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Mon-Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
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When I find myself at The Other Room it's inevitably towards the end of the week with a horde full of people who had the same idea for late night drinking. Most times I feel as if I'm smuggling myself and cohorts into an upperclassmen house party or the after party for the cast of the latest horribly accurate LA-scene weeknight drama.
Despite all the flouncy girls and surfer dudes bred from years of studly right angle jaw DNA, I feel somewhat comfortable walking through. The bartenders are chill and succinct with their beer/wine service which is great, because mingling with the writhing mass of jaw flapping patrons at the bar is mentally painful. Yes, The Other Room is a good place to sit with your bevvie. Good luck with that.
Why the less-than-optimistic line, Luh-aura(you might be saying)? The Other Room(TOR as it shall henceforth be called), is evidently "the place" to be on AK at night. Apparently. It's all dimly lit with cushy couches and ottomans and people like that kinda stuff.
And even though it's packed to the gills, every single time I go I see some couple desperately sucking each others drunk faces. Get a room...another room(harhar). In a full service bar, I probably wouldn't mind because I'd be too drunk to notice, but beer alone cannot blur the image of other people's foreplay.
So, best game plan for TOR? Depends on who you're going with. A date? Go early and get piss drunk and by the time you're making out you won't even notice all the people around you. Then you can claim that it's too crowded and go back to your pad.
Going with friends? Take at least 2 other people so you can use the size of your party to claim seating. Then you'll have someone to bitch to about the guy dropping a deuce in the bathroom. Really. Welcome to Venice.
Have to say off the bat that I love the look and feel of this bar!
It mixes dark and cool with some really comfy seating and let's you sit in the sun streamig thru the window and watch the world go by, or you can retreat to the cool dark recesses at the back and chill like the proverbial villain!
Ok so I liked the decor, now onto the booze.
This place as dozens of beers on tap or in bottle form, each of them listed up on the huge chalkboard.... And I want to try all of them damnit!
The beers range from $6 draft to $20 gourmet, and I want to try ALL OF THEM DAMNIT!!! They also have wine and sake if that's your bag baby.
Being on in Venice of course, the place is very prone to infestations of the rampant douche, but that is how we have to roll nowadays.
I stopped here for a drink last night.
What I love about this space are the large, open windows which look out onto the street.
I ordered a Coney Island Freaktoberfest, a nice cherry colored seasonal lager, and grabbed a cushioned bench seat right at the corner, near the door.
From this vantage point, I could see a passing parade of pretty people, mostly under 30, seemingly well educated, athletic, happy. There were candles burning. And the glow of the setting sun, illuminating the room and fooling my eyes with its seductive glow. If I had any worries, about money, unemployment or relationships, they slowly melted away as I sipped on that delightful craft beer.
The best time, I think, to come here, is just before the sun sets. The obnoxious hordes, the pick-up artists, the hungry poseurs, the gum-chewing girls, the slick cellphone talkers, the testosterone fueled armies of hard-ons hunting for pussy...they probably come later. This cocktail hour is reserved for something delectable, sublime, relaxing...a transitional moment to sit and converse and think and wander.
Sultry, Sexy, Seductive.
Those are pretty much 3 good words to describe the otheroom.
The space is well thought out and the cocktail selection is top notch... everything from high end spirits to a Austrian lager.
The clientele is also very cool, being in Venice, the amount of cool hipsters was up while the amount of hipster douchebags was down, and for the douchebags in general, nonexistent.. I think the door man had a "No Affliction or bedazzed shirt on men" policy.... Awesome.
This place sucks. Go to The Library Alehouse or get in a cab and go up to the Father's Office. This is the I just got out of college and I think Im the shit crowd. Even has some MMA wanna be bouncers that work the door at night. You know because Venice is full of a bunch of thugs and we wouldnt want a fight to break out or anything. 0-1 stars. They get one star just so I have something to flip off every time I drive by the dump.
