Catch a Wave

If the beach is where you like to spend your summers, if you view surfing as more of a lifestyle than a sport and if Aloha shirts and board shorts are your idea of getting dressed up, then Rusty’s Surf Ranch is where you’ll want to park yourself this summer.

Billed as the ultimate beach hangout, Rusty’s is the quintessential beach-side bar. Situated atop the Santa Monica Pier, this seaside venue is a shrine to surfing and the laid-back Southern California lifestyle.

There’s a great view of the Santa Monica sand and surf, but even the inside of Rusty’s makes you feel as if you’re right on the beach. A collection of long boards is displayed on the ceiling, and the ranch-style walls are decorated with branding tools and surf memorabilia that pay tribute to the surfing ‘60s.

There’s also a map of the Hawaiian Islands that pinpoints all the killer surf spots. And don’t miss the high surf advisory sign, no doubt taken from Oahu’s North Shore, or the color photos of surfing’s great wave riders doing their balancing acts.

Of course, any true-blue Southern California beach bar wouldn’t be complete without “Baywatch.” So male and female “Baywatch” dummies model the show’s trademark red bathing suits in the back of the pub.

Rusty’s also has two heated patios, though with luck, they won’t need to be heated too much longer. The wooden deck in the front overlooks all the action on the pier and provides a great view of Palisades Park and the beach below. Though the back patio doesn’t have an ocean view, it’s a great spot to sip a few brews and listen to the summer pier concerts or watch the Ferris wheel spin.

Rusty’s regular customers are a denim-clad and Dockers kind of crowd that likes draft beer and fries with burgers. We’re talking honest-to-goodness beach bums here.

On weekend afternoons, there are tourists of all ages passing through, but when the sun goes down, the scene attracts a largely twenty- and thirtysomething group that comes to hear the live music. Friday and Saturday nights are reserved for the best bands Rusty’s can book. The Red Elvises--that funky Russian rockabilly band--is a regular headliner, and funky rock ‘n’ pop performers and calypso and ska bands take the stage at other times.

The crowd thins out a little on weeknights, but there’s always something going on, rain or shine. Every Wednesday, Rusty’s features “Blues, Brews and BBQ,” a free blues jam that gets underway at 8:30 p.m. with hot wings selling for 25 cents a pop and two-for-one barbecued entrees.

The Irish Jam session on Tuesdays makes Rusty’s feel like a Celtic beach bar in an Irish Spring commercial. Musicians gather in a casual circle. Anyone is welcome--and so are most instruments--to play traditional tunes from Ireland. There are bagpipe players and flutists, violinists and xylophonists and plenty of Guinness on tap.

And then there’s the matter of “Karaoke Sundays,” which are a pretty big hit, although it’s unclear whether the hot afternoon sun and the draft beer have anything to do with that. Or maybe it’s just something in the salty air. Chalk it up to being just another lazy day at Rusty’s.

BE THERE

Rusty’s Surf Ranch, 256 Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica. (310) 393-PIER. All ages. Full menu. Cover varies Thursday through Saturday; all other nights free.