Central SAPC

We were looking for The Room when we noticed this places. We paid $ 6 to park in the lot behind Central and The Room so we figured we’d give this place a shot. There were a bunch of punk rockers standing around outside the back door, which made me feel like I stood out since I came in kind of dressed up.
It was weird because the guy checking out ID’s at the door didn’t charge or say anything about cover, so we assumed it was free until the person inside said $ 10 per person the minute we came in. Honestly, the inside looked so dirty and gross and dark that we didn’t even bother considering to pay this. $ 10 is beyond over the top to charge for cover, especially for a place like this.
The only upside to this venue is that there is a stage, which allows for bands to come in and play. I’m sure if I liked the band that was playing, I would have loved to stay and listen and MIGHT have even considered paying the cover. There was a punk rock band playing this Saturday night, so we got the heck up out of there.

Came here to see my friend Giraffage perform. I really enjoyed the venue for two reasons: The actual venue space itself and the people.
I’ve always been a big fan of small and intimate venues as it allows you to be closer to the performers on stage. The décor was nice too, especially in the lobby area (the fireplace keeps it classy). The people here were also very friendly and cool to hang out with, which made the squeezing with each other more bearable. If you couldn’t tell, the place can get really packed, to the point where you’re just really get sandwiched between a bunch of people.
I would love to come back here for another show if I was ever in the area. With great music, venue, and people, it definitely makes Central SAPC a great place to hang out and catch a show.

POOR MANAGEMENT!!! SAVE your money and your time! This place is a Joke! Drove from the Valley to see a great band. While we waited outside for the band to go in, one of the guys went inside early for the bathroom. After about 10 minutes we all decided to make our way in the bar and the girl at the door wouldn’t let the same guy back in because he left his ID at work. (Who by the way is a 60+ yr old) We all were very upset and the girl seemed unconcerned and rude. Several of the group ended up leaving and going home very angry. A few of us made our way in and there was all of 10 people in the whole place, if that. The only saving grace to the place is the Sound system but that will be for nothing if the staff is rude and unaccommodating.
To the owner, Your girl out front turned away industry people and a celebrity and didn’t even know it! She’s rude, and had a very condescending smirk, and she needs to go. I’ll spend my time and my money elsewhere!

This is a tough one for me to review.
I came here on a Wednesday night for a friend’s show. He’s a DJ. His name is Richard Sweat. He killed… but, there weren’t a ton of people there.
We arrived around 11:05 and went straight for the bar.
The «lobby» of the venue had like 15 people standing around drinking and chatting with a little DJ booth way up top over looking the crowd. The bar had a good assortment of beers on tap. Drinks were 6 bucks. Cover charge was 8. I thought that was a little steep.
The service was good. All of the employees seemed really, really cool.
The room where the DJs spin is TINY, but very intimate. The lights and sound were INCREDIBLE. There is also a raggedy old couch to sit at if your dogs start barking.
We caught my friend’s set, had a couple beers and hit the road.
I think on the right night, this place can POP.
I’ll check it out again.
PROS: Good beer selection
–Awesome talent
–Cool lobby
–Good location on SaMo Blvd.
CONS: Pricey
–Not a lot of people
–Dirty
Check out a DJ set… very solid talent.
Best,
Sean

Ok, was there at a show last night for my buddy’s band, El Ten Eleven. It was a sold out crowd but it was quite uncomfortable inside just to get into the main room where the bands play. It was jammed packed, really jammed – I mean to the point it should’ve been a fire hazard. When you have people jammed in their like sardines it’s bound to make a bad experience. Plus a lady started smoking inside the Central SAPC near the emergency exit cos that’s how antsy she was inside the place.
El Ten didn’t get a proper soundcheck so that delayed the show a bit longer for them to start playing due to their elaborate lighting set up.
In comparison to another El Ten Eleven show, they played the Echo a few months back and that was WAY more memorable experience I’ve had.
Last night’s show was the first time going when before it was named 14 Below.

Had a fun time at the El Ten Eleven show on 01÷26÷13.
Kimo W. is right, though, it was really crowded. Probably to the point of being unsafe.
But 99.99% of people were chill and very respecting of personal space, etc etc.
It was alright, but I’ve had better experiences at small venues.

The vibe inside was pretty cool. i was there on a rainy sat night and it was empty. weird. The sound guy did a crappy job mixing the band as I could hear anything very well except the kick drum. im a sound guy and know crappy sound. The place seems worth another shot so I may be back.

One of my favorite new venues. The drinks are good, they have an awesome selection of beers, even for the pickiest of microbrew connoisseurs. The venue is awesome and small, one of the few remaining intimate venues where you can rock out with great artists.
The usually always have EDM as the genre for the night, which is one of the biggest perks for me. I love electronic music and hate going to clubs with top 40 hits because some drunk chick has requested a million songs. Central SAPC keeps it real with great music, chill crowd, and all around good time. Deff check this place out if you ever get a chance! A real SM jem.

