Ercole's 1101

If you need a dive bar and a killer burger in Manhattan Beach, Ercoles is the place to be. Regulars drink cheap beer and play pool in a space that looks like it’s been minimally updated since it opened in 1927, aside from a few faded Budweiser posters. The char-grilled, backyard-style burgers here are in the same vein as the fantastic ones at Big Dean's and Hinano Cafe, except that Ercoles sources its beef from the butcher shop next door, which means the patty here is a little thicker and beefier than its competitors (they'll even ask how you want it cooked). Between the $12 burger, the affordable drinks, and the straight-out-of-a-Jimmy Buffet-song people watching, Ercoles is the kind of joint every beach town would be very lucky to have.