Darts Bar Near Me in Santa Monica: Ye Olde King's Head

Westside beachgoers and pub gamers searching 'darts bar near me' within sight of the Pacific Ocean head straight to Ye Olde King's Head at 116 Santa Monica Boulevard. Located just one block east of Ocean Avenue and the Santa Monica Pier between Ocean Avenue and Second Street, this legendary British pub, restaurant, and shoppe has anchored coastal Los Angeles since 1974. With traditional steel-tip dartboards in the main pub room, award-winning fish and chips, and twenty draught taps, it blends seaside breezes with unmistakable London tavern heritage.

Reaching 116 Santa Monica Boulevard is effortless without a car thanks to the Downtown Santa Monica Metro E Line light-rail terminus at Fourth Street and Colorado Avenue, located just a five-minute walk southeast. Big Blue Bus routes 1, 2, 3, and 7 also stop within two blocks along Broadway and Santa Monica Boulevard, while drivers can park in the public parking structures on Second Street just steps from the pub entrance.

Inside the bustling main pub parlor, the steel-tip dartboard setup invites both seasoned sharpshooters and casual beach-day visitors to step up to the oche. Because darts is woven into the DNA of British pub life, the boards here see steady action from midday through closing time. You can borrow a house set of steel-tip darts from the bartender by leaving a valid photo ID behind the counter, or uncase your own personal darts for a competitive match of five hundred and one or Cricket. Because the Santa Monica breeze drifts right through the front entrance on sunny afternoons, throwing a match here feels noticeably brighter and more coastal than at an inland tavern.

Operating hours stretch daily from eleven o'clock in the morning until two o'clock in the morning—with doors opening even earlier on select weekends for live English Premier League and FA Cup soccer broadcasts. If your goal is claiming the dart lane for a relaxed two-hour session without waiting behind a crowd, visit on a weekday afternoon between noon and five o'clock.

Food at Ye Olde King's Head is famous across Southern California, starting with its signature Beer-Battered Halibut or Cod Fish and Chips served with thick British-style chips and tartar sauce for twenty-two dollars and ninety-five cents. Savory Homemade Sausage Rolls cost eleven dollars and ninety-five cents, Scotch Eggs wrapped in seasoned sausage meat go for twelve dollars and ninety-five cents, and classic Bangers and Mash or Cornish Pasties run nineteen dollars and ninety-five cents. Before five o'clock in the afternoon, the adjacent tea room even serves traditional British Afternoon High Tea with scones, clotted cream, and finger sandwiches.

Behind the bar, twenty draught taps pour authentic imperial pints of Boddingtons, Guinness, Harp, Bass-style pale ales, Fuller's London Pride, Stella Artois, and Strongbow Cider for eight to eleven dollars. Weekday Happy Hour runs Monday through Friday from four o'clock until seven o'clock in the evening inside the bar area, offering discounted domestic and imported draughts, seven-dollar well drinks, and half-price pub appetizers.

Before or after your dart games, be sure to step next door into the Ye Olde King's Head Gift Shoppe and Bakery, which stays open daily during daytime and early evening hours. Shelves are stocked with imported British chocolates, Cadbury bars, Heinz baked beans, Yorkshire Tea, freshly baked meat pies, and even replacement dart flights and shafts for players upgrading their gear. Visitors often pick up an extra package of imported British crisps, flaky sausage rolls, or mint chocolates from the shoppe counter to share at their pub table after wrapping up a best-of-three match.

Etiquette around the pub dart lane reflects classic British sportsmanship. Wait until a player has thrown all three darts before stepping near the scoreboard or walking toward the bar counter, chalk your points neatly, and offer a handshake after the final double checkout. On Friday and Saturday nights when live bands or DJs take over the back showroom, the front pub room buzzes with infectious energy.

Few dart bars in America can match the surrounding Santa Monica coastal itinerary. Step out the front door and walk ninety seconds west to Palisades Park to watch the sun sink into the Pacific Ocean above the Santa Monica Pier ferris wheel, or stroll two blocks east to the Third Street Promenade for street performers and shopping. Cyclists riding the twenty-two-mile Marvin Braude Beach Trail can roll up the Broadway bike ramp right to the pub.

Visual warmth fills the wood-paneled tavern from noon until last call, with friendly bartenders calling out orders in British and Californian accents alike while regulars debate Premier League standings and checkout combinations at the dartboard.

During major international football tournaments and Six Nations rugby weekends, the pub energy spills from the front bar all the way to the back showroom, yet weekday afternoons always preserve the unhurried charm of a seaside English local.

Practical details are easy to keep in mind before heading to the beach. Ye Olde King's Head accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, debit cards, and cash. While the restaurant dining room and gift shoppe welcome guests of all ages during the day, the bar room and late-night pub hours are strictly twenty-one and over with a valid government photo ID, and the street-level entrance is completely step-free.

Whether you are searching 'darts bar near me' after an afternoon on Santa Monica Beach or looking for an authentic British pub with steel-tip boards and legendary fish and chips, Ye Olde King's Head at 116 Santa Monica Boulevard is a coastal classic. Use the Karpo APP to pair sunset views at Palisades Park with a few pints and games of Cricket.