Driving past on a Friday night you'll notice this place is packed to the brim making it that much more appealing. People on the door are nice but NOT A FULL BAR so if you like your liquor stay away. Good luck trying to find somewhere to sit, and good luck trying to hear what anyone in your group is saying. It's dark in here which is better so that you can't look too much at the people trying to be cool.
This place was overall okay it had everything apart from a cool atmosphere. My friends and I all originally from Europe left after one drink. This place had so much potential but was missing that "something".
pros: great beer selection; cool atmosphere; you can order food to the bar.
cons: no liquor; if there's a line, venice zip code licenses get priority.
i've also spotted owen wilson here. i guess that can go under pros. :)
Upon entering The Otheroom, my immediate thoughts were -
HOLY MOLEY look at all those beers and wines!
OH MY GOSH - Are they playing The Big Pink? And other indie tunes I absolutely adore?
WOW! Look at all those sexy little nooks by the bar!
My excitement grew as the music continued to get better and I checked out more of the bar. I was, however, a little bummed by the caliber of the clientele here. The people at the bar didn't seem to match the elegance of the establishment. But! It could have been an off night. I'll try again soon.
I arrived with a decent sized group of people hoping to get a few good drinks and catch up with old friends. The place was packed (duh it was Friday night) and I was getting a bit flustered with the amount of people. Yes, I should be used to this type of cluster-fuck, but really, no one should be used to this type of crap. Luckily my friend made his way over to the bar and got us a round of beers. Spaten Oktoberfest in large steins; nuff said.
The dark lighting and high ceilings, with the decent beer and wine list make this a pretty cool spot; and the small tables and benches toward the front of the place were where we finally were able to sit. It started as us finding two empty chairs, then gradually we just took the mother-f'er over by scooching over one by one until the people originally sitting there just gave up and left.
The music volume seemed fine and unassuming until as we were walking out to our next venue we realized we were screaming at each other. Maybe taking it down a notch would have been better.
One of my favorite spots in LA. Great selection of beer and wine, good music blaring from the speakers and a great looking crowd week round. The beer ranges from $6-12. My fave is the Hefenweizen that comes in the huge tall glass.
In the day time, it's a nice place to come hang out with friends - not too crowded. At night, it's a whole different story. it's dark, crowded and loud, but I love it, besides the fact that most of the time, it's hard to find a place to sit.
I've been a periodic interloper on the O.R. scene dating back several yrs.
i emphasize. Periodic.
Sunday evenin'---this is the first time here that i'm not hemmed into long drink lines and SRO meat-markety packs of aspiring to higher pretensiousness peeps who seem pained to crack a genuinely relaxed smile. maybe it's due to the generally eardrum-shredding blaring soundsystem which renders all convo virtually inaudible.
so, maybe things will be different this time around? have i found the cool, chillaxin alterna-sibling otherwise known as the elusive 'OTHER' Otheroom?
Let's see:
BROWNIE POINTS:
+1.5 Stars for great ambience (dark, brooding, with high ceilings, chalkboard menus, expectedly exceptional eye candy)
+2.0 Stars--- It's quiet this sunday nite! i can move around and choose from a variety of lounging positions! Background Music! No earplugs required!
BUT
-2.0 Stars-- snooty insincere mostly frowning and occasionally impossibly fake-smiling staff makes you feel like an unwelcome burden, even upon arriving one full hour before last call.
And then, despite our proactive, respectful inquiries regarding 'last call' protocols, we still got rude, frowny, completely stone cold emotionless 'Drink up and Get the Fuck Out' attitude from all behind the bar, and were almost literally bullied from our stools by hyper-aggro staff intimidation.
Yea, thanks, i want you guys to know i really enjoy choking/chugging down my glass of Red due to your furrowed-brow doucheyness.
Geez, America is soooo uptight sometimes regarding the enjoyment of the 'jazz' of the night.
It's really a shame. Great location on A. Kinney. Mere blocks from the beach. The paradox is the oxy-moronic un-fun vibe.
What's the excuse? Making no dinero on a sparsely populated weekending wind-down Sunday?
