Bar: Hinano Cafe
Address: 15 Washington Blvd, Venice, CA 90292
Score: 9.3/10
Look, nobody goes to Venice beach for a bunch of dive bars, you are going to enjoy the gorgeous ocean, but id highly suggest making an exception for Hinano Cafe. The bar is absolutely magnificent as it is a mere 300ft from the sand of Venice beach. I do not think I have visited a dive bar in a better location. Being by the being just makes you smile and being in a dive bar by a beach, well, makes you smile more.
I was freaking pumped to go to this bar after a long morning of bumming around in the area. When I approached the bar I knew it was going to be a good one, sometimes you can just tell before you even walk into the place.
Walking into the bar you notice two things right away, the fresh smell of hamburgers and sawdust all over the floor. Not sure why the sawdust, but the burgers are a staple of this bar, they were dishing them out one after another. It was pretty cool, the stovetop was right behind the bar itself, and I could see everything going on.
The decor of this bar is exactly what I would expect to see in a beach dive. Tons of great neons and beer signage, but old historic photos of Venice and plenty of surfboards. Everything about the decor screamed Cali. Compared to most bars I visited this trip, this one maximized the space the best. They had a bar that wrapped pretty close to all the way around and had a bar that hugged the perimeter of the walls. Along with this they had a few tables, no shortage of seating, but with the crowd this bar brings you better arrive early.
Finally, what would a bar be without some pool tables? When I was at the bar the tables were damn near occupied the whole time. The felt on the tables looked magnificent, I’d imagine they must have changed it recently as it almost looked brand new. The bathroom situation in California as a whole is funny, I am thinking some guy came by 20 years ago with half keg urinals and went down the coast and offered it to all dives. I kid you not we visited 5-6 dives and all had these urinals, pretty funny. They look awesome but are highly ineffective.
For me, this bar had it all. Great vibes, food, decor, and location. Everything I want in a dive. Beer was a tad pricey but its a historic bar that’s been around since the 60’s that you just have to visit. So go get yourself a burger, or a breakfast burrito and a cold one, you won’t regret it.
Price: steep, but appropriate for the area, $7.50 domestic drafts.
Decor: Hawaiian meets beach, meets dive bar.
Service: Great service, was shocked how busy it was for being 1pm on a Wednesday. I don’t think people work in LA.
Atmosphere: People just living life. Enjoying the sun and some beers
High Life Bottle?: Yes they had it
Bonus Points: Free popcorn