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Guardsman Lounge
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Wed, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Outdoor Area/ Patio Only
- Coat Check:
- No
9 reviews for Guardsman Lounge
I firmly believe that bartenders make or break a bar. This place to me used to always be just...meh. It's the closest bar to my house, but there were two regular bartenders every time I went. One girl was just average but seemed way more into having her obnoxious Ed-Hardy-gone-pseudo-skatepunk friends hanging out at the bar and taking over the jukebox. Drinks were just okay.
The guy bartender was okay, but nothing phehomenal. Not much for small talk--which is sometimes just what you want. Still, the Guardsman used to just be a cool place to swing by for a nightcap but was never the destination of the night, until bartender Erika came into the picture.
Erika is by far the best bartender I've ever met. She is genuinely sweet, attentive, makes insanely great drinks and shares her cigarettes with you. I've been lucky enough to be there when there are only 3 other people and she'll sit and chat with you. Unlike bartenders who schmooze to try to get tips, she is just genuinely interested in the people who go there. She's just as nice to new people as she is to regulars----but if you become a regular she's just amazing and gives you a hug when you walk in. Once you're there, she introduces you to people she thinks you'd get along with. She only works every other weekend, so call ahead to see if she's working that weekend.
The bar itself.....there's the typical long bar with the aquarium behind it plus about 6 vinyl booths. Jukebox is great and has a varied selection. Beers are about $3-5, well drinks about $3-5.
Oh, it's cash only and the ATM in the taco restaurant next door charges too much, so swing by beforehand.
Seems like almost every time I've been here, there's been a story to tell. This is a great place for getting trashed without worrying about what people think. You can walk to the back exit and smoke a cigarette or come out the front and buy a burrito next door.
Over time, the quality of bartenders has drastically changed. There used to be a girl named Erica there who made an amazing Alabama Slammer. Nidia, who is there almost every night I believe, she's a bit sloppy, but more so on busy nights. If it gets too crowded she becomes overwhelmed and won't make a Bloody Mary.
I've seen boobs. Lots of boobs. First pair I saw was in the women's restroom. No idea why they were shown, but they were lovely. I've also seen another patron's boobs after she was pretty trashed and had spent most of the night trying to get me to kiss her. That same night, Nidia showed us one of hers and well, the decision was that natural boobs are prettier than fake ones.
There's been lots of vomiting, crying, running, you name it. And you know what? Nobody judges you!
I've met Elvis the cab driver, a quiet biker dude who let me sit on his motorcycle for a picture, and a Samoan who has psychic abilities. Now you tell where else in Downey you will find that?
But it could be that I've been there way too many times in my life. The dive has seen several boyfriends come and go, but my friends and I remain the same. I recommend bottled beer, vodka tonics, and shots of Chocolate Cake.
Strange bar. The bartender on duty when I went there was a nice and average looking. She had some tats like me and seem to be a bit of an outcast with charm. I'm thinking great conversation. Don't worry people I know that it takes a miracle to get a bartenders phone number much less a stripper, not what I was trying to do. People came in but it was still slow and I tried making small talk with her and she acted like I did not exsist. After a couple more attempts I realized that big bad ugly guy at the end of the bar was her boyfriend (I would have never guessed) and she was not allowed to talk to guys like me. Oh the old farts were okay, but not me. Hey now the names makes sense. Time to go I guess. It had such a great start. Been back a couple of times just not my kind of place. If this was my bar with the awsome Mexican food place next door........well you get it.
dc SEYS: duude this place is awesome (and not for the reasons you might think)
Sooo one morning I was at work with a couple of co-workers shooting the shit.... more then likley about drunk hook up and all that useless guy talk when it dawned on me.... I havent got shit face first thing in the morning (by the way i was working the graveyard shit at the time) the i remembered THE GUARDSMAN! (the only bar that I know of that opens at 0630) soo after trying to explain to my co-workers that this would be a good idea to get completley hammered at 0700 they agreed!..... soo when we left work we headed over to downey....
And trashed we did get.. the bartender was soo appreciative of the tips and good fun me and my co-worker were leaving with each round (which consisted of singles and loose change) He gave us two rounds on the house....
there was only one man besides the four of us...and he was minding his own having his (what I may assume) is his usual irish coffee... He did get a kick watching us play darts all shit faced
We left there roughly around 1230 conviniently ate 8 steps over at tacos mexico and called it a day..... since it had only started
ALL IN ALL: if you and your mates wanna have a smashing good times and arent worried about picking up on girls or being cool for a couple of hours head down to the guardsman and challenge someone to a game of darts... I bet rounds of beer and a jukebox session!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I used to bartend at a bar in Temple City called the Temrose (which I will review next) and since the Temrose is filled with nothing but drama these days, I have been on the hunt for a bar closer to home.
We heard about the Guardsmen from an ex bartender friend. I decided to check it out and went in at about 4pm on a Saturday. The guy bartender fixed me a GREAT bloody mary! I moved on to my dirty martini and he chilled my glass! (He made all my drinks EXACTLY the way I would have made them.) We stayed for a few hours due to the bartenders heavy hand and decided we found our new watering hole. TIPS EARNED!!!
Fast forward to a Friday night about 2 weeks later -
No. Not so much. The girl bartender with short dark hair was EXTREMELY unprofessional. The bar was dead and she sat there talking to her friends ignoring us, her thirsty patrons, for about 10 minutes before she came over and took our order. I ordered a extra limey bloody mary and it came with 1 shriveled, juicless lime. So, when I asked her for a few more - SHE HANDS ME THIS LITTLE CONTAINER WITH LIMES - IN OTHER WORDS: DIG FOR YOUR OWN!
Gross. I imagined how many other people might have fished in that same container and where their hands might have been. Didn't finish my drink, didn't tip.
The only reason why I have this bar 3 stars is because of the guy bartender whom made great drinks, great conversation and made us feel welcome. Oh, and they have a great box (except for the fact that some of the songs have been recorded off KROQ and burnt to discs).
I will only go back on his shift from now on.
Very chill dive bar. They got some darts, plamas, and good jukebox with anything from Depeche Mode to Justice and some other odd stuff I didn't dig. Cheap drinks. Cash only. Free parking in the back or front.
Cool bar for cheap drinks and conversation. Nice and dark just the way I like it! It's cool to go to any day of the week, doesn't even matter if you're the only one there.
Luvs it! Cheap drinks, awesome jukebox! And Nydia the bartender is weee-oooo-weee!
awesome dive!!!!
i love this place...you guys can catch me here on thursday nights.
the drinks are relatively inexpensive...
you could also pick up a game of darts or check out the non-functional arcade games.
its kinda dark and when i think back on it the atmosphere is definitely lacking in the "WOW" department....but what has me coming back for more is the crowd.
ive never had a bad time here....i always meet new people here. its right next door to tacos mexico so for those post-drunk munchies all you gotta do is literally walk outside and grab something to eat and a kfc across the street!!
