Shellback Tavern

This spot is a great, laid-back hangout for groups of any age. While the food and drinks are just average, the friendly service and classic dive bar atmosphere make it worth visiting.

This is the SPOT! Boneless wings and bone in were very much up to par. Even better was the service, we sat at the bar and it was a blast! Dragon was behind the bar and we can’t give him enough props! Awesome sunset viewing!

Right next to manhattan beach. The perfect bar with some solid food choices. Steak tacos were amazing. Burger looked delicious. Great vibe

Being a former sailor, I just had to stop by Shellback Tavern to see what it was all about. I felt like shore patrol would stop by and drag me out, which is a good thing! This is a wonderful little spot with a local vibe. Everyone is so warm, laid back and friendly. I tried their mango cart beer which is definitely a must try if you visit. The fish and chips were incredible and very generous portions along with very fresh fries. The chef even comes out to check to make sure you’re happy with your order. If you’re ever in Manhattan Beach and have never visited this restaurant, you’re missing out.

My husband and I stopped in for lunch and a few drinks after a 3 mile walk. Our bartender was incredible! The entire staff was very nice and seemed to actually be happy to be there. We decided to go with the fish and chips and it did not disappoint! It was a very generous portion to share and it tasted great. The bartender was very knowledgeable and had great recommendations on food and drinks. The atmosphere is very relaxed and nice. We will be back before heading home on Sunday! Cheers! 🍻

Great location, good food. Nice servers. Not too crowded at 1 PM on a Thursday

I hope I spelled the name right… Mackenzie was amazing! Excellent service! Lots of good recommendations. Will definitely be returning next time we visit (:

What an awesome venue, super welcoming and friendly staff, great priced drinks and of course walked away with a hat!!

Was visiting for work & told to check this place out. Everyone deserves to try these chicken tenders at least once in their life. They are famous for a reason! Ranch was also 10/10.

As a local, shellback tavern used to be the best place to go on a weekend. However, as of lately it has become a tourist trap where obvious special treatment is given to tourists with connections. The bouncers here are unbelievably rude and the line system is non existent. Save your time and go to hermosa.

Stopped in after walking to the pier after spending the day at the beach. After downing the famous Fanta shots, we had beers and hung out, people watching and ocean watching. Did not eat, but maybe next time as food looked and smelled pretty good. lots of local vibe charm and old school beach/sport decor.

We stopped in after a walk on the beach. The bartenders were very welcoming. The food looked good. Wish I was hungry. It's a very cozy atmosphere.

Been coming here since my days at UCLA and it never disappoints for its atmosphere and location. Shellback's is the definition of an old school bar. It also happens to be steps away from the pier and beach so it has great views and is always packed. Everyone here has a good time and the bartenders and servers do a great job of getting food and drinks out quickly so you can keep enjoying. Drink up my friends!

Shellback is your atypical dive bar, but probably has the best views of any dive bar I've ever encountered. What's not to like when you can grab a beer on an old sticky high table and look out at the Pacific all at the same time? Pros - Great atmosphere and friendly service Cons - Not the cheapest to the say least. Drinks will set you back $12 bucks and eats are close to $20 for dive bar food. Place is small and always crowded it seems. And last but not least, the trucker hats. Seems like these things are the new VonDutch trend going around.

What a great spot, love the old school look and feel of the place. They have some coolest bartenders I've met in a long time, really love to chat and make you feel welcomed. Didn't get a chance to eat, but the drinks were solid enough, I just had a classic Coors myself. One of my favorite views of the pier and really cool hats above the bar for sale! Can't wait to come back one day.

The Shellback is a fun local hangout that is welcoming to visitors. The bartenders are quick and work with a smile. Many of the locals are chatty and will offer golf, food, or sightseeing advice. Plenty of TVs to watch the game of your choice and a good mix of music. The decor is awesome! With everything from a NASCAR hood to political candidate signs to an inflatable marlin. Eye candy everywhere. Stop by after a day on the beach or a day in town. You'll have a great time.

The vibes are everything, food is decent it's just typical bar food but it's good, service is also great!

