M.i.’s Westside Comedy Theater

Santa Monica, United States

4.7

Open now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 310-451-0850
Website:
www.westsidecomedy.com
Address:
1323-A 3rd St Promenade, Santa Monica, CA, 90401
Santa Monica
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.3 miDowntown Santa Monica
1 mi17th Street/Santa Monica College
1.8 mi26th Street/Bergamot
Categories:
QR code
Download QR Image Download vCard

Map

Streetview

Activate map

Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Parking
Garage
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
No
Good for Groups
Yes
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Good For Dancing
No
Alcohol
Beer & Wine Only
Happy Hour
No
Best Nights
Thu, Fri, Sat
Coat Check
No
Smoking
No
Outdoor Seating
No
Has TV
No

Today

Today 7:00 pm – 1:00 am
Open now
Local time (Santa Monica) 00:30 Thursday, 12 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 7:00 pm – 1:00 am
Tuesday 7:00 pm – 1:00 am
Wednesday 7:00 pm – 1:00 am
Thursday 7:00 pm – 1:00 am
Friday 7:00 pm – 1:00 am
Saturday 6:00 pm – 1:00 am
Sunday 5:30 pm – 1:00 am

Description

Specialties

M.i.‘s Westside Comedy Theater is THE comedy destination for LA’s Westside. We have shows seven nights and week and no drink minimum. Recent performers include: Zach Galifianakis, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Bill Burr, Demetri Martin, Ali Wong, David Alan Grier, Kyle Kinane, Bobcat Goldthwait and more!

We specialize in Standup, Improv and Sketch comedy, and offer extensive classes in Standup & Improv.

We offer corporate training as well, with classes held both on site and remotely. In addition, we’re a great event venue perfect for parties, screenings, gatherings, presentations and more! Ask about our rental rates.

Located in the alley right off the 3rd Street Promenade in downtown Santa Monica.

History

Established in 2009.

Opened on April Fools’ Day, 2009, the WCT took over the former Westside Eclectic Theater space.

Since then there’s been a complete renovation with the new BAR and cabaret layout launching in October 2011.

The theater is run by M.I.Productions, who brought with them the same passion for comedy that made their Mission IMPROVable touring show the most popular touring improv show of the last 7 years (performing over 200 dates a year) and 2010 Touring Comedy Act of the Year. Sean Casey is acting General Manager & Artistic Director. Bryce Wissel runs the Training Center. Chris Gorbos is the Bar Manager.

Since taking over the theater, it’s tripled in size, and has quickly become THE Home for Comedy West of the 405.

Meet the Manager

Sean C.

Manager

Sean Casey is the General Manager & Artistic Director after taking over for Lloyd Ahlquist in June 2011. He studied and performed improv in Chicago at the Second City Conservatory, IO Theater, and Annoyance Theater. He began touring with M.I.Productions in 2004 and performed over 400 shows in towns & colleges across the country and overseas. He has over 15 years of improv & comedy experience.

He teaches at the theater and can be seen performing every Thursday at 10 PM as part of the The Grind.

M.i.‘s Westside Comedy Theater also recommends

Yankee Doodles — CLOSED

463

reviews

Pool Halls

,

Sports Bars

,

American (Traditional)

Sean C. says,

«Sweet late night happy hour and great pools tables!»

Bravo Cucina — CLOSED

209

reviews

Italian

Sean C. says,

«Amazing food and catering. Plus a truly excellent staff who have been outstanding hosts and neighbors.»

Barney’s Beanery

817

reviews

American (Traditional)

,

Sports Bars

Sean C. says,

«Perfect place for late night drinks and food. Cool video games upstairs too.»

West 4th & Jane

357

reviews

American (New)

,

Gastropubs

Sean C. says,

«Steve, Keith and Jen are awesome and the drinks and food here are top notch. Our favorite watering hole!»

