Mom's Bar & Lounge

Mom’s claims to have “LA’s Best Happy Hour,” according to the sign displayed on the sidewalk in front of the bar. If your definition of a good happy hour is based on convenient times, good prices and a variety of choices, then the hefty claim is well-founded. What immediately stands out about Mom’s is the name, the funky drink names such as “Absolutely F**king Fabulous (AFF)” and “Culver City Slut,” and the abundance of the color red. So if you’re looking for a bar with a little bit of an edge, Mom’s is the place for you. Their happy hour is seven days a week from 4-8pm, so you don’t have to struggle to find time in your schedule for it. The whole menu is $1 off, so your choices are not limited to just 5 or 6 drinks. This also means already-cheap drinks are even cheaper, but you can still order top-shelf drinks for a discounted price. The place manages to have a small-town dive bar feel, without it being a dive bar. The staff is friendly, often seen having light conversation with regular patrons, and the bartenders are knowledgeable. It’s amply lighted with candles and Christmas lights. The crowd ranges from students to young and older professionals. Outgoing patrons can do karaoke, dance, and hang by the bar, while quieter patrons can chat at a table or couch and play classic arcade games. Mom’s is a bar that you can have a good time at, but still bring home to mom in the future.

You know the film, right? The cult '85 classic that created the "Brat Pack" into a world-wide phenomenon? Anyway, what St. Elmo's Fire was to Demi, Rob, Emilio, and the rest of those Brat Pack actors, is what Mom's Bar & Lounge is to my friends and myself. From the outside, Mom's Bar & Lounge isn't the prettiest sight - with its evergreen painted walls and wood trimming, but that's what makes it perfect. It isn't a bar or lounge that comes off as pretentious and it definitely doesn't house that sort of cold-natured environment inside. With a more than reasonable happy hour, and the decently priced libations for any average-Joe to enjoy, I've been happy to call Mom's Bar & Lounge a place to just chill, enjoy decent tunes, and have a great time with my friends. A jukebox, chilled Pabst, and a round or two of playing pool and I have no complaints in this casual yet cool lounge. If you are in the Santa Monica area please check it out.

My friend and I to walk into Mom's Bar after we left Busby's West (definitely walking distance). It's a small bar with a dance floor. Somehow we ended up talking to the DJ, DJ Bossa Nova. We got glow sticks and bracelets. Definitely a cool guy. The crowd ranged from people in their early 20's to mid 30's. Worth checking out if you are in the LA/SM area.

Let me just start out by saying that what I like about a bar may not be what you like about a bar. I like a bar that is quiet enough for me to hear those around me, enough seats for me to plant myself down and buy a beer as soon as I arrive (that is, a bar with ample space and a reasonable crowd) but not so few people that a social butterfly like myself couldn't spread my wings for some recreational meet and greet. I appreciate Mom's Bar & Lounge because it provides all of these characteristics without sacrificing its potential for a hot weekend scene. I personally enjoy the weekday atmosphere of Mom's and in particular find that Thursday night is the perfect blend of casual partying, ping pong/pool, and friendly mingling. But for all you would-be weekend warriors out there who want a more decisively jam packed, hot and heavy, line out the door, music bumping, co-ed bar experience, Mom's also doesn't disappoint on any given Friday or Saturday night. The reasonable prices, the dim and sultry lighting, and a good team of servers and bartenders can't disappoint either. Don't expect food beyond some complimentary bar snacks unless they let you order a pizza to bring into the bar (I've seen it happen). Like any good mother Mom's Bar & Lounge knows that not all of her children have fun in exactly the same way and it seems that she is well aware of how to provide for each and every one of us, just so long as you know which day is for you.

If you have ever been to the 901 bar & grill near USC, Mom’s bar will feel exactly like that on the weekends. I would consider Mom’s bar to be an “Adult 901 bar and grill.” Mom’s bar is mostly the 20-30s/post-college crowd. There is no food served here, but the drinks are cheap, there is no cover, and the crowd is always a lot of fun. The bartenders are friendly and the service is also very good. Mom’s is a no frills, very casual bar, that plays great music every night of the week. The only downside is that bar hopping may prove to be a challenge due to the isolated location. All in all though, Mom’s bar guarantees a great night out.

Mom's is a great place to check out on Friday and Saturday nights if you're the type who can't stand a clubbing atmosphere but love to dance. It's a typical dive bar with a dance floor filled with young professionals and recent UCLA grads ("hey didn't I have history with that guy over there back in freshman year?"). If you’re not looking for one of those nights where you have to weave through crowds and crowds to get to the bathroom, check it out on another night. The atmosphere is way chiller and there is more room for conversation and running after rogue ping pong balls.

I'm not the hugest fan of Mom's bar, but plenty of people will be. If you like neighborhood joints with cheap drinks and friendly patrons, this place is definitely for you. The crowd ranges from young professionals in their 20's getting wasted and singing karaoke to locals looking for reasonable prices and a few cocktails. It's always friendly here, and it's the closest bar to my house, so it's always an easy option when we don't want to deal with traveling. I'm a bit biased, since I absolutely hate Karaoke bars...and Mom's has karaoke multiple times a week, so if that's your thing, get over there. I usually hang out at the pool table when i'm here, and I always have a good time shooting billiards with the buddies over some inexpensive whiskey and cokes. The weekends here definitely have a higher energy and younger crowd, and can be a really good option for anyone in the area not trying to deal with trekking out to Main Street or Hollywood.

