Seventy7 Lounge / Speakeasy

Culver City, Los Angeles –

Hidden from the street down a dim alleyway, Seventy7 exudes a speakeasy vibe from the minute patrons step through the inconspicuous door until the last drop from the absinthe fountain has trickled down their throats.

Part of the ongoing expansion of Culver City’s nightlife, the upscale lounge caters to a refined mix of Prohibition-loving cocktailers thirsting for drinks intended to dazzle the senses, not merely dull them.

Although a password is usually requested at the door, it’s hardly an ironclad requirement, and once inside, guests enter an intimate space awash in plush brown leather furnishings, where classic Parisian paintings hang against gold taffeta walls and beaded chandeliers drip from the ceiling.

The midweek crowd – composed largely of young area couples, arty locals, and old executives from nearby studios – is there to chill and sip house specials like the Moulin Rouge, made with absinthe and muddled strawberries, or the Smortini’s combination of vodka, Godiva chocolate, marshmallows, and (halleluiah!) a graham cracker crust.

The dark wood bar dominates the small room, and it’s usually possible to grab a free stool until Thursday nights, after which love birds on a spendy date and groups of trendy young professionals weary of the area’s casual bars pack the reserved booths to chat over plates of charcuterie and bottles of Dom.

For after-dinner drinks or a departure from a usual night on the town, Seventy7 is a cool little speakeasy that leaves patrons ready for a-not-so-tini bit S’more.