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Categories: American (New), Wine Bars
Neighborhood: DowntownMon-Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sat-Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
We offer Happy Hour seven days a week, 4-7pm (where not prohibited by law). Happy Hour appetizer menu and drink specials are available.
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Love the Must! Giving only 4 stars because I wish they had a longer bar for me to sit at.
Went there on a Friday night 4 Happy Hour and ended up staying later. Place was pretty packed. Cool vibe. Nice bartenders, cool patrons. None of the stuck-up I am somebody Hollywood LA types. Just cool working people with jobs which was cool. We sat at the bar but there are tables for dinner too
The drink specials are cool. The Appetizers are really good for Happy Hour.
Parked at a lot less than 1 block away.
Cant wait to go again. I wonder what they are like on a weekend.
After a fail at the Zero Film Festival, me, Bobby C, and Alex C wandered around the area and decided to grab some food and drinks at The Must. Unfortunately we juuuust missed happy hour, which saddened us. Also the place was packed with people enjoying the end of happy hour. After about a 15ish wait we got seated in the art hallway, which ended up being nice since it wasn't as loud so we didn't have to yell over everyone to talk.
I ordered the mussles ($16). Bobby C ordered the chicken sliders. Alex C ordered the chicken pot pie. When my mussles arrived i was impressed by the size. There were quite a few muscles in there and it came with black truffle fries. I'm not really a big fries eater, but these were quite tasty. My only complaint about my dish was that the meat in the mussles were super small.
I had a bite of one of the chicken sliders and i was not impressed. it tasted like eating a bbq chip and didn't really taste like chicken. I had a bite of the chicken pot pie and it tasted fine.
I also drank the black sangria which was interesting. I liked the flavor and the mashed berries in the bottom. I was also tempted by the MUSTgarita, so i'll have to come back for that.
Food and drinks 3.5 stars.
Lack of parking -0.5 stars.
I'm sure if i'm around the area for happy hour, I will be back.
Wonderful evening yesterday with my lovely friend, The Must is definitely a sweet place to catch up, grub, and listen to some good tunes. We had tons of food. We started with a tomato soup each and shared a grilled cheese sandwich plate. Poifect! This would've been a great little snack before dindin, but my gluttonous self ordered much too much. We also had tator tots that came with two dippers (a cheesy one and some kind of aioli, both "meh"); they had a satisfying crunch, but were unmemorable. The mac and cheese was nice. About the same level of numminess as Bar Food's (but Bar Food's wins by a nose hair) and possesses the same bacon bits, to boot. I labored to finish this all by myself since my friend clearly was full. I need to hang out with more big people (not that I would exchange my featherlight friend for all the linebackers in the world, muah!). :P
I saved the best for last. Those sangrias at Happy Hour prices are one of the best little insider factoids about DTLA. This time I had the white sangria. Just as fab as the black sangria. Next time I'll be double fisting black and white!
Tuesday Happy Hour, yes! Just 1 hour prior via Facebook, my friend alerted me to their fab… Read more »
Cute little place! Let's start off with the food first.
We skipped the grilled cheese sandwich because...really...its just a grilled cheese sandwich. We saw the table next to us get it...sammies were huge but eh...cheese n' bread.
-Tomato Soup: "Taste's like pizza!" my friend said after the first sip. It was yummy for the tummy. Like pizza soup. lol
-Tator Tots: No surprises here. It's just tator tots with 2 dipping sauces. Honestly, the dipping sauces didn't taste like anything so we dipped them into our tomato soup.
-Mac n' cheese: Twas just regular mac n' cheese.
-Portobello Sliders: Now when you hear "sliders" you automatically think of mini sirloin burgers. That's what I thought when I took my first bite. No meat to be found. I opened the top bun to look for it...then read the description again. It was tasty....but those little suckers seemed so lonely and off without little patties.
-Steak and fries: A LOT of french fries. The steak was just ok. We ordered the steak medium since I have a bun in my oven but it came out rare -_-
-Bubble up Soda: tastes light but 160calories and 42g so sugar!!!!!
The ambiance: Cute spot for a lil sippy sippy with a date or to drop by after work. The music gets a little loud here and there...that's about it!
