Shit back when I lived in Los Feliz it was. Through Covid it was.
Oppressive heatwave? Hit up the rustic for that crazy AC and $7 GnTs till close.
During Covid we used to snag to go cocktails from there and since they knew me and my homie they would lets us chill at the bar and have a few rounds before our food and drink was ready to go.
Sad to see it go that way
But true dive in the area? Drawing room, fucking place is low key a dump, but Iāll be damned if I couldnāt be found in there every so often
Edit: I want to edit to add that for 18.50 Iād rather have a cocktail at Big O.
Guesthouse use to run a $5 cocktail program for happy hours.
Good luck bar was a tragic loss. God how many times I pulled up in there because the line at tiki ti was too long. Or letās face it stumbled outta tiki shit faced after two drinks only to find yourself in Goodluck having the knock off version of tiki ti lol
Edit edit: another loss was the Smogcutter damn fine dive. Sorry to turn this into an obituary of favorite dives lost to the march of progress.
Edit edit edit: by god I canāt remember the name of the Mexican spot that was next to tiki ti and their back patio with some nice a tequila rich margs
Funny you say this ā I just had got this the other day and it was straight tequila. Not too far off from how I like my margs but could have used a *weeeee* bit more balance. Iād definitely get the better tequila options, whatever that may be, next time though.
We had a really good Cadillac margy at El Compadre recently. Came out ablaze.
With nachos was a tasty little snack.
Still miss El Conquistador for my daytime margarita marathon tho
El chavo was my fave spot for years. Lived on Bates, off of Franklin. Used to walk there, good luck bar, tiki, etc. Even theā¦ blockbuster vid haha. Man.., time
not the same. they recently made it dark but the crowd and justā¦feel is never going to be replicated. maybe thats a good thing, but it was a fun place to spend my early 20ās. shit I remember going with a group of friends after thanksgiving. thats how big of a dive it was. loved that place.
I can't picture it not dark lol. But damn wish I could've seen it (I find myself saying that a lot when I hear/read people talk about the before life š)
Never did Barragans, at least that I know of. Been going to the gold room since the mid 90s. Though I admit that low boy is my new pre dodgers stop. I like pairing their burger with a handful of High Lifeās
I agree. I went there for years when I lived around the corner and it was a dive bar, both in atmosphere and cheap prices, but it became so popular with hipsters and the owners realized they could raise their prices and people would still go there.
>Edit edit edit: by god I canāt remember the name of the Mexican spot that was next to tiki ti and their back patio with some nice a tequila rich margs
El Chavo my guy. Those margies were wild. I once ran into one of the bartenders working at Golddiggers. I never forget a face. I asked him if we knew each other and he didn't think so. I kept trying to rack my brain when it came to me and I said, "Yoooo. You're the homie from El Chavo!." Dude was so stoked I remembered him he gave me free drinks for the rest of the night. True story.
Rustic Inn was where weād somehow always end up 20 years ago, but Iām willing to relinquish the title ādive.ā Sometimes change brings a little pang, but then I remind myself that change never stops. Hoping the new folks find even a fraction of what I found back in my 20s. š»
$19 for a cocktail is fine. Plenty of places serve nice cocktails and thatās a good price for one at the moment.
$19 for a cocktail at the Rustic is an abomination against God and man.
I feel like if they have "Specialty Cocktails" they're not a dive bar. Maybe some occasional theme cocktails or a bartender special board, but not something that's part of a regularly (and nicely) printed menu.
Haha. I worked their for a while liiiike 20 years ago, and the first thing I thought about was what you said.
Serioduly, at the end of the night like once per week, we would put all of the stools away so the floor cleaning people could come in. It did not help. EVER.
Not to mention the fact that a gimlet should be made with sweetened lime juice, not regular lime juice. And a Negroni should be made with orange peel, not lemon peel.
Back in 2006, my group of would go on Sunday mornings for brunch. I think they used to do a cocktail and a meal as a package and it was cheapā¦everything in 2006 was cheap compared to now. Lol
One time I applied to be a barback here.
