Entry No. 24 — the Monterey file — filed under: military base
Trident Room
A basement bar inside the 1926 Hotel Del Monte, which was the "Children's Playroom" during Prohibition, became the Del Monte Tap Room the week alcohol was relegalized in 1933, was converted to a WWII soda fountain, and was rechristened the Trident Room by the Navy in 1953. It now sits inside an active Naval Postgraduate School campus, its ceiling still hung with mugs and its walls backed by 1930s stained glass.
The story
When the luxury Hotel Del Monte rebuilt its main hall in 1926, the basement floor plans officially designated this tucked-away room as the "Children's Playroom." It was a thinly veiled lie. High-society guests down in Monterey weren't sending their toddlers underground; they were slipping downstairs for illicit Prohibition pours. The week federal prohibition collapsed in December 1933, the hotel dropped the pretense overnight, re-opening the space as the Del Monte Tap Room and framing the bar with rich 1930s stained glass.
When the Navy acquired the hotel complex during WWII, the speakeasy was temporarily sanitized into a sober soda fountain for military trainees. That didn't last either. By 1953, with the campus established as the Naval Postgraduate School, the Navy rechristened the basement bar the Trident Room. Overhead, they began hanging ceramic beer mugs from the ceiling beams—a tradition that expanded into hundreds of steins owned by military officers, faculty, and NPS graduates.
The catch is that this historic slice of Monterey night life sits inside an active military installation. It's an architectural time capsule trapped behind a guard shack, operating quietly beneath the feet of naval officers and defense researchers.
What it's like
Getting in requires planning ahead: you cannot simply walk up to the gate at 1 University Circle. You need an active-duty service member, NPS student, or alumnus to sponsor and escort you through campus security. Once you're down in the basement, expect low ceilings thick with hanging mugs, 1930s glasswork casting a amber glow, and French doors that step right out into the historic Rose Garden. Keep your plastic handy—the bar is completely cashless, and an 18% gratuity is automatically tacked onto your check.
The move: If you know an NPS student, alumnus, or service member who can sponsor you on-base, get escorted in for a beer under the hanging mugs, then walk the outdoor Rose Garden the bar opens onto.
- 📍 Naval Postgraduate School (former Hotel Del Monte), Monterey
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 1 University Circle, Monterey, CA 93943
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Stokes Adobe Restaurant & Bar (formerly Restaurant 1833) — Trade the restricted subterranean officer's club for drinking rooms inside a haunted 1830s adobe just over a mile off-base.
- Hellam's Tobacco & Wine Shop — Pair an exclusive base drink with a pour in the hidden back room of Monterey's oldest business, running since 1893.
- Pearl Hour — Head to Lighthouse Avenue afterward for Steinbeck-inspired craft cocktails in a distinctly civilian setting.
Good to know
How do I get in if I am not military?
You must be personally sponsored and escorted onto the Naval Postgraduate School campus by someone with base access, such as an active service member, NPS student, or alumnus.
What payment methods does the Trident Room take?
It is a strictly cashless facility. Pay with card, and note that an 18% gratuity is automatically added to your bill.
What are all the mugs hanging from the ceiling?
They are personalized steins belonging to NPS students, alumni, and faculty, part of a campus tradition dating back decades.
Where inside the campus is the bar located?
It is located in the basement of Herrmann Hall, the main historic 1926 Hotel Del Monte building.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: libguides.nps.edu · montereyherald.com · thehoteldelmonte.com
last checked: 2026-07-20