If you can't find parking there is $5 parking on spring street before 7:30..think they close the gates after then you have to go around to main st to get in.
Quick hit: love the neighborhoody, relaxed atmosphere. Nice wines. Port Float--fun and delicious! Tator tots--a little too heavy.
I Must confess, the four stars are primarily for the convivial atmosphere. Which is key to bringing me back.
I'm a total fan of The Must! Great place to hang out with friends. The vibe is low-key and chill but the ambience is a little classy at the same time.
You MUST try:
- BLACK SANGRIA! If you come during happy hour, it's only $4 for a big huge glass! It's refreshing, unique, and has mashed bits of blackberries and blueberries in it.
- CALIFORNIA PORTOBELLO SLIDERS - it comes with smoked mozarella, sundried tomato aioli, and caramelized onions on a mini brioche. yum!
- GENERAL TSO FU - tempura tofu in sweet & spicy chili sauce with rice and bok choy. I'm personally not a huge tofu fan but this was so good! Seems kind of weird to have this random Asian dish on the menu but they pull it off well.
- SCHOOL HOUSE TATER TOTS - when dipped in the smoked pepper ranch, it is deliiiiiiish! Once you tot, the fun don't stop!
- GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH - you can choose what cheeses you want. We tried the cheddar + manchego and it was dang good. And it is HUGE! Even the half-sandwich portion is ginormous. Order this if you're really hungry.
Come during Happy Hour and it's gooooood times for everyone.
One word description: salt
Pro:
......
Con:
Reservation system
Mussels = salty
Chicken pot pie = salty
Steak = salty
Fries = salty
Cheesesteaks sandwich = salty
What's the point of having a reservation system when you can keep it? Showed up at 730 for our reservations only to find out our table was given away to another group of 15. So 30 minutes later, we finally get a table but it wasn't worth the wait. All our food came out salty... Way too salty. I sent my truffle fries back. ohhh service is pretty bad here too.
Cost:
who cares, it's not worth going to.
Great wine selection, and I love topping off wine with great appetizers. Especially tater tots. The lighting is extremely dark. I'm coming back here again. Check out the women restroom wallpaper. Coming back here... for the tater tots and wine!!
Absolutely love the Must.
It may be a bit more pricey than I prefer, but the experience is definitely worth it.
My favorite part of this place is the fact that I can order a Colt 45 or an Olde English and have it served to me in a paper bag, paired with champagne flutes. Are you serious? Instantly was in love.
They have three really yummy sangrias- white, red, and black. I tried each and have to say that the red was definitely my favorite. It's called the Mustgarita and had strawberries. The white and black are great as well, the white is a light peachy sangria while the black is a heavier port with berries. The red is perfectly in between the two.
As for their food, the wild mushroom and goat cheese toast is only eight bucks and it's down right delicious. They've also got a huuuuge menu of hella good cheeses. I've taken small bites of other things and I must say everything I've ever tried there has been seriously fantastic.
Definitely recommend the Must if you're looking for a chill place to hang out with friends downtown and treat your taste buds.
FINALLY, there was a spot available to try this place out. I dropped by late during this month's art walk and of course the place was super cracking and no room for a group of 3. I went back Sunday and it was board game night- coolio. I tried their black and white sangria ($7), both were dankaroos! The parrano cheese plate ($6) was good but the cheese-steak sandwich was super dank ($12). I ended up getting spanked at Taboo by some girls, I think I was set up!
Munchies satisfied and helped ease down the pace after a hectic weekend. . .
I'll be back to check out there happy hour.
Went here for some drinks and I had the white sangria - it was delicious! Very refreshing and light. Not to see sweet. And for the amount and price, it was great ($7).
If you are going there to eat, make sure you get reservation or your name on that waiting list that they have in the front of The Must. However, the bar is also a nice place to sit and people watch.
I hope to go back there and taste their food - I sat by the bar and saw the plates coming out of the kitchen and the aroma of the food make me salivate despite my having a heavy meal earlier.
The service - bartenders- was good. They were very friendly and entertaining i.e. good chat.
You would have to do some street parking for The Must or if you can spare the cash, there are a few parking lots nearby.