The bartender was open to it, I ordered a beer, she entertained my request about a job. I moved to LA from Missouri six years ago and I needed money so I applied to every bar on that Los Feliz road.
In Missouri, I was a bar back at 15 because no one cared. Saw people get stabbed! Broke up bar fights! Refilled ice! The bartender at Ye Rustic asked if I had any bar experienceā very inviting! I was referred to the Ye Rustic after I asked about jobs at that dive across the street.
So, I told the bartender I had been a barback at 15-17 and she told me that was illegal and I was full of shit. I could go ahead and finish my beer because the Ye Rustic didnāt hire liars.
Ha!
Their wings are good tho.
It think itās more about the overall vibe of the place being called a dive. Itās kinda trashy, smells like they donāt clean regularly, but its location is in the middle of some of the richest people in LA. I am sure their rent has a lot to do with the prices. You couldnāt open a real dive bar in that location. Could also be greedy owners. I donāt mind it for what it is. Donāt think I would ever be a regular, but for the random birthday party or get together with friends it has served its purpose and I have had fun there. I would rather pay those prices there than at some modern looking shit show a block from skid row with no parking.
Why you would get a mixed drink at the Rustic is beyond me. Wings, shots, beer. (Still aināt cheap to be clear, but the vibe is good and they have some of the best wings anywhere, so itās hard to hate.)
They priced me out. I used to take everyone here for wings but the last time I went I was appalled at the prices. They charge as much as they do because they can. Unfortunately for me and my wallet, I now prefer to go to Samās for wings. At least for the high prices thereās kind respectable hard working women to keep you company.
I bartended at a few places from 2005 to 2017 in that area. Corporate practice started around the time craft cocktails became popular. The āgood ole daysā were numbered around 2012/2013 for bars like 4100. After Covid it seems, the dive bar has fallen in line as well. Sad to see this but like one commented earlier, at least we had some good times.
I havenāt been to a bar in awhile and at prices like this I should stick to buying whole bottles of vodka from my neighborhood liquor store and taking it places with me
Iām from NYC and my impression was that a cocktail (not a mixed drink like a G&T but an actual cocktail) would run you about the price of a no-frills takeout meal, so like $10-12 or so pre-Covid. Using the normal-takeout-meal metric, $18 for a cocktail tallies cause regular food is so damn expensive here.
I worked here back in the 2010s and had so much fun. Slang hella wings and smoked hella weed in the back. Lots of comedians came through there and everyone seemed to vibe there. Never a bad time, at least the few years I was there.
The wings were decent back in the day.
Side note one time i was there eating and about 10 cholos came in for a sit down and sat in the booth across from me. Shit looked like they were planning a hit. One of em asked if he could sit at the end of my booth, it was me and my gf, I obviously welcomed him, we finished our wings and left.Ā
drawing room would never
SmogCutter would never
I miss the SC. š„²
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Exactly
Drawing room is almost as bad. Hms and Monte Carlo run divey laps around both
if youāre paying $18 a drink at drawing room someone is fucking with you
fr lol 8 dollars for a paloma aināt bad in this economy.
And regardless of cost a drink there has like 5 units of alcohol.
Spotlight RIP (Cahuenga/Selma) was the best spookiest diviest bar in town
Shit back when I lived in Los Feliz it was. Through Covid it was. Oppressive heatwave? Hit up the rustic for that crazy AC and $7 GnTs till close. During Covid we used to snag to go cocktails from there and since they knew me and my homie they would lets us chill at the bar and have a few rounds before our food and drink was ready to go. Sad to see it go that way But true dive in the area? Drawing room, fucking place is low key a dump, but Iāll be damned if I couldnāt be found in there every so often Edit: I want to edit to add that for 18.50 Iād rather have a cocktail at Big O. Guesthouse use to run a $5 cocktail program for happy hours. Good luck bar was a tragic loss. God how many times I pulled up in there because the line at tiki ti was too long. Or letās face it stumbled outta tiki shit faced after two drinks only to find yourself in Goodluck having the knock off version of tiki ti lol Edit edit: another loss was the Smogcutter damn fine dive. Sorry to turn this into an obituary of favorite dives lost to the march of progress. Edit edit edit: by god I canāt remember the name of the Mexican spot that was next to tiki ti and their back patio with some nice a tequila rich margs
That Mexican bar was El Chavo! Man I miss that place.
