I went here because I am a huge fan of dive bars and Goliath. Of course they remade the Chez Jay in Goliath on a sound stage, but they did a damn good job. The vibe and energy are great. You can tell it is a local spot that has been well-loved over the years. Look, the food is really good, but not great. Classic steakhouse foods, but no steak is more than $50. The Caesar salad was actually great, and very large so easily shared between two people. Go, look around, take it all in, and enjoy a classic. pro tip: don't get confused by The Backyard at Chez Jay. It is the back patio bar with open seating. They are separate businesses, and cater to totally different crowds. read more

Chez Jay - Outdoor entry. - Steakhouses Near Me - Santa Monica, California

I received an invite from an old colleague at Rand Corp, to dine at our old haunt. Stepping into the restaurant immediately transported me back to a more comfortable time in my life. The food was awesome, the pours were generous, and the servers were cheerful and elevated our experience, even though some of the topics of discussion were, (how should I say this) "Deep". Long before the series "Goliath" made Chez Jay a tourist attraction, it was the go-to attraction where Rand Corporation would entertain the NSA & heads of the equivalent to our State Department of both our Allies and some Adversaries . When you take your first fork-full of your meal, you'll understand how dining at Chez Jay's builds relationships and opens the doors to new possibilities. Its food is far superior than its architecture. But if you know its history, you'll realize that it has always been an undercover paradise. read more

Chez Jay - Chez Jay's Reataurant / Bar - Steakhouses Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Chez Jay is a casual spot in Santa Monica. We just had cocktails and they were pretty good. We didn't eat, although they do have menu that looks quite worthwhile. Good service, reasonable prices. Worth stopping by if you're in the area. read more

Chez Jay - From the parking lot - only some spots are for CJ though - Steakhouses Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Horrific service. The owner, Michael Anderson, watched a heat lamp fall ONTO MY HEAD and came over to tell me that the woman who tripped into it and caused it to fall on me used to be a playmate. He didn't apologize, ask if I was okay, nor did he offer to comp my bill. A bartender grabbed me ice and Advil, and a server asked if I was okay. But for the owner to come and introduce himself only to say, "You know who that was? You know who Hugh Hefner is? He used to have playmates. She was one of them." ...was disgusting. Not to mention, SHE tripped on their stairs and they took zero accountability for that either. I likely will never come back, and if you visit, I suggest wearing a helmet so you can avoid a huge bump on your head. Heat lamps are not light, and the sharp edge of it slammed right into the side of my head. read more

Highly highly recommended. One of my favorite places in Santa Monica. Always stop in when visiting. Cutest patio area, delicious food, welcoming chef and great service. I've been here quite a few times always on point. This last time I went for brunch and got the burger with avocado and egg with a margarita. The burger was so juicy and flavorful. What a great way to start your day! read more

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Small place, a bit outdated but great service and the food was pretty good. I got the filet and lobster - the steak was PHENOMENAL but the lobster was subpar. I would just suggest getting the steak there! read more

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Saved our butts on Thanksgiving day when we had been doing home renovations all day. LOVE Chez Jay's and their food is divine! read more

Chez Jay - Steakhouses Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Been here a few times with friends. Love that it's a divey, low-key place. Comes off to me like more of a local's spot, which is great. So here for that vibe. I always tend to order fish of some sort and a salad. Always good. Location is great, too. read more

Excellent sand dabs and Caesar salad with grilled shrimp. Staff is friendly and professional. Very fun place!

Great local place. Friendly crowd, authentic room, helpful service, appropriately stiff and tasty cocktails. Live it up, SAMO throwback steakhouse style! read more

Loved this place forever... ..memories...history...food....it's got it all....Going this Saturday with someone whose never been....I know he's going to love it also....I will let you know read more

Eccentric old restaurant and bar. You be sit at the bar in 1970 and stay for 50 years and you'd have had a good life. It's perfect as it is. Never change. read more

What can I say about Chez Jay, but AMAZING. The Mrs. and I stopped into Chez Jay before heading down the road to Hillstone for dinner. We arrived at 5 p.m., but they don't actually open until 5:30 so we wondered around the neighborhood for a bit. Once the door was opened, we held court on the west side of the bar. FYI-That side of the bar is a bit slanted so if you're gonna drink, do it at an angle. The bar and dining room are very small. During the hour or so we were there a constant stream of people showed up trying to land a place at the coveted bar. Many failed. You have to get there literally as the doors open. We didn't try the food, but from what some of our fellow bar flies ordered it looked really good. Jeffrey was the bartender and did a great job. He makes a really good Manhattan and handles his customers with ease. Even the jerks. If you're going to dine at Chez Jay, make a reservation. A lot of people walked out because they didn't want to wait. What did these people expect on a Sunday night in Santa Monica? To waltz in and poof! They get a table? Right of the bat I could tell parking was an issue so plan accordingly. There is a very small lot next to Chez Jay and it's a pay lot. read more

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Last Tuesday I went to Chez Jay for an early dinner. I had a GREAT SREAK!!! It blew me away. The service was AMAZING!!! If I could eat a Chez Jay steak everyday I would. LUV da CHEZ JAY!!! read more

Food was good. Drinks were plentiful and portion sizes were great. Very cozy restaurant and historic location.