Again, I would like to revisit this pace next time and actually have a meal or go back during happy hour and sample their happy hour foods.
I would like to go back there again to taste their food.
Final Decision: Good Place for drinks not so much for food
So it was my birthday weekend and I invited a group of my friends to join in on the celebration. Wanted to check this place out so I set up a reservation for it the other day. We got there and they set a nice big table for us up in front.
Decor: dark brown tables dark lighting. Couldn't really see much from there.
Service: The waitress was really nice and got our orders to the best of her ability. She got most of our orders right, but the communication between the kitchen and the rest of the staff was off as some of our food didn't arrive at all and had to be canceled. She was really cool from what I remember though and got whatever we needed in terms of alcoholic beverages.
Food Ordered:
Tater tots - crispy and tasty. Nothing too extraordinary with this though.
Steak and Fries - seasoned okay, a little on the salty side. The black truffle fries seemed to be just okay shoestrings. Nothing too fantastic. The portions of the CAB steak were not equal either. I got a small cut while one of my other friends got a huge cut which didn't make sense.
Crispy Chicken Sliders - these were not sliders but more of an amuse bouche. I mean these things were tiny. So small that one of my other friends KY could fit one in each of his cheeks. They were pretty flavorful though.
Fluffernutter - probably the best thing on the menu. Its basically some french toast pieces stuffed full of peanut butter and bananas and comes with a smooth chocolate ganache. This was yummy and I don't normally like chocolate.
The beers that we had were pretty good, which i wouldn't mind coming back for but if I was to be hungry, I definitely would not come back for some of the foods.
This place is a "Must" go. The name suits it.
My gal pal April recommended this place to me. It was recommended to her by her Mum.
There are two reason why I love this joint.
Old English 40-ounce Bottles
Colt 45 40-ounce Bottles
enough said (or typed)
I've been to The Must a couple of times now -- each for happy hour. This place brings back memories of San Francisco after-work establishments, and fits well into LA's downtown.
It feels like this place is trying hard to be hip, but at the same time appealing to the after-work / working / yuppie downtown crowd. Case in point: lots of expensive wines and food that isn't always cheap, but also selling 40s. I enjoy a glass of malt liquor now and then, but I think this place could do without it.
I've generally been quite impressed with the happy hour, both in terms of cost and quality. I've had the 1/2 grilled cheese sandwich and the cauliflower curry soup and both were quite good and made for a nice meal that added up to an astounding $7 + tax and tip during happy hour. It was plenty of food for me. A friend ordered the full grilled cheese sandwich post happy hour and it was substantially larger to the point that it could probably be shared comfortably between two people. As for the drinks, a glass of wine or sangria is quite reasonably priced during happy hour (some even start at $3).
I tried the black sangria, and tasty as it was, it probably a little more thick and chunky than I would have expected sangria to be. Maybe it's really a smoothie?
The first time I went service was mediocre at best and poor at the worst -- water wasn't refilled appropriately, it took a long time for our waitress to take our order, and an even longer time for us to be able to order a second round of drinks. We actually had to flag down another waitress to help us. And the place wasn't even crowded.
The second time I sat at the bar and service was much better and prompt. One of the things that most impressed me was when there was a miscommunication about an order which was rapidly fixed and comped. Definitely an eye for customer service from the bartender which I was quite happy about.
Overall, a good addition to the downtown scene, and a good spot for happy hour, especially if you can get a seat at the bar.
a-MUST-go
I've been living in downtown LA for almost 5 months now and recently discovered the MUST.
The first time I went there, I was just looking for a drink or two so I didn't really have high expectations on the food. The beer mussels I ordered turned out to be one of the favorite orders in my life. The chicken pie a la mode is awesome!
Try to avoid the starters, because you will feel being ripped off once you see the size of them. e.g. two pieces of shrimp for $12.
For drinks, so far I have only ordered beer. A pitcher costs around $20-25. Should try the ghetto cans, they are interesting cheap beers.
In short, the MUST is a great place if you live around downtown LA (it's difficult to find parking!). Pricing is acceptable if you visit once in a while, but not economical if you want to spend every evening there after work.
