"This sports bar facing Palisades Park offers plenty of fresh air, thanks to its patio and huge windows, and a respite from the remaining crowds on the Third Street Promenade. Football-season Sundays and local team game nights are the busiest, but DJ nights and karaoke keep the room busy even when the games are over — and no rooting interest is needed to enjoy a drink like The Lost Explorer-based Cortez the Killer. The Whaler’s older sibling, the Venice Whaler, is just down the coast and offers the same drink, along with a second-floor patio overlooking the ocean." - Robert Spuhler