6:30 PM
Eat & Drink
Chez Jay
1657 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90401
$80–100
Getting there
Four blocks from the hotel
What to order
Order the jalapeño burger — reviewers rate it a lifetime top-ten.
Skip the famous butter steak. Multiple recent reviews flag gristle.
Good to know
Peanut shells on the floor, red vinyl, nautical junk, open since 1959. Ask for the back patio.
Call 310-395-1741. Small room.
Want a sit-down night instead? Pasjoli (2732 Main St) is Santa Monica's best French bistro — a nicer, reservation-only alternative to Chez Jay's dive-bar burger if you'd rather dress it up. Either is a genuinely good call; Chez Jay is the cheaper, looser one.