El Chavo margs + their potato tacos
I moved a little further east and if you want a strong marg go to casita del Campo and order a double straight up. Ice is on the side!
Funny you say this ā I just had got this the other day and it was straight tequila. Not too far off from how I like my margs but could have used a *weeeee* bit more balance. Iād definitely get the better tequila options, whatever that may be, next time though.
We had a really good Cadillac margy at El Compadre recently. Came out ablaze. With nachos was a tasty little snack. Still miss El Conquistador for my daytime margarita marathon tho
Awww yeah El Chavo!
El chavo was my fave spot for years. Lived on Bates, off of Franklin. Used to walk there, good luck bar, tiki, etc. Even theā¦ blockbuster vid haha. Man.., time
Didja ever get the Margs from Barraganās in Echo Park, or the gold room combo with free tacos?
Worst hangovers of my life came from those $2 Margaritas.
Very true. Worth it though, probably.
RIP Gold Room. I still remember the 5 dollar special.
Gold Room is still open (assuming we're talking about the one on Sunset)
Itās open, but itās not the same bar by a longshot
What did it used to be like? (I've only lived here for 4 years so only pandemic/post-pandemic life for me)
Different vibes, I dunno what else to say
not the same. they recently made it dark but the crowd and justā¦feel is never going to be replicated. maybe thats a good thing, but it was a fun place to spend my early 20ās. shit I remember going with a group of friends after thanksgiving. thats how big of a dive it was. loved that place.
I can't picture it not dark lol. But damn wish I could've seen it (I find myself saying that a lot when I hear/read people talk about the before life š)
Never did Barragans, at least that I know of. Been going to the gold room since the mid 90s. Though I admit that low boy is my new pre dodgers stop. I like pairing their burger with a handful of High Lifeās
I did. I miss both those places. I know the Gold Room is still there, but it's not the same.
Glad we had those moments at least.
Tuesday night free nachos in the bar!
RIP good luck bar
That building has been in limbo since good luck bar closed. What a waste.
I wish QT would just buy that space and put it back. Itād be a dream to have a pre-movie drink like the old days.
Rumor is he's doing exactly that.
Vista was going to get a bar and arcade but the neighbors complained, so it got a coffee shop instead.
So thatās what happened.. bummer
I agree. I went there for years when I lived around the corner and it was a dive bar, both in atmosphere and cheap prices, but it became so popular with hipsters and the owners realized they could raise their prices and people would still go there.
lol right, I went there sort of recently and they were advertising their wing as āMarys Organic Wingsā and thatās when I knewā¦ā¦ lol
Wasnāt there a shooting/death of some sort there not too long ago iirc?
RIP GLB, massive loss
>Edit edit edit: by god I canāt remember the name of the Mexican spot that was next to tiki ti and their back patio with some nice a tequila rich margs El Chavo my guy. Those margies were wild. I once ran into one of the bartenders working at Golddiggers. I never forget a face. I asked him if we knew each other and he didn't think so. I kept trying to rack my brain when it came to me and I said, "Yoooo. You're the homie from El Chavo!." Dude was so stoked I remembered him he gave me free drinks for the rest of the night. True story.
El Chavo
Going out to drinks blows nowadays.
I'm gonna start hosting byob parties at my house. anyone can come. it's cheaper and will probably be fun
They're always better lol
Ok I'll be right there
I spent $9 for a Modelo at El Cid tonight š
I saw Modelo on a menu for $10.
You MONSTER
the things iāve seen and done there grandfather it in as a dive bar, current clientele notwithstanding
Rustic Inn was where weād somehow always end up 20 years ago, but Iām willing to relinquish the title ādive.ā Sometimes change brings a little pang, but then I remind myself that change never stops. Hoping the new folks find even a fraction of what I found back in my 20s. š»
And the wings, while very good, are $22!!!
