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Little Joy Cocktails
Categories: Nightlife Bars Dive Bars Nightlife Pool Halls Dive Bars, Pool Halls
1477 W Sunset BlvdLos Angeles, CA 90026
Neighborhood: Echo Park
(213) 250-3417
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Music:
- DJ, Live, Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sun
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
174 reviews for Little Joy Cocktails
Review Highlights
"Short stop has a larger beer selection and dancing."
(in 30 reviews)
"The music rocks- the DJ plays some great funk."
(in 21 reviews)
"The drinks are cheap and strong."
(in 7 reviews)
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174 reviews in English
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Review from Liz A.
Los Angeles, CA
12/6/2011
The way I ended up here was purely accidental and unplanned. Regardless, I am really glad I came here on a Saturday night!!
This type of bar was right up my alley: not too big, not too small, dive-y and non-pretentious.
I liked how the bar was busy but not too packed, giving it just the perfect vibe. The DJ was playing a good variety of music and there were plenty of people dancing.
The drinks were strong and good and the only reason why I didn't give it 5 stars is because it is cash only and I hate carrying cash.
I would definitely come back. -
Review from Kim G.
South Gate, CA
4/14/2011
Another trendy little bar in the Echo Park area. This one was more chill than all the others in the area, and more open. They had a cool DJ the night we came, playing house and hip hop music.
So yes, they have a little dance floor, one pool table and a full bar, with some beers on tap.
I would definitely visit this place if i was in the area again. -
Review from Amanda S.
Los Angeles, CA
3/14/2011
I've been here twice. The first time...awful. The second time...kind of cool.
First time: Saturday night..around 11:30pm. DJ playing to an empty dancefloor, and around 8 scary looking dudes sitting around the perimeter, looking like they were going to pounce on anyone who dared to dance. The bartender was rude to my friend. We drank our beer and scooted before it could get worse.
Second time: One week later.. Saturday night...around 11:30pm. A live band playing to a packed dancefloor. I danced my ass off, spilled beer all over myself in the process, and had a fantastic time. The bartender wasn't rude to my friend, and no scary looking dudes in sight. Everyone in the place was having fun.
Goes to show...some places need more than one chance. After my first experience there I would NEVER have sought the place out again. What got me back in the Little Joy door was the fact that there are other little dive bars peppering the area, and we could hear the live music from the street. Keep the bands playing, Little Joy, and I might come back for night # 3. -
Review from andres z.
Los Angeles, CA
10/2/2011
I love dive bars but this one really pushes it. I feel the little business they have is just over flow from the short stop down the block.
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Review from Evelyn B.
Mira Loma, CA
11/17/2010
i like Little Joy's.
Sure, it's not an upscale lounge, no secret there. But it's not as bad as people are claiming. The clientele is varied. Yes, there are hipsters.News flash: it's LA. Where the hell are there not hipsters?(btw totally agree w/the other reviewer annoyed w/the overuse of that word but whatever batman forever) There's all kinds of other people there too. From old people getting their drink on to just seemingly normal looking people. Theyre there. On top of that everyone's nice. They either are friendly or just leave you alone.
The bartender's are nice, i've never had a real issue with anyone being rude...well i take that back. There was one time some guy was working (who i've never seen there again) that was getting all crazy with us cuz we were standing by the atm/area where they get behind the bar when it was really packed and no where else to stand. Then later i caught him secretly dancing to some of the music and I showed his coworkers how he was dancing and we all laughed and then all was well...that's seriously the only time anyone's been close to rude.
So, if youre looking just for some where to drink and hang out with your friends and aren't all hard to please/a negative nancy then give it a try. otherwise stay home and keep it fun for people like me :] -
Review from Justin N.
Lets hear it for dive bars! Why I enjoy the ambiance that only a good dive can provide I do not know, but I like them anyway so during a recent Friday night I went out solo on an adventure looking for a good spot to cheaply drink and chill out.