9-8-09 UPDATE: CHECK OUT THE LA MAG REVIEW
Was back in on Friday night and whatayaknow!...They had a West Coast IPA! And not just a regular-old-West-Coast-IPA, they procured an imperial IPA (or a double IPA if you prefer)...It was great CHEERS TO THE MUST!
Undoubtedly the most relaxed, unpretentious bar in downtown L.A. The staff/owners are to be… Read more »
Wah wah wah.
That sums up my first experience at The Must. I've been meaning to check this place out, and my friend's 26th birthday this past week gave me the opportunity to do so. Beforehand I checked out some Yelp reviews of this place and decided to order the black sangria everyone raves about. Unfortunately, I can't say that my experience with the sangria was as positive as everyone elses. I found the sangria to be peculiarly gritty and lumpy-- more like a smoothie than a sangria. I tried some of my friend's red sangria and I actually liked that one the best, although it didn't taste like any sangria I've ever tasted, but rather like an oddly mixed strawberry margarita. If you ask me, this place could use some tips on good sangria construction.
The food was even more disappointing. I had heard that this place has vegan options, but I'm pretty sure they don't. I say "pretty sure" because when I asked the waiter what items on the menu were vegan he mentioned a couple possibilities, one of which I ordered: the portobello sliders. When I ordered them (without cheese), I gave him the benefit of the doubt, but after I ate my first slider I knew I had made a mistake. There is just no way that is vegan, and while I appreciate the waiter's well-meaning attempt to steer me in the right direction, he was dead wrong, and that was upsetting. I only ate 1/3 of my food, and it didn't sit well with me at all. The only good food I had the whole night were the hot pretzel bites, but you can get that for $3 at Wetzel's Pretzels.
Pricier than it should be, bad sangria, and poor food. I'm sorry to report that this place is not a Must.
Try the MUSTgarita. This is by far my favorite of their wine cocktails but their sangrias are also fabulous. They also have a white wine sangria, which is suprisingly hard to find at other restaurants I've been to.
Also they tater tots and velveeta are a great little dish to snack on while you're drinking some sangria or splitting a pitcher of beer with friends. It also comes with a garlicy spread that also adds a great flavor to the tots.
The big downside to this place is that they are constantly out of things. Everytime I've gone my party has asked for their wine jello-shots. Each time they go "oh, we're out" at 9pm on a Wed? I was convinced they never actually made it, and sure enough, last night it was off the menu.
Just last night, the majority of things we tried to order they were out of:
- Pumpkin brew
- Fluffernutter
-Grilled Cheese sandwich.
They have an entire menu section devoted to cheese and yet they are out of grilled cheese?
Let me preface that this review isn't exactly about the food and wine, which I love at The Must but rather the excellent customer service of a particular bus boy at this establishment. If you've been to The Must then you know this place is DARK, like I feel like an old lady trying to read the menu with the little candles on the table. Well, I was there one evening when my friend accidentally pushed this little candle off the table. It landed on my foot. It didn't hurt but as I was rubbing it I realized it was bleeding. The bus boy who was cleaning up the glass brought me over a band aid which is awesome enough but he then proceeded with gloved hand to rub ointment on the cut and place the band aid on. I mean...come on?! That's crazy good service. They really care at The Must!
Side note, the wine descriptions are as hilarious as they are correctly delicious.
______________________________________
THE MUST
118 WEST 5TH STREET
LOS ANGELES, CA 90013
(T) 213-627-1162 (F) 213-627-1171
70 MAUREEN
-------------------------------------------------- ----------
Check: 5702 Guest: 2
Table: 6-1
10/06/2009 05:55PM
-------------------------------------------------- ----------
D I N I N G R O O M
6 BLACK SANGR 24.00
2 MUSTARITA 8.00
1 BRAQUE 4.00
1 TOTS 4.00
1 MAC N CHEESE 5.00
2 OLD MILWAUKEE 6.00
1 BIRTHDAY CAKE 6.00
FRIENDS/FAM -6.00
SUBTOTAL 51.00
Discount -6.00
Tax 4.97
T O T A L D U E $55.97
THANK YOU FOR VISITING
Order Number: 5702
_______________________________________
I'm gonna keep coming back here
I like this place. Got the black sangria per suggestion. It was fabulous. I was debating between that and the Sparkling Wine with Raspberry Sorbet drink but the server told me the sangria was the way to go. Maybe next time I'll try something else.
