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Below you will find a number of excellent bars or restaurants that have
nice bars. Remember DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE. Unless you are staying at
a hotel within walking distance - do as I do and enjoy the ambiance and
conversation while drinking an O' Doul's or a Perrier. It's not worth
risking your life or the lives of others! A few places listed are
complete dives. I make no representations whatsoever about the safety
of any place on this site. You need to check around before
going into any bar (especially women) - look at reviews on the internet
and talk to people who have previously gone there. I have visited
everyplace on the site, but I often go at times early in the morning
when there is no one there. Just because I had a good experience
does not mean you will! |
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(Freddie's) 35er, 12 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA
626-356-9315 since 1962 Monday-Friday 12:30pm-2am, Saturday
& Sunday 10:30am-2am T

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Rumored to be the oldest bar in Pasadena. Mostly remodeled, it has some
remnants of old wood here and there. Nice place to hang out with
the crowd. Can't beat their neon sign out front. Near DeLacey's
Club 41 and not far from Monty's Steak House (closed), El Cholo (Pasadena
branch) Mexican Restaurant, Gus's Barbeque Restaurant, the Fair Oaks Pharmacy and the Rialto
Movie Palace.
You can't beat Pasadena for a time machine tour! |
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36 36 Club, 3636 E. Broadway, Long Beach, California
562-438-5365 T T

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I went here during the day when it was virtually empty. Old bar counter,
interesting wooden ceiling. Mildly old feel. Obviously a nice neon
sign out front. People seemed friendly enough. I have no idea what kind of vibe this place has at night. Lot's
of pool tables, which is hard to find these days. Long beach has quite a collection of old bars.

Near the V Room bar, the Reno Room bar, Clancy's bar, Haskell's Prospector
restaurant and bar and Joe's Jost bar. |
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The Airliner Bar, 2419 N Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90031
(323) 221-0771
T T

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If one has to remodel a classic bar, this is the way to do it. Very
tastefully freshened up but much of the original interior remains. I
stepped in right when it opened and no one else was there, so I can't
tell you about the vibe at night. Nice Art Deco pictures. I
guess this area is called Lincoln Heights. First time I've been
there, but it looked like an interesting area.

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Alhambra Cocktail Lounge, 216 W. 11th St. San Pedro, CA 90731 310
548 4000 (since 1936) T T

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Over the years I've past by a number of bars in San Pedro with
interesting neon signs. I've been tempted to go in given their
ancient appearance, but frankly I'm too much of a wimp. I recently
summons up the courage, asking myself - How bad can things be on a
Sunday morning around 10:00AM (while also being surprised these places
were open and people were imbibing at that hour and day) ? On the particular day I went
at least, the answer was not bad at all. Rather pleasant in fact.
Of course, there was only one other rather elderly gentleman in the bar
at the time. However, I make no representations that my experience
can be replicated by anyone else at any time or date. See my warnings
page. It's also a good idea to check out reviews of the place on
the internet. That being said, the bar tender was very nice. She
explained that the bar dates from the '30s (the oldest one San Pedro)
and it used to be the city's jail. Apparently, the jail still exists
under the bar (with a sealed entrance under the juke box). The
health department made them seal it up. Talk about a great place for a
reality TV show! You've got to figure also that Bukowski living out his
last years in San Pedro must have visited all of the San Pedro dives.
Glad I stopped by! |
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(The) Arsenal - 12008 West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90064 (310)
575-5511
Mon-Fri 5pm-2am, Sat-Sun 6pm-2am
T T T (see home page for explanation)