I was strolling around Echo Park when I came upon a gentleman hammered out of his mind, directly outside this bar. He hailed me with a typical drunken "Eeeyyyyyy maaaan!!" Of course I chatted with him; drunks, street folk, and generally any "socially frowned upon" people are about 10 times more interesting than Joe Schmoe. So we talked of Echo Park and local fools who like to shoot at signs (apparent from the bullet hole in the street sign), and anything thing else the tequila inspired him to talk about. Had he not stopped me I dunno if I'd have considered a bar called "Little Joy". But stop me he did so I took it as an omen to check the place out.
In I go. Outside is very discrete but I step in and to my delight find TWO pool tables. When I drink I want to play pool, period. I found PBR on tap with generally relaxed people shooting pool, perfecto. No bullshit decor. Just uneven bar stools, beer advertisements, and graffiti on the walls. The pictures here sum it up nicely.
Overall I shot a few games, had me some beer, and most importantly I chilled the fuck out. That's what dive bars do best, provide room to relax without judgment. Remove pretentious themes, over priced booze, and crowds out to impress and you're left with a surprisingly social and modest crowd. Just like the guy I met outside, drunk off his ass but friendly as could be. Most of the time on a Friday night nice people is all you really need.
Thanks Little Joy, I'll be back. Cheers. -
Review from Christine B.
Berkeley, CA
6/19/2011
Pros:
(1) $5 drinks
(2) great hip hop - literally every song the Dj played was GREAT
(3) diverse crowd
Cons:
(1) NO ventilation. It was turmoil wanting to dance but at the same time wanting to gtfo b/c its too hot
(2) the dance floor is a joke. We left Short Stop b/c the music was horrible but when we came here there was literally NO one dancing. We just wanted to dance so literally a huddle of 4 Asian girls just danced away all by our lonesome selves. Slowly but surely however, all the unsatisfied people from Short Stop made the migration over and after 10 minutes the dance floor was crowded with people going all out. I kind of stopped dancing (i) b/c it was too hot but (ii) because I couldn't stop watching people. There were some serious characters that night - I would consider coming back just to experience that kind of people watching again
(3) its sort of dangerous - someone got hit in the head with a helmet. Their head was GUSHING in blood. I almost threw up a little when I saw him (not really but, sort of). -
Review from Shannon M.
Los Angeles, CA
1/11/2011
I love this place. It's definitely a dive bar... dark, a little dirty, and takes cash only.
They've got a DJ that plays random hits and pool tables. The crowd ranges from sketchy to hipsters.
A great place to hang out and have a few drinks, definitely fun. -
Review from Brian S.
Los Angeles, CA
7/26/2010
I like coming back home.
Around 12:30am last night I let a few friends know I was back in town. My best friend wrote me an all caps text message saying "COME TO LITTLE JOY, YOU BASTARD."
My friends like coming here because it's the bar in Echo Park least infested by hipsters. They're right. The crowd here seems to be mostly non-hipster 20 to 30 somethings who were born and raised in Echo Park or other parts of LA.
This DJ was off the chain last night. Spinning everyone's favorite classics by Bone Thugs, Elvis Crespo, eazy e. He was playing hella dope music all night and I swear everyone was dancing in this tiny ass little bar.
$4 Greyhounds and Screwdrivers!! -
Review from alison a.
Hancock Park, CA
6/12/2011
This one time, I went to Little Joy and had a decent time until someone stole my wallet. I knew exactly who it was, and when I confronted her (...possibly a him...?), all her sweaty gross friends screamed at me. Of course they knew the bouncer, so they kept my wallet. Beware the portly Asian swamp thing with the bleached blonde hair and her troll-under-the-bridge-looking friends.
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Review from Josh F.
Los Angeles, CA
6/5/2010
Can I give a place zero stars?
This was my favorite bar when Joe managed, but I am not saying this as a jilted ex.
You used to be able to have a relationship with this bar, sometimes you loved it, sometimes you fought it, sometimes you just got drunk made regrettable decisions with it. The interior looked as if there may or may not have been a fire...recently. The music was intimidatingly good, and on vinyl (never mind that the speakers had been broken for years).
