"Although technically a restaurant, The Georgian Room doubles as a historic piano lounge. So if you’re looking for a moody place with red leather booths to celebrate something big, book a reservation. That’s the only way you’ll get into this dark basement bar, hidden just off of Santa Monica’s packed Ocean Avenue strip. It’s the kind of place where you have to buzz a mysterious doorbell and put a privacy sticker over your phone camera before you’re seated. Start with one of the house martinis, and don’t leave until you hear the jazz singer crooning renditions of Britney Spears songs next to a vintage Steinway." - brant cox, sylvio martins