It’s no secret that I loves me some whiskey so I was excited to hear that Seven Grand, a new whiskey bar, opened up in Downtown L.A., especially one that’s put together by the Golden Gopher peeps. And sure there are vodka bars, sake bars and wine bars, why not whiskey? But then I heard about it from UrbanDaddy, then Daily Candy, friends emailing me about it and so on and so on… Talk about overselling. I do wanna check it out but judging by all the attention it’s getting, maybe I’ll wait til things die down before I order myself up a stiff one.
Since that probably won’t be for awhile, I wanted to put all the preview excerpts in one place for my (and your) convenience. (No full reviews yet, ‘cept one on Yelp).
Curbed LA: “Old Irish bar feel. Very big whiskey selection. Walnut bar, pool tables. And apparently there’s a nitrogenator, which is some kind of fancy-pants draft beer delivery method which people go nuts over.”
Daily Candy newsletter: “Only blocks from owner Cedd Moses’s other joints, Golden Gopher and Broadway Bar, the English lodge/library-looking gem on the second floor of the old Brock’s Jewelry Emporium is all dark wood, rich leather, plaid carpeting, and friendly taxidermy.”
Downtownnews.com: “Similar to the Gopher and Broadway, Seven Grand will feature a smoking patio, flattering lighting (which is to say, dark), no cover charge and spacious ladies bathrooms. ‘Friendly service without attitude,’ Moses adds, ‘and geared toward Downtown regulars and not the boring Hollywood crowd.’”
Gridskipper: “The atmosphere is lodge kitsch, with relics from the jewelry store and taxidermy from the cafeteria that previously occupied the premises.”
LAist: “DJs spinning old-time jazz, 200 choices of whiskey, and a dark mellow vibe with a twist of a thirty something crowd is making the old Clifton’s Silver Spoon location another reason downtown nightlife is coming abuzz. Seven Grand, named after its nearest intersection, just opened this month and it feels as if it has been here for ages.”
- A secluded back room, a pool table, and a smoking patio — so the guy who hustled you at pool has an airy place to light his cigars with your money.
- A rare-to-downtown live-performance permit, and a partnership with the bookers behind Silverlake’s mainstay, Spaceland. Upcoming plans include hipster indie rock nights, and traditional Irish, drunken-brawling music.
UrbanDaddy newsletter: “Speaking of spirits, you can choose from more than 125 whiskeys or try a flight. If you’re feeling adventurous (and we trust you are), sample the rare, 30-year-old Macallan scotch (at $120 a glass) or the George T. Stagg (unfiltered, uncut, 140 proof).”
Seven Grand
515 West Seventh Street
Los Angeles, California 90014
(213) 614-0736
Coincidentally, I was just there on Wednesday night. Very sweet. They haven’t had the official grand opening yet, so things were quite mellow between 6:30 and 9:30. It’s a good Ronnie Klein remodel. It’s civilized but not stuffy. They have an incredible selection of bourbons and scotches. A mini debate occurred on the merits of Bullet Bourbon (cool oval glasses it’s served in). Music was low. Jazz, yes, but at one point I heard the Pogues (one bartender in white shirt, vest and tie sported a mohawk, which sorta resonated with all the antlers on the walls). They have some kinda special ice cube machine (from Japan?) that cranks out these cubes that are actually hard, clear cubes. Indeed, when ordering drinks on the rocks, customers would specify how many of these very slow melting cubes they wanted in their liquor. Check it out now.
Oh, show me the way to the next whiskey bar
Oh, don’t ask why, oh, don’t ask why
Show me the way to the next whiskey bar
Oh, don’t ask why, oh, don’t ask why
Did I mention that the handicapped stall in one of the W.C.s has its own private marble-topped vanity which is just the right height for…. Bartender, can I get a bucket of those lovely ice cubes?
I managed to wander in on opening night (but not the Grand Opening) before the massive hoopla got out about it. According to the GM (who was working the bar that night), they had just finished construction earlier in the day.
The bourbon/whiskey/scotch selection was pretty good. A Kentuckian wandered down with me to partake in the fine Kentucky bourbon and he was impressed by the breadth of what was available. The bartenders were pretty friendly but were struggling to find everything on the menu above the bar. Supposedly they rearranged the bottle order right before opening. Probably not the best idea.
Good ambiance (if not a smidgen too dark), good tunes, nice spot to kick it after work, if I worked anywhere near there. The chairs and tables were all covered in leather and are rather comfy. We were talking with the bartenders about the pool table thing and were disappointed to learn they were putting them in the main room, which would break up that nice open area they had to stand around and talk / dance in.
Anyways, it’s definitely worth a look but maybe not till after the hype dies down a bit. I think the concept works a little better when it’s not packed to the gills (or horns in this case).
I think I saw it in the March or February issue of Los Angeles magazine, too.
Thanks for the reviews, guys! Yeah, I’ll look into it in the next month or so. Meanwhile I’ve got some Jameson at home to keep me company.
They’ve got way better than Jameson. Why wait?
Well, maybe I’ll go on an off night. Is there one?
Sure, early in the week. Of course, if word gets out that you’re coming the paparazzi will be there in force.
Then maybe I just won’t tell anyone (shhh, next Thursday).
Thanks!!!
This will be a headline news for the next week :)
I need to go and check it and review it.
Thnx
Oh,It was really a nice bar.
Really cute and a little bit dark, but that’s the best for whiskey.
They did have a large selections of Whiskeys ( daa) but I didn’t found my favorite one.
The prices are really ok. They start from 7 $ for the single malts and 11$ for the 10 years old and so on.
Good staff and aimable people.
I didn’t like the patio, well the patio was really good, but in front of it was this old building with no windows and really dirty…but Helas,. the WHiskey was good.
I would reccomend the Green Bushmills, ( 10 years Old).
just visited last night–it was quite delightful. Barely a crowd, bartender claims that the “real” opening is May 10, so now’s just “soft”. Enjoy it while ya can!
[shhh, Thursday] Didn’t see you, but I saw the Lakers win, saw a couple order in a nice looking pizza, heard some good sounds from a DJ and had some really good bourbon.
Hollywood, I didn’t go this Thursday but I’m definitely planning on next Friday at 7:30. You down?
Mais oui!
Since when does going from the second floor to the first include four flights of stairs?
It’s a handful of steps. Whatever. It’s not such drama.
Mint Juleps with Makers? Manhattans with Rye? I was in heaven.
Well, I’m saying a flight equals a set of steps of which there were four. And going up ain’t a big deal but going down after several whiskeys is a feat in heels. Thank goodness for the rails and friends.