Where to Grab a Post-Santa Anita Drink

Events / Travel

If you’re heading to Santa Anita Park for the Santa Anita Derby or another nice weekend of racing, you may want to grab a drink to celebrate after the races, toast your victories, and to rehash the afternoon’s racing action. The good news is that there’s a metro stop right in Arcadia so you won’t have to worry about driving home if you want to indulge a bit after the races! 

The great thing about going for a drink near Santa Anita Park is that you can often rub elbows with some racing legends in the bars and restaurants nestled around the racetrack. Check out some great options for post-races cocktails below. 

1. The Chandelier Room, Santa Anita Park

Image courtesy of Santa Anita Park 

You don’t even have to leave the track for this one! The Chandelier Room lights up after the races, with a fully stocked bar packed with revelers reliving the afternoon’s excitement. Fans, horsemen, media and the glitterati mingle in the beautiful Chandelier Room before heading to dinner. If you just want to grab a glamorous drink before leaving the track, this is the place to do it. 

2. The Derby

Image via The Derby’s Facebook page

This historic bar and restaurant was actually founded by jockey George Woolf, the man famous for riding Seabiscuit. In fact, local lore says that his ghost still occasionally makes an appearance there, which could add to an already legendary day of racing!

While no ghost sightings are guaranteed, you can count on fantastic (and potent) drinks named for some of the best horses to ever run at Santa Anita Park (I recommend the Phar Lap, the Derby’s take on a Moscow Mule) as well as an impressive bar menu. This place is a haven for horsemen, so don’t be surprised if you see Hall of Fame jockeys dining with tycoon horse owners and legendary trainers as you sip your drink at the wood-paneled bar. The Derby is also one of the finest steak houses in the area, so if you want a delicious meal as well as a few drinks, be sure to make a reservation. If there’s a wait, you can spend the time perusing the restaurant’s extensive collection of horse racing memorabilia, which includes everything from trophies to saddles to bobblehead figurines. 

3. Matt Denny’s Ale House

Image via Matt Denny’s Facebook page

If you’re more in the mood for some great beer and pub grub, then Matt Denny’s is for you. The establishment not only has an extensive beer list, but it also offers traditional Irish pub eats, which you can enjoy either at the bar, in the dining room, or at their extensive outdoor seating area. If you go after the races, you’ll be joined by locals, various turf writers enjoying a drink after filing their stories, racing fans and horsemen. Plus, the restaurant was named for a man who has ties to the Bermuda Triangle, gambling disputes, lumberjacks, pirates, fur trappers … well, you can read all about it here for yourself. How can you not want to visit a place with that much rich history? 

4. First Cabin Bar

Image via First Cabin Bar’s Facebook page 

Love music, a great dive-bar atmosphere and good, cheap, strong drinks? Then head to First Cabin Bar for all that and more after a fun day at the track. You’ll find a friendly local crowd; and with live music offered every night, it’s a great place to go and have a fun night out after a winning day at the track.

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