Haunted Pub Crawl Near Me in Venice: Townhouse and Del Monte Speakeasy

For a haunted pub crawl near me on the Westside, Townhouse and the Del Monte Speakeasy at 52 Windward Ave in Venice make the strongest opening stop. The bar dates itself to 1915, when Italian immigrant Cesar Menotti opened Menotti's Buffet, and calls itself Venice's oldest bar. Upstairs is a wood-paneled bar with pool; downstairs, through Prohibition-era tunnels, is the basement speakeasy where a former owner is said to keep watch from his favorite booth.

What sets Townhouse apart is that the speakeasy is not a theme. The bar's history page says Prohibition forced Menotti to move his business underground in 1920, using Venice's steam pipe tunnels to carry bootleg liquor, with whiskey arriving by boat from offshore. Discover Los Angeles adds that the upstairs posed as a grocery store while the Del Monte below was a true speakeasy and a hub for rum runners. The official bar page says the original tunnels are still beneath the bar.

The ghost here is a recent owner rather than a bootlegger. Discover Los Angeles wrote in 2016 that the spirit of Frank Bennett, who owned the bar from 1972 until he died in 2003, has been felt at his favorite booth, in the corner where he could keep an eye on the bar. Find a corner booth with a clear view of the bartenders, sit where he would have sat, and raise the first round of your crawl to the man who ran the place for three decades.

The Del Monte is where the night happens. The official site describes DJs, jazz, burlesque and comedy seven nights a week, and the basement room has banquettes and booths upholstered in leather facing an illuminated stage. JIJI's Jazz Club presents David Cultura on Saturday, October 17, at 8 pm, with tickets at $18.03 on DICE. Shows are 21 and over, so everyone in your crawl group needs ID at the door.

Several October nights cost nothing. Samba Do Balde with Rogê plays the Del Monte on Sunday, October 18, at 8 pm with free entry, and Kailyn Hype follows the jazz set on October 17 at 10 pm, also free. For a Halloween-week show, Josef Leimberg and Mystic Arkestra play on Friday, October 30, at 8 pm for $18.03. The listings live on the bar's music page, with tickets sold through DICE.

Upstairs is the place to start before the basement fills. The ground floor bar is long, wood-paneled and lined with stools and booths, and there is a pool table for groups waiting on friends. The bar does not publish a cocktail list online, so order what suits the room: a beer, a shot or a classic from the back bar. The mood is neighborhood dive with history rather than a bar that serves elaborate drinks.

Hours on the official site run from 5 pm to 2 am Monday through Friday and from 3 pm to 2 am on weekends. Early weekday evenings are the easiest time to grab a booth upstairs before the basement shows begin. Most Del Monte sets start at 8 pm, so buy tickets in advance on DICE for the paid ones and arrive a little early. If you plan to see two acts, the free late slot on Saturday makes a cheap second round.

The building has known a lot of famous drinkers. Discover Los Angeles names Venice resident Jim Morrison of The Doors among the bar's regulars in the 1960s, when the neighborhood was a magnet for artists and musicians. Punch notes that the Townhouse has been serving Venice since 1915 and calls it the oldest bar in the neighborhood. Atlas Obscura describes liquor smuggled through catacombs and underground tunnels during Prohibition, the same passages that still lie under the floor.

The official site labels Townhouse a LAM Ryan property, and its parties page offers catering from Hatchet Hall or Si! Mon. Private events need a minimum of fifteen guests, and the page lists both the upstairs bar and the Del Monte as spaces you can book. If your crawl group is large and wants the basement to itself, the parties page has an inquiry form; otherwise walk in and take your chances with the booths and the pool table.

Late October brings more costumes than usual to Windward Avenue, and the boardwalk crowds stay out late on warm nights. Townhouse has no special Halloween party listed for October 31 this year, which makes it a calmer place to start a Venice haunted crawl before the louder clubs. Pair it with the October 30 jazz show if you want a ticketed night, or come on the 31st for the history and a drink upstairs.

For the next leg, walk one block to the beach and turn onto Ocean Front Walk. The Waterfront Venice, at 205 Ocean Front Walk, runs a weekday happy hour from 3 pm to 7 pm, though it closes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Then walk the arcades back up Windward toward the Venice Art Walls and the old canals district. The whole loop stays within a few blocks, which makes Venice an easy crawl on foot.

Plan your arrival. Windward Avenue sits in the busiest part of Venice Beach, and parking near the boardwalk is limited and fills quickly on weekend evenings, so a rideshare drop-off on Windward or Pacific Avenue is simpler. Keep your group together after dark on the boardwalk, and agree on a meeting point before heading downstairs, since the Del Monte's music makes phone calls impossible once a set is under way.

Practical notes: Townhouse and the Del Monte Speakeasy are at 52 Windward Ave, Venice, CA 90291. The bar opens at 5 pm on weekdays and 3 pm on weekends, closing at 2 am. Del Monte shows are 21 and over, and most paid tickets are $18.03 through DICE. Private parties start at fifteen guests and can include food from Hatchet Hall or Si! Mon.

Townhouse suits crawlers who like music with their history: jazz fans, Doors fans and groups who want a basement show after a round upstairs. It is less suited to a quiet date on show nights, when the Del Monte gets loud and crowded. Start upstairs at the bar, ask about Frank Bennett's booth, buy a ticket for whoever is playing downstairs, and then step out under the arcades onto Windward Avenue for the next stop.