Winstons Beach Club

While other OB spots sling food or specialize in one scene, Winstons runs a nightly rotation that could be Grateful Dead covers on Monday, reggae on Wednesday, karaoke on Sunday, football on the screens before the band loads in. It's a multi-tool venue two blocks from the beach, smelling better than most dive bars have any right to, pulling locals who treat the calendar like their personal concert schedule.

The room's intimate enough that you're never far from whoever's playing, which matters when sound quality actually holds up in a space this old. Cover's always reasonable—cash at the door, sometimes just two bucks—and the dance floor fills regardless of genre. Bartenders work fast if not warm, but bouncers and door staff treat regulars like neighbors, because in OB they probably are.

Monday's the anchor—Every Wednesday Band plays Dead covers to a crowd that knows every transition. Wednesday's reggae night draws the post-surf contingent. Sunday karaoke gets people dancing between singers, which tells you the vibe skews participatory, not judgmental. Parking's easy on surrounding streets, a rarity this close to the water.

It's not trying to be polished or curated—it's the neighborhood's default venue for whoever's rolling through, whether that's a touring act or your buddy's cover band. The kind of spot where you stop in for one drink after work and stay because the bartender just turned up the opener. No kitchen, but that's what the taco shops down Bacon are for. Winstons does one thing—puts live sound in a room where people actually want to be—and does it most nights of the week.