El Prado — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Popped in for a drink with my wife on our anniversary as we were allured by the beautiful mosaic and warm lighting. Greeted the bartender with a smile and hello and was met with an expressionless “what can I get you”. When I asked to sample a sour beer said bartender made a face, then abruptly put the glass in front of me without a word. I said I’d have one, and again I was met with an angry expression and no words. I felt as though I had barged into someone’s home uninvited. My wife felt the bad vibe from him too and we decided to quickly finish our drinks and leave so as to not put a dampener on our special evening. I obviously did not leave a tip because the service was non-existent, and opted to leave the signed receipt close to me until we left. Bartender then encroached my space to aggressively snatch the receipt away. I left feeling upset but still mustered the decency to say thank you on the way out. The other bartender did say goodbye and seemed to be very friendly and pleasant. Im sure the bartender was just having a bad day, but his attitude towards me was honestly upsetting. Beer was delicious and the music was good, so credit where...

So cool it's practically stupid. 🕶 You will become cooler from going here. I did, and I'm a relentlessly uncool person.

If you too are maybe a little bit or even a lot uncool, feel free to ask the bartender for help! They will in fact gladly help and not laugh at you. In addition to specials written on the board above the bar, they have an extensive list of wine by both the bottle and glass. (I personally chose the house syrah, which was delicious.) They do not serve mixed drinks or liquor, but do have a beer or two and a cider (also delicious) on tap.

You can enjoy your drink inside, or outside either on the back patio or at the tables out front on the sidewalk.

Prepare for a people-watching smorgasbord even if you're like me and don't recognize famous people in the flesh. Expect to overhear something hilarious, interesting, or both. Please remember to tip your waitstaff, and you'll have...

Spent a bit of very early evening on a Friday here, drinking beer with some friends. It is a pretty chill place at that hour, not too crowded, decent music at a good conversation volume, good, if not huge, selection of wine and beer. That was a slight disappointment for me because I was feeling bourbon at that particular time and place, and El Prado apparently has only a beer/wine license. That's fine and it is really the only thing holding me back from giving the place four stars. Basically it seems to succeed at being a divey local but for people with a bit of taste. In Echo Park that basically equates to a bar full of hipsters, and though I guess that can sound pejorative, hipsters do appreciate quality, and this bar has that. I can't comment at all on how this place gets when it is properly busy, but for a late afternoon/early evening drink (or a few)...