Related places

You might also like:
1
ft
Virgin Sacrifice: A Stand-Up Comedy Show
1323-A 3rd St Promenade (Santa Monica)
50
ft
Twelve Shiny Nickels Standup Comedy Show
1323A 3rd st promenade (Santa Monica)
2.7
mi
Laughstub
2038 Armacost Ave (Sawtelle)
3.8
mi
Comics on the Spot
Warehouse Restaurant 4499 Admiralty Way (Marina del Rey)
3.9
mi
Lisa Alvarado
4.2
mi
The Improv Space
954 Gayley Ave (Westwood, UCLA)

Nearby

Near this location:
70
ft
MAC Cosmetics
1325 Third Street Promenade
110
ft
Wolfgang Puck Express
1315 3rd St Promenade 2nd Fl
110
ft
Chinese Gourmet Express
1315 3rd St Promenade
110
ft
McDonald’s
1315 3rd St Promenade
120
ft
Worldnet Computer
34 Journey
120
ft
Express
1337 Third St Promenade

20 reviews of M.i.’s Westside Comedy Theater

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Santa Monica, CA
+5 stars: super friendly staff, decent beer menu, intimate venue, wide variety of shows from improv to standup… and they serve Cheetos. Aww yeah. And parking is literally 20 feet away and the first 90 minutes are free. They’re no downside… only the upside of laughing your laugh off. Or, seeing something… interesting. Either way, you won’t regret it, especially since the shows range in price from free to $ 12.
Definitely check out Thursdays at 10 PM: The owners host their own improv show and it’s usually awesome.
I love this place! It’s Santa Monica’s best kept secret.
P. S. I’ve also taken improv classes here — which everyone should do at least ONCE! Seriously guys, it’s life-​changing.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
Hey I just moved here with my wife, and I been to this place two weeks in a row, did not disappoint. I’ve familiar w the Manhattan and Chicago scenes and this spot reminds me a lot of Comedy Cellar. There’s good fucking talent here. The staff r cool ppl too, I get the vibe they’re some funny mofos too, dunno why
Place rating: 5
Palmdale, CA
Just moved to the area with my husband and we really enjoy coming here. I don’t know the bartenders name but he is great! The comedians are awesome. Good people. Good vibes.
Place rating: 4
Venice, CA
Finally tested my metal at an open mic stand up comedy venue. The test came by putting a slip of paper in a bucket to volunteer for the right to have 3 mins of mic time if my name was drawn like in hunger games. Unfortunately, this first time out my slip was not drawn.
Nevertheless I got entertained by brief open mic sets from a bunch of other comics with fresh material and energy sharper than some sets I’ve paid for. Admission is $ 1 so you can’t get a lot for your money. You’re giving a lot as an audience member because you build a bigger audience for the performers.
Place rating: 5
Redondo Beach, Los Angeles, CA
I came on a rainy Tuesday and got to the venue just before the show started. We were afraid the place might be packed or we might not get seats but when we entered there were many seats available even though the place had a good number of people already there. The best thing about this place is that the tickets were only $ 5! The beer selection is very diverse and they have a large amount of very interesting and diverse beers to choose from. I suggest trying the blueberry beer or the banana bread beers. So good! For a rainy Tuesday, they had a nice variety of comedians for the show. We also stayed for the open mic night and saw some amazing new talent and some very «interesting» people as well. It was a great night and I will definitely be returning for another show!
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
Caught the 8pm show last night with my wife. I laughed until my face hurt. Drinks were cheap, the staff is friendly, and the comedians were fantastic! My wife and I had a total blast, and were laughing about it the morning! I’ll definitely go back…
Place rating: 5
Arcadia, CA
This was my first time at a comedy club experience and I had a blast! This might be my new Thursday/​Friday/​weekend thing just to go and have some laughs. Tickets are $ 12 a piece at the door. The entrance is kind of hidden in an alley, but we were able to find it without a problem. What’s also awesome which most of the reviews mention is that there’s no 2 drink minimum. My friend and I still ordered a round of beer because why not? Talented comedians and great audience engagement.
I recommend coming here on a date or with a group of friends. It’s a very chill vibe and you’ll definitely be surrounded by laughter :)