If you're looking for a good local dive this is your spot. I love that a good portion of people are even wearing shellback hats! Which you can buy from the bar. I wouldn't say to come here for the food but vibes are high and drink prices are decent. Although we did have their chicken wings and those were pretty good. Now the nachos I would pass on next time and I'm a huge chip feen.

Absolutely loved this place. We found it by chance via Yelp as we were in town for a conference. Order a cheeseburger at this place you won't regret it as it tastes homemade. This is a fun place to hangout with friends. The service is amazing as the bartenders are very attentive to everyone there.

Came here with a couple friends as it was recommended by some colleagues at my office. I really love this bar, the staff, drinks & ambiance are amazing with views of the Manhattan Beach Pier! Mikey was our bartender, he was extremely nice and attentive and served up our drinks quickly with a big smile. Mikey is one of the nicest bartenders that I've met in a very long time, he was very genuine and made us feel right at home. He's super funny and very welcoming, I love that he always remembered what we were drinking and he kept the drinks flowing all day long! Shellback is now my new favorite bar in the South Bay! I would highly recommend you visit Shellback & if you want the best service from one of the nicest bartenders in town, make sure you ask for Mikey!!! If I could give Shellback & Mikey 10 stars I totally would!!! I can't wait to come back this weekend!!!

At the bottom of a steep Avenue overlooking Manhattan Beach is Shellback Tavern. The exterior of this building was pretty photo worthy. Inside it looks like everything a beach bar should look like and you certainly know you're at a beach by being in there....open air breeze and all. If you start a tab, they automatically hold $100 on your card and have a sign saying so. I personally think this is a schmuck move and unnecessary. It's not that i am not going to spend that much anyway, but if someone else wants to have half of that, they now have an extra hold for the unspent portion for multiple days. They don't even do that here in Vegas nor did they do that anywhere else we went in Hermosa Beach area. Annoying concept. The bartender had a fun personality and the burger i had was simply okay add $2 extra for fries with it which was a little nickel and dimey of them. It was a cool divey beach bar i guess but I encountered much better options during my visit.

it's always a great time at shellback's. their staff is very efficient & know how to manage a big group. this place is for the environment and ambiance. i also loved their calamari

Roach on the table! Walked in for lunch and ended up with an unwanted visitor. They did remove my chicken sandwich but kept my two beers. Rushed out of there asap. It happens but this is experience was up close

My SO has a history with this place so I grudgingly agreed to have a few drinks here. My first impression was a combination of horrified and curious. This place is definitely divey and its last update was IDK, 1972? I did not have the greatest attitude at first. That started to change after our drinks came and our exceptionally cool and friendly server helped us find an outlet to charge our phones. Drinks were quite good and despite staying for over two hours, we were never neglected or made to feel unwelcome. Everyone here seemed to be having such a good time and I realized that I was too. I think the original concept for this bar was tiki and there is still a little of that but it's mostly a dive bar if you ask me, and a damn good one at that. Yes, the bathrooms are truly terrifying but it's a fun, friendly, relaxed place and they know exactly what they are, have embraced it and are very much in on the joke. I've even joined club beach trash. Cheers, and see you at Shellback, fellow beach trashians.

Good bar to visit, an iconic one with a long history in MB! Gets super hot inside and really crowded, but I honestly feel like that's an intentional part of its charm. I like how popular the hats they sell are, yet they still sell them at a reasonable price. Drinks and food are overpriced, but with it being a few steps away from the beach and being a bar in a downtown beach cities area, I feel it is to be reasonably expected. I like how it is a bar where you'll see anyone from old high school classmates to parents catching up after work. It is very much a bar trying to be a dive bar, and not a genuine dive bar, but I feel it fits the needs of downtown MB perfectly.

Definitely an the end of the night kind of place, divey beach club vibes. It was totally packed on on a Saturday night, and had a line to come in. No cover, casual clothes. We went for a birthday and lingered around standing as a mob inside. The bartender was amazing, weaving through people with full beers, and being impressively attentive for how crowded it was. My group mostly had shots and beers, and it was the place to be for party the people by the beach. It was too crowded for me personally, and as someone short, hard to make my way through the throng of surprisingly tall people haha. The bathroom situation is... surprising? Clean enough for a bar, but kind of like a crammed hostel with two random stalls at different levels, haven't seen a bathroom like that in America. I had a good time with my friends. I was driving, and therefore not drinking, so not the target audience for the night.

