There are happy hours built around discounted drinks, and then there are those where the setting becomes part of the experience. At The Lobster in Santa Monica, arrive as afternoon gives way to evening and the Pacific stretches beyond the windows in shades of blue and gold, with the beach and Santa Monica Pier just below. On a recent visit, the restaurant was filled with a cheerful mix of locals and visitors enjoying one of those spectacular Southern California sunsets that makes it difficult to imagine being anywhere else.

The Lobster has occupied this coveted perch at the entrance to the pier in one form or another since 1923. Today, Executive Chef Govind Armstrong oversees a seafood-driven menu, while the bar and patio offer one of the restaurant’s most appealing propositions: happy hour daily from 3 to 6 p.m., and all day Friday. Our visit coincided with a Nikka Whisky & Spirits bar takeover, featuring Tony Bennett of The Alchemists’ Garden in Paso Robles and a menu of inventive cocktails paired with special dishes from the kitchen. The evening’s standout was the Sumi, a martini-style creation made with Nikka Coffey Vodka, black sesame, yuzu and toasted rice. Sesame-washed, darkened with squid ink and finished with black lava salt, it was simultaneously sweet, savory and distinctly umami, with enough citrus brightness to balance its richness.

The Hidamari paired Nikka Days blended whisky with charred corn, white miso, Bartlett pear and hojicha over a large ice cube. Despite containing no apple, it had an intriguing apple-martini-like quality, tempered by the earthiness of tea and miso. The kitchen joined the Japanese-inspired theme with refreshing shrimp rice-paper rolls, smoky grilled chicken skewers and beautifully charred octopus that remained moist and meaty within. The most substantial dish was the Linguini Nero, generously loaded with spicy lump crab and Gulf shrimp, garlic-roasted tomato, basil and uni butter.

The Nikka cocktails and special dishes were created for the event, but the evening illustrated why The Lobster deserves consideration as more than a special-occasion seafood restaurant. Happy hour offers a more relaxed way to enjoy one of Santa Monica’s most enviable views, whether the plan is a cocktail and oysters or something that gradually turns into dinner. After all, there are plenty of places to have a drink in Santa Monica. Few come with the Pacific turning gold outside the window and the lights of the pier beginning to glow below.

— Ghalib Dhalla

The Lobster
1602 Ocean Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Phone: (310) 458-9294
Website: thelobster.com

Happy Hour: Daily, 3–6 p.m.; all day Friday in the bar and patio areas.
$2 oysters: Daily, 5–6 p.m., while supplies last.