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Nice physical ambiance. An increasingly rare old bar and
restaurant on the West
Side. Probably a good stop after eating at the Apple Pan. I did not
get a chance to eat here, but I'm sure it's a nice restaurant. This is for a younger crowd than oldsters
like me. I know the current generation loves music so loud you have to
shout when talking, but I find it hard to carry on an intelligent
conversation that way. I imagine there are times when the music is not
so loud here, as the Friday night I visited. Whatever these classic
places have to do to remain viable, I certainly don't blame them. The place certainly looks nice. Don't know much
about the history. The original owners: Leon and Ginny Hyatt.
Not far from the Apple Pan restaurant, and Billingsly's Restaurant. |
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Barney's Beanery |
See the Restaurant page. |
Bar 107,
107 W. 4th St., Los Angeles, CA 90013 213-625-7382
T T T T
origins (one source says 1896 and another 1910
for this interior). |
I can't believe I just found this place. My soldiers - you have
let me down. When I first started this site around 2004, people
constantly wrote me with suggestions for new places. Now that the site
has 100s of places, the suggestions have slowed down (and I have slowed
way down on following up on them big time). This place is
incredibly well preserved and may well be the oldest bar interior left
in Los Angeles (I'll have to research it sometime). As an old fart
and for the purposes of this website, I wish they would leave it in an
unadorned, austere original look but I realize that would be suicide in
attracting young people. Hence there are a lot of knic
knacks in the place (including a lot of interesting kitschy paintings I
liked). Lot's of TV's and big screens for watching sports events.
Hip bartenders and very reasonable drink prices (specializing in Busch
beer - much appreciated for someone with genealogy origins in St.
Louis). I don't believe the name is mentioned out front (as is
de rigueur for hip places these days). I think the sign says
Heilmanns (sp?) and also says Sports bait and tackle (which might be the
reason an inept person like me never visited before). Hope they
leave it that way. The entrance is an interesting key hole shape.
I'll have to go back and take pictures. In the historic Barclay
(originally Van Nuys) Hotel. This is a very important historic
interior for Los Angeles. Remember Bar 107 stands for 107 W. 4th st.
downtown! |
The Barrel Sports Bar, 4547 Van Nuys Blvd. Sherman
Oaks, CA 91403, 818-990-2095
T T T
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Relaxing, well maintained older bar in a nice area that is easy to
access from the 405 and Ventura Blvd. Friendly people and staff.
They have Karaoke here on the weekends I need to check out in the
future. An all around nice place. It has a rare old
shuffleboard (the quasi-mechanical ones - not tiles on a floor).
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Boardner’s Bar, 1652 N. Cherokee Ave. Hollywood 90028-6212, 323-462-9621,
11:30am to 2:00am daily, since 1942 Rating: T T T T (but
recently remodeled)


Below is the new look for Boardner's:
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Venerable and historic old bar and restaurant. It appears this location was first known as the
"Cherokee House" in the 1930s. When Steve Boardner first took it over it
was called the "52 Club". Stephen L. Boardner was born around 1914 and
married at least three times, including a very brief marriage to actress
Crystal Reeves. Boardner's was featured in the movie "Ed Wood". The
crowd at nighttime is definitely more interesting. It's funny how the
ambiance of a bar, like this one, improves dramatically at night. This
place is nice and dark. Generally a young crowd, and apparently very
crowded on Goth night. Despite the young crowd, this place doesn't make
the mistake of playing music so loud, you can't have an intelligent
conversation. The current owner, Tricia La Belle, is very nice and very
civic minded. Don't waste your time in the so called new, hip and trendy
clubs sprouting up in Hollywood - this is the place to be!
UPDATE: The place has just undergone a complete remodel
in an art deco style. I'll keep it on this page in any event,
since the owner is very nice and it's an attractive remodel and still a
very pleasant place. Despite the changes, it still feels like the
Boardner's I've always loved.
Near the Frolic Room bar, the Pantages Theater, Miceli's Italian
Restaurant, Musso and
Frank's Restaurant, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Grauman's Chinese and Egyptian
theaters, and the Power House bar. |
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Big Dean's Muscle-In Cafe and Bar, 1615 Ocean Front walk, Santa Monica
310-393-2666 since 1902 (the building). T T

