Part of what makes L.A. such an attractive destination for both living and visiting is its proximity to the beach. If it's closeness to the waves you and your friends are looking for this weekend, nobody gets you closer than the On The Waterfront Cafe. With a large outdoor patio facing the Pacific Ocean, the salty sights and sounds of the surrounding Venice will have you ordering beer after beer (or pretzel after pretzel) just so you never have to leave this beachside oasis.

There are few places in Los Angeles that can morph from the perfect place to spend as crazy fun Saturday night into the ultimate spot to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. On The Waterfront Cafe in Venice is one of those rare venues. Situated directly across from the crashing of the Pacific's ocean waves, the Waterfront is the ideal location for just about any kind of time you want to have. Their large outdoor patio lines up with the Venice boardwalk, making it an awesome spot to post up for an entire day of people watching, surfer spotting and beer drinking under the warm Southern California sunshine. Surrounded by Angelenos (and tourists) of all ages casually dressed in flip flops, board shorts and tank tops, you and your friends can settle in for hours at a table drinking pitchers of icy cold beer while watching the sun drop through your sunglasses. You'll also get quite an eyeful of the neighborhood's characters. Set in the middle of Venice's famous strip of artists, musicians and miscellaneous people, you’ll get a taste of what this neighborhood is all about - freedom and fun. Other tastes you'll have at your disposal at the Waterfront are all sorts of delicious German treats. It's not uncommon to see groups of friends sharing German brews and breaking off pieces of their supersized soft pretzels. Besides their amazing views of the water and sunsets, this spot also has a pretty cool indoor area. Inside by the main bar you'll find plenty of televisions playing whatever big sports game happens to be on at the moment. No matter where you sit, though, the Waterfront is known for having a beach town attitude toward everything. That means you might have to wait a while for someone to come over and take your order, so you'll want to stock up on your beers when you can. The views and the breezy atmosphere are so perfectly L.A. that you wont really care if it takes a while to get your food- you weren't planning on leaving anyway.

Written By Darianne Doobie

Interesting Facts

Sometimes a bit of mystery can be a good thing. But most of the time we just need a little transparency. On The Waterfront Café’s name leave little to the imagination but that's just fine. This place is everything its name promises it will be: in front

Tips

Chances are, if you think it's the perfect sunny day to throw back some cold beers beachside, so does everyone else in town. Make sure you stakeout a patio table for you and your friends early. The longer you wait to throw on your flip flops and head over here, the greater the chance is you won't have anywhere to sit.