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Frank N Hanks
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Dive-y
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
155 reviews for Frank N Hanks
Review Highlights
"Cheap drinks and friendly people."
(in 28 reviews)
"red stripes + photohunt + pool table."
(in 47 reviews)
"Good tunes on the juke box."
(in 11 reviews)
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155 reviews in English
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Review from Ronald A.
Los Angeles, CA
1/19/2012 5 Check-ins Here
Metallica garage inc in the box!..
Dart board and a pool table thats whats up!..
And the best thing is that doesnt get so crowded... The lady makes the best bravebull ive had in a min!.. A good selection of beers(try "the irish blonde") $4.50 mixed drinks, $4.00 beers and $5.00 2 oz shots haha... Do I need to say more?
Check it out! -
Review from Brittany B.
Los Angeles, CA
1/17/2012
I love a good dive bar and this my friends, is a Mecca. Cheap drinks, jukebox, dark, sports Christmas lights year round, and friendly.
I know what you're thinking: that this awesome of a dive bar HAS to reek of urine/vomit/some nauseating combination of the two. Happy to report (as I usually am), you thought wrong. It is surprisingly clean and free of offensive odors, which is pretty sweet, considering this place would probably be cool enough to endure the vomit smell (especially after a few vodka sodas).
Cash only. Also, ladies be advised, it tends to be a little sausage fest-y some nights: I've been known to dodge a few more sloppy old men here than the standard ratio. Crowded before Wiltern shows as well. Pretty amazing...Love going here and pretending like I am one of the cool kids in Koreatown. Or just getting wasted and stumbling home. -
Review from Edwin T.
El Monte, CA
1/9/2012
Wow now this was a great find! I had some time to kill before meeting up with friends in K-town for some ayce korean bbq and thought I would look up a place to build up my appetite. As usually, this dive-bar had a great selection of liquors at a great price, about $4 for an amount of whiskey that would put any $11 drink to shame. Not only were the drinks great but what impressed me the most was that everyone who was there early knew the bartender. She was an older lady that was great to talk to, much like those bartenders you see in the movies when you just want someone to listen to you. If anything I would say would be a hassle is LA TRAFFIC... getting up and down Western can be a drag but its definitely the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Parking is also a bit sketch as in if you dont make the meters (which is free after 6) you have to walk a bit from the side streets. All in all though, a great place to go after work to grab a drink, meet a new friend, or just let the day soak in.
Cheers!Listed in: Divin' in and Divin' Bars
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Review from Aaron B.
Los Angeles, CA
12/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
I want to work here.
I walked in and it was dark. Good.
WIllie Nelson is playing on the jukebox. Lovely.
I see Stoli strasberi behind the bar. I'm excited.
I'm served a strong Stoli & soda for $4.5. I may never leave.
Cash only. Worth it. Love it. -
Review from Andrea L.
9/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
Cheap, Easy & Tight. This is a perfect dive...
Frank N Hanks is a totally inconspicuous cool little taproom. Find it right past the Wiltern between 5th and 6th on Western across the street from Carl's Jr. in K-town. If you blink, you will pass it! It's the perfect little dive bar for hiding out, to chill on the down low with friends, or just to have a drink, undisturbed, with someone you are totally crushing on...
It's a classic LA dive bar. Here you will find a really large, fully stocked bar that takes up most of the space in this quint watering hole. There's one pool table in the back and like maybe one little table with additional stools... This is essentially it.
Bar with chipped varnish and stains from its years of solid faithful serving- Check!
Happily worn out bar stools with upholstery that have seen better days but will never fail to offer respite- Check!
Big ass oil painting of a naked chick laying on her belly hanging high above the barroom- Check!
Essential tacky bar décor such as Budweiser mirror with Budweiser girls in bathing suits super imposed over the mirror- Check!
Jukebox that will play 18 songs for $5- Check! (my picks: Bob Marley, The Doors, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Robin Thicke, Ben Harper, The Cars, Audioslave, Tom Petty, & U2)
Dark homie little bar no one is ever gonna find you at- Check!