I ordered the tempura tofu with sweet chili sauce, bok choy, on rice (crispy rice?) which was excellent. Like, really really good. Light but flavorful and filling. Not your typical bar food. My friend ordered the gigantic beast grilled cheese and those truffled fries which were great.
It was game night. We played Jenga. I won. I will be back...
Love the super low-key, neighborhood atmosphere of this downtown bar. Great quirky & nostalgic menu offerings (like tater tots, yay) mixed with grown-up pleasers like sophisticated takes on the good ol' grilled cheese sammich (w/Humboldt Fog goat cheese, manchego, gruyere or cheddar) -- served on fluffy pillows of golden brioche - yum. That same brioche is also used in a terrific, monster dessert called the Fluffernutter (can be shared among 2 or more): A thick smear of smoked almond & roasted peanut butter, marshmallow fluff and warm bananas on grilled brioche with dark chocolate ganache, a fun and delicious take on the classic s'more.
Tried the Cinnamon Toast Crunch bread pudding just because it's one of my fave cereals -- but the vanilla was a bit overpowering. Fluffernutter FTW.
The sangrias are tasty -- not too sweet and packed with lots of fruity goodness: The black sangria is a must, especially if you don't mind all the tiny crunchy berry seeds & the white sangria with fresh white peaches is another refreshing pick.
Oh, I also love the Ciabatta Bread Salad. Big chunks of heirloom tomato tossed with red onions and still-warm/crisp pieces of ciabatta (love the contrast of the warm crispy bread with the silky tomatoes and cheese!!) and a nice blob of gooey burrata in a tangy red wine vinaigrette. I've had it three times -- only once was it a bit off -- (bread wasn't warm, the dressing lacked the right hit of tang) but it's overall a winner.
Damn, I totally missed the happy hour (I guess between 4-7pm daily). But my posse and I came in for a quick bite and a few black sangrias on late Thursday during Art Walk.
The Must is a must for chicken sliders on brioche. OMFG these little suckers are to die for. The crispy deep fried chicken is offset by the light and airy texture of the brioche. So fabulous, I wanted to eat all 6 of them but I was rationed off to 1 1/2 since my greedy boyfriend didn't want to give me his portion.
Yeah, I just called you out hunny buns. Oh damn those brioche buns... *Salivating*
We also had the beer mussels, but those weren't exactly a favorite of mine. The texture of the mussels were good, but I got this sharp taste in my mouth, much like overcooked spinach. Not the best tit for tat.
Which reminds me I should have gotten some of those tater tots and maybe some mac and cheese.
I must, I must, I must go back during happy hour.
Cool crowd (no holier-than-thou hipsters or pretentious yuppies), fun staff, great service and excellent beer and wine choices. Food is good bordering on great for this sort of place.
Just what downtown needed.
Meh about sums it up.
I am not a big wine drinker so I am sure that severely impacted my review. The Must seems to be an awesome wine bar with only so-so food. Or that seemed to be the general gist of reviews I skimmed before going myself.
Which I found to be actually not quite accurate. I had the Hefeweizen Moulle Frites, which I found to be quite tasty. The beer broth was pretty damn good, but the problem I had was that the Heirloom tomato flavor demolished the sea taste of some the PEI mussels. As if they had not cooked it evenly... very distracting. The amount of mussels however was more than worth the price for this dish and really filled me up. The crostini was fine not particularly worth mentioning... but the black truffle fries were WAY too salty, as one review already commented. In fact they were so salty you couldn't even taste the truffle flavor. Also ordered the flourless chocolate cake which was excellent.
I had a glass of gerwurtztraminer cause that's my favorite wine and was very pleased. The table also ordered a red which I cannot remember but was a suggestion from the waitstaff that was a total hit. I had a beer as well with the desert that was an Anvil ESB which was another excellent suggestion from the owner. All in all the food was actually better than I expected given the way the reviews went for the food, and the alcohol selection was what I expected.
