What is the best Dive Bar in Los Angeles, California?
This is a true BAR. It is for the true drinkers of the world who enjoy drinking till they fall off their stool. To add to the value of this bar, there is a really cheesy jukebox of every old song you have forgotten about or were too embassed to admit you ever liked. Oh, and the best part is that they open at like 6AM. You can crawl over there after all the after-hours.
late one night, a lonely hipster left the bigfoot lodge, bored with the same ol’. he happened upon the roost, saw that it was dank, musty, had leonard cohen on the jukebox, and allowed carcinogenic smoke… and decided it must be invaded ASAP. at least, i figure this is how the hipster invasion was initiated. shame that it couldn’t be kept secret, but it is 3 huts down from the ol’ lodge. drinks are stiff, free popcorn tolerable when you’re toasted, and i actually LIKE the partition between the bar and the tables; i’m one of those wallflower drinkers. the jukebox is totally appropriate for REAL drinking. i’d be highly disappointed if there was “good music” to be found. to those who want to avoid fisherman caps hiding dissheveled, greasy hair, low-slung jeans, and portfolio talk that could only originate in the hollywood, make a visit during dusk.Pros + dank, O.G., strong drinksCons – i-want-to-be-seen, sorta, people
This bar is amazing. Besides good, cheap drinks, the bar also has karaoke almost every night and lots of volunteers to sing. I was able to talk a guy into doing a duet of “Endless Love” with me. That’s just the kind of place that the Smog Cutter is. There’s also a pool table, if you don’t like to sing. Go and check it out. You might be scared of it at first, but it’s worth it in the end.Pros + Great karaoke scene, InexpensiveCons – Small, Somewhat daunting
Attempting to find a place to grab a beer downtown prior to a game at Staples that didn’t cost an arm & a leg, my friend and I found ourselves coming up short. I recall wondering aloud “Why can’t we just find a frickin’ dive bar around here?!” Then, like a gift from heaven above (errr something like that) we looked across and saw a dimly lit sign reading “Hanks” and “Beer” in a shady little section of a sleezy looking hotel. Could it be? Really? Exactly what we were searching for?? This was too good to be true. The place looked closed from the exterior (my friend literally crossed the street just to check on the hours of the place and realized it was actually open). We wandered inside. Jackpot. Don’t be mistaken- this place is a dive bar. Eclectic pictures, old random beer paraphernalia sits crowded up next to the dusty bottles of liquor. The crowd was not huge, but a good mix of randoms sit at the bar. This place is perfect for a chill spot to kick back and enjoy a beer after work
A couple of friends took me here, I had been my it a number of times in the past but always wrote it off as a some dirty downtown LA bar filled with gangsters so I never went in. Turns out I was totally wrong. This place rocks. It’s a cool place with regular people and not filled with the “I’m so cool” Hollywood types nor the “I live on the Westside” snobs. They play different music each night so be sure to find out what they’re doing before you go. If you like to dance it’s a fun place to dance too.The beer is cheep, the bartenders are cool and the cover is super cheep too. Unlike two other reviewers the door men have always been cool and polite. They don’t serve food. The outdoor patio is nice but it’s filled with freaking smokers so that’s the only downside with that.Give it a shot, if you want to get away from the snobs and wannabes, give downtown a visit.Pros + Cheep cover and drinks, cool bartenders, great music, patio, cheap night time parkingCons
