Day 358 – The Del Monte Speakeasy

Honestly, when I hate it when so many places call themselves “speakeasies.” I actually LOVE speakeasies, but most places aren’t and they are just trying to cash in on the name trying to get people to show up. The Del Monte Speakeasy on the other hand is a true speakeasy. Maybe not anymore. You don’t need a password or a secret entrance, but back in the day, it lived up to its name. It’s been around since 1915 and is the oldest bar in Venice and one of the oldest in Los Angeles. So now it’s just a normal old school type bar, similar to Basement Tavern. I had only been here once before, but I was already drunk and went downstairs to see my friends band play so I was unable to truly appreciate it. They have an old fashioned on tap (yeah, my eyes rolled as well), but it’s actually quite good. Not sure it’s really a place that would ever become a regular, but just for the nostalgia I would check it out.