Place rating: 5
Santa Monica, CA
The best comedy club in Santa Monica! Awesome staff, always friendly. A place we look forward to being at;)
Place rating: 5
Santa Monica, CA
I go to WCT every chance I get. I love that I can walk there from home, watch some great acts for 5 – 10 dollars and get a drink for $ 6! U can’t beat it. I’ve watched them grow from back in the day when they had no bar and there might have been a few people in the audience to now sold out weekend shows! I also attended their improv and stand up classes — great group of people — I really adore them all.
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
Great comedians and fantastic little comedy club. We don’t watch comedy often but this was a great gem and perfect for date night or night out with friends. I’ll definitely be back!
Place rating: 5
Costa Mesa, CA
One of the best improv shows I have been to! Very pleased with only a $ 10 cover and no drink purchase minimum.
There is a small bar where you can choose from a plethora of beers and wine, which is nice to have the option.
If you go for a show you are allowed to stay for the second free of charge!
Mission Improvable is amazing! They are so talented and funny and have great improv games. My favorite is karaōke, it’s similar to charades only the guesser has to sing their guesses… very funny!
They ask for a lot of audience suggestions so you are bound to have one suggestion in the show if you are a quick enough thinker!
Great place also to just hang out for a group activity. Afterward you can peruse 3rd Street and grab a bite to eat. There are plenty of restaurants in the area.
I recommend parking in garage 3 as it is literally right next to the improv location.
Place rating: 3
Los Angeles, CA
Went to the Alley Catz showing at 7pm. It was ok– it wasn’t laugh out loud hilarious and more of a smile kind of funny. Some of the comedians weren’t funny at all. But I think for $ 15/​ticket and no drink minimum, it’s a good way to hang out for 1.5 hours.
Place rating: 5
Santa Monica, Los Angeles, CA
We’ve been wanting to come here for a while now and finally came out tonight. It was their promotional «Lip Service» night. We arrived about 9:30 and saw the last half of the improv show. It was amazing! They were so clever and so funny! Then Lip Service started. The mc that introduced each comedian really had great energy and was sooooo funny! We loved his presence and jokes. Everybody was funny. But my favorite was Eddie! Hysterical. Two thumbs up for the whole experience! We will be back again and again ;)
Place rating: 5
Houston, TX
We did the Saturday night show which had a long lineup of comedians (I’m guessing mostly or all were local). Seating was good enough, bartender was great (drinks are priced reasonably; around $ 4-​$ 5). The comedians were hit or miss. Some were great some were kinda meh. Definitely can tell some of them were trying out new material or are relatively new to stand-​up in general. But it was an overall fun time, and it’s hard to beat $ 10/​ticket.
Place rating: 4
Los Altos, CA
LOVED this place! Definitely worth visiting – it’s not nearly as expensive as the comedy/​improv clubs in Hollywood and there is no drink minimum. Fun place to go with friends! We went and saw mission improvable and we will definitely being going back!
They had the perfect balance of audience participation and the performers were hilarious! Small place so I recommend purchasing tickets in advance.
This place is tucked away between 3rd and 4th street and is a hidden gem as far as I’m concerned.
Place rating: 3
Los Angeles, CA
First note is GET TICKETS IN ADVANCE! My friends and I wanted to do something different besides just going out clubbing, so we opted for the more mature activity and of course some hilarious laughs.
We aimed for the Saturday 10:30 showing but tickets were all sold out since 9pm! There was already a long line to enter the venue, so even if you have tickets get there early to get a good seat. Since we were unable to get a seat for the 10:30 showing, we ended up opting for the later 11:30 showing — not recommended.
Tickets were $ 10, but the crazy part was that no tickets were checked for the 11:30pm showing since the venue was pretty much empty with maybe a dozen people! The staff probably didn’t even bother to check for tickets, since the room was so empty, and I felt bad for the comedians who had to perform to a relatively tired and empty room.