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Well I finally made it out to Santa Monica and in the afternoon, this is
about the only classic bar open. You don't want to get trapped in
Santa Monica past 4:00pm if you need to end up back downtown before
7:00pm on a week day (I guess I exaggerate) . I'm still not used to
Los Angeles traffic (although people
have met on highways out here and eventually married due to the parking
lot type conditions some days). Despite being fairly austere and full of knick
knacks, this place is friendly and right off the beach. The
place looks like it was originally made with the wood from crates, now
with a nice patina. If my information that it was built in 1902 is
correct, I would think that makes it the oldest bar in the LA metro
area (although I don't think it was always called Big Dean's). If anyone is aware of an older one, let me know. By the
way, this is not on the pier, it's the walkway or sidewalk that goes
along the beach near the pier. If you are lucky, you'll run into
the former long term owner who hangs out with a former mayor of Santa
Monica and a Hollywood stunt man/double at the bar. They are a
treasure trove of information about the real "Bay City" before it became
the "People's Republic of Santa Monica"! Near the
Galley restaurant, Snug Harbor restaurant, Rae's restaurant, Casa Escobar
Mexican restaurant and the Circle bar. |
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The Blue Room Bar, 916 S. San Fernando Road Burbank, CA 91521 323-849-2779
10AM-2AM Daily (since 1947)
T T T T T

This picture doesn't really get the blue color right, but it's the
best I could do with a flash.

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This was quite a find for me. A pristine 50s bar with a great neon
sign. Seemed to have a friendly crowd in the afternoon and at night
gets taken over generally by a younger crowd (although lacking
quite as much
affluence of Westsiders). I have always found that indirect dark blue
lights put me in a great introspective and relaxed mood, so I definitely
have a bias for this place. It's the kind of blue lighting I like to
call "David Lynch blue". David Lynch uses that sort of lighting
brilliantly in his movies and this bar would make a great movie set,
right out of "Mulholland Drive ". Highly recommended. Not far from the
Smokehouse Restaurant, Genio's restaurant (now closed), Bob's Big Boy Restaurant,
the Safari Inn, Chili John's Restaurant, Bella Vista Italian Restaurant, Frank's Steakhouse and the Fox Fire Room
bar. LOS ANGELES TIME MACHINE AWARD: Best Neon Sign
in the San Fernando Valley. |
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Brass Monkey bar and Restaurant, 659 S Mariposa Ave , Los Angeles, CA 90005
(213) 381-7047 T

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I don't know much about the history of this place. Apparently the space
was once a bank vault. This gives it an interesting shape. When you
walk in it's a bit of a surprise to see the dark wood and old feel,
since the exterior is a fairly modern office building (the
historic Tishman building). Time
machine? I'm not sure, but nice bar with a very friendly staff. Nice
analog cash register - always the mark of a good place. I hear the Karaoke is great here, although I haven't been to it yet
(it's the kind of Karaoke place where a lot of the participants actually
are very good singers). If you're
into it, you have a good chance of seeing the occasional Movie or TV
star here.
Near the HMS Bounty restaurant, Frank 'n Hanks bar, Langer's Deli, Taylor's
Steakhouse, the
remains of the Brown Derby Restaurant Hat and the Prince Korean Restaurant. |
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Buccaneer Bar, 70 W Sierra Madre Blvd Sierra Madre, CA 91024-2434
626-355-9045


Nice old theater near the Buccaneer |
The Buccaneer started out a few doors down. It apparently moved
some 15 years or so ago to the present location, but the owner had the
great intelligence to save and incorporate the incredible Frank Bowers
artwork. Frank Bowers has become my favorite painter. His work
(that I describe as being a cross of Vargas and Tamara de Lempicka - but
what do I know about art??) is also seen at the Embers Lounge and Foc'sle bars (if anyone knows of any other bars that have his paintings
- please let me know. I hear one of his paintings was stolen from
the Colorado Bar - are there any left?). The faces he uses in his
paintings often are inspired by movie stars. There is a very obvious
Victor Mature in this mural and I believe Charles Laughton as well (not
pictured due to "G" rating of this site and the pretty wench next to
him.). Who do you recognize? This bar is not what I would call a time
machine due to its "recent" move, but it is a very pleasant place
and highly recommended.
Sierra Madre reminds me a bit of Montrose - a really wonderful old
downtown area that has become somewhat upscale. Nice place to walk
around with a nice old theater. Looks like a great place to live. Wish I
could afford to live here! |
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The Bull Pen Restaurant and Bar, 314 Avenue I, Redondo
Beach, CA 310-375-7797
T T T