The place was dirty in every way you might want something to be dirty. Then the cleaning lady of 14 years took it over. This may sound like an amazing reward for dedication until you think to yourself: Someone cleaned this place for 14 years?
Laptops, crap music, and all the crap people Joe used to kick out for seemingly no reason have overtaken this place. I tried going back once or twice for nostalgia, but each time enraged me and I refuse to step foot inside. It isn't nice enough to be good and it isn't crappy enough to be good. It's the middle of the road and everything terrible that that implies. -
Review from Miller D.
Los Angeles, CA
5/28/2010
This place used to be great- the site of many memorable experiences. Cheap drinks and cheap cocaine flowed like cheap drinks and cheap cocaine. The d.j.s spun vinyl and knew what they were doing. If I went solo, I could always find an intelligent conversation at the bar; usually, I would bump into someone I knew. And despite the obsession with "hipsters", the place had a diverse crowd from Hispanic fixed-gear bikers to artists to celebrities. It was loose.
Then, everything changed.
They fired the mercurial manager, painted over the graffiti, brought in the laptop d.j.s with their subwoofers. The last time I was there, the bartender didn't know what "neat" meant. Want to hear a remix of "Jack and Diane" segueing into a salsa number? Have at it.
The Shortstop is still cool. -
Review from Daniel C.
Los Angeles, CA
11/9/2010
Heard the establishment recently changed ownership not too long ago...so I thought I give another stab to the joint. The one pro side is that the hipster clientele has diminished quite noticeably (that earns a star in my book). Unfortunately, the rest of the remaining elements do not help their cause.
One major change is the music. Gone are the underground indie records that no one has or will ever hear of, and in their place: Kanye, Black Eyed Peas, Drake...no wonder the hipsters have ran back to their parents' financed apartments. I was invited back the week after by a friend, and this time they had a DJ on the tables. In regards to his (the DJ's) selections, let's just say it would have been wise for the owners to leave the KISS-FM tunes blaring over the system.
Drink prices are what they are for the area. Nothing special on tap. Hey, at least they tried cleaning up bar. But overall, there is very LITTLE JOY for you and your drinking buddies if you plan to make this spot your local watering-hole, even for just one evening. My advisement, mark little joy cocktails as one of your pit stops during an evening of bar hopping in Echo Park, have a round and then be on your merry way(s) -
Review from Kara B.
Sacramento, CA
3/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
Little joy, little else. Not much going on here the day we checked this place out... and, you'd think since there was a Dodger game going on down the street, more folks would be here, gettin their preliminary drinks on. Nope, nada, zilch... just me, the oldman, and an old lady. I think there was an employee there too?
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Review from Harrison G.
Los Angeles, CA
11/14/2010
One of the weirder places I've been to in LA. Some friends and I were at the Short Stop for Super Soul Sunday but it just got too crowded so we left. We weren't ready to go home, though, and heard loud music coming from this place. We decided to try it out.
This is a hipster bar, for sure, and we all immediately felt out of place (not that we are totally un-hipster but we just don't dress that way). It had an interesting clientele and the decor is sparse. It wasn't crowded at all but maybe Sundays just aren't the best nights. I have a feeling this place would be more fun with more people.
Speaking of people, it was a great place to people watch. All sorts of interesting characters strolled in and out while we sat with our beers and shots and just mused on the events around us.
I probably won't come back here just because it's not my scene. If you like the Cha Cha Lounge or the Silverlake Lounge, you might like this place (although I like those better). -
Review from Jessica C.
Burbank, CA
3/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
I hate this place..on a Saturday night at least, anywhere I have to stand like a fool, like a fool for more then 15+ minutes for a drink is not worth my time.. Yeah I know you saw us four standing there, waiting to be served, you keep those tips.. looks like you REALLY needed them.
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Review from Stephanie R.
Compton, CA
1/29/2011
This is one of the first bars I've ever gone to and I really liked it, the drinks are cheap and the music is good.
Its a good place to chill with your friends on a friday night. thumbs up! -
Review from William S.
