O’Brien’s Irish Pub & Restaurant

Good, intimate spot for an adult bev. Service was fantastic. A little small inside but it was perfect for my friend and I. It’s connected to another full bar/​restaurant — didn’t try that place but would go back to. Thumbs up.

I’ve always liked this spot because of the décor. I love Irish bars! We didn’t try the food because we usually come here for the music. Last night didn’t disappoint. A few minutes after we walked in two guys set up heir instruments. A fiddle player & bag pipes. They were great! What a treat! However, we sat at the bar a while before someone helped us. I prefer when bartenders acknowledge a guest at their bar. I hate it when they make you chase after them. So we didn’t order a drink at first and just listened to the music. But she did plug in my phone behind the bar and was very friendly.

I love Guinness.
I was delighted to find this little Irish pub whilst walking along Main Street. When you walk inside, it’s fairly reminiscent of a traditional English or Irish pub. Nice wooden bar, wooden tables.
Good selection of beers besides Guinness on tap, if it’s not your thing.
Now what drew me in here was that I was craving sausage rolls. I did see people eating food, but I wasn’t ever offered a food menu. Maybe I just wasn’t there during a meal time? I would like to go back to see if they do serve authentic food.
It looks like they sponsor sports teams, as on a Saturday afternoon and adult sports league came in to celebrate their victory. Got quite busy. Look liked fun!

This place is awesome, authentic Irish bar, laid back great ambiance. The staff was more than attentive. I waited less than maybe 2 minutes per drink. Two bar tenders waited on my boyfriend and I, and with the slightest eye contact I was able to get their attention. Everyone was welcoming and the food was great!

I went to Obriens with a bunch of my friends to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. I understand that is probably a rough day for the staff, but that’s not an excuse for how I was treated. The bartender messed up my order, overcharged me, and refused to make it right because, I quote: «You’ve already been helped.» He proceeds to ignore my protest and I was left standing at the bar until another bartender finally served me. At that point I just ate the extra cost — I was just trying to get my drink and spend time with my friends.
I’ve worked in food service before and probably would have been fired if I treated a customer like that. Next time, my friends and I will choose one of the other dozen Irish bars within a mile of Obriens. I recommend you do the same

Review is solely based off of the service we received from Elaina! There’s many bars and happy hour spots on main street in Santa Monica but their witty sign caught our attention. Eliana was not only attentive, talkative, but made great drinks and recommendations. You can tell going out of her way for her customers was very natural in her nature and unforced. Thanks for a great experience!

Service was horrible. Seemed to be understaffed. Had to find her half the time. Half the appetizer was under cooked. Sandwich was more fried than chicken. But the fries were good.

Solid spot. The bartender gave me a glass of redbreast whiskey and he was very personable. He gave a good recommendation on that redbreast and it didn’t disappoint. 4 stars only because I haven’t had the food or seen it on a busy night.

The food is decent bar food with large portions for the price, The staff are friendly. Enjoyed my experience!

O’Briens is a great Irish pub that has almost every sports game/​event you can imagine! The social environment, bartenders and staff really make it a good place to drink any night of the week. Friday and Saturdays are definitely a busy and fun social scene while Sundays are designated to football!

O’Brien’s is a staple in the Main Street Santa Monica social scene. It’s a great place to watch sports anytime of the week, it’s popping on a Friday or Saturday night, buzzing with football fans on Sundays, and they actually have really good food! Irish pubs aren’t typically known for having great food but they’ve got a quality menu. My go to is the Buttermilk Chicken Sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries. They’re also one of the few joints that do waffle fries which are about 1000 times better than regular fries.

Love O’Brien’s, being Irish myself it’s as close as you can get to home in LA. Great atmosphere and great staff. Big fan of their cheeseburger, doing the basics right.

O’Brien’s on Main is GREAT! A versatile place that is good for nearly any occasion. Whether you’re looking to drink with friends, watch your favorite team, or have a relaxing lunch on Main Street, this place is epic.
O’Brien’s on Main is also one of the few place in town that screens international rugby test matches, which is awesome. They recently opened early to show the Rugby World Cup Final and the atmosphere was AMAZING! I have never been in a bar with such electricity. .. especially at 9 am!
5 stars! Highly recommended!

This was my first stop on the Friday night before Halloween. There was no line, and plenty of people dress in fun costumes. The pub has an outdoor area, and the entire place is narrow but has a few sections and goes in free far. The very back room had some live music that night. The music was good, but too loud for the space. The rest of the pub was ok, we found some seating outside. Overall a place to hang out for some drinks, but not somewhere I would specifically go back for.

Good Irish pub with a large Irish Whiskey selection. Great food and cheap happy hour. They also have live music here all the time.

Willy was my bartender. That’s right. Willy. He was awesome. I came in on a weeknight with my friend, who started off quite herself, and a drink or two in (she’s a light-​weight) became too much of herself. He handled himself very nicely as my friend hollered at him mid-​conversation with a lady across the room to charge her dead phone after she killed it by being on it ²⁴⁄₇ while with company. We talked a bit towards the end of the night and he was sharing his experience as a bartender and the type of characters he comes across in his line of work.
I ordered Jameson Ginger and was happy with my drink. My friend had a Margarita and a Long Island Iced Tea. I’m assuming the same for her since she’s downed it quite quickly and happily.
While sobering up, I had a chance to talk to some of the other folks who strolled in. The last pair we talked to attempted to have a language exchange with us that went alright. I’m definitely into this type of crowd when I drink –unpretentious, friendly, and interesting.