The reason I'm low balling this resto is simply it's location and ambiance. It's not just about the alcohol list, or the food (although it should be), it's also the "getting there" as my favorite singer likes to say. And the "getting there" sucked. This is downtown LA, and ghetto a$$... I actually found street parking and sort of regretted it. I went back to check on my car about 10 minutes later and there was a cop standing right in front of it... *cringe*. The officer was really helpful and said that there would be bike patrols all night so that my car should be fine, but the REASON he was there in the first place was to run off a bunch of really aggressive pan-handlers who were sizing up my baby like a money tree. When I asked about valet at the restaurant they just laughed.... and there's no place on their website that talks about local parking garages, marginally safer places to park. The DJ was cool, but the interior was SUPER dark and kind of hard to hear the waitstaff once the place got full.
I'd go to The MUST again.... but probably not anytime soon.
This place is a MUST for happy hour. The vibe is nice, cool music, great homemade sangrias, and good eats. All of the sangrias are nothing like you've tasted before and really make the place stand out from other happy hours. Additionally, their menu has some really neat items, some homemade classics, so Asian dishes, and neat desserts. The only sucky thing is the parking situation. It's just not that easy to find street parking, so you have to search out for an adjacent lot.
I stumbled upon The Must one evening after work and instantly declared it as my favorite Happy Hour spot. Ther'es so much to love about this place from its dark but tasteful decor that makes you forget you're sitting in grimey downtown to its incredible Happy Hour menu offering mac n cheese with bacon, tater tots with a variety of dipping sauces and grilled cheese sandwiches with cheddar & manchego. Located on 5th and Spring Street, it's a great place to gather with friends on Downtown Art Walk nights.
Helpful tips:
1) For those who don't work or live in Downtown, there's plenty of street parking in the area. Just beware the bums, the crazies and other assorted downtown dwellers.
2) Their sangria selection is to die for. The only reason I come to this place! For $4 (Happy Hour) you get to choose between black, white, red or rose sangria. The black sangria is my favorite: a tantalizing blend of blueberries, blackberries and boysen berries.
3) If I haven't made myself clear, let me say it again: AWESOME Happy Hour! 4-7pm daily. Arrive early as the place gets packed pretty quickly.
4) Travel in small groups. The place isn't that big so the larger the group the harder it is to get a table. Unless you arrive early of course.
Finally had the opportunity to try this place out for my friend's birthday event on a humid Thursday night. This place is located in central downtown on 5th and Spring there's plenty of parking lots around the area that are easy to find and this place is a catwalk away.
Reading the reviews before coming here, I definitely knew I wanted to try their white and black Sangrias. Good choice everyone! The black had a lot of berries and red wine that you can tell was soaked for a good amount of time together. The white, I couldn't really tell, it may have been a casual blanc or some sort of chardonnay, but it was still awesome!
The birthday girl was treated a beer float.... almonds, beer, some vanilla ice cream, and something else...It looked disgusting, but once you've tried it out, it would definitely surprise you!
For my entree, I ordered the steak and fries, while the others ordered the chicken sliders and scallops. ALL of these dishes were outstanding; my steak was cooked to an exact medium-rare, the fries were crispy, fat in size, and delicately seasoned to perfection with salt and a little bit of chopped onions and chives. I enjoyed this dish and would safely recommend it to anyone reading this.
Of course, a tasty slice of ice cream cake was on the house for the birthday girl.
The icing on the cake was their reasonable prices. 41 bucks for a 5-star meal and a load of drinks (I ordered a few beers, too); gotta come back here, soon...and order more food next time.
I highly recommend this place for the upbeat bar scene! I was intrigued by this place because of good reviews and restaurant week, but let me forewarn you not to have high expectations on the food. Not to say that the food is bad, but dinner options were definitely on the salty side! One taste of the cauliflower soup made me question is the soup base was made from salt. The salmon and the yo mama's chicken was nothing special nor did it look tasty. I heard the steak and fries was tasty- but since i don't eat red meat i can only vouch for the parsley garlic fries which were indeed amazing (you can order a basket of fries for just $5)!!!
My recommendation is go there for the bar scene - if you choose eat, have more of the appetizers and non main course meals. The elbow mac and cheese was a great little dish. The cinnamon toast crunch bread pudding is a MUST at the Must!!! absolutely delicious! the flutternutter was a little too salty and peanut-buttery- you will probably only be able to stomach a few bites!