Sweet mother-like Korean bartender who will serve you two stiff Jack and cokes (mine was a diet coke) for $9- Check!
Seriously. I heart this spot. The bathrooms are clean. Drinks are good and cheap. Street parking available sort of. You can expect it to be crowded on Fridays & Saturdays.
Its totally chill up in here... You'll like it. Trust. Put it on your list for places to hide out. Cheers friends!
Xo Dre -
Review from Boo A.
Hollywood, CA
1/7/2012
A true dive bar like you'd find in the Midwest right in ktown! Wood panel a good jukebox and cheap drinks all within 2 blocks of me. Love it!
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Review from Vincent R.
Los Angeles, CA
11/13/2011
Had a hard day? tired of paying too much for watered down drinks, Frank N Hanks is your Dive Bar. Drink, don't think.
Cheep drinks, $3.5-4 cocktails (what !? that is 3 drinks somewhere else), $3-4 beers (no taps)
FYI, CASH only.
Pool table, TVs, and Juke box are present and christmas lights decorate the bar.
Want to go outside because you have to (1) smoke to look cool (2) fight with someone on the phone (3) figure out where you are? No problem, put your drink on a ledge by the entrance and save it for when you get back in.
It's not that large, so it can get mildly crowded. -
Review from john c.
12/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
pretty much the epitome of a dive bar. drinks really are cheap. really. the space is fairly small and even though I've driven by hundreds of times on Western, I've NEVER noticed it from the outside.
the only thing I didn't like was some very very faint odor of....some kind of cleaning product? it came and went while I was having my cheapest-price-in-k-town beer. if I was smelling it because they just wiped down the bar right before we walked in and sat down, I guess that's not really a bad thing.
check the sign next to the register behind the bar. Cash Only.
did I mention that the drinks are really cheap? -
Review from jindol l.
Los Angeles, CA
10/26/2011
Always fun times at Frank N Hanks, whether it's a slow night or a packed house. Snow is a one of a kind bartender/owner and she's the reason I go there. I think many others go to the bar for the same reason.
Great history as a former hangout for the unforgettable Timmie Rogers "Oh Yeah!" & legendary kindred spirit, Charles Bukowski.
The bar's a great reflection of the city as a whole...raw, unpretentious, and welcoming to all walks of life. -
Review from jin n.
Sherman Oaks, CA
10/30/2011
So, you walk in here and wonder, "Am I in K-town?" There's a completely different type of crowd in here from all the restaurants and coffee shops in the vicinity.
This place based on first glance and everything is a 2 star spot.
It has a local bar feel, kind of like the Powerhouse in Hollywood. Laid back, pool table, people in groups, dark. Don't know any place that would sell a Vodka gimlet for $4. REALLY!!?? Just for that I'm pumping up 3 stars to a 5! Interested in finding out what else I can get for that price. NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICE! -
Review from Jeffrey K.
Los Angeles, CA
9/7/2011 2 Check-ins Here
GRIMY, DANK, DIRTY, UNPURE.
Those are the words I use to describe Frank n Hanks, but damnit if it isn't one of the finest establishments I've ever been in. Being Korean, I often go to drink at Korean places around where I live, but finding a place like Frank n Hanks felt like a safe haven. You mean to tell me that theres a dive bar within a 5 minute walk of where I live and its not packed to the brim with wannabe k-town gangsters and ridiculously, overpriced horrible tasting soju and beer? SOLD!
So the beers here are $3 and $4 with the cheaper beers being 3 and the premium ones being $4. Don't be worried about dirty drinks because the beers come in bottles. The darts are a lot of fun and the jukebox has a decent selection of songs, none of that house crap.
There's also a pool table in the back that has always been crowded. Frank n Hanks definitely has a laid back type of vibe and if I was some lonely 40 year old sombitch I could easily see myself coming here for a beer after a stressful day of work every damn day. Give me 18 years and if Frank n Hanks is still open I'm sure I'll be doing that. -
Review from Misha T.
12/12/2011
True dive. How do I know? I'm aware I went but can't remember much else. Success.
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Review from Corey M.