Sorry for the blurry picture, but it does give you a feel for the
place (and yes - I still had my standard O'Doul's here). |
Ya gotta love Redondo Beach and this place fits
right in with the pleasant vibe. It seems like a very local place. Laid
back and relaxing. I'll have to go back to try the food. Not too far from Thelen's Mermaid restaurant, Uncle John's
Pancakes restaurant, the Lighthouse bar, and the Alpine Inn restaurant
and supper club. |
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Casey's Irish Pub (Casey's Bar & Grille)
- 613 S. Grand Ave. Los Angeles, CA (213) 629-2353
(since 1971)
T T T T
.jpg)
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This great bar and grill is a perfect example of how one can
successfully recreate an excellent time machine. If I have my
information right, most of the old fixtures here were actually imported
antiques from Ireland. They had me fooled - everything looks like it
has been there since the 1930s (instead of the early '70s). Good food
and outgoing staff. Very convenient downtown location. This is a
must see for those who want to live out their "MAD MEN" fantasies!
One of the best bars downtown. Owned by the very progressive "213"
corporation.
Casey's Irish Pub is used as the filming location for Mad Men
when they are supposed to be in New York at someplace like "P.J.
Clarke's" if I'm not mistaken. See Season II, Episode one for one
of the scenes. Not far from the
Yorkshire Grill ,The Standard Hotel, the Broadway Bar, the Eastern
Columbia Building, the Los Angeles Theater, Clifton's Cafeteria, the
Original Pantry Cafe, and Cole's
Pacific Electric Buffet French Dipped Sandwiches.
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The Chalet Bar,1630 Colorado Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041 (323)
258-8800

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This bar is actually only a few years old, but they have done a great
job of recreating an old classic lounge. A good variety of eclectic
music is played here - including true ultra lounge music. The classic neon
signs out side lured me in, without realizing what a nice place loomed
inside. It looks like they spent a fortune on this place. Dark and
cozy with a fireplace. My only fear is this place is so cool, the
unwashed masses may not "get it" (I am at least occasionally washed).
Hope they do, because this is a nice addition to Eagle Rock.
UPDATE: I hear this place is packed most nights and very
successful. I guess the people still do like classic lounges.
Not far
from Colombo's Restaurant, the Capri Restaurant, the Bucket Restaurant,
the Casa Bianca Restaurant and all the great Pasadena places. |
Chez Jay’s Bar, 1657 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, 310 395-1741 since 1959
T T T
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This bar and restaurant is beloved by a multitude of people, who feel
passionately about it. It apparently has a long history of being a
celebrity hang. The name comes from being a French Restaurant. The bar looks fairly un-remodeled, although the
restaurant part looks like it has been fairly recently redone to look
more upscale. The neon sign outside is truly excellent. One of the great
quirks of the bar is that is wobbles a bit when you lean on it. If the
story I heard is correct, it got this way when an elephant they had in
the bar for a promotion, hit the bar with his trunk (hope that's
correct!). Very nice Norwegian bar tender. Plenty of free parking.
Classic neighborhood joint.
Not far from the Galley Restaurant, Snug Harbor Restaurant, Casa Escobar
Mexican restaurant
, Big Dean's bar, Rae's Diner, Dolores coffee shop and the Circle Bar. |
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Chimneysweep bar, 4354 Woodman Ave, Sherman Oaks, (818) 783-3348
T T T

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Old bar with a friendly, well worn feel. Very well maintained and very clean.
Warm staff and
good old regulars. Similar to the Fox Fire Room bar.