Sheesh. Whether packed or empty,
The VERDICT IS:
SAME
OLD
SAME
OLD
LAMENESS.
1.5 STARS.
AN OVERGENEROUS 1.5 STARS.
DONE.
Cool vibe and good selection of beer&wine. Went on a Wednesday night and it was surprisingly crowded.
Last week some girlfriends and I ventured out to Abbott Kinney's First Friday (August) to see what kind of trouble we could get ourselves in to (unfortunately that turned out to be a big fat NONE). The Otheroom is like 1 of 2 "bars" on Abbott Kinney so we ended up here for a good portion of the time wishing for a dance floor, camping out at the bar, and trying to scope out the man scene which oddly enough was somewhat pitiful (we must've not been able to spy any hotties because it was so dark inside!)
My jaw dropped at the sight of the beer (and wine) selection scrawled above the bar on chalk boards. So much to choose from! Being the cheap-o that I am my eyes zeroed in on all the beer options that cost only $6 - there are quite a few! I asked for the He'brew Genesis Ale but was denied (bartender told me they were out) so I went for the Abita Amber and it was delish! Other offerings on the menu included "Large" bottles of Chimay for $19+!!! That better be a big a$$ bottle of beer okay?
I'll definitely stop by again the next time I go to First Friday so I can work my way through the beer list!
Pros:
Cute boys
Good wine selection
Excellent location
Cons:
Loud music
No Vodka
Very dark inside
I really dig this place. Every time I come here I have a great time chatting away. If you're a beer or wine snob, this place is the right joint for you. They've got a great selection of imported beers and wines.
The decor is very chic and modern with a few big windows that let some light into this cozy den. We always enjoy sitting near the windows during the day and sometimes on the window ledge. Great way to talk to all the passerbyers. As the sun sets, the Otheroom becomes very dark and dimly lit, nice bar setting.
The music here is AWESOME. No cheesy crap or bull poo poo top 40, they run a very eclectic mix of sound from indie rock, blues, jazz, experimental, etc.
It's also a great crowd in there. There's a lot of fashion forward, hip and eccentric patrons in there. Very good looking peeps and bar staff.
I came to Venice Beach on a heat wave day to cool down and randomly stumbled into this place in the daytime. From outside you can tell it's a pretty up-to-date and higher end bar because the decor is nice but very simple. The bar had huge open windows so if you were to sit by the bar or the tables you can feel the cool breeze. I thought this place was cool and a nice place to have a glass of chardonnay after shopping, eating, or walking around. I would come here again.
One thing about this place though.... I couldn't see anything in the bathroom! It was lite by candle light (I think) and it was super dim. I think they need to consider installing or putting in a lamp or something so that I can know where the toilet paper, sink, or anything is.
I remember going to this bar in Venice on Abbot Kinney, one of the main streets in Venice, which has a lot of bars and restaurants along there. This was back in 2008.
I came here with this girl who graduated from NYU while working for this wealthy man in Culver City. This bar attracts some of the most attractive, successful and refined men from what I saw but then again I don't really go there often and haven't been there anytime recently. (I don't know why I said that.)
It is a pretty cool bar.
The bartenders didn't seem to know what I was talking about when I had asked them about a specific wine but whatever.
The entire place is dimly lit with candle pieces everywhere. The bar is along the left hand side and there are plenty of chairs and tables to sit at. There is also a private room that encloses itself with a velvet curtain.
It looks pretty cool and it is pretty cool. I think this is a fun place to hang out. :)
Loud and dark, loud and dark. Located in a very happenin' part of bohemian Venice, the Otherroom sports a great space and cool decor but you wouldn't know if you come here after the sun has set and the place is packed.
Like so many places I like, this place has brick everywhere. Brick walls are hidden only by the floor to ceiling shelves of beer and wine. With small food plates to eat earlier on in the evening it's a good joint to come to and get some chatter in before the real crowd starts filtering in and makes talking virtually impossible.
