Foxfire Room
12516 Magnolia Blvd
Valley Village, CA 91607 (818) 766-1344
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Music: Juke Box
- Best Nights: Mon, Tue, Wed
- Happy Hour: Yes
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Smoking: Outdoor Area/Patio Only
- Coat Check: No
46 reviews
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
"After having gone to the Gas Lite I wonder why I bother going anywhere else. No other place is nearly as fun. There is no line, no cover,…" read more »
25 Reviews for Foxfire Room
The Foxfire room is a pretty awesome little dive! It's tacky and deep seventies inside, in a good, kitchy way. The place comes complete with barflies, darts and weekly karoke.
Drinks are reasonably priced as well, it gets a little crowded so come early. All in all, one of the best dives I've been to, easily the best dive in the valley.
If you want to score some booger sugar this seems like the place to go. A wee bit shady sometimes. No but seriously its a cool little divey bar, drinks were not very expensive the crowd did not seem like the most genuine people but who cares your just there to drink right.
I can summarize the Foxfire Room in one word: "Quincy".
Back in the sooper spectacular seventies, "Quincy", along with a handful of other Universal Studios produced crime shows, ruled the television airwaves. All of the shows typically followed a rehashed plotline, with only a handful of events changing from week to week. This is why I developed a huge distaste for TV of the time, and opted to listen to Radio Mystery Theater instead.
But there's a reason I associate the Foxfire with "Quincy".
Walking into The Foxfire Room is like stepping back in time to 1978. The décor has very obviously remained largely unchanged since then It's very easy to picture Jack Klugman and his crew sitting in a dark naugahyde corner, pounding down drinks so stiff they could be called liquid rigor-mortis, discussing where all the broads will be on Saturday night, as disco music plays in the background. And all of them would be dressed in leisure suits with lapels so wide they could become airborne in a strong wind.
Obviously, it's not 1978. Leisure suits are not around, and- thank all that is holy- Disco is dead and buried. And yet places like the Foxfire still exist, and it's easy to understand why. Let's take a look.
As you walk through the door, the first thing that you may notice is the low light setting. No flashing strobe lights, no giant LCD televisions showing obnoxious, fit-inducing videos or the twenty or so sports matches occurring simultaneously around the globe (though a run-of-the mill TV showing a Dodger game is present- what neighborhood bar doesn't show the game?), This place isn't covered in fake souvenirs or artificial memorabilia. The jukebox -when it's even on- isn't blasting at a level that makes conversation impossible. It's just a neighborhood bar, and therein lays its charm.
To paraphrase an old saying, a bar is a pharmacy with a very limited inventory. With the Foxfire "pharmacy" the medication is dispensed only one way: maximum/pharmaceutical strength. The kind of drink that will have you making cartoon faces if you aren't prepared ahead of time. But hey, isn't that the main reason anyone darkens the doorway of an establishment that serves alcoholic beverages in the first place? After your drink has been served, be sure to take note of the vintage napkins imprinted with the kind of cartoon bawdy humor one would expect to have been made in the fifties or early sixties (and for the record, if I knew where to find them, I'd buy a case just to hand out to friends).
Now, there's a bit of a misunderstanding when it comes to service at The Foxfire. The place has become "trendy" with the 20-something crowd, and there have been complaints that the service is slow because the bartender will usually serve the regulars first. This is the same crowd that believes Paris Hilton is a role model, and they should be served first, no matter what. To these kids I say this: you are merely tourists- sight-seers on an adventure to drink in a place where "Magnolia"/"Barfly" was filmed (and yes, Bukowski would drink at), buying only a couple of drinks once or twice a year when you decide it would be fun to go out and "slum it". You are NOT regulars, who are the life-blood of this establishment, and this is "their" bar. So quit your whining, wait your turn, or go somewhere else. If you want better service, move to the neighborhood and visit the bar frequently. Get to know your bartender and the other regulars. You get the picture. We've never visited The Foxfire Room later than 8:00 PM, and we've never had a problem with the service, but I imagine there is some resentment on the part of the old-timers at having their watering hole overrun with snot-nosed kids. But if you take the time to become part of the community, magically, the service problem goes away...
