Like it's better-known neighbor, Medieval Times, a Pirate's Dinner Adventure delivers most of what its name promises: a swashbucklingly cheesy show featuring hooks, eyepatches, planks and scurvy dogs accompanied by a forgettable meal of salad, chicken and beef (or scallops and shrimp), rice or potatoes and apple cobbler.

After helming the stretch of Second Street between Broadway and Hill for decades, the old Redwood Saloon has been reincarnated as a pirate's paradise. The windowless tavern is chock-full of maritime-inspired decor, including dock timbers, fishnets, nautical signs and even kitschy mermaid paintings. You've heard the expression, "When in Rome?" Well, when at the Redwood, "Do as the pirates do" -- meaning pints of beer and perhaps a shot of whisky to top things off. Though the place makes an effort to look like a divey dockworkers' bar, the drink prices undercut that atmosphere -- unless you order a Pabst. A bourbon and ginger ale will run you close to $10, but a can of PBR costs only $2. PBR me ASAP! The menu carries on the seafaring theme with offerings such as fried calamari, jumbo lump crab cakes and beer-battered fish and chips, but the thing to order is the burger. It's big and juicy, comes on a quality bun and is accompanied by a sizable portion of either standard or sweet potato fries. On most nights DJs man the back room, where they spin everything from '80s hits to hip-hop. On Tuesday nights blues legend Mickey Champion lights up the deck.

Considering its dingy decor and a clientele that can look a little rough at first blush, most people are shocked when they take their first bite of an Hinano burger. It is, simply, one of the better burgers in town--unfussy and classic. Coupled with a bag of chips and beer that is unusually cold, Hinano's is one of the best stops you can make when you’re checking out the bar scene on the west end of Washington Blvd. It's the ideal sort of dive: two pool tables sit in the back room; there's sawdust all over the floor; and you can even serve yourself a free basket of fresh popcorn from the popper in the corner. On most nights, it's fairly crowded with friendly locals looking for a relaxed time. Get there before nine o'clock if you want to sit in one of the prized stools at the bar. You won't leave once you've got one.

Once upon a time, the Brig was a respected dive bar on one of the lonelier blocks of Abbot Kinney. Those days are long gone. The new owners have transformed the Brig into a stylish nightclub that could easily be at home on Sunset Boulevard. The clientele is young and good-looking and the crowds are big, especially on the weekends when they literally spill out onto the street. There's lots of sweaty mingling inside, which the unisex bathrooms and thumping music do nothing to discourage. Considering its stylish interior, the drinks are strong and reasonably-priced, and the bartenders are surprisingly laid-back. Parking is available in the adjacent lot, but it's small and fills up quickly so plan to park on nearby Venice Boulevard and walk a few blocks. Weekdays are considerably less rambunctious; you can usually relax by the bar and shoot pool without too much bother.

Located on an actual barge in industrial Wilmington, the Chowder Barge serves a range of inexpensive, basic seafood dishes (breaded, fried shrimp; fish and chips) as well as American standards: burgers, sandwiches, eggs and bacon, chicken dinners and, of course, chowder.

Established in 1934, some patrons have been belly up to this bar since the Eisenhower administration. No wonder; it's always night and roughly 1943 inside, and the kitschy maritime theme has been gloriously embraced -- fishnets, starfish, pulleys and blowfish lamps and a bar decked out like a beachfront hut. Much of the comfort food comes in a glass here, but as a truly tasty surf-and-turf spot, the steamed clams go head-to-head with fat steaks.

Old-school nautical decor meets modern-day booty. The crowd at the bar is very different from the crowd at the tables, though the radiant waitresses seem to have been there for a while and are still enjoying it. On a good night, there's a rare neighborhood feel; on a bad night, it's overrun with club kids.

The San Gabriel Valleys #1 boat-shaped restaurant is back in action and serving the famous Clearman's cheese bread as well as burgers, fish & chips, buffalo wings and steaks.

Legendary cool hangout with an ocean view, cheap seafood and the sweet sound of Harleys roaring by. Outdoor seafood dining with an ocean view? Neptune's Net has that and more (specifically, beer). We're talking shrimp plates, fish and chips, oysters, clams, whatever. If it swims, they deep-fry it. And the New England-style clam chowder here is better than naked Twister. Health freaks can get steamed seafood as well. Live crabs, lobsters, shrimp and clams are ripe for the pickin' in Neptune's giant holding tanks. Fresh corn on the cob makes a fine, if slightly odd, complement. As for drinks, they've got beer in many varieties. The multitudes of hard-core bikers who gather here prefer Bud, Coors and other tasteless American pilsners. But Neptune's offers some fine yuppie beers, too, including the great, locally brewed Firestone Ale. So fire up that open-pipe hog and get ready for an oceanside seafood feast that won't even set you back a sawbuck.

A nautically-themed restaurant featuring crab, oysters, fried catfish, corn on the cob, beer and a strong Louisiana connection expressed through Cajun fried sausage and crawfish. Decorated inside with kitschy nets and fishing gear and stinking strongly of fish, it’s the real thing.

Sedate spot, more a restaurant than a pub with quite good food, faux Victorian decor. It's got a pretty facade and has been located since the late '80s on an urban renewal street with artists' studios nearby. Someday it'll be "historic San Pedro"; now it's a backwater. Kiwanis meet here; it's frequented by locals as well as cruise ship staffers in the nearby port for the day. The food's adventurous for a British-theme spot: pies with ingredients such as oysters and lamb kidneys (as opposed to ground beef), an eggplant rarebit. The portobello mushroom sandwich with bits of French-fried onion rings tucked in is delicious, as is the sherry trifle when available. The usual beer suspects on tap plus Fuller and a guest beer (recently, Old Speckled Hen, an English ale).

Located inside Disneyland (it's part of the scenery when you take the Pirates of the Caribbean ride), it's expensive (many would say overpriced -- but what at Disneyland isn't?), but it's one of the few places inside the theme park where you can get real food that's of decent quality. The ambiance is great.

With an eye on reviving the galmour of 1940s beach society the Malibu Pier Club has opened on the Malibu Pier. The Club, which overlooks picturesque Surfrider beach, serves signature cocktails like Gidget’s Gimlet, Agave Margarita and Zuma Surfer as well as California coastal appetizers, including miniature ahi tacos, kobe burgers, Alice’s truffle chips, brick-pressed mojo chicken sandwich and Caesar salad fondue.