The Brig Bar

Venice, Los Angeles –

A quintessential Venice bar, The Brig has been a cornerstone of the hip Abbot Kinney Boulevard for over sixty years.

A dive bar for its first five decades, the venue underwent a swanky makeover in the late 90s, garnering several architecture and design awards in the process.

The result is a peculiar mix of retro and futuristic elements, with mod, faux-vintage 50s furniture and a bright orange wall juxtaposed with Jetsons-style curved table surfaces, textured metallic walls, and dangling orange sphere lights.

An unusually diverse crowd of raucous, earthy hipsters sporting hats and beards, tanned beachgoers in their summer best, and buttoned-up young professionals crams into this narrow rectangular space to flirt with strangers and nod their heads to the beat of funky indie tunes.

A long bar on one wall provides a lively place to meet new people, while the raised pool table area in the back corner draws a crowd of spectators who lounge on silver leather benches. Guests in the mood for a quieter evening can head to the alcoves on either side of the entrance to sink into low leather chairs around mirrored tables.

History buffs should make their way to the hidden hallway behind the restrooms, where vintage black-and-white boxer portraits – along with the boxer on the bar’s sign – pay homage to the original owner of the bar, a 1930s Golden Gloves fighter.

For loud but laid-back fun with an unpretentious singles crowd ready to meet and mingle, it’s hard to beat an evening at The Brig.