Most people don't realize it, but there is yet one more reason that makes The Foxfire so special, and that reason is right down the street.
Within walking/staggering distance is the legendary Joe Peeps Pizza. In the very remote chance you don't know, Joe Peeps is the very best New York-Style pizza in Los Angeles, possibly west of the Mississippi. And while they do deliver with a buck-per-mile charge, most people opt for phoning in their orders for pickup, or placing the order and waiting. If you elect for option number two, a drink or two at The Foxfire will make the time go by.
So whether you're looking for a cool one after a long afternoon out riding, or just a mixer while waiting for dinner, check out The Foxfire. Just don't expect them to throw rose petals and palm leaves before your feet as you walk in.
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Firefox = awesome web browser
Foxfire = awesome, dive-y valley bar
You'll likely get the stink-eye if you're not a regular, but maybe I'm just paranoid! (Or maybe it was the fact that we were drunkenly playing darts and obviously had no idea how to play...)
Docked a star because they no longer have Newcastle on tap....boo! But they do have Fat Tire, Sierra Nevada, Guiness, etc.
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I love, love, love this place. It's a little hit-or-miss with the cocktails but the Guiness is the best I've had this side of the pond. On St. Patrick's the woman bartender (I forgot her name, but she's awesome) poured it properly with a three-leaf clover on top. There was also free cornbeef and cabbage which I was told on good authority was good (I'm a vegetarian).
St. Patricks or not there is a good mix of people. Young and old, work boots to Prada boots, regulars and stoppers by. It's a great place to go for a casual get-together as they have no problem with you bringing in food from other places. They actually have take-out menus from the restaurants that deliver at the bar if you get hungry. Go on Mondays for homemade Tamales.
Oh, and someone wrote about a bad jukebox. I never saw one so they must have gotten rid of it. There's now a digital jukebox. It's different from the brand I usually see and has a much better selection of music.
So go. They're strict about IDing so don't forget yours even if you think you're too old to get carded anymore.
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It's an over 25 crowd and you get the feeling theyre all regulars. Darts was fun. People come their for the darts specifically with full rolls of quarters. The bartender was slow to get me quarters so I'd recommend bringing your own as well. I think I'd only go back to play darts or if I were to lazy to go elsewhere at the time.
Cheap drinks in big glasses! Who doesn't love that!?
The bar is very dive-y. I can see why some films are shot here (as other reviewers have said). It's dark and old. The crowded was surprisingly cool and the staff was very friendly. The bouncer Alec is a sweetheart!
Overall, it's a chill place to get drinks.
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Some bars give you drinks in tall skinny glasses; some give them to you in in those short little glass.
Foxfire gives you drinks in real glasses. And they don't fill them with ice, either. You order a Jack and Coke here, and you'll get a good, strong Jack and Coke.
The bartender was really cool; she helped me keep track of all the drinks I bought, and when I closed my tab, I think it came to something like $30 - and that was for six drinks!
That's really all I've got...
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Ample parking in the back... and that's about it.
It reminded me of being in a bar in the SFV.... (which it was...) I wasn't terribly impressed, though in all fairness...I was only there for about 10 minutes. I'll have to stop by again at another point to which I will edit my review.
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Yea, it's a dive bar.
Yea the regulars are here.
Yea the drinks are strong and cheap.
Yea the people are approachable w/o attitude.
Yea I had a pretty good time even though I missed my group.
Nuff said.
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This place is awesome during the day all week and on weeknights (Mon.-Wed.) and so incredibly, painfully, utterly lame the rest of the time. I'm still giving it five stars because when it's cool, it's maybe my favorite bar ever.
Dive bar ambience is complemented by working class joes playing darts in the corner. It's dark, dusty, dirty, and so dated you can't believe it's not a movie set. No wonder Barfly was filmed here; the place just screams Bukowski. The William H. Macy bar scenes in Magnolia were shot here too, but I'll always know it as the bar where Bukowski played an extra in a movie based on a book about his own sordid life.
The music on the jukebox is hilariously bad and the bathrooms are gross. The drinks are cheap as hell and the service is pretty distant until you've been going there for a long time. Parking is easy and there's plenty of seating. Sometimes there are free hot dogs during happy hour. I've never eaten one, but it's a classic gesture.