There were about 5 – 6 comedians who came out which I have to say are funny as I was laughing and smiling throughout the entire show. Some comedians pushed the envelope but hey, they’re here to test some new material.
In terms of the actual venue itself, the comedy theatre is tucked in the alleyway as all the other Unilocalers have noted. If you’re on the actual 3rd St. Promenade you can go through the food court area and you’ll see it on your right hand side. The venue is kind of small but it makes it intimate for some humor.
Place rating: 5
Downey, CA
I had no idea this gem existed on 3rd Street! The entrance is kind of hidden away in an alley, but if you are coming from the shopping area, you can find it easily by going through the food court with the McDonalds. Plenty of parking structures around that are free for the first 90 minutes, so it’s not bad.
The lineup for Sunday night was comedians trying out their new stand-​up material. Show started at 8 and cost a mere $ 5…~such a steal!~ No seriously, it gets better. There’s no drink minimum, so you’re not forced to purchase overpriced drinks to make up for the cheap cover charge. But you’ll want to drink anyway, because their prices are very reasonable.
The inside is intimate, but not uncomfortably so. There are about 4 rows of seats/​tables to choose from. In my opinion, a really great setup for their type of show. They tend to pick on people in the front, so keep that in mind.
Note that the show I went to wasn’t really a typical comedy routine. Some transitions clearly needed fine-​tuning, and most of them were referring to some lists they had. Remember, they’re taking the routine on a crash test! More often than not, we found ourselves in stitches anyway. Trust me, these guys aren’t amateurs at an open mic.
There are all sorts of shows being offered, and some are free of charge. Check out their calendar for dates. I HIGHLY recommend this place for anyone who isn’t easily offended and is looking for budget friendly fun!
Place rating: 4
Pasadena, CA
The setup of this venue is prob my most favorite of all comedy venues in LA. The night we went, tix were $ 10 each for a mishmash of laughs (and some silence), and there’s no silly two-​drink minimum of overpriced drinks weighing down the night. In fact, I indulged in three delicious draught craft beers because they were reasonably priced, refreshing, and easy to access since I sat at the bar, which is to the right of the stage (and, the best seats in the house in my opinion). It’s intimate, but not so small that you feel you’re being performed at. The comedians have enough crowd to work through that your seat never feels like the hottest one in the house.
It’s located off an alley behind Third St. Promenade, which you can find if you walk through the little food court.
Place rating: 5
Charlotte, NC
We had a wonderful time during a Mission Improvable show! I highly recommend it if you are in the Santa Monica 3rd Street Promenade area. I could not stop laughing! My boyfriend got pulled up to do sound effects LOL priceless. The shows can get crowded so remember to buy your tickets online and come a little early to get a good seat. The venue is right off of a weird looking small alley way. Its a little creepy yes, but once you get passed that its great I swear.
The drinks specials were also wonderfully priced for a show.
We would definitely come back! Keep up the great work guys!
Place rating: 5
Santa Monica, Los Angeles, CA
I love comedy so I was ecstatic to hear that an affordable comedy club exists in my hometown! A huge pro is that it
Doesn’t require the 2 drink minimum like you find at most places. Every show I’ve been to has been no more than $ 10 so it’s a really a fun, cheap way to spend the night in Santa Monica. It’s located in the alley on 4th Street in between Arizona Ave and Santa Monica Blvd. the venue is on the smaller side but I’ve never had trouble finding a seat. They like to make fun of the first row so if you do sit there prepare yourself :)
Sunday nights have so far been my favorite time to go. «Dave Chappelle» co-​creator, Neal Brennan, hosts a hilarious lineup all for $ 5. Cracked writers also do a funny show every first and third Tuesday of the month called «Unpopular Opinion.»
I love this place so much I’m having my birthday party here! I’m doing it on the Mission Improvable night which I have heard very good things and when I called ahead I was able to reserve tickets ahead of time without the online service fees.