Salt Creek Grille at Plaza El Segundo

Kobe Sliders at Salt Creek Grille

I’ve been to a couple happy hours at Salt Creek Grille and I’m always impressed.  The venue is gorgeous.  In the bar area, they have an approachable bar to the left as you walk in with waist high tables and bar stools to the right.  Moving forward past that its like a living room; there are low couches around the end of the room with comfortable pillows for reclining and low end tables for drinks and plates.  Next to the main bar area is another room with a smaller bar of its own along with some tables and chairs.  Each bar area has one or more flat screen TVs all tuned to the same thing, usually sports.

Outside of the bar area is another treat: two fire pits.  This first one is on the same level as the bars and is centered in a square booth like area with padded seats.  Around the fire pit, there are low wooden tables perfect for resting your drinks and appetizers.  The next fire pit is down a short set of concrete stairs leading to a sandy patio.  At the bottom is the pit surrounded by wooden love seats with firm cushions.  With the fire pit blazing in the middle, its almost like being at a five star beach resort’s private bonfire.  To get a little more secluded, there are two tables with chairs a slightly away from the fire.

On the night I went (and it think its often the case) musicians were jamming in the bar area on a piano and upright bass player.  The crowd was lively, chatting away with the silent ones watching the Lakers game on the big screens.  The crowd was definitely mature, with most folks looking like either professionals arriving from their El Segundo offices or Manhattan Beach socialites just arriving from their beachfront cribs.

Given the crowd, its no surprise that the drinks and apps are on the pricier side for a happy hour.  Well drinks start at $6 and appetizers around $7.  The drinks were well made though and the appetizer portions were not lacking.  I had a whiskey and diet coke which they made with Jim Beam; not bad for a well whiskey.  I ordered the fried calamari which was served on a bed of cabbage along with two sauces for dipping.  The amount was enough for me to offer some to my friends without thinking I’d still be hungry by the time we finished.

The service was good as well.  I was there with a group of around 20 people and we only had one server.  She managed to get to everyone quickly enough as they arrived to get their orders and kept the orders straight when she returned.  All of the tabs were split without us having to ask (THANK GOD!) and our server distributed them without a mix up.  Because of our group, the gratuity was already added in.

With all of the options for happy hour in the South Bay, I’m glad to have Salt Creek Grille close by.  I see it as a place for bringing clients after work, which may be more impressive than Sharkeez or the like.  Salt Creek would also be a great place for the start of a romantic date; you could order some drinks and cuddle with your sweetie next to the fire pit ( I would recommend the lower one).  But get there early.  The demand for that one is high.