Mom's is the kind of place you stumble upon and then quickly fall in love with. Dive-y enough from the outside to earn a little cachet, but with a surpisingly diverse and hip crowd hiding within. There's usually some spontaneous dancing going on, a back room with sofas if you need a (slightly) quieter spot, and the bartenders know what they're doing. If you stumble upon it, congratulations, but it's worth seeking out too.

If you're looking for cheap drinks, Mom's is the place to go. The biggest benefit of a place like Mom's is that it retains its kitschy, dive-like feel and atmosphere without the drawbacks that come with true hole-in-the-wall dives. You won't be wondering what it is you just stepped in, or how long it's been since they cleaned out the keg hoses. The bar has a nice layout with plenty of seating at the bar, along the walls and at various tables. If it gets too stuffy during peak hours, you can wander to the back for a little more breathing room, all the while having a place to set your drink. Like a lot of the Westside bars, Mom's offers a rocking happy hour that runs from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week. Karaoke is always a blast, as long as you're not expecting X-Factor auditions. Mom's offers a full array of bottled beers and a nice on-tap selection. If you're looking for home cooking you'll have to get it from your own mother, as Mom's doesn't have a kitchen. You can, however, bring in grub of your own, which is a very awesome touch. I've often spotted food trucks parked outside accommodating the soused patrons with a hankering for greasy food. The only real drawback is that there sometimes seems to be a line when one isn't needed. I've left a few times when the place isn't too busy only to see a throng of thirsty people waiting to get inside. I suppose it could be a marketing trick, but if I have to wait for a while I'd like to see that it's for good reason. That said, Mom's is great for most occasions, and they seem willing to entertain even smaller parties and events. Get there before 9:00 or 10:00 p.m. to watch the place fill up with all sorts of diverse and fun people.

I went with a bunch of my friends recently and we had a great time! Played a few games of pool, ordered pizza that we picked up and brought back into the bar from right across the street, and got well drinks for only $3 on a Thursday night, because we're students! They don't really advertise the deal but if you ask, you got it, just make sure you bring your Bruincard, or whatever your student identification may be. It got really crowded towards the front door after Happy Hour ended but the back area where the pool table is was chillin', but the crowd was actually mostly older people, at least until about 9pm when we left. So if you wanna rage like a college kid, you'll probably wanna hang in the back with your friends 'til the night gets crackin' later on.

I don't know about you, but I love a good dive bar. Mom's is no exception, carrying that "what you see is what you get" attitude that make places like it so inviting. It's mostly a local hangout for the 20-30 range, except it's really popular on the weekends with 20-somethings. Unfortunately, a line down the street is very common on Friday/Saturday nights so unless you like waiting in line try to get there around 9 or 9:30pm. No food; this place is for drinking only with a full bar and has karaoke and a DJ on weekends. You won't find cheaper drinks than the ones they serve up, which is probably why they always have such a full dance floor when I've been. Wouldn't say this place is a destination spot, but if you live nearby pay Mom's a visit and you're sure to have a blast!

Mom's bar has two distinct personalities. For most of the week it is a neighborhood bar that is never too busy and caters to locals more often in their 30s and 40s than 20s. With cheap drinks, karaoke, and long happy hours, most weekdays have a distinctly local corner bar feel. However on weekends right around 10 or 11pm there is suddenly a line down the block to get in and the inside becomes a progressively drunker and younger mess with early 20s and college student patrons filling up every bit of space and the dance floor up front. The DJ near the front door plays top 40 and dance tracks but also brings in some old school hip hop as well. Drinks are tougher to come by as the waitresses who normally circle the long central table like airplanes in a holding pattern have difficulty pushing through the crowd. Going to the bathroom can become a 20 minute affair especially as the men and women jostle over who should have access to the unisex bathroom in the middle of the 3 bathrooms. The crowd at Mom's is surprisingly diverse even as it fills up. The younger crowd does not drive out the locals, just adds to them, and you will be mixing with folks of all ages and backgrounds. Everyone is very friendly and it seems that some of the regulars are a little confused about the relatively sudden popularity of Mom's with the younger folks. I even had some ask me how I discovered Mom's. When I told them I lived around the corner they were very excited. There is no food served at Mom's but there are food trucks on weekend nights and they allow you to order or bring in food. The South Philly Experience truck is often there on Saturday nights and makes a pretty good cheese steak for being this far west. Drinks are reasonably priced compared to most of LA, but still not exactly cheap after happy hour ends. In the back of the bar on the right is a smaller, more private room with lounge-type couches. This is a great place for group if you can snag it early enough but it will fill up. In the back past the bathrooms on the left is a smoking area so you can get your fix without having to leave the bar and deal with skipping past the line, which is nice, but it closes around midnight.