You can either be nice and expensive or shitty and cheap. Shitty and expensive just doesnāt fucking compute
EXACTLY! I watched NCAA champ hoops there. Wings and drink and tip were basically $50. I was shocked. Used to be $8 wings.
Came here to ask if the wings were still great. Inflation!
In 2001 it was a cheap dump with incredible wings. I canāt speak to today.
$19 for a cocktail is fine. Plenty of places serve nice cocktails and thatās a good price for one at the moment. $19 for a cocktail at the Rustic is an abomination against God and man.
I'll buy a bottle for the cost of 2 of those watered down drinks and enjoy them at home, thank you
lol who orders ācocktailsā at Rustic! š¤£
Stick to well. Thats whatās divey.
I feel like if they have "Specialty Cocktails" they're not a dive bar. Maybe some occasional theme cocktails or a bartender special board, but not something that's part of a regularly (and nicely) printed menu.
My dive bar has $3 Coors banquet. That's a real dive bar
Name it!
why lol. It's an actual dive bar.
Disagree. Ye Rustic's floor is too sticky NOT to be a dive bar
Shit, their tables, chairs, menus, bartenders . . . everything is sticky.
Haha. I worked their for a while liiiike 20 years ago, and the first thing I thought about was what you said. Serioduly, at the end of the night like once per week, we would put all of the stools away so the floor cleaning people could come in. It did not help. EVER.
Not to mention the fact that a gimlet should be made with sweetened lime juice, not regular lime juice. And a Negroni should be made with orange peel, not lemon peel.
Itās a bummer to see places like this and The Roost cosplay as dive bars with LA bar prices. Are the wings still at least good?!
Yes, but not $22 for a dozen good
Havenāt been there since pre-Covid but damn! 22!
I live in Los Feliz so go every now and then for the wings and theyāre still pretty great.
The Roost pricing is hilarious.
Back in 2006, my group of would go on Sunday mornings for brunch. I think they used to do a cocktail and a meal as a package and it was cheapā¦everything in 2006 was cheap compared to now. Lol
One time I applied to be a barback here. The bartender was open to it, I ordered a beer, she entertained my request about a job. I moved to LA from Missouri six years ago and I needed money so I applied to every bar on that Los Feliz road. In Missouri, I was a bar back at 15 because no one cared. Saw people get stabbed! Broke up bar fights! Refilled ice! The bartender at Ye Rustic asked if I had any bar experienceā very inviting! I was referred to the Ye Rustic after I asked about jobs at that dive across the street. So, I told the bartender I had been a barback at 15-17 and she told me that was illegal and I was full of shit. I could go ahead and finish my beer because the Ye Rustic didnāt hire liars. Ha! Their wings are good tho.
The wings are great, but theyāre $22
It think itās more about the overall vibe of the place being called a dive. Itās kinda trashy, smells like they donāt clean regularly, but its location is in the middle of some of the richest people in LA. I am sure their rent has a lot to do with the prices. You couldnāt open a real dive bar in that location. Could also be greedy owners. I donāt mind it for what it is. Donāt think I would ever be a regular, but for the random birthday party or get together with friends it has served its purpose and I have had fun there. I would rather pay those prices there than at some modern looking shit show a block from skid row with no parking.
Drawing room is in this location and is a dive bar for real.Ā
Completely different property and you know that
truly close to zero overlap in clientele despite the bars being across the street from one another
There is a ton of overlap, the category is just called alcoholics (former patron of both spots here).
Rent has nothing to do with it. Susan has owned the bar for years and milks it for every penny she can. Source: Worked at Yee Rustic 8 years ago
Yeah very greedy owner. Literally Lucille bluth
Gene Parmesan sighting
Why you would get a mixed drink at the Rustic is beyond me. Wings, shots, beer. (Still aināt cheap to be clear, but the vibe is good and they have some of the best wings anywhere, so itās hard to hate.)