Basically, this is the best bar in the world and if you don't like it we should never go drinking together, because you're probably kind of a drag.
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Tried this as an alternative to the ruined Wednesday nights at The Tonga Hut. I'm ambivalent. Slightly seedier crowd. Seemed more in danger of bar fights. Drinks were pretty good and the staff was nice. I guess it's a perfectly servicable bar but lacking a certain...atmosphere. Defininately has the potential to become the new Wednesday girls night hang as it meets the requirements of entertainment and alcohol while not being a complete barfly dive.
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Let me make a statement that is applicable to basically everyone but was inspired by my visit to foxfire last night. don't talk on your cell phone on the toilet. i mean, at home, you can do whatever you want. But if you're at the bar, and you know other people are doing the pee pee dance outside of the only stall available, and they can hear your whole insipid conversation, shut up, wipe your ass and get the hell out.
That being said, most of the people at foxfire are not as unpleasant as me. As a matter of fact, they are nice, if perhaps they have been ordering the same drink since the Eisenhower administration, or alternatively crying into their Sam Adams because their freshly divorced or something like that. However, on Sunday nights its mainly a young, hip crowd, for one reason. KARAOKE. I have not heard so much grunge rock since my 13th birthday party. And they bring it, too. I could have sworn Eddie Veder was in the room right there with me.
The drinks are good too, but not particularly strong. It's got a friendly vibe and the atmosphere is fun and unpretentious. Also, the bartenders will make you microwave popcorn. I went here for my birthday and they beat you with a paddle. I have never had a birthday wish come true so quickly.
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I've been here twice, one for a movie wrap party and just last nite for a movie that just wrapped it's 2nd week of shooting. So both times I never had to pay for drinks which means I can't say if the drinks are overpriced for this dive bar. It's alright for a dive bar, kinda reminds me a little bit of a cop bar in some ways. It's completely nondescript, has microwave popcorn available and the usual darts and jukebox, a few booths and a short bar top.
It's really nothing to write about but heck there's nothing else in the area. I actually think hanging out at the Oyster House Saloon might be better for the variety of drinks and just that old L.A. vibe.
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- midwest bar meets pub.
- jukebox - yea!
- darts. good for anyone other than me (it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye).
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First of all, the main reason I ever went here is because the Foxfire is also known as The Smiling Peanut thanks to a little movie that was shot there called Magnolia. This alone makes it worth the trip (for me at least). A Mickey Rourke movie called Barfly was also shot here, but whatever.
Aside from this, there are 2 dart boards and a jukebox full of.. music. Not the greatest music, but entertaining music.
The drinks are cheap as all hell.
They have 2 of the little bar game tap screen things which I love.
And of course karaoke, which is always entertaining due to the variety of people involved. There are the regulars that all know each other and dedicate songs to one another, there are the seasoned professionals, and there are the tone-deaf drunks. I prefer the latter.
Love this place, smoking, drinks, redness, juke box, some patrons a little weird but it is my 'hood so I better not dog anyone too much :)
Go, hang out - it's a pretty cool little dive bar
I was surprised that no one here mentioned that this bar is in the movie magnolia. it's the place with the bartender with braces. anyways the drinks here are cheap and strong. the atmosphere is good. this is my fav bar in the valley.
1 star mainly because, when I've been there, they let people smoke inside. Gross.
over priced on weekends too. Dive bar look without the Dive bar prices.
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There aren't many bars to choose from around Whitsett & Magnolia, so for those who are taking what you can get, the Foxfire is a perfectly acceptable joint with wood paneling and other old-school effects. Plenty of parking out back, and plenty of room inside.. Darts, megatouch, cozy booths, and what appeared to be outdoor seating.
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of the bars in my hood, this is one that frequent most regularly.
it's low key. drinks are relatively cheap.
the locals that come in are generally cool.
some weirdo's, but come on, we're in the valley.
...and the glasses are usually pretty clean.
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Now THIS!! is a bar you can take grandma to and be guaranteed at least $7 in dollar bills in your next birthday card. Yes it is that cool!