Santa Clarita, CA
9/9/2008
Cheap booze, seemingly classy women, and late night infomercials with Tony Robbins have all been responsible for keeping me up late on certain nights. I'm not an insomniac, but I've lain restless in bed, while pondering state regulations on greenhouse gas emissions and why "Miss Guided" was unceremoniously canceled on T.V. without a whimper by its fan base. Things in life concern me, even at late hours of the night. One thing that doesn't concern me, however, is my consistent desire to hang with locals at inconspicuous dive bars in-and-around the LA area. If I'm not getting in touch with nature -- or in my bedroom reading, writing, or putting on a movie that I've seen a million times so that I won't feel bad neglecting it late at night -- a homely bar would be where I'd hang my hat.
The Little Joy is an interesting play on words, because while it is little, there is nothing joyful about it. It's niche is that it's broken down and looks time-tested and weathered. For some, this has become the "new Short Stop," -- which, incidentally, is located barely a block to the right of it -- while for others this has been their clubhouse for quite some time. As with all things, however, time has caught up with that, and this has become a first-choice destination for many.
Although the interior decor is anything but aesthetically pleasing to the eye, perhaps that's its charm -- a place that defies traditional comfort, and goes the complete opposite direction. In some ways it's as if it stares right into the face of conventionally hip design and says "Screw you! Our aim IS to look shitty," And, in other ways, it reminds me of how messy my bedroom can get. I don't want to get into the details, but you could imagine the symbiotic relationship I have towards it. Still, when I leave my pad, I want to go someplace different, not to another establishment that has a semblance of my natural habitat.
(At this very moment, I can picture a myriad of people -- some friends -- clearing one extra contact space on their cell phones upon reading this.)
In all honesty, you'll have to create your own joy in this gloomy hole-in-the-wall. In discussing walls in a literal sense, you know how you go to certain family-style restaurants and they'll have the paper table mats so that your child can color on them with crayons? This is how their walls look. Well, in a way. It's too dimly lit for me to actually see what kind of graphics are on there. However, I can now understand why they serve PBR (Pabst Blue Ribbon) on tap for about $3. Not only is this like candy for the typical "hipster," but drink up, and your ability to use creative licensing to re-create your surroundings is amplified. And for the way it goes down smoothly, I'm an appreciator of cold watered-down beer such as PBR.
As most people have previously pointed out, this is one of many spots where you would find the much overused term le "hipster" hanging out at. It almost seems like a prerequisite, but I assure you that you will not feel an overwhelming amount of pretentiousness from them. People seem to have this crazy notion that if you do not look like a hipster, while being surrounded by them, you are instantly shunned. In my observation, a good conversation transcends any difference in appearance. This is how I got through being stuck in Tijuana with limited Spanish speaking skills and an "I Spent a Night in a Mexican Jail and All I Got Was This Lousy T-shirt" on my back.
I'd prefer to not talk about the bathrooms, because words would not do it justice. Just make sure you're careful in distinguishing the men's and the women's, for they look almost identical. Perhaps the same table mat artiste paid equal attention to both facilities, before nibbling on his chicken fingers.
When I designate Little Joy with my 3-star rating, it's not implying that it's bad. It just seems apropos of the "A-Ok" status. Really, although this place is comfortable when you can actually find a seat to sit in, it's just much ado about nothing. And if that's exactly your thing, this might be the best place to do "nothing" in.Listed in: The Bar Exam Cheat Sheet
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Review from Duffy D.
Los Angeles, CA
12/11/2008
Dear Pretentious Fucks:
This place is a joke. 5 Stars? Who are you trying to impress?
This is a
crappy
bar.
Lets go over the reasons:
1. Looks like a grenade was thrown in here. (Decor: done!)
2. It smells.
3. SO packed.
4. Bathroom induces vomiting.
5. Bartender hates you.
6. Whole place hates you.
7. Not cheap, which is the whole draw to a dive bar in the first place.
Get over yourself and stop telling yourself this place is cool. It's a fucking shithole with an Urban Outfitters sign on the outside.
