mignon but today it was 11am so the kids got pancakes and I got a bacon cheese burger with salad instead of fries. The burger arrived and it was beautiful! So good that my daughters immediately asked for a bite. The loved it soooo much that I let them split the half of the burger. I ate the other half and it was delicious! I loved every single bite. The salad was fresh with a nice mix of greens and a good Roquefort dressing. The kids said the pancakes were really good too. And oh yes they bring complimentary fruit to the table- very nice. Love this place anytime day or night, read more

This is a fun combo of beachy dive bar and homey, old school steak joint. We loved the atmosphere, including red checked tablecloths, and it wasn't too crowded on a Friday night. Butter steak was juiciest I've had in awhile and unusually seasoned--hits the spot if you're craving steak. Came with a perfect baked potato and tasty sautéed green beans. Clams app was delish. My husband got a wild salmon special that was perfectly cooked. Good service. We had a lovely meal with friends! read more

Service was what I wanted neighborly like and true smiles! Also the owner came in worried about my car bc the winds were blowing and parts of the palm were falling around the car, how nice was that! Thank you Chez Jay read more

The perfect combination of steakhouse and dive. Always delicious with the best people watching on Ocean Ave.

I hadn't been to Chez Jay in many many years, but returned last Saturday night with some dear friends and had a wonderful time. Great food, great booze, and simply great service here. Chez Jay has been consistently that great dive bar that happens to serve great food. I will be back soon and often. read more

The buttersteak was indeed juicy and delicious with an herb butter sauce. The clam chowder was also good. The scallop potatoes had a strange after taste we later learned had bananas?? I'll get the baked potato next time. Maybe the same recipes since it opened in 1959? The place was divey and intimate. The service was lackluster. My friends were disappointed with their steaks that had a pile of fried bacon pieces. Kinda strange experience but I can still taste the juicy red meat! read more

We come for dinner and that is a good experience. We came for Sun breakfast it was awful!!! Sat outside with a static radio, plastic silverware and the worst Huevos Rancheros I have ever had. I think they just pored tomato sauce on it...my husband got scrambled eggs and hash browns.. Totally underwhelming. read more

A Santa Monica classic bar with fancy grub. I liked the veggie sticks for munching. Beer was the best thing I had there, but I'm blanking on the name. The waitress recommended the Swordfish Bearnaise over the other swordfish dish, but it wasn't as good as swordfish should be, esp. at $25. Asparagus side was good tho. read more

Divey bar. I only go where because the rat pack went there and because there is no other bar worthwhile around that area. I have never eaten there. It is always packed for the most part and hard to move around with the tables. It is a bit pricey as well. read more

One of our favorite weekend brunch spots. Great service, food is spot on and drinks are flowing. Love Peter and Jeff who have worked here for years. You will find locals along with an international crowd at the bar. Kinda perfect read more

Still a great place to go grab a drink on the Westside. Valet parking. Food and service are good.

Just OK food and service, but I had to try this place which is featured in the show Goliath.

Never eaten here, but I hear the steak is the best around. Good place for a drink. One of the few non pretentious bars on the west-side.