Shellback Tavern: Best of the Beach 2018 Bartender Joe Del Riego
Joe Del Riego behind the bar at Shellback Tavern. Photo
There are a select number of professions in the world that one might call almost spiritual in nature but not in the least bit priestly — the taxi or rideshare driver who makes new friends nightly, the hairdresser who takes your head in his or her hands every few months and hears your tales of woe, and of course, the bartender at your favorite local spot who not only is a reliable source of good cheer but can also concoct a drink that soothes your very soul. Joe Del Riego’s ministry as a bartender has been a source of soulful comfort locally for three decades, including when he founded the Side Door bar in downtown Manhattan Beach, later when he further perfected the fine art of his martini-making at Mangiamo, and finally when he found his natural home at the Shellback Tavern. He’s been awarded best bartender at every stop along the way. Del Riego is a Manhattan Beach native who in his youth traveled the globe in the U.S. Navy and thus realized the best place in the world was where he began. He started bartending after leaving the military as a means to get through school before realizing it was his calling.
“I needed to make money while I went to school full time,” he said. “It kind of seemed like it fit my personality, you know? So it started out as a part-time thing to get through school and figured out what I wanted to do. I’ve been doing it for over 30 years now. At some point, I said to myself, ‘You know, this is what I am. I’m not looking to do something else. I am a bartender. I like meeting people, I like talking to people, I like making drinks.”
Del Riego hopes the Shellback is his last stop. “I tell people, this could theoretically be my last job,” he said. “I’m 53. If [owner] Bob Beverly and Rico, the manager — if they keep me around another seven to 10 years, I could retire from this place.”
In the meanwhile, not a shift goes by he doesn’t feel grateful to be bartending in the old heart of his hometown. As far as he’s concerned, the Shellback has it all — he has a cast of stalwart regulars he’s known for years, and an international cast of newcomers who arrive nightly, allowing him to travel the world from his perch above the beach.
“People fly into LAX from all over the world and they say, ‘We want to go see the beach.’ Where do they go? Shellback on a Friday night,” Del Riego said. “We get IDs from all over the world — Asia, lots of Australians, Europe. It’s a really good reminder of how fortunate I am to still be here. This is really a cool place.”
Joe Del Riego (Shellback)
126 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Beach
(310) 376-7857
shellbacktavern.com
Runner-up: Mike Benevidez (Ercoles)
1101 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach
(310) 372-1997