Not far from the Ventura Blvd tour of Sportsmen Lodge, Art's Deli,
Dupar's restaurant, (former) Barone's Italian Restaurant and the La Frite French restaurant. |
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The Cinema Bar, 3697 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City, CA 310 390 1328
T T T T (since 1947)

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Great find in Culver City. This bar is in excellent shape despite the knick knacks. Very friendly bartender
the day I visited. Wonderfully un-remodeled
exterior and interior. I hadn't been in Culver City for 15-20 years and was
surprised how nice the whole city looks. They have really put some money into this
city (which once produced more movies than Hollywood). In the early
years of Hollywood, the city was a big star hangout because it did not
have the Los Angeles liquor laws and was a really rowdy town. This bar
will not disappoint you! Near Dear John's Restaurant, Tito's Tacos, Johnie's Pastrami
restaurant and Dinah's family restaurant.

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Clancy's Bar and Restaurant, 803 East Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90802 562-437-1836
T T T T (just for the near future)

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I've only come in once to this nice old bar and restaurant. The oldest
Irish bar in Long Beach. Very nice interior, especially in the bar
area.
UPDATE: The place has been remodeled. Don't know
how extensively.
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Club Tee Gee Bar, 3208 Glendale Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90039 323 669-9631
(since 1946)
T T (but looks older)

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Pronounced like the names of the letters "T" and "G" .This
bar has a
great neon sign in front and plenty of parking in back. Although the
interior was redone around 12 years ago due to a fire, they have done a
great job of recreating the old feel. Excellent bartenders (although
somewhat puzzled by my ordering Perrier). They were playing Frank
Sinatra on the jukebox when I came in which is always a plus. Not far
from the Roost bar, the Red Lion Restaurant, Astro Family Coffee shop, the Tam
O'Shanter Restaurant, Dinah's (Atwater Village) and Algemac's former site.
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Coach & Horses Bar, 7617 W. Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90046 323 876-6900
since 1937 T T T T

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Very well preserved classic bar. Very dark and nice old time feel. For a while it
in the 70's it
became a Mexican restaurant called Viva Tirado (Tirado being the name of the owner,
a former
Matador). At night it's a
young crowd. I need to visit this place in the daytime when I hear it
has a different ambiance, but nevertheless I do highly recommend the
place. The juke box is almost completely the present generation's
music. Near Crossroads of the World and not too far from Taix
French Restaurant,
Millie's restaurant, Tiki Ti, the El Cid Restaurant, the Short Stop bar,
the Brite Spot and El Chavo Mexican restaurant. |
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Cole’s Buffet, 118 E. 6th St. Los Angeles 90014 (213) 622-4090, since
1908. Mon-Fri 9am to 7pm, Sat. 9am-5pm

Original interior

The Pacific Electric Building was constructed
by Henry Huntington. The Jonathon Club originated here.
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Arguably the oldest continuously (well except for the restoration) operating bar and restaurant in the
same location in Los Angeles. This place battles with Philippe’s for the claim of
inventing the French Dipped Sandwich. Located in the Pacific Electric
Railway building that once ran all the great trolley cars (which by the
way can still be seen and ridden in in a unique museum in Perris,
California). I thought the food was very good here, in a part of town
that had a rough reputation but is rapidly gentrifying (not to say
that's always a good thing!). The site of the "Night Owl" from LA
Confidential is across the street. The Los Angeles Conservancy has
had many positive things to say about the remodeled place. Established by Harry Cole. Previous
owners were Ted and Mike Mandekic (Mandecik?) and Jimmy Barella was a
bar tender here from 1925 to 1970.
UPDATE: The place was completely restored but
with care not to change the historic character of the place. The
food here is excellent (perfectly following the Gordon Ramsey model of
doing less items but doing them in an excellent fashion and exceedingly
fresh. They have a new "speakeasy" that's generating a big buzz in
town. Used in a scene for the "Mad Men" series
that I rave about all over this site (the scene where Peggy picks up
kind of nerdy younger guy in a bar). The bar is owned by the very
progressive "213" corporation that is doing wonders to bring downtown
back to it's former forefront in Los Angeles.
LOS ANGELES TIME MACHINE AWARD: BEST CAESAR SALAD IN
LOS ANGELES
Not far from Clifton's Cafeteria,
Casey's, the Original Pantry Cafe, Cosmo's, Hop Louie's and the Yorkshire Grill and their arch
rival, Philippe the Original restaurant. |
Colorado Bar, 2640 E. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91107 (626)
449-3485
T T T
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This place was originally a Vita Sleep Furniture store.
Fairly large and dark bar. Cheap prices. People
talk about this place warmly. Don't know what kind of vibe it has
at night, since I was there quite early in the day. Not many
places in this area of Pasadena. I've heard rumors this place may have a
Frank Bowers painting - I'll have to check it out.
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Craby Joes Bar, 656 S Main St, Los Angeles, CA 213-622-7384
T T T

