October 11, 2009
A nice little spot, very hip, and tucked into an obscure mall in Santa Monica. NOT in the posh "3rd street promenade" area of Santa Monica. The inside is slickly lit, with perfectly polished wood countertops and an attractive beer tap lineup. I didn’t get to try any of the food while I was there, but it looked pretty tasty. For Los Angeles, this place is very decent. The good: a rotating, seemingly hand-selected array of craft and imported beers. The bad: the prices (most are $8 and up for a pint), the seen-y ambiance of it all. I’d go back, but only if I happened to be in the area.

September 14, 2009
If this place were in my neighborhood, I would be there every night I left the house. Outstanding selection of beers, tremendously low-key, low-light, and intimate place. Friendly staff who know their stuff and don’t condescend. Guests who are looking for good beer rather than focused on looking good -- that scene at the other FO. A pity this jewel is across the country from me. Alesmith, Russian River, Pizza Port and Maredsous 6 on tap.

August 25, 2009
One of the best place’s to grab a great craft beer and have a amazing burger. love it

August 2, 2009
A lot smaller than what I thought it was going to be. Sat at the bar and had both food and drinks. Nice tap selection with Alesmith Summer Yulesmith, 3 Russian River brews including RTE, 2 Oskar Blues and some other really nice brews. Had the burger which has great. Service was good and had a really nice feel to it. My only complaint would be that it is a little expensive for what it is. 2 beers and a burger and fries cost me $35 with tip included. Not mind blowing but not cheap either. Nice place though and would visit often if I lived in the area.

May 26, 2009
I visited Father’s office for dinner on a Sunday night recently. Very crowded and very loud. It was honestly a chore to carry on a conversation. While it didn’t bother be too much, I can see the place being too loud for many people. The beer selection was pretty solid, with a could Craftsman beers that I was looking for while in town, plus a bunch of other socal and belgian stuff on tap. Being so busy, the service was prompt but friendly enough. Didn’t really interact much with any of the staff actually, but no one made any effort to check on us. I had to try the burger, and it is indeed quite good, but twelve dollars for a burger at a casual dining place is a bit steep. Beer prices were also generally on the high side. I would probably look for a more reasonable and spacious place to go out the next time I’m in the area, but Fathers Office is definitely a quality establishment focused on good beer and good food.

May 6, 2009
Hard to find a seat, always busy, and even harder to get a drink. Great selection and always has pliny. Overall a good place.

December 16, 2008
What has happened to LAs best craft beer pub? I use to enjoy the Fathers Office when the original owner Lou owned the Office. What a wonderland of micro brews the place use to be. Its always been self serve but back in the 80s and early 90s you could always find the surly Victor pouring the brews. He always had a story to tell anyone who would listen. Oh the brews. You had the staple five Anchor brews at all times and Anchor OSA the day after Thanksgiving and you could count on that. There was always the 3 incredible beers from Alpine Village Brewing Company when it was owned by the Hofbrauhaus in Munchen. Then you could always find Widmer hefe and seasonals. Portland Brewing Companys Timberline Ale all of the Bert Grant beers St Stans Sierra Nevada Buffalo Bills and many more beers that were not available anywhere else in LA. If memory serve me I remember the beers were always around $3 a pint. While the Office did not serve food you could order from any number of great places that would deliver your

August 16, 2008
A hipster-friendly bar in the Santa Monica area. Wide-open spaces with clean, modern furnishings (vaguely reminiscent of hip asian cafes). Service was adequate, but not overly friendly (seemed like they were trying to get people to finish up early to close up even though it was before 12). Not much of a crowd for Thursday night, easy to get seats at the bar. Great selection of beer on tap (Oskar Blues, Pliny Elder, Bruery, Rogue, Stone, etc). A decent, if not trendy, beer bar that is worth a visit. I’d like to check out the Culver City location in the future too.

July 5, 2008 [ Updated July 22, 2008 ]
Went here for lunch on Saturday with my girlfriend. Was pretty crowded for the lunch, with loud people. Food was great. Both my girlfriend and I had the burger, and it was excellent! Sweet Potato fries were also suprisingly good. Both servers were extremely knowledgable (including kittiesandbeer). To drink I had Pliny the Elder and a NB Fleur. My girlfriend had RR Perdition and Telegraph California Ale. Will probably return soon, but I am going to go visit dirtymartini and the Culver City location first. It was a bit on the pricey side.

June 18, 2008
Heard all about the crowds and lines, but when I went in there with my friends, it was pretty empty and we even got a table. Great selection of beers, and the sweet potato fries are amazing. Place is small, and apparently I was pretty lucky getting there when nobody was there. Definitely a great place, and kind of reminds me of Matchbox back in Chinatown in DC.