One of the oldest restaurant/bars in town. A local favorite. Delicious food, great service and fun atmosphere. :)

Usually eat outside First time inside was a 10 Great service, lively ambiance, and the staff amazing , food Filet, halibut, scalloped potatoes, wedge salad Prices reasonable I highly recommend # 10

Really enjoyed my experience. My boyfriend and I were able to share one entree and it did not disappoint. Huge portions and fast service. Definitely a great place to try in Santa Monica. One last thing, it's such a popular place, I would recommend making a reservation.

The food at Chez Jay is quite good, but only if you know what to order. The restaurant opened in 1959, and seems to be still frozen in that year, in a good way. It's an authentic dive joint from a bygone era. The table cloth is checkered red-and-white gingham. The table lamp is a candle in a red textured glass globe. The booths are red vinyl, dark and cramped. Our server, Petter (yes, with two "t"s), has been with the restaurant for 25 years. It's that kind of place, vintage and genuine. The room is small, with a bar on the left (seats for about 8), four tables down the center, and six booths on the right. Max capacity about 50 people. It was jammed on Thu at 6p. Many regulars at the bar. Service is friendly and attentive. The menu is seafood and steak in traditional 1950s style. Scampi with Fresh Garlic & Shallots was a solid hit, perfect presentation and excellent flavor in every sense. Garlic bread was sublime. La Jolla Potatoes (an au gratin offshoot) were tasty. Sand Dabs Sauté Almondine was (I'm sorry to say) a disappointment. It's a signature dish of Chez Jay, but the flavor didn't live up to the presentation. Nothing wrong, just not enough right. Ditto the Swordfish Béarnaise, not egregiously bad, but very disappointing, mild and forgettable. The béarnaise was missing something. The kitchen was out of Grilled Atlantic Salmon (Petter says it's a favorite of Chez Jay regulars), and perhaps we would have been better pleased with salmon or steak. Our whiskey sour was served over ice, ordinary but crafted well. Coffee was good. So overall, two dishes kinda failed, or at least failed to impress, but everything else was remarkably good, and we had old-school fun. I'm definitely coming back at least once more to try the steak and perhaps Herb's Shrimp Curry. Note that Chez Jay shares the building with an entirely different new-ish restaurant in the back called The Backyard at Chez Jay. This latter venue is an outdoor fire-pit bistro in a hip-casual 21st-century style. The two restaurants have entirely different menus, separate kitchens and different servers. This review is only for the original restaurant.

Dinner for 4 on a Thursday at 7pm. Small parking lot was full, we had to circle for street parking. No Valet. Busy inside. They only seat once the entire party is present. There were several groups waiting for their people, the entryway was crowded. It's loud inside, I later saw a warning from my phone! Food was tasty. Portion sizes good. La Jolla potatoes are kinda like scalloped potatoes. Sticky toffee pudding to share was great.

We were sat in a private booth towards the back & our sever was super friendly and professional. Shrimp cocktail, Caesar salads and garlic toast to start was amazing. Sand dabs, swordfish dishes and filet mignon were all tasty, hot and not skimpy in size too! Had a couple gin martinis as well and well executed. We all liked this place. Feels genuine and not too touristy. We'll be back

This is a 5 star dive if there ever was one. We stopped here on the way home from the genesis open at riviera country club. Quite the change of scenery. We didn't see Billy bob thornton who it was rumored frequented this place we still had a good time people watching. On a beautiful rain free day. The drinks were well made the beer was cold & tasty and the service was good too.

A perfect dive bar and restaurant. When you walk in you can feel it. Sat at the bar on a PACKED Sunday night. Jeff the bartender is a legend. Drinks are SO stiff and everyone is happy all around you. So much to look at all over the place. I wish Chez Jay was in my home town. It would be my spot. I'll be back here many a time I can assure you A+

Great service, friendly atmosphere, and cute patio with neighborhood vibe. Great hidden gem for groups of friends at brunch looking for a quiet spot.