During the day the place is neat to come to, get a way from the sun and just hang out quietly and casually with friends. At night on a busy one like Thursday through Sunday this place becomes packed by everyone and their mother, the music is increased to match the constant chatter and the lights seemed to be turned off completely. Candle light is the only thing to guide your way through the crowd to the bar.
I would highly recommend this place around 6 o'clock on a Wednesday when you can come here, enjoy a nice Chardonnay and some cheese, unwind. But when we came here on the weekend we had to stand in a very tight circle to avoid being hit by others with their clumsy ways and messy drinks. It wasn't very enjoyable. It did make hearing each other easier standing so close since the music was almost deafening.
Come here on a nice relaxing Tuesday instead of trying to party here on a Friday.
Not sure why the reviews are a little on the low side. Then again I've only been here a handful of times. People say it's too loud to have a conversation. I've actually come here because The Brig is waaayyyy too loud, so I have no clue what these people are talking about. Maybe it's the "old" people who consider the music here loud.
I definitely like the feel of this bar. I love the selection of beers. This place is definitely not for a novice beer drinker as you won't find anything familiar on tap or in stock. Prices are very reasonable. I will keep coming to this place for the beer and atmosphere.
Been here on Fridays and Saturdays. For a beer and wine bar, they don't have much variety on beer. Asked for a Franziskaner or a Pacifico with no dice. Pretty dark inside. Able to find seating every time.
Had a glass bottle thrown at our party's direction one Saturday. Staff handled it well by escorting the dude out, but failed to clean up the glass covering our former seats. Line can be slow on weekends. Creep factor is pretty low.
Not bad for a laid back Friday or Saturday night.
Great gem of a bar located on Abbot Kinney in Venice, accented by a great selection of internation wine and beer served to the background of hip Indie rock. Like most bars it can tend to be a little loud but the atmosphere as well as the wait staff are friendly. Interior decor is typical chic and modern and far from a dive bar. The ambience being dimly lit (mostly candlelight) lends a more intimate feel that is also great for dates as well as casual get togethers as ppl feel as private or as public as they want to be. A big minus to this place is the lack of food of any kind, be it bar food, appetizers or a real menu. All the times I've gone, someone has been in the mood to eat and we've been forced to order delivery pizza from a neighboring place (which the bar allows because of their lack of a kitchen).
This is a great wine bar to go with friends! Love the dark interior, the little tables, the chalkboard menu, and the wide selection of wine, beer, and champagnes. It definitely gets super crowded early, so come early to grab a table! However, this place loses points due to its outrageously loud music. Trust me, I love a good beat, but when it gets to the point that I can't even hear the person screaming in my ear (and sitting right next to me), we definitely have a problem. Also, the service is somewhat slow and dumb. I asked the waitress for a suggestion on red wines, and all she said was that they were pretty much all the same. SURE. I'm not a wine connoisseur but I definitely know that all red wines are NOT the same. Downgrade.
Tone down the music with better service, and I'll be back for sure.
*** worse late night venue on Abbott Kinney. ***
dark, loud, obnoxiously pretentious, and poor music.
*** i'm shocked everytime i see a line waiting to enter. ***
i like to come here with friends on sundays, drink wine and laugh at all the middle-aged venetians lurking in the shadows trying sooooo hard to look hip and twentysomething and failing miserably.
Kinda hit or miss
Good if you love wine and a wide selection of beers.
If your like loud rock this is a highly recommendable place.
The champagne was pretty good first time trying champagne and i was pleasantly surprised plus had no idea it could get you mighty tipsy.
Lots of dudes! Guy to girl ratio was 5-1.
Not a bad place to check out you could do worse like stay home and do nothing!
