Bar pies

Not No Bar (Santa Monica)

BARS • First Round

Santa Monica’s new Not No Bar has virtually no online presence — save for a postless profile on Instagram, where it bills itself as a “neighborhood pizza disco.” The description tracks: With only a handful of starters and pizzas, Not No Bar is not quite a restaurant, but not just an excellent cocktail bar. And on a recent Thursday night, it was packed to the gills, music blaring from the hi-fi audio system.

Housed in the Main Street space that used to be Isla, Not No is the work of Dudley Market owners Conner Mitchel and Dina O’Connor, who soft-opened it the week of the fires. But that unfortunate timing doesn’t seem to be deterring visitors.

With a handful of slick leather booths and standing tables, the decor is a departure from Isla’s breezy pink hues. But the central pizza oven remains, turning out a menu of five or so delightful pies a night, like the soppressata-topped Bang Bang. Ines Barlerin Glaser of pizza event and catering company Lupa Cotta consulted on the dough, which has all the elements you want in a Neapolitan-style pie: puffiness, chewiness, blistering, and just the right amount of salt. The clam pie (above), slicked with lemon cream and sprinkled with crispy garlic, is one of the best this East Coast native has ever tasted.

The cocktail menu from Kent Thompson, another Isla holdover, is a winner, too. The well-balanced Wall of Sound, a mix of mezcal, Campari, grapefruit, pineapple, guava, strawberry, and orgeat has just a touch of smoke, while the Curry Killer — made with a smack of green curry — has a gentle amount of spice and heat. Both are easily (and maybe too) drinkable.

To be clear, Not No Bar is a little chaotic. On our visit, it wasn’t clear who to check in with for the waitlist, so my friend and I ended up eating pizza standing at the end of the long bar. But it seems like people are looking to let loose after a hard start to the year. And for that, maybe a “neighborhood pizza disco” is exactly what we needed. –Karen Palmer

→ Not No Bar (Santa Monica) • 2424 Main St • Thur-Mon 5p-1a • Walk-ins only.