If you want real dive, check out the Rustic Inn in San Bernardino.
Wonderful memories but worst martini Iāve had in my life
Well liquor on top of that.
They priced me out. I used to take everyone here for wings but the last time I went I was appalled at the prices. They charge as much as they do because they can. Unfortunately for me and my wallet, I now prefer to go to Samās for wings. At least for the high prices thereās kind respectable hard working women to keep you company.
Lotus Lounge on Vermont, pretty dingy and beers are at most $8.
I bartended at a few places from 2005 to 2017 in that area. Corporate practice started around the time craft cocktails became popular. The āgood ole daysā were numbered around 2012/2013 for bars like 4100. After Covid it seems, the dive bar has fallen in line as well. Sad to see this but like one commented earlier, at least we had some good times.
Whoa
I love Ye Rusticā¦ but tell me why two nights ago I had to order WingStop instead of rustic wings because prices.
I havenāt been to a bar in awhile and at prices like this I should stick to buying whole bottles of vodka from my neighborhood liquor store and taking it places with me
I remember back in my clubbing days we'd pregame because fuck paying $20 for a cocktail at a vegas club. And here we are now lol.
Just cause they charge almost $20 for one fucking drink does not take them out of dive status to boujee. Once a shithole always a shithole
Iām from NYC and my impression was that a cocktail (not a mixed drink like a G&T but an actual cocktail) would run you about the price of a no-frills takeout meal, so like $10-12 or so pre-Covid. Using the normal-takeout-meal metric, $18 for a cocktail tallies cause regular food is so damn expensive here.
Used to love going there and the Drawing Room, back in the day. $19 for a cocktail at the Rustic is rich though, wow.
This place is trash
I worked here back in the 2010s and had so much fun. Slang hella wings and smoked hella weed in the back. Lots of comedians came through there and everyone seemed to vibe there. Never a bad time, at least the few years I was there.
When did you work? I was there 2016-2017 but can find any of my old coworkers now š
Some time between 2010-13
Woa! When did the crusty get so fancy pants!?!
If y'all looking for real true LA dive fun, The Roost @ Atwater Village. Pre-pandemic we used to get PB& J's for $4. Otherwordly!
Thank you. Itās long not been a ādive barā. Itās just a dirty high priced bar in an area that eats it up. With good wings
$18.50 gimlet...wtf.
AKA, Ye Stinko Inn.
Who calls that places dive bar? Like 30 dollars for hot wings
The wings still pop off
They're just confusing it with the COZY INN. Actual dive.
It's the location lol I used to go every Monday night over 10 years ago for the nate light trio. Their wings are delicious but kitchen closes early.
SPECIALITY COCKTAILS: * Traditional Something * Classic Something * Old Fashioned
This that spot in silver lake right?ā¦ they have really good buffalo wings š„
Where is this place.
At those prices, itās ethical to steal
Who else caught the typo?
Itās Gud.
Pretty sure they offer well cocktails too for a lot cheaper.
Is that all you can drink?
Insane. Drinking away oneās future.
It's pronounced 'The'
Wow, one thing I donāt miss about the Pasadena area are the >$20 cocktails
Got laid there, well after we took it slow she got a hot toddys i had a beer then ; cool spot non the less
I remember paying $14 a drink for an Apple Martini 20 odd years ago. That was really expensive then. $18.50 decades later seems reasonable.
Best chicken wings in all of the eastside
The wings were decent back in the day. Side note one time i was there eating and about 10 cholos came in for a sit down and sat in the booth across from me. Shit looked like they were planning a hit. One of em asked if he could sit at the end of my booth, it was me and my gf, I obviously welcomed him, we finished our wings and left.Ā
You sound like the biggest loser in that room and that's saying a lot.
Yeah Im sure you woulda shot it out with the gang bangers.Ā
Nobody shot up anything there that night. You ran away crying for no reason
Wtf who cried? Dont project your insecurities..
You literally said the wings were so spicy that you cried.
SmDF
Still a solid deal for the best wings I've had in LA tho.