I keep hearing about the Broadway Bar downtown, located next to the Orpheum Theater, and wasn’t even sure it opened yet since CitySearch has yet to rate it. But perusing LA.com I read this:
During happy hour (Mon-Fri 5pm-9pm), each drink purchase earns a poker chip that can be redeemed for another free drink.
That’s right! Happy hour til 9pm, baby! Sure it’s all the way in Downtown L.A. and it really depends on how badly you want to battle notorious rush-hour traffic to get to that free drink, but 1) the Broadway Bar is a new, hip joint (created by the guy who did the Golden Gopher and Liquid Kitty) done up as a tribute to the 1940s mobster era (sch-wank!) and 2) they have a jukebox!
There’s also an upstairs lounge, a smoking patio, a 50-foot circle bar as well as chandliers and a low-key vibe– all in this 4,000-square-foot space. Now, don’t be a jamook and get your ass ovuh der.
(photo from LA.com)
830 S Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90014
(213) 614-9909
Cross Street: Eighth Street
There’s free parking after 7pm and street parking.
EDIT: So I finally checked this joint out. It’s all right. Turns out happy hour is only until 8pm and it’s $1 off all drinks as opposed to the second-drink-for-free reported above. A nice crowd of good-looking young professionals. Cute bartenders pour OK cocktails. No food available except the pizza you can have delivered–a regular occurence. The circle bar IS cool with a chandelier hanging over the liquor stand in the center of the ring. The only thing I really enjoyed about the Broadway Bar is that it’s close to my beloved Golden Gopher (which is run by the same people). So you can start the evening at BB and finish up at GG.
[...] The bar offers a haven to those “tired of the Hollywood bullshit” with its “New York feel with Chicago attitude.” I’m taking that to mean, it’s where you go for the big-city feel but downhome personality? The crowd consists of USC co-eds and artsy loft dwellers enjoying the kitschy decor. Anyhoo, sounds like a cool bar to me, AND since it’s near other cool Historic Core bars like the Golden Gopher, Broadway Bar and Big Bill’s, you could grab your best guys and dolls and make a Rat Pack-like night of it. [...]
[...] The only downside about a downtown bar? When I was walking from the Broadway Bar to the Golden Gopher, which is a mere 2 or 3 blocks away, passing the homeless and the crackheads, I saw a rat running straight for me. Usually I have no problem with rats, they’re furry and cute unlike roaches. But this one was moving very fast and he looked like he was coming at me. To get away, I tried to climb my companion as if he were a tree, but fortunately the rat ducked under a door at the last moment. So I suggest either valeting ($5) or parking near the bar if you want to avoid too-urban of an encounter. [...]
[...] An hour of free cocktails? I’m in! One of my favorite L.A. guides, LA.com, is throwing a party at downtown’s gangster swank (Bugsy not Busta) hotspot, the Broadway Bar on February 23rd in celebration of Downtown L.A.’s burgeoning nightlife scene. [...]