This place has one of the few views of the ocean, great staff, great vibes, amazing views! BUT THE WORST BATHROOMS EVER, damn man remodel the bathroom!

When you serve a beer with a hair in it and my son complains, get him a new beer! That is disgusting! Service here has been going down hill, this just tops it off

Cool little spot we discovered while visiting. Great atmosphere with many things to look at including tvs! Service was excellent. Chris was the gentleman who helped us and he was keeping up with serving tables and bartending by himself! He was very helpful in serving us food and drinks and brought a great energy to the place. Definitely stop by for some good bar food and drinks!

Classic dive bar in Manhattan Beach. Came here on a Tuesday night around 7 and there were a few people there, but it wasn't as crowded as it typically is on weekends (when it's packed with people). Indoor seating only, not outdoor spots. Credit cards accepted. If you sit by the window, you can get a pretty nice sunset view. The women's restroom is towards the front of the bar and there's a big step in front of the toilets, while the men's restroom is in the back left corner of the restaurant. The well tequila was smoother than I was expecting. They do have some food options if you're feeling peckish. The atmosphere is really laidback and casual.

View is amazing and with the exception of a few beers on tap, there isn't a lot of variety. Only thing that sucks was ordering a glass of beer and 1 High Noon and the bartender told me I owed him $22. Wow. I know covid was a bitch for everyone, inflation is ongoing, but $22 for 2 non-mix drinks is as close to robbery as you get. Look elsewhere.

Cold beer, the game, off the beach. What more do u want? U can hope for more. But that makes u a loser. Go have a real drink at a real bar. This one.

This is a mandatory stop for all (drinking) locals as well as those of us from Redondo/Hermosa whenever we want a beachside bar with good eats in Manhattan. This is to Manhattan what North End is to Hermosa. IYKYK

Mikey is just the best bartender In town. Plus he wears the best shirts. The drinks are good and so is the vibe.

I honestly love this place. A good classic beach dive with really nice people serving & behind the bar. We got their Cadillac margarita (pretty good, 7/10) but I loved their boneless Buffalo tenders & fries. We got a half order to share and I honestly impressed with the portion. This place is right on the strand with good views of the beach. A fun place in Manhattan beach for sure.

Always have the best time, the bartender Mikey is the nicest guy and goes above and beyond for the people here!!!!

Location and atmosphere are 5/5! Had a jalapeño margarita and found it average, more like a plain margarita. Had a hard time deciding on dinner and went with southwest salad topped with chicken. The chicken had a lovely grill flavor and portion was generous.

I'll keep it simple . Great food ! Shitty service Questionable prices . If you're in the area it's a cool place to grab a drink and some food but be ready to pay up and see if you're lucky that the servers might actually feel like doing their job that day.

We came this bar tonight . After 30 min, we had half of our drinks, this guy came to our table and ask us when we leave because people who want to order food are waiting. I told him we just got here why you asked us that kind of question, and then he said our servers need to make money. Again! We didn't stay there hours !!!! 30 min later we got drink , at half of our glasses, this guy asked us to leave !!! My point is he didn't ask other tables the same question!! He came to us straight and told us servers need to make money!!! This happened because we are all girls or we are Asians ?? We orders food but if a table needed to order food in 30 min, they should have told us so at the beginning.

Meh used to be a regular. Beer prices up like everywhere else. $10 for a 12 ounce pour of Mexican beer seems really high. Pitchers are probably a better value. Not a fan of the tipping devices here now. I always tip 20%+. Management set it up so 20% is minimum, going up to 35%. You have to tip on the service regardless if it's good or not, and you are tipping on top of the tax amount. Not a fan of this. My opinion doesn't matter as they are busy most nights, but Shellback used to better.

Mikey is an amazing bartender!! Great service and great drinks!!!! Visiting from the Central Valley and we'll definitely be back next time we're here

Shellback is a great place for happy hour! Great food. A friendly and accommodating staff and reasonably priced drinks.

Mikey is the best bartender ever!!!!! Had the best time ever at Shellback! Love you Mikey!

Been coming here for years. Great vibes and great views. Even better service from Jack Mehoff the bartende! thanks Jack

Service was great! Food was decent for bar food. But as we were eating there were baby roaches crawling on the wall....