6/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Buckle up kids, it's about to get weird.
I mean this in the best way. -
Review from Allison B.
Chatsworth, CA
6/10/2011
OMG! This place is RAD!
I was on a mish to find a dive bar in Koreatown. I thought the whole thing was a fail, until I walked right past Frank N Hanks.
Divey-goodness at its finest...with the added bonus of drunk old dude regulars!
Its dark, dank, and smells of stale liquor! Just what the doctor ordered for a shitty day at work.
+AListed in: Lounges, Bars and Clubs...Oh…
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Review from Lisa S.
Los Angeles, CA
7/21/2011
I've passed by this place a million times and didnt know it existed..
I love this place.. divey atmosphere with cheap drinks..
It's a neighborhood bar that i go for last calls.. -
Review from Hugh Y.
6/8/2011
Now THIS is a dive bar.
Seedy pool table, plasma tv showing some random sporting event, cheap beers ($3-5 all day, er'day), and ornaments that don't seem to really match.
My friend suggested this place since he said it was divey and not too hectic with hipsters or young beezies trying to get their rage on. On the night that I went, the bartender was really nice and seemed to know a lot of the clientele, so it seems like this was a nice neighborhood place where locals go to drown their weekday sorrows. I wouldn't mind being part of the loop.
The well drinks that my friends ordered seemed to be made heavy-handed, so that's always a good thing. Mo' alcoholic bang for your alcoholic buck.
I fully advocate this dive bar and its endeavors.Listed in: Dive Right In
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Review from Katherine S.
Los Angeles, CA
3/10/2011
The best little dive bar in town! Drinks are cheap and Snow knows how to make a good, stiff drink. She's super sweet and is generally good at remembering people. I LOVE that she checks with me first whether or not it's okay for a guy to buy me a drink. I love that!
She provides free! food during St. Patrick's and Thanksgiving Day celebrations. I think for Thanksgiving she celebrates it the Wednesday before the official Turkey Day. Mmmm....
On top of all that, there's also one jukebox, one pool table, one dart board, a few TV's, and an easy going vibe. Done and done. -
Review from Marissa S.
Los Angeles, CA
9/27/2011
Simple. Divey. Perfection.
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Review from Bryan A.
1/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
How do you mess up bottled beer?
I
have
no
clue.
My bottle of Newcastle was utterly flat and watered down. My buddy's beer was the same. I don't know what they did with their bottled beers, but a bar that can't even get that right doesn't deserve to have an alcohol license.
On the other hand, the vibe was pretty chill. One star for that. -
Review from Allison D.
Los Angeles, CA
4/23/2011
It's always good to have a couple bars around your place so on those nights you want the atmosphere and alcohol, but you don't want the hassle, you can head on over. And it's helpful when they're in walking or cheap cabbing distance so you don't DUI. However, walking all the way down Wilshire at night is sometimes a bit much. Frank N Hanks is an acceptable walking distance from my apartment, has cheap beer and a wonderful divey feel.
It is small, so be warned if you get there in high traffic time, you might not be able to sit at the bar, but when the most expensive beer on the menu is a double Sapporo for $7, I think that's ok. And you get to strike up random conversations with the regulars, sitting cozy with them. I approve.
Oh, it's cash only so be prepared. -
Review from Danny E.
9/22/2010 2 Check-ins Here
Sweet cozy dive bar in the heart of Korean town.
The drinks here are absolutely cheap and abundant. Well drinks are $3 if I remember right. $5 for Jameson, Johnny, Jim, Jose, whoever else you like on the rocks. $3-5 dollar beers.
The bartender Snow here is absolutely adorable, I'd totally take her home if not for kidnapping charges and or the fear of my inability to not bear a child with her. Because I know I'd try. I want to melt the Snow off your body. She is also the bouncer by the way, but I'm sure you already knew that from massive strong looking arms.
They have a billiards table towards the back. The crowd here is diverse and friendly. Beware of a Chris, I think he might be a shark or hustler. Don't bet with this man! There must a be a general lack of fun women as this spot sometimes because of the regulars asked me if I could bring my friends back every night. "We in desperate need!", he says.