First of all, at 4pm on a Friday afternoon, the place is packed with more blue hairs than the collective nightshift at Canter's. And all of them are drinkin their scotch, gin or whiskey on the rocks or just plain straight. No posers here, this is the spot for the hardcore, folks.
Second. I went to tinkle in the ladies room and I smell smoke. Not fire smoke, but ciggy smoke, only to find grandma smokin a cigarette on the can. Friggin PRICELESS. She then realizes I am waiting and finishes up her business and opens the door and belts out a drunken "NEXT!!!" These are moments I lie in bed wide awake at 4am praying will grace my life. So great.
Then there are the drinks. Wow. Two tall ones and I was more than tipsy. The only gripe I had with the place was the K-Big music selection. When I am in an old man dive bar, rubbing elbows with women who could outdrink me at 6am, I don't really wanna hear Mariah Carey or Phil Collins. Don't get me wrong, I love me the bad music for a certain touch of klass, but this would have been so much cooler if it was Tom Waits or some dirty blues or jazz. Just my two cents.
But yeah, check this place out. Especially if you are in your 30's and happen to feel old that day, nothing will put you back in your correct place than a visit to the Foxfire Room.
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I ask you, fellow Yelpers, Is it possible to be in love with a bar? Foxfire is legendary amongst my peeps. My friend's (now ex-)boyfriend introduced us to the bar just after the law passed in California that you couldn't smoke in bars and restaurants. It seems that the Foxfire people didn't get the memo. No prob. Then, I think they got the memo, but didn't want to follow the rules, so they put Altoids tins on each table, just in case you might want a place to ash.
In addition to the useful tins, they have karoke and darts and that ridiculous video game where you have two pictures side-by-side and you have to find the differences between the two pictures while being distracted by the fact that the pictures are of scantily clad or near naked men or women (your choice).
I haven't done it yet, but I am sure that if my friends called me at 11:30 on a Thursday night and said "come out!" and I said that I was in my pajamas and they said to come anyway in the jammies, it would be okay. At least I would be better dressed than the woman in the cutoffs from 1987.
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Karaoke. There are few things that I hate more.
Fox Fire has Karaoke every Sunday night. I attended last night for my best friends birthday. "really? Fox fire? Karaoke? that's what you wanna do for your birthday??". My home-girl loves karaoke. Me, I've done it twice. With so much liquid courage I was propped up, so that I wouldn't fall over, Mic shoved in my face, and I was still terrified.
I did not sing last night. Instead, I had a blast watching! I've been to Fox Fire a few times on regularly scheduled boozing nights. It's a local hang in the heart of Valley Village. Very old fogey, types who start drinking at noon, and only stop to sip on a cup of coffee, then comes the second wind, and a whiskey neat. Thats core.
So, Karaoke night was similar, though there was another herd regulars, a mid 30's crowd that frequent every Sunday. These people can sing, which is my only complaint. There's no fun in that! Super friendly environment, I love this bar. So much that I decided THIS will be the place that I will overcome my Karaoke fear. Yes. One of these Sundays I WILL(mark my words)....I WILL, Get up there and sing Little Red Corvette. Or some Neil Diamond, I haven't decided yet.
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It's hard for me to hate anything at the Foxfire. STRONG drinks, and cheap prices. You don't like something? No problem...they take care of it. I don't like that this is in the dive bar category, since I've rarely met a "diver" there ever - most people I meet there are nice, and well educated and make $$, young people and cool people all round. There are a few regular drunks, mostly the older folks that go there during the day and leave by 5pm. At night this is the best, unknown spot that we go to and have been going to for 5 years or more. Kenny is cool as fuck - and Mark, the owner even gave me a job once when I needed money - it's that kind of people. You will EASILY make friends here.
And during football season, look out. Free spreads with 5 televisions with satellite ability to find any game on any television, 2 large, and bratwurst with onions, deli trays and homemade chile and more. No charge. Longtime friends come here and have been doing so for a long time.
Darts, video games, best jukebox in the valley, big parking lot, outside smoking area, cheap and strong drinks and an old school feel (the booths) make this a place you will love and hang out at when nothing else is going on. Highly recommended.
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