Wow.
Wow.
Wow.
Elena, the waitress ENSURED we had a good time. She took great care of us, and this place will stick out as a great place for a fun time. Try the Irish Nachos, sit in her section… and enjoy the great whiskey.

The steak fries were so good, but the service was terrible.
The server provided excellent and «genuine» service to others except for me and my boyfriend.
How weird? Just because we look a certain way… Lame

Amazing fish & chips and the Irish nachos were fantastic.
Super reasonable prices and friendly, personable wait staff. Abbey was our server and was great!
One of the best values in the Santa Monica area for food.

Went there for at Patrick’s
I know it was a hectic and extremely busy day for them but still found the staff little bit rude
I don’t wanna mention the mess at the place that day, still we had a good time

I like this pub. It has an awesome patio, great ambiance, and is just vibrant and exciting. Bartenders are quick, and don’t get flustered when there are hoards of people — Not easy to do!
The only downside to this pub is the drink prices. Although the drinks are good (not great), I truly don’t understand why they cost an arm and a leg. Didn’t try the food, but from what I am told, it is good! If you go, sit on the patio, it offers a nice area away from the chaos that can be the bar.

On March 11, 2015, O’Brien’s Irish Pub & Restaurant was hailed by CBS Los Angeles as being among the TOP 5 places in L.A. that serve the best Irish coffee. Congrats, O’Brien’s, and kudos to your bar chefs!

Came here for the Bears game four days ago Sunday with a friend who was in town from Chicago. He was staying nearby, I live nearby, and this seemed like the perfect place…
Objectively the worst service I’ve ever had in my 400+ reviews on Unilocal.From walking in, sitting at a table and politely asking «could we see a menu when you have a chance» to the server replying «I’m off»… to the girl who was our waitress forgetting drinks (she did apologize with a free beer 20 minutes after we went to the bar and ordered our own next round, but still), to that same waitress also forgetting about our desire for food. After another 20 minutes, she remembered us again, started to apologize and I handed her the credit card to close us up. We went down the street to Finn McCool’s for the second half.

Their special drink for the evening was an Irish Sangria. I think it was whiskey, lemonade and merlot — I could be wrong on the ingredients, but it sure was good.
I got a Kobe beef burger, and it was delicious. Their steak fries are out of this world, I hate eating fried foods, but these steak fries were so delicious.
Very fun atmosphere. Lots of interesting people. Good for people watching while you eat your burger.

Fun bar! As an alumni of Santa Monica High School, this can sometimes feel like a high school reunion since I always see so many locals. It’s a cool place to catch up, hang out with people who have moved to the area, or just see some live music and eat good food.
It’s bigger than you think! On the outside it looks like a small Irish pub, but on the inside you keep walking through a restaurant and then another area where they have the live music. As an Irish pub though, this place gets crazy on St. Patty’s Day!
There’s a fun dancing area next door though it normally has a $ 5 cover.

The city is crowded
My friends are away
And I’m on my own
It’s too hot to handle
So I got to get up and go
Go to a bar … nay… go to a pub … a pub like O’Brien’s Irish Pub on Main Street in Santa Monica. It’s a restaurant and pub. Don’t come for the food. Go for the drinks and quench this cruel, cruel summer.
The saloon is small and the patio smaller. Doesn’t matter. Barman, I need a drink. Gimme a Jameson’s with Ginger Ale and Lime. Better make it a double. Service in the booths is slow. Bring me another. Please.
Hot summer streets
And the pavements are burning
I sit around trying to smile but
The air is so heavy and dry
Strange voices are saying (What did they say)
Things I can’t understand
It’s too close for comfort
This heat has got
Right out of hand
It’s a cruel, (cruel), cruel summer
Leaving me here on my own
It’s a cruel, (it’s a cruel), cruel summer
Now you’re gone

Super gelegen, zu Fuß sowohl von Venice Beach als auch dem Herzen von Santa Monica zu erreichen. Der Spaziergang hat’s sowieso in sich, denn man kann entweder die Main St. längs gehen oder Ocean Front Walk, wie der Name schon sagt, direkt am Ozean gelegen. Das Essen bei O’Briens ist ganz ok, jedoch nicht weiter erwähnenswert. Erwähnenswert ist die große Terrasse, wo man abends wunderbar sitzen und sein Guinness genießen kann. Die meisten Gäste gehören zum Stamm, daher wird man zunächst etwas misstrauisch beäugt. Wenn man aber paar mal aufkreuzt, ist die Welt wieder in Ordnung. A bissl nervig ist Getränke holen. In den Laden rein, zum Tresen, dort bestellen und gleich bezahlen, sonst gar nicht, wenn man draussen sitzt. Egal, abends ein wunderbarer Treffpunkt.