EDIT: This place gets worse each time I go back. One time a table of guys next to us got up and left, and they thought it would be funny to push a lit candle up against my back on their way out. Luckily, I noticed it before catching fire. Most recently, I went on a friday night and the place was packed with rude dudes. One such dude went into the womens room and relieved himself in the sink when my wife was in there. Then he came over to where we were sitting and began hitting on my wife and her girlfriend and he even tried to grope them. The bouncer was summoned by the girlfriend, since the guy wasn't heeding my warnings, but the bouncer only asked him to back off. This guy then immediately sought out another group and began bothering them. He wasn't kicked out until my wife's girlfriend insisted that he be removed from the place.
Please heed my advice and only go early in the evening or on an off-night, that is, unless you're looking for a meat-market sausage-fest with no shortage of people who will spoil your night.
No shortage of tools here, but it's a decent place for a beer or a glass of wine. You can get a… Read more »
Bring earplugs as the decibel levels rival a WHO concert.
* One star for the doormen who are super cool !
Been frequenting the Otheroom since opening back in 2005 when they still allowed me to bring my dog… Read more »
So The Otheroom, what can I say? I had heard from multiple sources that this was a good place to go for a drink, so I popped in to say hello. I had been meaning to go in for awhile, but every time that I went there was a crazy line outside. I don't wait to go into a bar where I'm going to spend money. Principle uno.
As soon as you walk in, EVERYONE turns and looks you up and down. Oh my god, is he a producer? Or an actor? Someone who can get me into "the biz"? No I'm not, so let me be. I just want a beer.
So I had heard about this great beer list that they have. So I asked the bartender for a recommendation. Told him what I wanted, and he said to trust him, he had a great reco. He came back with a glass of Anchorsteam. I fucking hate Anchorsteam... it tastes like a goat's piss. Or at least, what I would imagine a goat's piss would taste like. But he had already poured it, so I guess I was under oral agreement to pay for it and drink it. And pay for it I did. The beers here are overpriced.
Everyone in the place was so superficial and snobby. And it's impossible to get a table, so you end up getting elbowed by lame girls who think that they own the show and are pushing by you like you should know who they are and kowtow to them as soon as they even look in your direction.
Absolutely not my kind of scene. 1 star. I don't know who would enjoy this place except for someone who bases his/her self worth on the reputation of the bar, not on the actual experience.
Other Room is a bit like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Before 6pm: It's a breezy, low-key bar with a great beer list and a pleasant industrial aesthetic.
After 6pm: It gets flooded with douche-y guys and cougars and a faux-pretension that seems totally out of place in Venice.
Overall best beer list on the west side, maybe they just need to start checking IDs at the door and limit the amount of visitors who live East of the 405.
Well, I have definitely not had the types of bad experiences that many other reviewers have, but I wouldn't call this place my favorite either. I must first mention that I do not live in Venice, but I also think I have never come here on a weekend (hence, I have never waited in any line).
Recently, I was shopping on Abbot Kinney in the late afternoon with a girlfriend and we decided to stop in for an early drink. At that time of day there was no wait, a small crowd but not crowded, and we had no trouble at all getting service at the bar. Plus, we could still see what was going on. My friend, who was visiting from out of town, thought it was a nice place.
I must concur with other reviewers, however, about how damn dark it is at night! Now, being into lighting myself, I am a fan of the candle lit look, but they kind of take that idea and ruin it here. Plus, the bathroom is so dark you can barely see where anything is! Seriously, guys? You couldn't make it a tad bit brighter in a place where seeing what you're doing is a good thing?
I also agree about the music being way too loud at night. When I want my eardrums to hurt I'll go to The Roxy, thank you very much.
I do think this place is good for an early evening drink before you go to dinner and inevitably end up at a different bar.
I'm a big fan of this place. I love the atmosphere and the dark lighting. It's intimate but you don't feel like you're in a swanky, overpriced bar. They have a great selection of wine and beer, and the bartenders know their stuff. This place is great for dates, a night out with the girls, or a casual drink with a friend. Check it out!
I love this place. When its crowded you have to be aggressive and grab a table, but its fun sharing because you meet the most interesting people. I'm not lying when I say I had a conversation about the Mayan calendar last time I was there. When its not crowded, like on the weeknights, grab some drinks with your friends and just relax, its impossible not to in the Otheroom.
