Tom Bergin's Tavern

I don't know how they did it, but the new Bergin's is great. They really kicked the food up a notch (the Vidalia Onion Rings are probably some of the best that I've ever eaten). It's actually worth going for the food now as opposed to something you'd order to soak up the booze. There's excellent service and the staff is really friendly, and because of the recent change, there are so many more options to choose from. The downside is that the prices were increased to compensate for the new menu options. Furthermore, the place gets pretty crowded, but this place is definitely great if you wanna watch some good sports on the TV. Recommend for those of you who want a chill lounge to party in.

I went to Tom Bergin’s for the first time over the weekend to grab a couple of drinks with some friends, and I was not disappointed. The bar has a great neighborhood bar feel that makes me want to become a regular, with raised benches rather than individual stools lining the outside of their large central bar and a few booths in the back. It really encourages intermingled conversations between groups, as you could be sharing a bench with a stranger. We managed to snag the last spots around the bar on a relatively quiet Sunday night; otherwise, we would have been relegated to a table in the dining room. I can see seating being an issue on a busier night. They had sports on TV and Michael Jackson and Radiohead serenading patrons from their sound system. The bartenders were friendly and knowledgeable, and both my Old Fashioned and my Irish coffee tasted great. Prices were pretty standard for LA; I paid $20 for my two drinks including tip. I’ll definitely be back the next time I’m looking to get a drink in the area.

Tom Bergins Old Horseshoe and Thoroughbred Club has been a neighborhood fixture since 1936. In 1949, a couple of regulars bought it and moved it, brick-by-brick, to its current location. In 2010, a couple of successful restaurateurs, Warner Ebbink and Brandon Boudet (Café 101, Dominick’s, Little Dom’s) took an interest in the aging beauty. Ebbink and Boudet shut the doors for a few months and painstakingly set about restoring the old relic. Determined to keep the feel of the old Irish Tavern, they refinished the horseshoe bar, dusted off the old shamrocks (including Cary Grant’s), stocked the bar with an impressive array of whiskeys, and created a new drinks menu featuring the “Cameron’s Kick” and the “Irish Maid”, masterminded by the same mixologist behind “Granddad’s Lemonade” and the “Penicillin” found at Little Dom’s. Boudet’s delectable new food menu features updated Irish classics like, “Fish and Chips” which is so authentic it should be served in newspaper, and an Irish Stew that is so nostalgic that if you didn’t grow up in Ireland, one bite and you’d think you did. Specials include Tuesdays at Tom’s, where every week they feature a $15 3-course meal, with $5 house wine and $4 Beer of the Day. On Sundays, Boudet’s been known to host tailgate parties in the parking lot, usually whipping up some spicy Jumbalaya for the Saints’ games. Non-Saints fans are also invited to grab a bowl. For a more intimate dinner, they’ve redone the back dining room, somehow managing to make it feel updated and nostalgic at the same time. After dessert, transfer into the laid-back, friendly bar area that draws the Hollywood crowd and neighborhood regulars (legend has it that Tom Bergin’s was the inspiration for the show “Cheers”), and catch the end of the Lakers game. By the end of the evening, and after a few of their famous Irish coffees, everybody will know your name.

After tonguing the cream from the rim of my third empty Irish Coffee I concluded that I had been bewitched by Tom Bergins. Business men, daters, and Celticists alike unwind together in L.A.’s iconic Irish cottage pub. Cozy jazz standards float through the rafters where hundreds of paper shamrocks are tacked upon the dark wooden celling. A paper shamrock on the wall of Tom’s has seen 63 years of Los Angeles history: clandestine celebrity meetings, lovers tender moments, and blustery bar fights. The convivial bartenders and servers are happy to joke around or pour another after a long day. On recommendation I ordered Tom’s “Secret Sandwich” which is not on the menu but esteemed as a top-choice hangover-fix among elite regulars. What I received was a bed of fried oysters atop a skirt steak steaming between two slices of baguette. To this day I have no clue as to what ingredients were inside of the dipping sauce, but the mysterious flavors linger in my memory. For one of the best values in town check out “Tuesdays at Tom’s” where each week a new special is served up with soda bread and other Irish staples. I would be honored to have my name join the hundreds of others on one the venerable shamrocks of Tom Bergins.

Tom Bergins is the best for a super low key, divey, Irish bar scene. It’s a really fun vibe that is antithetical to all of the pretentious Hollywood bars/clubs that we’re used to. I’ve never actually had food here, so I can’t really judge. But I’m quite fond of their Guiness pour and friends have told me they’re fans of their whiskey selection. It’s apparently under new ownership and has been renovated a bit. It keeps with the old style but just updated some. If you’re looking for the perfect St. Patty’s Day bar, you can go to Bergins and drink green beer all day long. Enjoy!

Most of my bar/pub exposure comes from birthday parties, I'll admit. And then I continue to go back to those bars. Tom Bergin's is among those establishments. The first time I went, our host had us wear name tags to help us all interact more smoothly. This extended to the rest of the bar-- such a friendly crowd. Sometimes people get in their little whiskey bubbles and don't talk to anyone else in the bar, and the crowd in this bar all because a part of the birthday party. Love the decor-- dark wood with lots of Irish accents. Green green green. A really fun, low key time.

I love me some Tom Bergin's. One of my best nights in LA was at this pub following a pre-Christmas Christmas party. Had great fun with about six friends drinking way too much Guinness (and maybe whiskey) and listening to great tunes. It was a fairly quiet night and by last call we were best friends with the rest of the bar patrons. A no bulls**t, casual place to hang out without having to deal with the typical LA posturing. Even as a Westsider I would make the trip to have a pint, have a chin wag and make some new friends.

I have a tradition with a group of friends that the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, we all meet up and get hammered at Tom Bergin's. Wasn't there last year because of their renovation, but hoping to start it back up. So I can't give the most recent review because I haven't seen the newest digs, but if certain things are the same, like the shamrocks on the walls, the TVs for watching sports, the friendly crowds and bartenders, then it's probably still good to go. Overall, the place has a solid, authentic Irish pub feel, which isn't that easy to come by in Los Angeles. So if you're looking for a little Irish grub and grog, check out Tom Bergin's.

Tom Bergins is very decent. The crowd is typically filled with east coast transplants, those of Irish decent, and those who just love Irish beer. Everyone who works at Tom Bergins is super nice. And as crowded as the bar can get, it's always tolerable. Tom Bergins has never been the focal point of my evening, but it has been a place our group impulsively goes to just for one last fun stop before last call. Because of that, its probably not fair to judge the crowd. With that said though, the guys there can be douches. Pack your own parachute and go with those whose company you enjoy. In conclusion, go for last call, go with a group, and know you'll have a good time.