Chez Jay Restaurant Review

This place was so unexpected I can't even begin to tell you. The steak wrapped in bacon might as well have been from a mid Western restaurant in Iowa. Also the scalloped potatoes were to die for and I'm not even kidding you when I say they were the best I have ever had. Period. Celebrity sighting galore....we saw the Foo fighters drummer.

Great food. Good drinks. The back deck is awesome but is not open all the time. Would definitely go back.

Great music, nice decor and atmosphere, reasonably good drinks. Just watch out for any bartenders who seem to think they're god's golden gift to santa monica, and either have major RBF, or simply don't approve of people with higher amounts of melanin, and are careless about splashing empty pitcher water on the floor near said people.

I've passed by Chez Jay for years and never went in until this past weekend, and my oh my, was it wonderful. Between the peanut shells crunching beneath my feet and the old timey sailing decor, this place lived up to its dive bar rep, and I love a good dive. We stopped in for happy hour drinks and apps, which were quite reasonably priced and large in portion. Do yourself a favor, get the calamari steak! It's exquisite.

Iconic local place in Santa Monica. Staff was very friendly. Food was good and prices were reasonable.

Well the place is small. No one greets you at the door. No one says hi or welcome. Me and my sister drove all the way from Santa Clarita Valley. I made reservations the night before and told them I had a groupon. The groupon is a joke. It shows a steak and Lobster on the plate. It says $25 for $40 worth of steak and fresh seafood for two or more. It gives you the impression that two people get the steak and lobster for $40.00. You can't get one steak and lobster for that. It was my sisters birthday. She had never been to Santa Monica. When we get to the door, there is a sign that says, " Sorry, we only accept Groupons on Sunday-Wednesday" I think. I tried to call them from outside. Phone was ringing and no one was picking up!. I did talk to someone about it and they honored it. The lady bartender was really cool. The waitress didn't give us too much attention. She sat in a corner on her cell phone.When we got to the parking we looked for Valet but no one was there. When we were leaving the place, some guy taps on our window. He says, $5. I said sorry we use the last of cash inside. He said no $5. to park here! We were like what? He points to a sign off to the right of us. Honestly we did not see that sign. There was no one there when we pulled in. The prices were so high. We had our hearts set on The steak and seafood. I let my sister get The steak and Shrimp and I got a salad. The outback has the same Steak and Lobster for $20.00 with free parking! The food is good there though.

Good steak, for a great price. I love the potatoes.

Nice bar. A little cramped, but a good place with good service.
Ended up coming here three times in four days, it was just really good. Felt homely here, staff and other customers very friendly. Highly recommend this bar.

Was expecting Goliath to show up, good food and very friendly.

Nice cozy restaurant but it s too dirty. I was not comfortable even server s service was all right. If you are clean freak, never go.

Kinda had a bad experience but I'll give this place another shot.

What a wonderful place. The food was exceptional. steaks were perfect. Ridiculously crowded though. We had to wait 35 minutes for a table even though we had a reservation for over a week. Recieved drinks on the house due to the wait by the owner. Owners father is there doing public relations with the crowd. What a great team. Service was great too. Will definitely come back!

I visit this place a lot since I work nearby. I love how their service is always excellent and they keep the spot clean regularly. Prices are convenient and they serve large portions.

Fun Dive Bar a block from the pier.
Excellent food, great Cocktails. Service was good and enjoyed talking with the owner. Prices are reasonable too

Worst ending to and otherwise amazing first trip to the west coast. Waited 15 minutes for open table, "waitress" sat us and got us a third place setting which was needed, then never came back with menus. Couple came in and seated themselves right next to us and were handed menus, same with a group of people that came in after them. After getting up to try to get menus, waitress finally brought them over and told us the kitchen closed in five minutes, then said she would be back in one minute. Different waitress came to table to take order 10 minutes later as she noticed we were looking around for original waitress who we could see standing next to the bar texting on her phone. Orders came seperate, caesar salad was all iceberg lettuce and when waitress was asked about it, just said "oh, sorry" and stood there for a minute and then walked away to go text in her spot. Caesar salad that was supposed to come with steak had to be asked for, which was also all iceberg lettuce. Original waitress came and took a couple of plates we were done with and went back to texting when we were clearly done eating. Second waitress came over and took the rest of the plates and got us our check and ended up taking the caesar salad off the check. Service was horrendous as one "waitress" seemed to rather be on her phone than helping the patrons of the restaurant and the other waitress was trying to do everything and clearly wasnt capable of that. One star for this place is beyond generous for the experience we had.

Had a wonderful lunch on the patio. Waiter Jeffrey also known as Jeff was fantastic even the owner Mike came by and sat down and chatted us for a minute. Really great food, fantastic atmosphere, not to be missed when in Santa Monica. A classic place that looks like it's out of a movie set but is totally athunitic in every way. Great food drinks and fun.

Didn't greet me at the door either ! Ha

Didn't test the food, but atmosphere is a perfect dive bar that's not so divey you don't want to drink out of their glass

Delicious food, great service, nice location. Recommend the Deep Fried Oreos.

Favorite dive bar in Los Angeles. Love the food and atmosphere.

On a Saturday night, most places in Santa Monica were packed with a 45 min wait for a table. I walked in here, got seated right away and had awesome food! I recommend the filet mignon bernaise and the sticky toffee pudding for dessert. The place is dimly lit with Christmas lights and is a little cramped but its great.

