Friday, January 11, 2008

Verdugo Bar - Welcome to the neighborhood!

Photos by: ...totallylikeduh!

Verdugo Bar
(Glassell Park)
3408 Verdugo Road
Los Angeles, CA 90065
(323) 257-3408
http://www.verdugobar.com/

Open from Thursday - Sunday (8 PM to 2 AM)

It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood,
A beautiful day for a neighbor.
Would you be mine? Could you be mine?...

I've always wanted to have a neighbor just like you.
I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you.
The sign out front simply reads, "Cocktails". Here's a view of the street location.The lounge in the back.

Highlights
A bar in my neighborhood! I'm still pinching myself.

While the outside is pretty nondescript, the inside is beautiful. I had envisioned a dive bar, but the Verdugo Bar surpassed my expectations. Sleek, sophisticated, expensive wood, leather, chandeliers, art; even the bathrooms are adorable. Definitely NOT a dive bar!

On this Friday night, the bar's front room was packed, but the Asian inspired lounge in the back has additional rich brown leather seating.

U. summed it up best when he said, "If this bar was in Hollywood I'd think 'whatever' but the fact that it's here...whoa! It's like having the W in our neighborhood."

The Crowd
The crowd was eclectic and 90's Silverlake-ish. A mix of hipsters, locals, and a couple creepy characters thrown in for good measure as a reminder that it is in fact a bar in Glassell Park. Otherwise, with the cool ambiance and décor, you tend to forget where you are. (Although I do hope the nice crowd stays and it isn't overrun by gangsters and homeless - which every new business in an up and coming neighborhood fears).

The Music
The music was also good (lots of classic Joy Division) and not too loud.

Overall Review
A sophisticated local bar and welcome addition to the neighborhood.

(Prior to opening, our neighborhood bar consisted of Los Candiles - a Latino gay/trany bar on the corner of Division and Cypress. A must see for the surreal David Lynch-esque interior and performances - male strippers dressed in sailor and cop costumes, diva transvestites lip synching, and post-op transsexual strippers - but it's not the type of bar you can just stop in to have a drink.)

Big Question
So when is the first trendy restaurant going to move in next door? If only. I hope this is just the beginning of cool establishments moving into the neighborhood. Then my Friday nights could take place on Verdugo (Glassell Park) vs. Colorado Blvd. (Eagle Rock). Just call me an Eastside girl hoping for nicer, safer, more happening neighborhood & playground.

2 comments:

CitizenRobots said...

Wait a second. I LIVE SO CLOSE BY TO THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rose said...

I know. Isn't it great!?