The Arsenal

Santa Monica / Westside, Los Angeles –

Fierce winds destroyed the original Arsenal in the 1870s, the Great Flood of 1916 laid waste to the second version, and a flicked cigarette burned the third incarnation to the ground in 1949 – but despite its accident-prone past, this fourth-time’s-the-charm drinking den remains a favorite among hip Angelinos thanks to its relaxed mid-week vibe, daily Happy Hour, and haphazard collection of deadly weaponry.

Groups of jeans-clad locals are the first to belly up to the lacquered bar or high-top tables in the main room, where they sample discount drafts under the haze of a vintage candelabra.

Hungry hipsters, meanwhile, take their vodka chillers to the wood-paneled barroom, where diners in cozy cherry vinyl booths attack a selection of munchies that includes macaroni and cheese pizza.

Patrons quickly discover that the walls are lined with everything from antique swords to replica rocket launchers – a nod to the tavern’s name – so if the glare of low-hanging daggers proves intimidating, more reserved revelers can escape to the patio – a sparse area crisscrossed by low-hanging exposed bulbs and lacking in any obvious instruments of death, save perhaps for the filter-less Camels the emo couples sprawled on the weathered banquettes are smoking.

Although DJs take the energy up a notch Thursdays through Sundays, guests won’t find lines out the door or a bumping dance scene.

Slightly quirky and a bit unsettling, The Arsenal nonetheless continues to stand the test of time – at least until its next calamity.