Love, DuffyListed in: F-uck you, go back to Ohio
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Review from Laka C.
Los Angeles, CA
1/7/2009
Last stop for losers.
If you want to meet your new meth-head boyfriend or contract Herpes, look no further! -
Review from Bobby S.
Sherman Oaks, CA
6/23/2007
If you're interested in poofy-haired hipster dive bars, this place is for you. Great music (an eclectic assortment of indie and old country), talented DJs, fun pool tables, and a decent selection of tap beer. Unfortunately, the Joy is "cash only," so come prepared. Once you walk in, act like your shit doesn't stink and roll your eyes at the dudes who dress like the Strokes. Don't give the girls any attention at all. This is the way to earn respect. In fact, they will respect you so much that they may start dressing like you, but in a gayish/ironic way. That's how they do things.
According to buttercheeks, the bathrooms are in horrible condition. So keep that in mind... -
Review from Remy O.
Hollywood, CA
12/23/2007
Does anyone else always think of American Beauty every time they say or read the word 'joyless'? That line Annette Benning delivered was pretty powerful. Maybe this is why the crowd is the way it is at Little Joy; because they're all lost in thought like me, free associating in Little Joy starting always with themes from American Beauty. No wonder it's so serious.
With the lights on I'd say this place was a crack house, but it's not totally joyless. The bar's stocked, there's dope DJing, they serve bitters & soda, eclectic crowd, pool tables (though lopsided), artful graffiti in the bathroom, doesn't smell bad, and it's close to the Short Stop.
Maybe I don't hate Little Joy.Listed in: El - Ay
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Review from Wayzie C.
Los Angeles, CA
8/19/2006
Little Joy is an apt description for the lone woman waiting for her not so prompt date in this crumb-bum joint.
Okay, maybe I was a little early. But there's no reasonable explanation for the melee I walked into around 8:15 Thursday night.
There's four of us: Bartender; a 300-lb. grizzled Dodgers drunk; pool hall junkie w/ his own cue stick case; and me. I wander over to the jukebox. Booker T, Ethiopiques, salsa galore. Dodgers drunk wobbles over. "I got singles and I wanna use 'em. Let's play something to make you mooove." He drunk dials in whatever. My jukebox is highjacked by a man filled with dangerous liquids.
Enter stage right, a wasted hombre cruises right off the street into this dark cave. He makes a beeline for me and reaches out for my boobs. "Hey, baby! YOU get into my car!" WTF? He reaches out to grab my arm and pull me outside. The bartender (my hero) leaps over the bar and body slams him. "Get the fuck outta here," Bartender says.
The guy is confused, considers verbal/physical defense. "I CAN be in here!! Whachu think?" he yells, ending on a hurt highnote. Bartender continues the forceful shove match toward the door. The guy tries to throw a weak and poorly aimed punch. Bartender knocks estupido right upside his cabeza so he scurries out. Bartender hops back over the counter and pours himself a shot.
I turn back to the jukebox where my drunk Dodgers fan mutters, "I can't see the numbers anymore, can you?" Yeah, I got your numbers.
Draft beer is warm (PBR and Sierra Nevada). Cash only. Don't rile up the bartender. -
Review from Stephanie S.
San Francisco, CA
5/16/2009
Where the hell am I ? Seriously...never...ever again.
What a weird..weird place. If you're a hipster/against the establishment/all that jazz...I'm sure you'll like its...unconventionalness. -
Review from Martina Z.
New York, NY
4/5/2009
Don't be misled by its frivolous name. Little Joy Cocktails is the archetypal urban dive with white walls and shabby black sofas treated with duct tape.
Two wobbly pool tables and the affable bartenders draw a steady crowd.
Don't forget to check out the obscene words scribbled in the ladies' room ... Totally worth the trip. -
Review from Ti B.
7/5/2007
Sometimes you just have to be in the mood. Right? Unfortunately, this wasn't my night. After a strange night at Short Stop we stopped in here before 4100. And yeah, this isn't my place...at least. I wasn't in the mood....for graffiti walls, dirty ceiling tiles, cash only, hipster crowd that ignores everyone else other than cute hipsters, and a mystery substance on the floor.
