Chez Jay - Santa Monica (CA)

5 /5 Eileen Doerrer: Location is great. Interior is dive bar great. The service and cocktails were superb. Food was all good, except the famous butter steak. The taste is delicious but it had a lot of gristle. More than half ended up back on the plate. My date got more meat off of his steak. Coulda shouda sent it back, but I didnt. Maybe ask, next time, hows the quality tonight or something. I still would go back. Maybe try the filet or seafood.

5 /5 Arian Rassoul: Chez Jay is such a gem! We had an incredible time here — not only was the food absolutely delicious, but the whole experience felt warm and personal. We sat in the extra room, which gave us a cozy spot to play cards, yet we could still feel all the fun and lively atmosphere from the main dining area. A special highlight was Chef Meme, who came by our table twice, once to welcome us and again to say goodbye — such a thoughtful touch. And our waiter did an awesome job too: attentive, friendly, and really made sure we had everything we needed without ever rushing us. Between the amazing food, great vibe, and outstanding service, Chez Jay truly stands out. Can’t wait to come back!

1 /5 Gina Schene: Disappointing Service from Julie Overshadowed an Otherwise Great Experience My husband and I visited to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary. While waiting for our table, we had a lovely conversation with the hostess and were really looking forward to the evening. We were seated with Julie as our server, and at first she was pleasant and helpful, offering menu suggestions. Unfortunately, once the hostess came by to check on us, everything changed. Julie became noticeably distant and only returned to take our order—coldly placing it and leaving again. We had to ask another server twice just to get water, received our first drinks but were never asked if we wanted another round, and were largely ignored for the remainder of the meal. What made this especially confusing was that Julie spent plenty of time chatting and engaging with her other tables, while barely acknowledging us as she passed by. The food and drinks were excellent, and everyone else we encountered at the restaurant was wonderful. We had heard great things about this place and truly wanted to love it. However, the intentional dismissal from our server, Julie, was baffling and disappointing. As we were leaving, we overheard Julie tell the hostess to “never interfere with any of her tables,” which suddenly made the evening make sense. We would have loved to make this a regular stop whenever we visit Santa Monica, but the risk of another experience like this gives us pause. I would recommend the food and atmosphere—but suggest requesting a server other than Julie.

5 /5 A R: Chez Jay is a historical Santa Monica establishment. We stopped by to pick up some after dinner desserts. This place has the protypical dive bar atmosphere, Ill say that the bread pudding was out of this world. Maybe the best piece of bread pudding we have ever had!