Not No Bar is proof that when you mix good cocktails, good pizza, and good music, people will show up in droves. Walk into this crowded pizzeria-cocktail bar from the Dudley Market people on Santa Monica's Main Street and you’ll find dates smooshed up against the bar and groups of friends lounging around on two-tops and booths like it’s the Feast of Dionysus. On Friday and Saturday nights, you’ll probably have to wait in line outside for a little bit while DJs spin throwback Euro disco over the hi-fi system. It’s loud, a little messy, and a lot of fun. 

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

The space undoubtedly functions as a bar first, but the pizza is just as much of a draw. Every table has one or two bubbly-crusted Neopolitan-ish pies on it, and all the pizza-making flair happens at a back counter in full view of the dining room. On Sundays and Mondays (when the place isn’t standing room only), you might even be able to catch some spinning dough action from your seat. The pies are about 12 inches wide so ordering one per person is a good starting point. Then concentrate on the excellent cocktails, followed by drunkenly Shazaaming every new song that night’s DJ plays.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Cocktails

Not No’s cocktails lean tiki, but you can expect subtler, more composed tropical drinks rather anything on fire or set in a dry ice treasure chest. Our current favorites include the rum-based Curry Killer laced with coconut milk and green curry, and the frothy Happy Little Clouds, shaken with bourbon, fig, cinnamon, and egg white.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Crudo

A plate of raw fish? At a bar with a DJ? Stay with us. Not No’s chef comes from Dudley Market, one of our favorite seafood spots in the city, so don’t be surprised when this citrusy crudo with a layer of luxurious coconut cream quietly becomes the hit of the night.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

La Blanca

As with the cocktails, the pizzas at Not No change often. But at the time you’re reading this, the one stuck in our heads is this ricotta-layered white pie drizzled in pesto and topped with a side salad portion of mustard frills, which cut through all that creamy-sweet richness nicely.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Bang Bang

If you prefer your pizza with some heat (and hopefully you do), make sure the Bang Bang is part of your order. The combination of crispy soppressata and chopped chiles give this pie a delicious hum of spice—without being so intense you’re running to the bar for a water refill.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Margherita

This is a solid margherita, but nothing you need to go out of your way for. Gussying it up with some hot honey or marinated anchovies is highly recommend.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Milk + Honey

It might not be clear exactly what this dessert is based on the name, so we’ll play spoiler: it’s a scoop of vanilla ice cream. But it’s a scoop covered in very good olive oil and honey, and sprinkled with fennel pollen and crunchy flakes of salt. And it's exactly what you want at the end of pizza night.