Live super close to this place so it’s nice to come here occasionally. They have good music and a great dance floor. Just bummed that they charge a cover most nights (which is rare in LA). Also wish they had an outdoor area but if you need to smoke they will let you stand right outside their door.
The girl bartender in the back was AMAZING! Made such yummy drinks and was so nice! I give her 5 stars :)

Overall great place and good vibe. Very good SOUND ! This is important to me and im never let down. Santa Monica needed something like this. Good job !!
EBI: do something with your restrooms. Either split the existing facilities in two stalls, or add one. Beer + bunch of people = long cues at the water-​closet.

Came here for the first Rebel Bingo event held in Samo.
Since it was a special event, the place was beyond packed. There’s a long bar in the first room with an elevated DJ booth against the wall on the opposite side of the bar. The drink prices here are legit! Not overpriced like many of the bars around the area. There’s a good variety of beers on draft, and a lot of beers via bottles or cans. Of course, for the hipsters, there is PBR by the can hahah.
The other room, though, was pretty unbearable. There was a ton of people for the event and everybody was in that room for the bingo games, and probably due to the crowd, there was no air flow at all.
Probably would’ve enjoyed this place a lot more if I wasn’t there for Rebel Bingo. I like how The Room’s right next door to Central so it’s pretty easy to go between places.

Hey, I like this place.
Crowd: lots of babes, i’m not going to lie.
Bartenders: lots of babes, i’m not going to lie
Bouncers: maybe i just have an ‘in’ with big scary black guys, i don’t know. but the bouncers here are like the sweetest, kindest, and most considerate big scary black guys ever.
Bar: usually crowded, but not hard to sneak up to if you’re a cute (and slick) girl. drinks are whatever, but sometimes magically free (flirt flirt, wink wink). if you’re a dude or someone’s bizarro, bring a flask.
Music. depends when you come. when I was there, i saw some grinding sweaty dubstep. floors are a little slippery but there is usually plenty of room to dance.
**** to avoid cover, get on the guestlist at

Fun. IDK why they’re always playing He-​Man at the bar. Depends on the night you go though– I went once for a friend’s gig and it was DEAD, but another time I went for an event and it was packed and everyone had a great time. The drinks are kind of weak, though!

MUSIC: With a stage and a door, I guess this is a location where a lot of local bands and singer come perform. I came to THE CENTRAL last night because a friend invited me along to see a band name OPUS ORANGE. Honestly speaking, I usually listen to KIIS and KPWR, so listening to live music of other music genre is awesome.
BAR: Bartender was sweet, and got me my drinks the way I wanted it. I couldn’t help but raise a eyebrow when I ordered my favorite drink — Snakebite. She told me that she can’t «float» this drink because the beer is not from tap? Ermm… Whatevers, I didn’t want to argue with her, but I know it’s not true because I still have my bartending license somewhere in my closet. Nevertheless, drinks are cheap! Only had to pay $ 20 for 3 drinks!
COVER CHARGE: I came on a Wednesday night, and they charged $ 5 cover. Didn’t understand why they do that, but I guess they want to prevent people from just coming in and listening to the band and not ordering anything?
** SIDENOTE **
— They started off the night by playing some hot guys on surfboards on their TV, and later switched to the He-​man cartoon. Awesome! Haha
— I can’t help but keep smelling wet floors at this place, and realize they probably had a flood at this location based on Lindsay H.‘s review from 04÷24÷12.

After the last visit, it’ll take a lot to get me back to this joint. A horrible experience with a rude, cocky, pushy (physically!) bouncer left my friend and traumatized.
On a rainy Saturday night my friends and I stopped in after some drinks next door at The Room. First, a lake had formed in the main room and kept guests limited to the perimeter. The amount of water spanning the entire main room was unbelievable and only weak clean-​up efforts were underway. Honestly, I don’t know why they even bothered opening that night.
Second, when my tipsy friend slipped on the steps down into the bar, the bouncer insisted she sober up outside. Hoping to oblige his unnecessary request, she stepped back outside and I offered to wait with her. After some time passed by we inquired about getting back in and tried to explain that my friend had merely slipped on the steps. He increasingly became pushy and even more rude, eventually pushing us backwards with his hands and almost knocking the two of us over (he was huge!).
Although I understand that bouncers have the right to deny people entrance (still unnecessary in this case), I couldn’t believe he pushed us so forcefully, let alone even put his hands on us. I have never felt so disrespected. Needless to say, the 15-​person group I was with that night promptly left — and we definitely won’t be back.

This place gets wayyyy toooooo paaaacccckkkkkeeeeddd! There was one point I waited literally 30 minutes for a drink. That should not happen in the land of opportunity! This place would be great if there weren’t so many douche bags. Leave and go to the room next door.

