SANTA MONICA: the words ‘end of an era’ are used far too much in this day and age, but this week they couldn’t be more accurate.
After more than three decades as a beloved fixture for the local expat community, the Britannia Pub at 318 Santa Monica Boulevard has closed its doors for the last time following the expiration of its lease on July 31.
Long operated by Sonia Cain with help from her family, the British pub and restaurant is making way for a Taco Bell Cantina, a transition that has prompted a wave of nostalgia and some local concern about the changing character of the Third Street Promenade area.
The pub has been a vital watering hole for British expats and thirsty locals for more than thirty years, welcoming one and all with a great selection of crowd-pleasing bevvies including Guinness, Stella, Heineken, ciders, and rotating IPAs. But Sonia ensured it was always much more than a place to merely whet your whistle, with the pub also serving a full menu of British classics including fish and chips, bangers and mash, shepherd’s pie, sausage rolls, and a hearty Captain’s Breakfast featuring Irish bacon rashers, bangers, eggs, hash browns, stewed tomatoes, Heinz baked beans, and sourdough toast. And don’t get us started on that Liverpudlian banter…which was free and usually served in large portions.
And the success of the place wasn’t just Sonia’s leadership, but also to their loyal crew of bar staff, doormen, and the inimitable Joey, who was always there to lend a helping hand.
The crew celebrated one last time at the weekend as friends, family and locals gathered to say goodbye to a much-cherished institution. There were plenty of memories, laughter and tears.
Despite what many would consider an ideal location smack bang in the middle of downtown Santa Monica and the Third Street Promenade, it wasn’t all plain sailing. The pub had to deal with vandalism in 2016, the George Floyd riots in 2020, the Covid closures and the broader struggles of the Third Street Promenade, which has seen steep declines in foot traffic in recent years.
But Sonia stuck it out through thick and thin, and the pub will henceforth exist only in our distant and melancholy memory, another chapter in the annals of bygone British hospitality in the area that has included, (in our memory at least), The Mucky Duck, Milly O’Malley’s, The West End, The Two Drops O’ Scotch, the Cock & Bull and of course, the legendary King George V.
Sonia’s three sons Jack, Harry and Max are busy scouting new locations for “Britannia 2.0,” hoping to continue their mom’s legacy. So watch this space!