For about $3.50 you can have the juke box play Michael Jackson for an hour. The
No parking lot and Cash only.Listed in: Best Happy Hour
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Review from Meghan C.
Los Angeles, CA
3/5/2011
Snow, the bartender, will call you "honey," and she kind of means it sincerely. She's always friendly, chatty but not aggressively so, and very accommodating to people for whom Frank N Hanks is their last stop for the night (i.e. they're a little funny tipsy). A friend of mine asked for one of the fancy empty bottles under the bar, and Snow offered her as many as she had. Nice lady.
The jukebox has a broad selection of pop, rock, and r&b, and usually the place is populated by a crowd that appreciates all of it. People actually use the dart board and the pool table, and since the place is so small everybody can't help but mingle.
Now to the prices. I can get a shopping cart (a shot of bottom shelf whiskey and a bottle of bud) for $6.50. Can't go wrong there.
Um also. I heard the best pickup line EVER here. "So... when's the divorce final?" [pause for response] "Can I get your number?" Sooo good. -
Review from Joseph A.
North Hollywood, CA
2/2/2011
I cannot complain about this bar.
Like the reviews before mine, I also experienced cheap drinks and an easygoing atmosphere. The place is dark and dirty looking but is somehow very clean. Plenty of bar stools. A pool table for douchebags and TVs for all.
This is a great dive bar. Get it. -
Review from Steven L.
Los Angeles, CA
4/2/2011
Ok, I searched cheap drinks in LA and I got this bar in the results. I looked at the yelp reviews and it looked good. When I got to the bar, the bartender looked at mine and my twin brothers ID for a good minute. Flashing the light at our ID's and and at our faces. She doubted we were 21. We were walking away to the pool table and she asks my bro for his ID again. She flashes the light at his face and his ID, and then my bro gives his debit card, gym membership card, and first aid card and still doubted it.
We left and were never coming back. i know the repercussions of serving a minor a drink but we're both legally 21, and she was giving us shit. I will never come back here again. If you definitely look over 21, good for you. But I look younger than i am, but that doesnt mean you should you harass me. I would give it 0 stars if I could. -
Review from Carla B.
8/8/2010 1 Check-in Here
***DIRT-CHEAP DRINKS, CASH ONLY DIVE BAR***
It has no parking lot, so you have to park on the street. Tonight there was an Asian lady behind the bar, but don't be fooled by the Y chromosome lack! She don't take sh*t from you if you're outta line. There was a drunk guy constantly falling asleep on the bar; she gave him 2 warnings, and minutes later he was out the door. LOL! Viva le girl power!
There is a jukebox, pool tables (1 or 2, can't remember) and a dart game thingy (pardon the 13-year-old term, but I know about sports as much as Mother Theresa knew about Victoria's Secret).
The bar is very small, but sometimes you just want a drink minus the fabulousness. Each pure liquor drink (Maker's Mark and Frangelico, both on the rocks) was $5 each, and they were not watered down as some bartenders do.
As I mentioned before, it is a cash only bar, but there's a coffee shop on the block called I Love Boba, (on the sign, with a heart instead of the word "love") that has an ATM machine inside.Listed in: All Things California
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Review from Mike W.
9/15/2010
Frank N Hanks has to 1 of the coolest little dive bars in existence. The bartender is this little old Vietnamese lady named Snow and she pours cheap strong drinks. The crowd is pretty chill and very diverse and I love the fact it's mostly non-Koreans (I love my peoples, but sometimes you simply need a break, ya know?). They have a pool table in the back and a dart board with some TVs scattered through-out the place so there's other things to do except drink.
The only down side is they don't serve food, I would LOVE if they had wings and parking can be a pain, but thankfully I love across the street so I'm good to go LOL. -
Review from Valerie J.
Griffith Park/Los Feliz, Los Angeles, CA
7/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
Dive with big, cheap ass drinks. Enough said!
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Review from Tina L.
Los Angeles, CA
5/12/2010
This place was meh for my 21st. Wasn't that cheap, but it was plenty dirty if you get my drift. Drinks are "okay" but don't expect a lot of variety.