So you may ask, why do I give it 3 stars??? Bc I can have fun anywhere and have a feeling if I lived local to this spot, I would walk over on a regular basis and make friends with the patrons and make this my home whole in the wall. So the potential is def there. -
Review from Ameno J.
Los Angeles, CA
5/18/2007
"This was the worst decision we made tonight. Of course the line for Short Stop is going to be long at Midnight on Friday."
"Sorry man, but I had a tough day at work, and so I had to relax a while and smoke a bit. It just took me too long to get ready. Besides, you weren't ready at 9 anyway."
"Well, it just sucks standing here in this line... are they even letting anyone in? Look, two people just came out... what the hell, how come they just went in, they weren't even in line."
"F**K dude, I don't want to be standing here til last call. Let's just go drink at Little Joy and then we'll hit an afterhours."
"That place sucks, but ok, let's go." -
Review from Min T.
Los Angeles, CA
6/2/2008
Echo Park Bar Crawl Stop #2
I've been told I would hate this bar.
I didn't hate this bar.
It didn't smell like I was warned (you want a smelly dive? Go to the Smell in Downtown). But it was rather empty at about 9 p.m. last Friday.
Drinks were weak though. And the mixers were sitting out so drinks were on the warmer side. $7 for a Stoli vanila and OJ. Hmm, where's my Stoli, geez?
When we walked up to the bar, there were two stools open but the guy next to me slid over so I could have a stool. He never said anything but was seemingly too shy to even look over for me to thank him. Another guy on the other side of us was reading a book. There were a few people shooting pool.
Yes, the walls have shit all over them. The bartenders didn't seem like jerks though so I like that. Erica tells me the restroom was clean but I didn't trust her so we were off to our next stop!
(most likely, I'd come back to get a better feel of the place but maybe not as it is CASH ONLY)Listed in: Whiskey & Such, Hipsterville Bars
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Review from Joe D.
Los Angeles, CA
8/19/2008
Do you know how most twilight zone episodes have sort of the " be careful of what you wish for" theme?
For example: the world finally dies off so you can find time to read but then your reading glasses break.
just call me Burgess Meredith because it happened to me.
I love dive bars. Some of my favorite dive bars in America have drifters, drunks and characters drinking right along with strippers just getting off work.
One day, I looked at the sky and said, "Please Sweet Spirits! Give me a dive bar in my neighborhood. Some place where there is graffiti on the walls and the drinks and the women are dirt cheap. Make the walls feel like they are going to fall down when you lean against them. Make this bar walking distance from my house"
I was given the Little Joy. I started coming here as soon as I moved into the neighborhood and I gotta admit, it was fun.
It was a gay bar by day and friendly-to-the-local-straights-bar at night. The jukebox had Mexican music, disco and punk rock. It was a cool little spot.
The girls at the bar didn't know how to make a drink in a good way. They would just make them all real strong and that way no one would complain.
On my fourth visit, all of a sudden patrons started giving me attitude. People would openly make fun of me for what I was wearing (usually a t-shirt and jeans).
Some chick from Kansas would say, "what are YOU doing here" and I'd yell, "Bitch, I'm born and raised in Los Angeles. What the eff are you doing here"
Guys would try to pick fights with me.
Girls I had no interest in would try to mace me for bellying up next to them at the bar to get a drink.
So the spirits gave me a dive bar and filled it with a bunch of dried puckered little assholes who just come here to score coke rather than want a drink. This place is just the low (low low low low) rent version of the Ivy in the sense that people come here to be seen and make a scene rather than escape their troubles at the bottom of a glass.
The only reason that it isn't getting a one star review is because this is Rachel Detroit's spot and her ubiquitous presence is practically the only cool thing about the placeListed in: My OLD Neighborhood
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Review from olive f.
