One of the best parts about Santa Monica, besides the beach, the proximity to everything, the weather, the Promenade, the atmosphere, the?.millions of things, is the abundance of happy hours. Come five o’clock, you can hit up a rooftop pretty much anywhere for a cheap glass of wine overlooking the ocean. Now that is a huge perk for me, as I love cheap wine, appetizers, the ocean and rooftops a whole bunch.
Even though it doesn’t have a view of the ocean, and it is in a mall (a high-end mall, Santa Monica Place, but still), Sonoma Wine Garden is my favorite happy hour place in Santa Monica. These two strikes against it are vastly outnumbered by all the amazing qualities Sonoma Wine Garden has.
First off, the happy hour runs M-F, noon until 7 p.m. None of that”4-6? crap when people are still actually working. The location is pretty convenient – on the 3rd floor dining deck of Santa Monica Place on 3rd and Colorado. The alcohol prices are great – just $5 for a HUGE glass of wine, beer or well cocktail.
But my favorite part is DEFINITELY the food. Everything is just $5, and the portion sizes are super reasonable. You’ll want to get one of everything, but don’t, because you’ll explode. Pictured in this blog post are my favorite items on the menu: the margherita pizza, bruschetta, hummus and pita chips and deep fried polenta bites.
The”margherita flatbread? is basically half of a small pizza. Wood-fired, crispy and cheesy, it’s the best. I love polenta, and deep-fried polenta is even better. The pesto sauce is another big draw to order these. The bruschetta are kind of small, and you only get two, but they are so delicious that they even get me to eat the olives! The pita chips could be better, but the hummus is so yummy and garlicky that it totally makes up for it.
Other items on the menu include olives, truffle fries, bar nuts, mussels and more. The items are easily shareable, making Sonoma Wine Garden a great place to go with a date?.
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or with a friend!
I’ve also been told that Sonoma Wine Garden hosts brunch on Saturdays and Sundays, where you get 2 hours of bottomless mimosas, bellinis, and other bubbly drinks and a brunch item for just $35. I’ll have to check it out for myself!
Drool over these amazing photos and then let me know in the comments – what is your favorite happy hour place in Santa Monica?