One of my favorite dive bar restaurants and drop in whenever I'm in town. Not always easy to get in there, so I hit the door pretty early. Food and service is always top notch. Steaks are always perfectly prepared. Great drink selection, with some great beers on draft. Been going there for nearly 20 years and never had a bad meal. read more

Chez Jay - Steakhouses Near Me - Santa Monica, California

I enjoyed my first visit to Chez Jay. I never really thought about visiting, mainly because it just didn't catch my attention. Now that I've had the pleasure of sitting in their back patio for happy hour where the ambiance was amazing, I'm sold. They had live music for happy hour...a lot of times the live music is later at night so I'm not able to enjoy it as much these days. The food was pretty good and the happy hour drinks were a good deal - I had beers (plural) so I can't really judge on their cocktail menu. I think I saw this place when I watched the Amazon show Goliath with Billy Bob Thornton. His character lived in the motel next door and would pop into Chez Jay for drinks. I'm definitely looking forward to going back again to enjoy some music and drinks. read more

This is not a fancy steakhouse , more like a hole in the wall. The steaks , however are to die for. I've been going here for a few decades, and very little has changed. The dining room/ bar is very crowded 7 days a week, you need to reserve on Yelp which I highly recommend as there are not that many tables. The prices are the lowest you will find in Santa Monica, and the service is great , at times a little frenetic, but you will always get what you need. Convenient parking adjacent. read more

One word says it all for this unique tiki bar and steak/fish restaurant: iconic. Featured in the first season of the Billy Bob Thorton vehicle GOLIATH, Chez Jay lives up to the image presented in every way. The steak is outstanding too. read more

Love the sand dabs, the green goddess salad and the quirky ambiance. The service is always friendly and welcoming.

We found this place when we were looking for a park in Santa Monica. So happy we found it! We got to sit outdoors in a lovely patio in the shade, sitting on some pillows. The atmosphere is great. We ordered the nachos and they were so good that we got another order. It was a nice size portion, good for 2 people. Got our kids the quesadilla and they loved it. I also got a nice martini, I think pomegranate and it was a good strong drink. We had a nice time. Fully recommend this place for a nice date read more

Chez Jay - Steak nachos - Steakhouses Near Me - Santa Monica, California

Always a great atmosphere! Lovely staff and excellent food. Great cocktails! Make sure you make a reservation if you're looking to sit and dine at a table. read more

Great food, wonderful staff, love it!! my friends, and I have been coming to this restaurant for many years

Our server, Heike, a 28-year veteran at Chez Jay, was delightful! She made our visit from Long Beach special. We'll be back!

absolutely LOVED this spot! Such a fun casual spot with affordable food that's actually delicious!! The interior is a fun dive bar vibe and the outdoor patio has live music Get the Parmesan fries and filet mignon with sauce - soo good! Perfect for a chill night out to grab drinks and grub read more

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Wow what a surprise- this place is super pet friendly. They even brought my girl a piece of chicken from the kitchen! Delicious food and great service. So kind too they brought me a delicious blueberry cheesecake for my birthday. Great ambiance and not far from the beach read more

This is an exquisitely, incredible old skewl haunt. Abel is the most amazing, attentive and professional server who makes the best suggestions. For example, his recommendation for the steak sandwich, was spot on perfect! We absolutely love the backyard at Chez Jay! Dog, kids and adult friendly! read more

Chez Jay - Backyard is the bomb! - Steakhouses Near Me - Santa Monica, California

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Ha, I went here on a one-timer date in 1972. I was underage but at that time, if the guy looked old enough, restaurants didn't card the girl. So there I was, trying to act all sophisticated. My date ordered escargots for the two of us. Prior to coming here, I had wanted to try them, but had never had any. I was wondering how to get them out of the shells and grateful to see him pick up the little reverse tongs and extract them with a long two-tined fork. 50 years later... I see no escargots on the menu. Sigh. I recall the food being great and I did enjoy the escargots. In those days, California wine wasn't anything like it is now. He ordered something white, pouille fuisse rings a bell. I don't recall my main course, but I do recall I couldn't eat all of it. After our entrees, he ordered some kind of liquor in a shot glass. OMG, too much for my baby palette. He turned his upside down in one shot. I'm glad I didn't attempt that, and consumed the fire-water in little sips. The ambience was very much like the photos I see here, except for the floors. When I went, there were peanut shells all over the floors. The mention of a similar Santa Monica restaurant, by a guy we just met, reminded me of this night, and I was pleased to see it's still open. Next time we get stuck somewhere south of LA, I'll get reservations, go there, and update my review. read more

Love this place. Great food and service. Love the vibe and the friendliness of the staff.

