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Party Earth Review Inconspicuously tucked into a tiny strip mall, Drawing Room is sure to please any lover of that holy sanctuary known simply as the American dive. Considering the lack of windows, a welcome sense of intimacy – and stumble... ... read full review
1800 Hillhurst Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90027
Red Line: Vermont/Sunset
323-665-0135
Daily 6am–2am
Los Feliz / Atwater Village, Los Angeles –
Inconspicuously tucked into a tiny strip mall, Drawing Room is sure to please any lover of that holy sanctuary known simply as the American dive.
Considering the lack of windows, a welcome sense of intimacy – and stumble-inducing darkness – starts at the door. Red string lights glow over the bar that runs down one side, while a short chain of booths backed by an Oriental-themed dragon mural lines the opposing wall.
Although Los Feliz has grown into a sceney hotspot, the clientele here comes in all shapes and sizes, from armchair quarterbacks clapping to the game on TV, to young couples pinching their pennies after buying a house in the neighborhood, to a smattering of fedora-wearing cool kids and old drunks who have been planted on the same stool for who knows how long.
The jukebox in back features lots of reggae, Motown, and indie – and, it’s safe to say, a complete lack of clubby chart toppers – while a dartboard gets solid use by after-work pals blowing off steam amid sips of cheap beer and rails, all for $5.
Throwing sharp objects might prove difficult come Fridays, however, when the joint’s laid-back vibe washes away amid a flood of hipsters, alkies, and boisterous locals who “loved Los Feliz before it was cool.”
Kind of like Drawing Room: zero pretense, zero mixology, and zero attempts to be anything that it’s not.
Day drinkers, casual after-work locals, hipsters, sports fans, barhoppers, budget-minded college kids, and Charles Bukowksi lookalikes, 20s to 30s at night, late 20s to 50s+ by day.
CD-only Jukebox features a diverse mix of old-school rock, punk, classic hip-hop, Motown, blues, indie darlings, and anything else that probably hasn’t seen a lot of radio play (at least not in this decade). Past patrons have also provided their own CD “mixtapes.”
Dartboard.
Three TVs usually tuned to ESPN or local sports.
No food. Happy Hour M–Th 6am–noon and 4–6pm, and $3.50 PBR 6–9pm.
Cash only. ATM on site.
Beer $3–$5, wine $5, rails $5.
Casual: t-shirts, shorts, jeans, flip-flops, tank tops, sweaters, anything goes.
Thursdays for the last chance to grab Happy Hour prices and start the weekend early, Fridays and Saturdays for a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd, or early in the week to share a drink with a guy who has lots of stories that begin with, “Back in my day…”
Ye Rustic Inn (1831 Hillhurst Avenue) just up the street is also a dive in a strip mall, has similar prices, and caters to a similar – though usually larger – crowd.
Drawing Room User Reviews