7/30/2007
I love dive bars. This is just a dumb hipster hangout. I actually like the owners and bartenders. It's the patrons that fuck up the place.
Stephy S has it about right.
I left Los Feliz when it got too hipster and moved to Silverlake. Moved from Silverlake to Echo Park almost 9 yrs ago... and I was safe, protected from the hipsters by our rivaling gang violence. Now in the past 3-4 yrs, the violence has settled down, and they've taken over Echo Park too. I am leaving the country in a month. DO NOT FOLLOW ME, ZOMBIE HIPSTERS. You look like you stepped off the Orleans album cover, and that is NOT a good look, you dumb hoser. -
Review from Aaron G.
Downtown, Los Angeles, CA
3/19/2008
I can't remember how many times I've been to Little Joy. It's just one of those places you find yourself at the beginning or end of your night.
Surreal at times, normal bar at times, but always an intersection of alcoholism and disenchanted complacency. This vortex, Little Joy, definitely lives up to it's name (but not in a negative way by any means). In an optimistic, nostalgia-inducing sort of way.
And "the people" are generally cool once you talk to them, ya just gotta get past the "too-cool-for-school-can-you-guess-the-last-time-I -washed-my-hair" exterior...
In general, just don't take anything about this place too seriously.
oh and just a side note: can you guess the last time I washed my hair?
(cash only, no ATM)Listed in: My Neighborhood
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Review from tanya c.
Los Angeles, CA
5/25/2007
"Uhmm...excuse me these are our seats." Are you fuckin' serious!?...That was my first Little Joy experience..which was maybe a year ago and I haven't been back since. It sucks when stupid people kill things. I mean these bitches were stupid...and NO we didn't give "their seats" back. I'm sorry but if I am at a packed bar I'm gonna sit at the first available seat I see...I don't care if you went out for a smoke. Their Whiskey Sour was good but I don't think I wanna be surrounded by "too cool hipsters" who think they own the joint.
*That could've been a cool bar fight though. I totally would've kicked their asses. -
Review from Richard C.
Los Angeles, CA
Updated - 6/13/2008
My girl Cricket invited me last Sunday night to Little Joy's 3rd year anniversary of Open Mic Night. She was going to be singing and playing guitar which she does on a weekly basis. Anyways, I told my friend Ty about it and we decided to make a ride out of it.
After a little brisk burn we got to Little Joy and were pleasantly surprised to find free food in the corner, happy hour prices on the PBR (2 bucks!!) and open pool tables as it was still early in the evening. Since I was there to support Cricket, I wasn't really thinking about the other acts and since Im not really an "Open Mic" type guy, to be honest, I didn't really care.
Being humbled by inspired music, original writing and a respectful audience is always a good thing in my book. Both pool tables stopped playing mid-game, the place grew silent and we all watched as performer after performer went up and did their thing. While not all were good, a very small few, most of them broke a leg. It was a nice way to wind down the weekend hearing good music and spoken word. The 2 dollar PBR's helped a little too.
Little Joy...again, much joy.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/5/2008
Thirsty Thursdays.
We meet at the Chinatown Station in DTLA. We? Yeah, me and some fellow yahoo's… Read more »
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Review from Greg W.
Los Angeles, CA
8/12/2007
On a Friday I'd hoped to see this place a little more bustling. The $7 Wild Turkey seemed a little steep considering all the money they saved not cleaning/painting/furnishing the place. The sleezy British guy that was drooling (literally) on every girl in the place was a nice touch, though I give the manager(?) and bartender credit for kicking him out as soon as they were alerted to his presence.
Synopsis: definitely a dive, possibly hip, not crowded, two pool tables.Listed in: The Places I Go Out
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Review from Skylar L.
Van Nuys, CA
6/4/2008
I get it. It's a dive bar. It's cool because they haven't cleaned the walls in forty-three years. It's hip because there's barely any seating and the seating that is there feels grimy. It's authentic because the owners don't give a flying fuck about what it looks like. Can I leave now?