The visit was extra special because we got to meet the owner, Michael! The food was old school steak house delish! The staff was super friendly and made our evening memorable! read more

This place is fantastic. The food is to die for the drinks are fantastic and the wait staff and bartender Jeff on marvelous. Jim Mahoney and company recommended that we stop by there and we are sure glad we did! We will be back very soon. read more

Love the bartenders at the backyard. Always a fun time here. Great drinks and fun conversations! Highly recommend people check this place out but please don't crowd it so much to where I can't get a table lol. Prices for the drinks are quite reasonable for Santa Monica and the quality of the cocktails is on point. Try the paper plane. It's amazing! read more

The patio is really fun! They've done a really great job converting it into a cute space in the era of COVID-19! It can get crowded though... I came here on a Saturday night and there was a wait to get a seat. We lucked out -- there was a table opening up, so we had a short wait, but it seemed like the other groups after us had a very long wait, and many of them decided to leave. They have a variety of cocktails and a limited beer selection. I ordered a couple cocktails and my friend ordered beers. Their cocktails are hit and miss. The Spicy Paloma was a bit underwhelming, but the Old Fashioned was strong and hit the spot! The tables are nicely spaced and there are some lounge-y areas for larger groups (a large couch in the middle and a bench around a fire pit). I would love to snag that spot in the future! The people watching here was also so much fun! Fun COVID-safe spot! read more

Good food in this iconic restaurant/bar The Wedge salad was amazing! Service was excellent, particularly Jeffrey Oliver read more

Great food and drink. Fun atmosphere and really nice staff. Try the mashed potatoes with bananas in it. Really good. So are the sand dabs.

Great food, great service, great setting. Parking is a challenge. We park out back near City Hall and Rand Corp. read more

Gourmet food at a dive bar on Ocean in Santa Monica? Sign me up! Cast of characters at this local spot include regulars who help themselves to peanuts from a plastic bucket tucked just outside the kitchen entrance and the lovable but gruff bartender. Be prepared for sensory overload in the best way possible. If only these walls could talk! Drinks are best straight up here, as is the conversation at the bar! read more

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Had an actual reservation for 7:45. Stood waiting outside for over 30 minutes. We eventually left because they simply couldn't guarantee we'd ever be seated! Big disappointment. Was celebrating college graduation with my daughter. Never experienced anything like it. read more

One of the oldest restaurant/bars in town. A local favorite. Delicious food, great service and fun atmosphere. :)

After a long day of sight seeing LA and driving up PCH and back down to Santa Monica pier it was time to eat. We searched all the spots to eat nearby and found this spot to have a descent mix of land & sea entrees on their menu. I looked them up on yelp and I was confused if I needed to make a reservation, so I called and asked. The hostess was very nice and said it was a Tuesday night and there was no need for a party of two. We walked the seven minutes to this place from the pier and at first it looked like a hole in the wall type of place, but I had read something about outdoor seating and was really looking forward to it. We entered and requested a table for two and asked if there was outdoor seating. Unfortunately outdoor section is only opened Weds-Sunday. I wish I would had known, we were really looking forward to enjoying the beautiful coastal weather. We got a table right in the center of the restaurant. First of all, it's pretty dark inside, they appear to give out peanuts to their customers at the bar, idk we never got any offered, but there are peanut shells all over the floor. No big deal with the shells, but I never got any offered and I was just there for dinner and drinks, after all. We waited for a few mins and the server finally came asked us for our drinks, we ordered water and two drinks from the bar. We got the water right away along with some garlic buttered bread, but our bar drinks took an extra 15 Minutes. When the server finally came to take our order she noticed we did not have our drinks and asked the bartender for them. He gave her a weird look and said he was about to make them. No, he had made plenty of drinks for customers at the bar as they arrived, he just forgot to make ours. The server took our order and the bar drinks were at our table right after. My wife ordered the butter NY steak and I got the rack of lamb special, both of us got the vegetables and La Jolla potatoes. The food came out rather quick for a busy dinner service, and our first impression was wow! The food looked delicious and plenty. The rack of lamb was not just 2-3, but 6, the steak looked nice and thick and the sides were huge. I tried my food and it was good, the green beans were seasoned well and the La Jolla potatoes tasted like scalloped potatoes, but better. My wife thought the same of her sides, but not so much her steak. She had ordered it medium and it appeared a bit over cooked. I tried a piece and it was a bit over medium, great flavor, but it was not as juicy as I had expected. It was a bit dry, but not hard to chew, just dry. I ordered another drink from the bar since the first was really good. My wife thought her martini was good too, but a little too strong. My old fashioned was great, but a little too much ice for my liking. No biggie, the drinks were good. At this point we were kind of in a hurry to leave, we had a flight to catch in LAX, so we tried to get our servers attention, but she was quite busy. Even for Tuesday night and no outdoor seating, one server was maybe a bit much. The hostess and bartender did step up and helped her refilling waters and putting orders out throughout. Overall I give this place a 3.5 stars. Good food, not great, just good. Ambiance was cool, but a little too dark for a beach town restaurant. The outdoors being closed was a bummer and should I had a good outdoor experience I would have given it 4 solid stars. The bar drinks were great, the garlic bread the server brought with our water was also quite tasty. Give it a shot, but I would definitely sit outside if the weather permits. read more