O'Brien's Irish Pub and Restaurant
2226 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA
23rd Street
310-829-5303

An Irish immigrant himself, owner William O'Sullivan says his 10-year-old pub was sustained in its first three years by other overseas Irish. Since then, this very comfortable pub with its plank floors, brick walls, wood paneling and multiple flat-screen TVs has reached out to the broader Santa Monica community with high-quality food, lunch specials and sports, sports, sports. Skylights and windows keep football afternoons from having that "Lost Weekend" feeling. Instead, happy sports fan standing at mid-room bars are social and loud while diners enjoy the liveliness from comfy booths around the edges of the room. The kitchen does a superlative job with a broad-ranging menu that offers plenty of salads, steaks and a popular ground-chuck burger. Brit-influenced dishes have some novel twists. There's a delicious appetizer that's really a pub meal for two — generous slices of Scottish smoked salmon on wheat toast with piles of capers and green onions on top and a scoop of horseradish. Try the banger sandwich, a crusty baguette filled with bias-sliced sausage and perfectly seasoned grilled onions.

Hours: Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sat., 7 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun., 8 a.m.-11 p.m. (bar stays open until 2 a.m.).