I read about this place last August 2018 and it sounded interesting. It did not disappoint. Burgers on/by the beach. If you find yourself near Manhattan Beach you should check it out. Parking right across the

Not that anyone reads yelp for this place but here it goes. $9 for a beer at a "dive" bar should be a crime. I've been to plenty of dives, bathrooms disgusting, that's fine. But to be filled with a bunch of college age kids and to still have that amount of filth while charging those prices?? I don't get it. Whoever wants to waste their money here feel free but I'll be elsewhere spending the same amount per drink for much better quality alcohol.

Met up with friends here. I forgot about the MB Open (duh) which meant the place was packed and had to park a ways! A totally different vibe at night compared to the post-biking on the Strand afternoon crowd. I'm no shortypants but on this particular evening, of course I hadn't felt so short since I watched the World Cup in Germany. Cheap drinks considering this is high rent MB. The server was very communicative about closing out the patio. Evening metered parking always a struggle.

Hung out here one night with 3 other friends, 2 of us left briefly to use the restroom on the pier because the line for women was SUPER long. Anyway, leave and come back and at the door we ask if we can come back in...he says no. Let me say I would have had no issue going to the front......but he proceeds to let others go in. Specifically white males and a few white females. I go to the front prepared to stand in line and I ask that bouncer what the deal was, and why that happened. He explains a few things to me and I just say that is not what happened and my friend (chinese) and I (african american) are not happy with how we felt we were being treated. This bouncer proceeds to blow up and say that we were being disrespectful and rude and that we would not be allowed back in. I do not stay anywhere that I am not welcome so my friends and I left and I will never go back.......and to think I almost bought a hat :/ From my experience I would agree that this establishment definitely has racist tendencies.

The bartenders are amazing! Great location with great music. It's a little dead of course during day but by the end of the night it's packed. If you go to back right of establishment you can have a great view of the ocean while drinking your drink of choice. I ordered some steak tacos but I have to say everything on taco was great but the amount of meat completely over powered the taco it's self. The steak itself was cooked and seasoned every well! Other then that it's a great place to wind down and have some fun on Manhattan beach!

Arrived early evening on Friday night. It wasn't packed at the time we were easily able to sit at the bar. And hour and half later that completely changed. It was packed! People squeezed in everywhere and I can see why. The music was great, a mix of today's hits with an old school 90s, 00s vibe. Everyone's vibing and drinks are coming fast. They had a surprisingly large food menu to choose from. I had the nacho with steak plate, pretty damn good only recommendation is to add more steak because it was pretty scarce but the rest was good. Parking is difficult at this location if you don't arrive early. And you do have to pay for the meter. Great place For food and drinks and a great vibe.

Addison did a wonderful job of checking in on our group every 15 minutes! Restaurant like service!

Fun, lively place across from Beach. Bloody Mary's, sliders and nachos all good. Lots of tvs for sports watching and good music too.

If you're looking for a laid back bar with reasonable prices and awesome bartenders this place is for you. Mikey is awesome and when I had a few too many and left my cell phone there, he held onto it for a couple of days until I could make the drive back and pick it up. My go to spot to come when I'm in Manhattan beach. Thanks again Mikey!!

Location, Location, Location! Sitting right at the entrance to Manhattan Beach Pier makes for an outstanding location! My buddy and I stopped here on a Saturday afternoon for a quick bite to eat. We were able to snag a nice little spot outside overlooking the Pier. Not a bad place to people watch and just enjoy the ocean breeze. We ordered up some wings and a few beers with the very friendly staff. We weren't disappointed, the wings were crispy and hot like promised. Great little spot, we will for sure stop by more and more.

Well how can you beat a dive bar with these views. Would love to come back when its busy. Seems like a super fun place. Please note we didnt eat here had a few delicious beers only, but we will be back for sure.

Since we are still in the COVID-19 pandemic no more drinking allowed inside so the bar set up a few tables in the alley way with a partial ocean view. I wanted a beer on tap but you have to order food also - I decided on a chicken taco. The beer on tap selection is from the big corporate companies and no small micro-beers. The taco was gringo style but was actually pretty good tasting with the small flour tortillas they used.