Eat Out. Upper West.

Football season is well underway, and hey, those Monday Night Football games just happen to be perfect for happy hour, no? But not everyone wants to head to a grimy sports bar every week for the same boring cheap beer.

That's why Upper West is great. It's usually a pretty nice bar and restaurant, with low lighting and dark ambiance, but the place also happens to offer happy hour each night from 5pm-7pm and from 5pm-10pm on Mondays. There's a nice big TV in the corner for watchers, or face toward the east wall and see the game projected onto the wall.

The happy hour prices don't apply to everything, but there are some good finds. Grab any of their blackboard cocktails like a watermelon mojito (with a yummy piece of watermelon in it!) or a lychee martini for $6, or house wine for $4. The jalapeno hummus comes with grapes and pickled vegetables and in a cute mason jar for $7, or the blue cheese or chipotle fries (in the picture above) are a good choice for $6 (my friend gave me a tip to get the chipotle sauce on the side, which makes the fries a bit less gooey).

If you're still hungry for more, the food is pretty delicious for its price (dinner is usually $12-$25). In the photo are the Upper West burger and the Half Bird, and both were juicy and well-prepared. The bar's always got interesting beers on tap too. Classy sports-watching, who knew?

Upper West is located at 3321 Pico Blvd. in Santa Monica. Reservations are recommended to grab a table for Monday nights.

-- Chau Tu
Photo credit: the BEAT