The bar at Chloe
Chloe officially opens tonight and after last night I am officially (although secretly) excited* to go out on the West side. Located below Hotel Carmel, the bar is styled like a Paris lounge. The walls are covered with antique mirrors and custom woodwork, comfortable seating and low tables line the walls around a bar that is surrounded by comfortable antique pub stools. Once in your seat be prepared for a great selection of classic and elegant cocktails. So please don’t order a vodka cranberry here. Instead try one of their specialty cocktails like the always pleasant Pimm’s Cup. Or the Whiskey Cobbler, a wonderful blend of Makers, Grand Marnier, and fresh squeezed lemon juice from meyer lemons. There is also a good selection of various champagne cocktails, perfect to bring in the holidays with.
If your looking to grub, they have a perfect menu of small plate food items. If you just want a snack try some housemade olives or spiced pistachios. If you want something more hardy get a small plate of fries perfectly seasoned with sea salt, plump calamari with homemade tartar sauce, the burger with English cheddar and caramelized onions, or the flavorful shrimp roll.
This bar will hands down be the best bar/lounge on the west side. They open at 5pm, which makes it a great place to go after work. Chances are you’ll stay till 2am trying every drink on the menu.
*Disclaimer: Mattyshack (owner of this awesome blog) does web work for The Bar, Magnolia and Chloe.
Chloe
1449 Second St (between Broadway and Santa Monica)
Santa Monica
310-899-6999
December 15th, 2007 at 4:19 pm
Chloe is an unbelievable place. Saw so many stars I got dizzy. Can’t wait to go back.
December 28th, 2007 at 9:30 am
A group of my friends (8 of us) visited this restaurant on Thursday night. The bouncer refused to let us in. He wanted to know how much we were planning on spending…when we politely said we were here to have a few drinks but no food — he said he couldn’t let us in because we didn’t have reservations. When I asked when we were supposed to call in to make reservations, he said before we got there, but couldn’t specify a time. He also said there were only 10 people inside, and he couldn’t let us in because it would disturb the “atmosphere” of the restaurant. This was simply because we were comprised of many races. I am outraged that the City of Santa Monica has permitted a racist restaurant to open in their city. My group of friends are all professional — many with graduate degrees from top notch universities including Harvard and UCLA. It’s a shame to see something like this happen in this country. Please DO NOT visit this establishment and support their un-American cause.
January 3rd, 2008 at 3:02 am
I have a really hard time believing this uclagrad. I have been to Chloe a few times now and it is nothing but pleasant and exactly what a bar should be, amazing atmosphere and great people!
January 8th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
Chloe is a wonderful place. The decor is brilliant, the service was great and the food was terrific. I will be spending a lot of time at this place in the future. Santa Monica needed this joint in a big way. btw- uclagrad….i’m black and this place ain’t racist. maybe it’s your attitude.
January 9th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
GORGEOUS
Truly gorgeous bar with delicious drinks. Great addition to santa monica as there are NO places like it.
hey ucla grad..you should not go waiving your degree around… its obnoxious and you sound petty.
January 10th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
The place great, though small, but it is dope spot. Gotta be honest, the proprietors are cool people, and I support everything they do. But definitely check it out.
January 11th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Love this place! Finally a cool spot to go out in Santa Monica. Don’t understand the racist bit either, my friends were a very mixed group and we were treated like celebrities. I am now hooked on Pimm’s Cups and the shrimp roll!
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:07 pm
also had problems with the bouncer who seems troubled and off-balance. it’s good that friends of the owners give their support here but the bouncer does not belong in an upscale environment like Santa Monica.
January 28th, 2008 at 2:23 am
I agree about the problem with the bouncer. I have been to Chloe once on a Friday night and really enjoyed it. I frequented the place often as Voda. I really like the place, but at the same time, I have been by there three times now where I have not been let in. Twice there were two of us guys and three girls - all of whom were attractive. The bouncer has told us we had to have reservations all three times and when we asked if we could wait, he told us that it would be full all night. I realize the place is small, but I agree that something has to be done with the bouncer and his style.
January 30th, 2008 at 8:31 am
Had a GREAT time here. ‘Bout time the West Side had a chill lounge that caters to a more sophisticated clientele without LA pretension. Huge improvement over Voda. The food was surprisingly tasty… the burger is not quite Father’s Office, but way up there. Very pleasant surprise given a lot of bars that try to serve sub-par fare. The waitresses are helpful and attracting, a solid combination.
As for the UCLA grad with his Harvard friends… ridiculous. I went with a mixed crowd and we all were completely welcome. Have been back with just me and my date, and we were treated equally well.. I think pulling the race card without cause is complete bullshit. What an idiot.
February 11th, 2008 at 2:54 am
Bad attitude from the doormen left a sour taste. I’ve lived in Los Angeles for 20 years and have been involved in many bars and clubs as a promoter. It’s only a matter of time before Chloe loses the battle to revitalize a previously hard venue to popularize,when an outdated and unwarranted door policy like this prevails.
February 14th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
I really like Chole a LOT, granted a friend of mine is the owner, and I dont have any problems at the door. Its kinda…ok…REALLY nice to go inside a place on the Westside that is not OVERLY jam packed with tourists, and other yokels, this place is true class, and charm, like most top notch establishments throught the world are. The group that owns this place obviously know what they are doing, (see the success of Magnolia, and The Bar.)
I’ve been there with a mix of races too, and never had a problem. I do highly suggest doing a little research before going out, giving the place a quick call, let them know you are coming, to avoid any embarassment at the door, not a race issue. It’s become the norm in the nightlife world now, make dinner reservations for upscale dining establishments, and reservations for upscale drinking establishments, otherwise go to Ye Old Kings Head and get beer spilled on you. (Love that place too tho!)