Ever since Billy Bob showed up here in Goliath I've been obsessed with the place. So happy to finally be here, starting with Happy Hour Margaritas in "The Backyard" before dinner in the main bar and all its seedy glory!

Best late night fun at AFM. It's an instant "Local" great people!

This place is awesome. Old world family owned. Fantastic steaks and fun, neighborhood ambience.

Great tasty and fresh food. Really nice. Ambiance is bar-like and it seems the locals are here often. A bit pricy though.

Good for locals, and show biz folks, no cameras or picture taking allowed....a listers hangout.

Meh. Food OK at best. Supposedly and "atmosphere" place. I didn't feel it.

The old bartender lady was very rude horrible service n experience.

Owner was very nice
nice bartender
other staff members we're not the most accommodating, the owner should change some young punks and fire them

I haven't eaten here yet, but it's a must see hole in the wall bar scene filled with elephants, peanuts, a jukebox etc...love it!

1979, went on my first date with my husband to Chez Jays....had the best stuffed mushrooms ever, peanut shells covered the floor. Drove from downtown Hollywood in my '79 MG Midget to Santa Monica....that was the best first date ever....been married 36 years later....,walked a block, bought a 6 pack and hung out in the life guard chair.

CHEZ JAY MADE MY USA TRIP I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT GREAT SERVICE HECTIC ENVIRONMENT TO HAVING AN AWESOME TIME
ANDY ATS CENK ABZ .
WE WILL BE DEFINETELY REVISTING THIS PLACE ON THE NEXT USA TRIP
POWERED BY PEANUT SHELLS ON THE FLOOR FULLY ORIGINAL
REPRESENT DOWNUNDER SYDNEY
REGARDS YAZ

Great dive bar and then change it up on the sun deck out the back. Two different menus too

Cozy place with fantastic atmosphere on the patio with drinks you won't forget

Great atmosphere, this place is legendary for a reason!
Starts off as a cosy, civilized restaurant and then turns into a speakeasy bar with loud rock n roll !
Food was good. Prices a little dear but sort of justified.
A very enjoyable experience.

Awesome dive bar. Throw the peanut shells on the floor.

The meals and service were ahead of my expectations. I truly loved the atmosphere of this place. Awesome restaurant to take my family out for dinner.

Excellent operation, very fast and effective. The meat dishes are fantastic. I am completely satisfied.

This place was a Santa Monica find! Looks like a cheesy little dive, and maybe it is, but the food is excellent. We had steak with some sort of garlic butter- YUM! Cocktails also excellent. Give it a try!

Mushroom and cheese burger was tall, crunchy, juicy delicious. Paired it with a simple, stiff, no bull Bloody Mary.

Never underestimate a good peanut's impact on atmosphere.

Unexpectedly good food and reasonable drinks. They didn't have to be, we were there because it looks so good in Goliath, the rest was a perq. That said, I'll drop in agsin anytime I'm nearby.
One important thing is don't go for a weekday breakfast despite what they say online, they don't open until 11. We had a cool conversation on the rear patio waiting.

Came for NYE 2019 Dinner and the annual set menu was amazing along with the homey atmosphere.

Highly overpriced. None of the food was particularly delectable.

Local flavor. Jilly s West. Sand dabs, steaks, stiff drinks, stories.

Great find. They filmed Goliath with Billy Bob there.

Fantastic bar, just like a bar should be, anything can happen here and usually does. Great food, no nonsense.

Had a top sirloin, "top" can be deleted without replacement, side dish cauliflower without spice, garlic bread with little Knobi and nothing for third teeth

One of the few dive bars left in Santa Monica....thank God they didn't allow developers to tear this place down. Great history, always an interesting audience at the bar. Good drinks,good food and good prices. Bartender says "Throw the peanut shells on the floor or you're out the door"

Great place to eat and fantastic staff
Highly recommended, will be back !

Always busy I've been told and proven when I was there. Good drinks, large portions of great food. Have to get there for breakfast, heard it was also very good.

Happy hour appetizers are delicious and affordable.

Loved this place. Retro. Marylin and JFK used to meet here... Great bartender. Drive fast, take risks!

If you're looking for cool vibes, a local dive experience and simple Italian-inspired fare, visit Chez Jay near the Santa Monica Pier. It's a local landmark and I was delighted to learn that some of the servers have been working here for 20+ years!

Chez Jay is a fun place to grab a drink at the bar, but I highly recommend staying for dinner. Don't expect super smiley or clingy customer service. If you need something? Just flag your server down! Servers here aren't the hovering type.

The menu is delightfully down-to-earth and I loved the experience. It's the kind of place that gives you a starter salad and a bread basket. Their scalloped potatoes are incredible!

It's a petite venue, so not the best place to bring a huge group. Take your time here and support a little piece of local history.

Cool divey kind of joint near downtown Santa Monica. Prob won't be there much longer

Historic landmark for a reason. Four-star food and service in an old school comfy spot near the pier. If these walls could talk! Famous and still funky, the food is top notch, and the vibe is very beachy cool. Locals and tourists combine for great times. Super friendly, ask for the famous peanuts, then order a steak or a burger or salad! You will be glad you did!!

Historical tourist trap. Overpriced. Service is mediocre.