Plan to make a pit stop at the must and you won't be disappointed! Another plus is the friendly staff and bartenders!
I had to fortune of driving 4 of my best girl friends in my car to come here for Happy Hour. As the "chaperone" of the group, it was my responsibility to make sure the girls are safe and have a good time. As I get closer and closer to the bar, the streets gets sketchier and sketchier. Hobos roaming the streets, gang bangers walking around w/ their baseball bats (I'm pretty sure they are not playing baseball)... I was shitting in my dress and told the girls keep their arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times and don't stare!
We got their in one piece and was lucky to find a parking spot right in front. We ordered 3 drinks each, the white sangaria and the port float was very yummy and only $4. The appetizers on the happy hour menu was great too! Oh oh, and the waiter is really HOT! All the girls took turns eyeing him.
Happy Hour at The Must is 7 days a week.
Sunday is Board Game Day.
We showed up a couple weeks ago and hoarded a box of Jenga, then moved swiftly to Deluxe Scrabble -where the board can turn like a lazy susan- what what! During this time, my three cohorts and I got busy with more tater tots...oh Velveeta garlic fondue, how I love you. And the freshly baked pretzel-bites served with mustard are also pretty ridick. Such appetizers helped soak up our cheapo drinking binge:
Pints of white, red or black sangria are $4. A bottle of pinot grigio is $12.
Oh, and beer! Pints of Downtown Brown are also $4.
After several bottles of wine, we ended on Hungry Hungry Hippos. I imagine we were probably loud as shit and yelling, but no one seemed to notice. Yay for The Must!
First time at The Must. Tuesday night. 8pm.
Decent bottle of $29 Pinot Noir.
Not bad cheapo bottle…
Read more »
Totally agree - parking sucks if you come on a weekday between 4 and 6pm. (HAPPY HOUR primetime...) but if you come after 6pm, just park on the next street over
BUT... once you get inside, the black sangria will wash all your parking aggravations away. Now, I've only recently taken up alcohol to complement my supreme love of food, but i loved this black sangria so much, i couldn't even think of sharing. Many of my accompaniments actually drank 2-3 black sangrias. The white sangria can't even compare..
Mac n Cheese oh so creamy
Soup- currylicious
Delicious scallops
Moules - frites one of my FAVORITE dishes, and a great version of it.
we came to celebrate a friends birthday, so we got a slice of their birthday cake. delish! pound cake like
Highly recommended. HAPPY HOUR EVERYDAY- can't beat that. just don't go when i go, so that i can find some street parking. (fyi, there are numerous lots nearby as well)
Decided to check this place out based on the reviews on Yelp with my husband for Friday night HH. I was impressed with the regular menu which had more than one vegetarian option (yay!)
My only complaint is that they didn't really have too much food on the happy hour menu. We were hungry so we ended up eating dinner there and the dinner menu is def not cheap. Not excessively priced, but you know. Anyway dinner was good (but not outstanding) and the atmosphere was great. I would recommend making a reservation if you do plan to go on a Friday as we barely found a spot at the bar.
Really cool bar. Dark and lounge-y but unpretentious. The service is great. Really great selection of beers and wines. Haven't tried the Sangria, but I will the next time I go.
This is a great place to take a date or hang-out with friends when you feel like doing something low-key.
perrrrfect
i like how the food menu is pretty limiting... the brussel sprouts with mustard are excellent... the bbq salmon dish is a little too saucy for my tastes, but they are smart because they put the sauce underneath the mashed potatoes, which makes for a great barrier between the saucy bbq-ness and the salmon.
it's worth checking out. the atmosphere is laid back yet sophisticated.
a much improved look from being "that weird bar/art gallery that's attached to that gross WEENEEZ hot dog place"
My honey and I were hungry at about 11 PM on a Saturday night, so we walked on over to The Must since we hadn't tried it yet. I have to say, for a Saturday night, it was nice -- quiet enough to have a conversation yet still lively and with a decent crowd. It's a casual setting for a sophisticated wine bar -- a true dichotomy of high-brow and low-brow for both the bar and menu offerings.