Guys, don't bring a date here. You will not, I repeat, NOT get laid several hours later no matter how smashed you or your date get.
...Maybe you will.
By yourself... if you catch my drift. *wiggles eyebrows* -
Review from Chong L.
Hancock Park, CA
7/6/2011
About everything you expect from a dive bar. Cheap beers, decent place. It's pretty small and hidden. What I love tho is that this is in an area dominated by trendy and pricey korean joints. Extra star there.
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Review from Pompus M.
Venice, CA
4/30/2010
Humans! There is no earthly reason to pay $15 for a cocktail! We can make this practice history, like pay-to-play, if we only band together with vigor. Next time some "mixologist" tries to sell you 3 fingers of debt, laugh in his pale hipster face and say "What? No handjob?!" Then vomit on his cravat. We can weather this tide! Remember, booze is made from sugar and potatoes, not marble and platinum trickling down from a virgin Valhalla spring.
Thus, the dive bar. The bartender at the F&H the night I was there was a mixed-race beauty like me. There were big smiles for Pompus and a long pour of Sailor Jerry for what - 5 bucks?!! Nah dduuudd. Sign my pale ass up! And the trannies were exceptionally friendly the night I was there (big dog smile).
I must go to that hole down the street with the password as soon as I can dial a phone with my big dumb paws. For now it's Frank N Hanks for my frank 'n beans.
Pompus - OUT!! -
Review from Anthony T.
Buena Park, CA
6/26/2010
What a refreshing little dive to go to after a show at the Wiltern. C'mon, after paying $24 for two beers at the show you hardly had enough money to buy a dirty magazine with. But there you are Frank N' Hanks...just waiting down the street with your small narrow little bar that's run by an older gentleman and his broken-English speaking Vietnamese wife. $6 or $7 for TWO cocktails? Yeah. Spread that on your toast. I could've done without the fat Puerto Rican guy who kept trying to slang it up with me in Spanish and getting all street with me, but hey, beggers can't be choosers! (and God knows we were beggers after dropping so much money at a show).
Thanks Mama San for the cheap and heavy booze. Me lub you long time. -
Review from Michael M.
Hollywood, CA
10/4/2010
White Devil Approved.
I'm just gonna say 4 stars. I started drinking here in 1987 back in the era of the movie Barfly. We all lived in the apts across the street above the shops and my friends worked at Fators. I wonder if the rents are still $350 for a studio. I'm always amazed that the newest owners have kept the name.
Go. Drink. Meet the hipster locals. I miss the pensioners. -
Review from Florence L.
WOODLAND HLS, CA
6/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place is super super cheap. The bartender is a very nice older vietnamese lady and she is a doll. She makes great drinks and again, its freaking cheap. What a deal!! Will be back soon. Oh, its also super dark and there is 1 pool table in the back.
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Review from John B.
Brooklyn, NY
6/2/2011
This place is awesome. Snow, the bartender and owner for many years, couldn't be nicer or more accommodating. You'll definitely meet some quality people at Frank and Hank's. Drinks are cheap and you may even get a discount for buying in bulk.
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Review from stephy s.
San Francisco, CA
6/12/2007
Oh K-town, how I love you so! Not only do you fill my happy belly with marinated short ribs and let me Q it myself, but now you've given me a dive bar of all dives and I love you for it!
Meet Frank N Hank's, my second favorite K-town bar (hey, The Prince is still my number one!!) This place is oooooold school, somewhat seedy, but the kind of place that feels like home. Wait, that came out wrong. My home is neither old school or seedy, but you get the idea.
The drinks are served strong and tall and if I'm not mistaken they get their glasses from the 99 cent store, since I know I have seen those 8 ball glasses there before! But hey, for a kick your ass it's so strong drink at the laughable price of $4, you can serve it in a paper cup and I won't mind.