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Ali reminded me to visit this place and assured me I would survive it.
My main interest was that it appears in the opening credits of the "Barfly"
movie.
I'm not sure if that means that someone identified it as a Bukowski hang
or not. I can only recommend this place to brave Sociologists
intent on studying the varied strata of society (see my warnings page). However, with the
evolution of downtown, some far sighted investor may someday restore
this place to its original glory. Strangely enough, back in the '80s,
U2 did a concert on the roof of this place (in the style of the Beatles
in "Let it be").

UPDATE: This place apparently closed on 12-24-07.
Adios mundo cruel! If you crave ultimate dives as a sociologist, perhaps
the King Edward's bar (at least on a Saturday morning around 10AM) may
be your best alternative. |
Curley's Cafe and Bar, 1999 E Willow St, Long Beach, CA 90806
T

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I believe this place claims to be the second oldest bar in Long Beach
after Joe Jost's. Perhaps one of the most unique aspects of the
place is that it has an oil rig/pump in the parking lot. Being on
Signal Hill, one of the earliest places in LA Metro for oil to be
discovered, the oil rig fits right in. This is a very
friendly place and the food is a real bargain. My father, who is a
Chili fanatic, loved the chili here, which is served in a humongous
bowl. Good luck finishing it! Definitely a nice "hidden" place in
Long Beach.

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Delacey's Club 41, 41 S. DeLacey Ave. Pasadena, CA 626-795-141
T T T
(probably the highest rating for a recreation outside of the El Capitan)

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Beautiful recreation of a turn of the century bar and restaurant, with a
real carved wooden old bar manufactured in Chicago in that time period
(I'm not sure what bar they actually got it from). Great happy hour
food specials. The nice thing about a good recreation is they are often
not spoiled by "knick knacism" like many of the original places. If you
like these original wooden bars from the turn of the century, you can't
beat Nevada as a source - there are similar bars in Boulder City, NV, Goldfield, NV, Tonopah,
NV,
Reno, NV and perhaps 10 concentrated in Virginia City, NV (and I'm
missing quite a few more - there's a great book on old Nevada bars that
I unfortunately have forgotten the title of). Also check out Fat City
in San Diego.
UPDATE: This place has changed ownership and name. It
has a somewhat changed interior design from Delacy's but still has that great
original saloon back bar.
Not far from Monty's Steak House, Freddie's 35er, Gus's
Barbeque restaurant, El Cholo's Pasadena branch Mexican Restaurant, the Rialto and the Fair Oaks Pharmacy. |
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Dresden Room Restaurant, 1760 N. Vermont Ave. 323-665-4294, T T T T T

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This address was first a paint store and then it became Pucci Cafe owned
by John Pucci around 1937. It became the Dresden Room (at this location
at least) in the 50's.
This bar and restaurant is perfectly preserved interior and the best Cobb Salad I’ve ever had. As
you might know, Cobb Salad is named after Bob Cobb, former owner of the
Brown Derby and inventor of the salad (the Cobb Salad recently played
a role in the plot of a "Curb
your Enthusiasm" episode). The Dresden room is featured in the movie
"Swingers". The restaurant area reminds me of the last version
of Perino's. Killer steaks and very professional and personal
service. This place is quite famous and much beloved by the hipster
crowd. Valet Parking in the rear. This is true old school.
Los Angeles Time Machines Award for BEST COBB SALADNot far from the Ye Rustic Inn and the Derby (the former
site of the Brown Derby).
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