I LOVE the menu -- they have a lot of vegetarian options, including a Hamburger Helper dish with ground soy meat, egg noodles, spring peas and cheddar cheese sauce. See? Told you they were low brow. Funny thing is, the food is really good. And they're not pretentious about it... I never once saw a menu reference to "farm-to-table," "market fresh," "seasonal organic" or any of the other trendy restaurant catch phrases that make me want to go bitch-slap the Daily Candy and Thrillist writers who propagate such silliness. (Just once, I'd like a restaurant to say, "YEP, we cook with a shitload of butter and cheese and meat but goddammit, it's organic!")
ANYWAY... I love that The Must doesn't take itself too seriously. Yes, you can get the Ghetto Cheese Plate with Velveeta, Ritz crackers and salted nuts; but you can also get a killer cheese sandwich made with your choice of two cheeses like goat cheese, double Gloucester cheddar, manchego or Point Reyes Blue on a fancy-pants brioche. So there!
Mi novio and I started with a basket of soft pretzels with spicy mustard. Simple and delicious. He ordered The Must Cobb, which he thought was very good and he's no amateur when it comes to Cobb salads. I had the Roasted Tomato Soup (fabulous -- slightly creamy but not heavy at all) and the Not So Simple Green Salad, which came with Point Reyes Blue and roasted grapes, a really nice twist to a plain ol' salad.
The space is really comfortable and another dichotomy all on it's own. It's industrial, contemporary, cozy and rustic all at the same time. My sweetie thought it was a little too dark but I think that's just 'cause he likes to check me out. ;)
I'm glad I finally got to try this spot -- I've been wanting to go to their Sunday night game night for a while (which I hear is fun and I'll write an update once I check it out). At least now I know that if I lose my ass in Trivial Pursuit I can soothe myself with some yummy grub!
Echoing that parking sux0rs. Plus, it's DTLA, so brace yourself for the smell of piss as you exit your vehicle. Not that it's the establishment's fault.
Also, my friends observed that the DJ looked like he'd rather be balancing his checkbook.
Their wine list was expansive and incomprehensible to me, but the server was patient, and I ended up liking what my friend ordered. Their cheese list includes Tillamook cheddar and Velveeta, which earned my respect by sheer ballsiness. But the intersection of the petty bourgeois with trailer comfort doesn't stop there. It's represented, to great effect, in platters like the exquisite tater tots with Velveeta dip, soft pretzels and mustard, and the bacon mac n'cheese; the last of which I didn't have, but looks very promising.
the must is pretty cool. the place itself isnt too small but not that large either. there are lots of seatings against the walls and plenty of tables (although i opted for the wall seating cuz the tables seemed tiny to me).
been hearing so much hype about the black sangria and ordered it. it was okay... a little too sweet for my liking. it basically tastes like a fruit juice box to me with a hint of alcohol. i dont know why they serve it with a straw since all the fruits were getting stuck in it. also had the moscato however it was not bubbly at all which made it taste superrrrrrrrrr sweet. the drinks i got.. i wouldve given this place 2.5 stars. however there are lots of other selections, plenty of beers to choose from, and the food looked tasty.
the place is nice the dj was a-okay. i thought her little disco ball thingy was a bit tacky. the staff was definitely helpful and super friendly. i would probably come back again (and order other drinks) since its such a laid back place and the prices are reasonable.
Really good food, nice atmosphere, good wine. Will def be back.
Such a cool, dark wine bar downtown and part of the much bigger shaping of a really cool downtown. Even my bus driver noted how much the area has changed in the 8 years she's been driving the 53 route.
Anyway, yes "The Must" has a great happy hour, perfect for people working nearby. A really big variety of wine and great little snacks. Like classy, almost gourmet bar food. Dark, cozy and just the right size. It's not a dive or a tiny little bar, but just big enough to stretch out with a few friends on the comfortable booths at a thick wooden table. Big bathrooms too!
My friend inadvertently "Yelped", when she said this to me: "It is a generous pour at The Must, especially for the price!" She was being droll but also honest.
Come Unwind - One Olive at a…
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Neighborhood: South Los Angeles
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Category: Sandwiches
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Sandwiches
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Bars
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