The patrons are definitely interesting. We were here on a Monday night and I'd say there were a good 20 people or so over the course of the evening. In the back was a group of older fellas playing pool and talkin smack (love that!) and in the front was a group of gansta lookin dudes in pants 8 sizes too big for their skinny ass frames and then there was us. Two dorks chattin it up. (Okay, there was only one dork, cuz I'm cool, hehe)
Later the crowd changed to a colorful dude in shorts, a homeless man who wanted money on top of a free drink and two guys that looked like the hotel concierge played a little joke on them and sent them here, because they couldn't have been more out of place. But alas, after a few drinks everyone is everyone's friend and that's the awesome part about a good dive bar. No bullshit. No pretense. Just interesting folks, strong drinks and a damn good time!
Oh and let's not forget the stellar art that can be found in the ladies room in the form of some retarded looking alien pissing on a smiley face and saying MEMBERS ONLY. Awwhh yeah, who says LA doesn't have any culture!
Cash Only, playas!Listed in: My Perfect Day In LA!!
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Review from angela o.
8/23/2009
My, my, my. A-NOTHER place y'all should have taken me.
Supposedly, according to the bartender and her loyal (hot) minions, Frank N Hanks has been voted the Number One Dive Bar in the Country. World? Universe? Number 42? Whatever. It has all the makings ... pool table (note the ranking ... top of the list). Proximity to the Wiltern. Cheap drinks. Electronic darts. Two TVs. A place where everybody knows your name. It feels like a place I could be ... a lot. But then again, it's a place where people can peer in and see you, I think, sitting there. Must return and check angles of visibility. -
Review from Joan S.
12/22/2007 5 photos
It's been there since the early 70's, I believe someone said. My first visit was last Weds., the day of the pouring rainstorm. F & H is a treasure, a little jewel of a friendly dive bar. I can't believe it took me so long to get there!
There is a dart board and one pool table (be forewarned: hustlers).
There's a good juke box.
The bathroom was clean.
The service was efficient.
I saved the best for last: beer is $3, mixed drinks are $3.50.
Parking was extremely difficult in the area near 6th & Western, but worth the hassle. I'll be back, and soon.
(I intended to go back last night for a second visit but could find no place to park on a Friday at 9pm. I finally gave up and continued on to BGL a bit ahead of schedule.)Listed in: Bars & Spirits, Places for pool
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Review from Sarah C.
Rowland Heights, CA
3/14/2008
Small dive bar in K-town.
Darts, 1 bar-box table, scarce st. parking. The dart board is dangerously lined up with the pool table. Luckily, residents here are equally unarmed in bar temperment as they are inept in recreational sports. Refer to Vicky H.'s photo or the illustration below.
O'''* '''* '''* [(o)] '''*/ _O
_\___ ______ l l l
l \_____/ l l /\
" "
(player) (table) (dart board) (the dingleberry)Listed in: Love Pool?
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Review from Patrick N.
Los Angeles, CA
7/17/2011
Great local place (I'm sort of sandwiched between Larchmont and Koreatown). Stopped by here with a friend. Hard to beat Jack & Cokes for $4.50 and a White Russian for $6.50. I'm actually considering stopping by there as I'm writing this. Has a very dive-y atmosphere to it (no cover charge is nice since I'm such a cheapass). There's also a pool table and restrooms to the rear of the bar, in case you were wondering.
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Review from chico f.
Hancock Park, CA
10/3/2007 1 Check-in Here
Came here at suggestion of the KFSY...well actually meet up w/ him here. This place is bad azz...I love it...pretty good jukebox selection and the drinks are right f'n on and cheap too ! !
While I was spilling my guts to the fury, I had this one dude looking at me the whole night, blowing me kisses and shit...wth...oh well, no harm no foul, so I'll let that slide. All kinds of characters showed up that night, from hipsters, to local Korean business owners, to transients....I swear a bum came in, stayed at the threshold of the door, waved hi to everyone, did a song and dance, then left....uh thanks...no chance for encore, huh. Oh well, beer n' drinks here are super cheap and will put a mule to rest too.
I definitely see myself coming here again...now if they can install some kinda karaoke machine, then it's really on ! Sam, I writing this while I have the pinkie and the ring finger crossed...