The beer and wine selection is really good (though I should hope so since thats kinda their schtick).
I won't lie I was a little upset when I found out the bar was a chain from New York (where were the residents of Venice to protest this chain!), but its ok because the New York twins have probably got nothing on the local Venice vibe of this one
If your driver license doesn't say "Venice", expect to wait 30 minutes to 1 hour to get in on the weekends.
It was completely packed with the typical Venice crowd. Beach-cruiser-riding, low-rise-jeans, scruffy-facial-hair, tank-top wearing, 30-something hipsters. It took me 10 minutes just to make my way up to the bar only to find they only serve beer and wine! I guess that's written on their totally illegible chalkboard menu. And then another 10 minutes to escape to the back couches to find a quiet enough place where we could finally hear each other's shouts... I mean, conversations.
dark moody wine and beer bar.
great with friends or a date you've already looked at in good lighting at some point.
very poorly lit.
crowd mixed with yuppies and hipsters.
overall a decent destination.
I liked this place, a little more mature and chill than the other bar we went to which was filled with aggro "Bros" (kids). It was a strange mix of clientele from dressed up people to tattoo sporting aging guys. They had a great selection of beer and wine - and what an awesome idea. Prices seemed a little high but i suppose they gotta eat also?
The downside is the place seemed so small. We managed to get in on a Friday night with only a 5 or 10 minute wait though. I'd go back
I'm a former New Yorker. We love our wine bars to be dark and brooding - the furniture, the bartenders, the cabernet.
That said, its great to find The Otheroom, an off-shoot of the New York City-based bars The OtheRoom and AnotheRoom.
Along the Abbot Kinney stretch, you need to "know when to go" as to avoid long lines and a slightly random and sometimes uncomfortable "hipster/meathead" cohabitation.
Head there on a week night for a some amazing wine drinking with friends or a hot date and you will not be disappointed.
But just FYI - they don't have any eats so plan accordingly.
How have I not written a review of this place yet?
Been going here since this past summer and while it isn't a regular spot of mine, I still stop in every so often. The best thing about this place is the ambiance-- really lush and tasteful with soft candlelight, dark draperies, comfy and abundant seating. The clientele it attracts are also a plus. On a good night the place will be full of attractive men and women who are neither hipster douchebags or sketchy ho-bags, the two groups that troll most of the places I end up in.
Extensive beer list and good wine selection, however twice when I've come here they were out of the beer I requested. Guess the list is expensive but not ever plentiful.
A bit pricey but not outrageous. The bartenders aren't the best, but they aren't jerks and they have to deal with a high volume of people so I'm not going to give them too hard a time.
If you pick an off night or an off time, this place make a great date spot. Pull up a chair, buy me a Lambic framboise, and stare deep into my candlelit eyes, baby.
This wine bar is busy, dark, and the music is loud. There seem to always be people hanging around in the front of the place. Neat space, a couple of rooms, set up with candles, cool crowd but not too friendly. The dark hair bartender is a moron, remind me to call the manager tomorrow and bitch about him. 3.5 stars rounded down.
This is another one of my favorite bars. I'm not a big liquor girl so I love that they are beer and wine only and they have a great selection. I'm always looking to try new/seasonal beers and always enjoy a glass of bubbly when I'm in the mood. If you get there early enough for a seat its a great environment with the candlelight, and if they open the windows so its like you are sitting outside (but your still in the bar) its very European to me. its a combination of beachy, loungy, sexy but casual. Last time we were there we saw Owen Wilson who just rolled up had a beer and then left. Overall I enjoy the atmosphere and their drink selection. A+
While standing in line, the bouncer suddenly yells, "Anyone with 'Venice' on their drivers license come to the front of the line. We like to keep this a locals' bar."
Everyone in line stares at him, but not a one moves.
That about sums up this place. Add to the mix a weird, unattractive crowd, too many meatheads pushing you around, and a totally unprofessional staff made my Friday night end on a low note.
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