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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. 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) ? 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.
I'd like to say "if it's good enough for Bukowski, it's good enough for
me ...but ..no." Did I mention to read my warnings page? |
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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,
except remodeling. 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. |
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Boardner’s, 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, 1615 Ocean Front walk, Santa Monica
310-393-2666 since 1902 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 enough 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. 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, 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 the
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. |
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Brass Monkey, 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 you probably need to be able to
sing well I hear). 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.
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. |
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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 7 up here). |
Ya gotta love Redondo Beach (especially the Pier) and this place fits
right in with the pleasant vibe. It seems like a very local place. Laid
back and relaxing. 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 Bar - 613 S. Grand Ave. Los Angeles, CA (213) 629-2353
(since 1971)
T T T
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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. Not far from the
Yorkshire Grill and The Standard Hotel, Clifton's Cafeteria, the
Original Pantry Cafe, and Cole's
Pacific Electric Buffet French Dipped Sandwiches.
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The Chalet,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 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, 1657 Ocean Ave, Santa Monica, 310 395-1741 since 1959
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 unremodeled, although the
restaurant part looks like it has been fairly recently redone to look
upscale. The neon sign outside is truly excellent. I need to go back I
think to get more of a feel for this place. I don’t know why Santa
Monica always leaves me feeling lukewarm. The city is probably not
“divey” enough for me. Maybe it’s my love/hate relationship with all
things upscale. I like to observe the upscale crowd but I obviously will
never fit in or feel comfortable in those environs (except perhaps in
the ultra friendly, ultra-professional Beverly Hills hotel).
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, 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 it 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.
Near Dear John's Restaurant, Tito's Tacos, Johnie's Pastrami
restaurant and Dinah's family restaurant.
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Clancy's, 803 East Broadway, Long Beach, CA 90802 , 562-437-1836
T T T T (just for the near future)
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Just discovered this really nice old bar and restaurant. The
oldest Irish bar in Long Beach. Very nice interior, especially in the
bar area. Unfortunately the new owner is planning to remodel it
soon (but may leave something of the old feel). I gave him my best
pitch about Time Machines, but he wasn't convinced. You can't blame any
owner for remodeling if it improves business. I'm beginning to realize
that "us" time machine lovers are relatively few in number. Not enough
to keep most places going, unless they are stubborn diehards who love
the history of their places. Hopefully, the Gen X'ers and hipsters
are rediscovering these places. Just as an aside, one of the great
human foibles is the assumption that what is of interest to yourself is
also of interest to others. I often drag new friends to time
machines and find the only thing of interest to them is the quality of
the food. My love of Los Angeles history is not all that common I guess
(although in a city this big, even small percentages can be large
numbers)
One thing I will say in my defense is that the more things one is
interested in, the more enjoyable life becomes. While some people
(if forced to) will walk down Broadway in Los Angeles just commenting on
how dirty or run down it is, I'm ecstatic looking at the old
terrazzo, the terra cotta ornamentation, pointing out what happened when
and where in buildings, listening to the Norteno music, noticing someone
is an indigenous Guatemalan, listening to their language, observing the
human interactions, etc. etc. I guess one person's heaven is
another person's hell! |
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Club Tee Gee, 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 and Algemac's former site.
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Coach & Horses, 7617 W. Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90046 323 876-6900
since 1937 T T T T
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Well preserved bar. Very dark and nice old time feel. For a while it
became a Mexican restaurant called Viva Tirado (Tirado being the name of the owner,
a former
Matador, in the 70's). At night it's a
young crowd. I can listen to virtually all forms of music (for a brief
period), including punk rock and
rap, but recent hit music tends to detract from the time machine
effect rather drastically. Hey guys - would at least one Frank Sinatra
record on the jukebox hurt anyone! 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 (at least on the days that it's not too loud and crowded.) 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 T T T T T (the bar area)
The Pacific Electric Building was constructed
by Henry Huntington. The Jonathon Club originated here.
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Arguably the oldest continuously 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, but it is in a part
of town not for the meek of heart (although rapidly gentrifying - for
better or worse). The site of the "Night Owl" from LA
Confidential is across the street. 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: Things are a bit
scary about this great old place's future, as the Pacific Electric
Building becomes yet another "loft" building. Apparently it is losing
it's two back rooms and may be up for sale. As long as they continue to
serve French Dipped Sandwiches and keep the bar area untouched, I can
live with that. Anything more and I hope preservationists look into it.
The great "gap" in preservation law is that it's almost impossible to
protect interiors (correct me if I'm wrong). I can't tell you how
sad I will be if someday I visit and find the bar area turned into some
generic upscale place. The bar is one of Los Angeles's greatest
pieces of living history. Cole's has been designated a "cultural
monument" but so was Finney's Cafeteria and that didn't save it.
UPDATE II: The place has a new owner and is being renovated
(it will be closed during renovations). This is very worrisome to me
even though the owner promises "no architectural changes". I really hope
little if any changes are done to the bar and red booth area.
UPDATE III: I'm getting reports from David P. that Cole's has
been gutted. I suppose they could still put the original bar counter
and red booths back in, but I've never seen any place recover its
personality and feel after being gutted. It's amazing that this could
be done to the oldest and one of the most historic bars and restaurants
in Los Angeles without a peep from the public. I for one am giving up.
Just about no one cares anymore.
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 nondescript 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.
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Craby Joes, 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 "Barfly".
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! |
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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: Call before you go. Last time I passed by,
it appeared to be either closed or remodeling.
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". Not far from the Ye Rustic Inn and the Derby (the former
site of the Brown Derby).
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