They don't have a soda gun which means that the soda is in 2L jugs. The jugs aren't in ice or kept cool in any way. When I got my vodka tonic I took a big gulp of flat, iced-warm tonic and a little bit of cheap booze.
The bartenders were nice. The only reason this doesn't get a one star is for them. They were friendly. Of course, they did short me on my alcohol so they only contribute one star and not two. -
Review from Esme W.
Los Angeles, CA
Updated - 5/12/2009
If you believe in art, in a bar's ability to subversively or overtly provide a haven and support to an artistic community, do not set foot here, do not patronize this bar, do not put any more money in the pockets of the new management.
Never setting foot back into this place again for more reasons than one but,
RIP Sunday Night Open Mic.Listed in: My Neighborhood
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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3/2/2009
If you were bitching before about the sketch-factor of the Little Joy, I am happy to report, you got… Read more »
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Review from Christopher B.
Long Beach, CA
5/31/2007
This is one of those places where I'm not sure how many stars to give. We all were coming from the Cubs game- it happened that three groups of friends happened to be at the game. The plan was Shortstop but the line was 45min long so my wifey and I found this place (well, we scoped out yelp before we went JUST IN CASE!).
It was rather priceless walking in! See, one of the groups of friends are from the OC and are ULTRA conservative. You should have seen their jaws drop! In fact, one of them leaned over and whispered "I think there is a gay person here". That about did it- they were out the door within minutes.
For the rest of us- good times, loved it! I may not look or dress like the people in the place but the people were hipsters, my kind of crowd- very eclectic.
The music rocks- the DJ plays some great funk. He pulled out some that I hadn't heard from MANY MANY moons so that just added to the ambiance of this place!
So I sat back, downed several PBR's, took in what the place offered, and ended up closing down the place that night.
It's tough to decide on how to rate it b/c it is SUCH a dive bar that for people like me it's a jem and for people like them it's hell (literally!). ;) -
Review from Exzoe M.
Los Angeles, CA
10/15/2010 1 Check-in Here
This is a serious towney-bar on a dodgy area of Sunset Blvd. in Echo Park. But these things don't bother me. The warm female owner was like a mom... giving everyone greetings and hugs. The people were cool, DJ and music were fabulous, and the neighborhood was buzzing with happy people walking, enjoying the evening.
Little Joy is a small, unpretentious local dive - a simple wooden bar with stools, non-chic tables and chairs, a couple of well-enjoyed pool tables, and a coin jukebox for when there's no DJ.
It's casual in here, so be comfortable. This is a perfect place to go when it's all about who you're with. Not to impress with dress, but to enjoy the "little joy" a shared moment over a drink or two can bring.
Bargain well drinks & $2 PBR. I was there for a going away soirée for a friend. From reading the other reviews, I guess you see what you want to see... xoml -
Review from Lauren B.
Beverly Hills, CA
9/3/2008
I grew up in the Bay Area, living in the city of San Francisco for 7 years mainly in the Mission District. I've spend a lot of time in New York City going to places like Monk's Kettle in the Lower East Side. And STILL Little Joy shocked the hipster out of me.
It was graffiti-skinny jean-mustache overload. Dozens of road bicycle's out front and my four block walk through Echo Park still could not prepare me for what was inside. What did bring me back down earth was when I commented that the bartender looked like Harry Carrey, following with a sharp "Cub's Win!" chant and the young white kids laughed along and shared my sentiment. You can take the kid out of the cul-d-sac (and stop feeding them) but you can't take the cul-d-sac out of the kid.
Re-review and additional stars to come when I have enough time pound as much PBR needed to make me hip. -
Review from Haik K.
2/25/2010
This place...this place is alright. I gotta say this is more like a redemption place after the short stop down the street. After hot dogs on the corner, I notice this place is usually packed, been there like 5 times but Im still curious to go in...its like the hot dogs cause amnesia or something.
The staff is cool, the people outside and inside are always moving, talking, dancing. The decor of the place is lame. The whole bar seems kinda desolate but the people, interesting people.
The bartender always hooks it up with the PBR, and the conversation are usually the most random out of any bar I hit up.