The Central is one of those random places I was introduced to and ended up at again and again. Its always a good time and I feel like it’s still such a well-​kept SM secret.
Even though the line was extremely longgg last night (for the VERSES 1 Year Anniversary Party), I was quite impressed by the Central staff and their management of the large, unruly crowd.
The door men (and cashier woman) were really professional and extremely friendly to those of us who weren’t trying to push our way in. They were not the «power-​trip,» «I have a clipboard so I am God» type of bouncers, but they did lay down the law when it came to the group of 5 girls who thought that their «cuteness» level gave them the right to completely cut in front of myself and everyone else behind me. The security managed to tame the wild crowd outside that became larger at an increasing rate and those in line began pushing closer to the door at the rumors of the arrival of a well-​known «secret guest DJ.»
Once inside, I was able to get a drink right away (and no, not based on «cuteness» level). The bartender was quick and really friendly as well, which is nothing new at Central. My only MAJOR complaint about this place is the bathroom situation. NOT enough of them! And it was a HUGE bummer when I realized there was only ONE working toilet in the women’s bathroom and the line was about 20 girls long when I realized I really needed to go (…the cocktails…). It was AWFUL waiting in that line, but we made it eventually. I was just really bummed that I spent so much of my night waiting in line to get in and then again through the agonizing bathroom line that, when I finally returned, some people in my group were already wanting to leave!
I felt like I had only been there a few minutes, so I wasn’t ready to leave. We all stayed and had a great time as usual. Fun night full of lots of good music and run-​ins with tons friends (and some OC friends, too). In my opinion, Central is one of the best places in Santa Monica to go let loose, listen to music and have a lot of fun.
Thursday nights at Central have become a weekly occurence lately and it’s an easy choice for a week night outing as it is only a few blocks from my apartment! I never knew Central existed and I have not had a bad night here yet… just a few bad «next mornings,» when the only cure is an egg burrito… or a screwdriver.

MUSIC: Went here for the first time last night to see American Royalty perform. As far as music is concerned, the sound was perfect. The vocals weren’t too loud or too soft. You could hear the melody from the guitars and the subtleties of the singers’ voices. It’s very rare for me to find a small/​medium underground place with a lot of echo to have sound that isn’t noticeably off in some way or another. Also, LOVED American Royalty and Vanaprasta (the earlier band). I’d never seen either of them perform live (my boyfriend used to live with the guys from American Royalty, so I’d heard some of their stuff — awesome bananas btw) –The Central draws some serious talent.
DRINK: Vodka redbull, I was surprised by how strong it was, not to a fault but nicely strong. Usually I find vodka redbulls to be weak in this neighborhood. DUVEL! They had my favorite beer! This made me really excited. And it was only 8/​bottle — usually it’s 10 or 11 I feel like. The bartenders were fast and friendly. Absolutely no complaints on the service or the quality of the drinks.
VIBE: Definitely more of a hipster place, which isn’t my scene so much but I expected that going in and wasn’t bothered by it at all. Maybe slightly too many guys. ALSO, they had two live painters painting throughout the night in front of the stage, which was so cool. I haven’t seen that before, and they were quite good. Also very friendly. It was crowded but never too crowded.
All in all, I would definitely come back here. Oh, and there was a $ 10 cash only cover (cc accepted inside) for this event, but proceeds went to a charity Jam in the van (I think?) that helps support local music education for young kids. I can’t really complain about donating to an awesome charity.

Formerly 14 Below, the room where the bands play hasn’t changed much, though the change that has occurred is not for the better.
Good sound. Good room. Good light. Stage is high. All good.
One thing I can’t figure out: Who put the gigantic monitor enclosures along the front of the stage, cutting off the view of the performers at the waist. Drummers or keyboard players who sit down disappear. Side-​mount those monitors, guys!

It was a Saturday night out with the girls. Arrived at Central after a quick pit stop at the sports bar up the street called South. From South to Central. South Central. Ha, that’s ironic. Don’t be alarmed, you’d be hard pressed to find a blood or crip this far from the hood.
We got here expecting some nostalgic 90’s music to cut a rug to. We got in with no sweat and I immediately dug the industrial vibe of this place: Exposed brick, dark woods, large metal light fixtures. A little cramped, but tolerable. So far so good. So good, that is, until the music. What happened to creating a set with a logical and gradual tempo transition?
Buddy.you can’t go from REM to 69 boys to R. Kelly to Deee-​lite to Verve to Nirvana to N*SYNC and expect to keep a crowd dancing for longer than 2 minutes. I found the room allocated for dance to be a little cheese ball with its green laser lights darting through the room. As the night went on, the crowd thickened and so did my desire to get the eff-​ewe-​see-​kay out of dodge.
Maybe it’s better on other nights, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here again.