Santa Monica's Circle Bar Reopens on Main Street Under Hinano and Tavern on Main Ownership

Reopening Alert: One of Main Street's most storied haunts is back in service after nearly two years dark, this time under the Van Gessel family, whose Main Street footprint just got bigger.

Circle Bar, the Main Street nightlife anchor established in 1949 and dark since August 2023, officially reopened Friday, May 22, 2026, at 2926 Main Street in Santa Monica. The reopening is led by local restaurateurs Mark and Addie Van Gessel, the same operators behind Venice's Hinano Cafe and Santa Monica's Tavern on Main. The oval floor plan and vintage signage were preserved. The sound and lighting rebuild is what changes at ground level.

The Van Gessels' Growing Main Street Portfolio

Circle Bar is now the third Van Gessel Main Street-area concept alongside Hinano Cafe, the Venice institution known for its beach-adjacent grit, and Tavern on Main, the couple's Santa Monica sister spot. Between them the family group holds a rare footprint in that stretch of the Westside: two dive-tradition bars and one restaurant that has been quietly building a following since it opened. The reopening also lands in a busy season for new restaurants in Los Angeles.

"Circle Bar isn't just a bar," Mark Van Gessel told the Santa Monica Daily Press. "It's part of Santa Monica's cultural DNA. Everyone has a Circle Bar story."

Courtesy Circle Bar

The Halo, QSC, and a Room That Kept Its Shape

The Van Gessels invested in a new elevated DJ booth at the center of the room called "The Halo," an upgraded QSC speaker system, Chauvet lighting, and an 8K laser projection system. Programming leans on local and regional DJs with occasional guest bookings meant to hold the intimate room energy the bar built its name on. Hours: Thursday through Saturday, 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.

What We Have Our Eyes On

The reopened cocktail menu balances the room's dive-bar heritage with a handful of new-school pours. Three we plan to order first:

• Pacific Cooler — the aperitif-forward opener.

• Roadhouse Mule — the room's take on the mule template, honoring the country-western roots.

• Kiss Kiss Bang Bang — a shaken cocktail meant for the dance floor.

For value, the daily Power Hour from 6 to 7 p.m. brings $5 bubbles and wine, plus discounted margaritas, Old Fashioneds, and Aperol Spritzes. The Van Gessel touch shows in a program that respects the room's DNA while giving longtime regulars fresh reasons to sit at the oval. See the full lineup at circlebar-sm.com.

Circle Bar is at 2926 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405. Open Thursday through Saturday, 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. For more of what's landing across the Westside, see our LA restaurant news hub. Food Journal Magazine will report from the room.