Gin Rummy — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Gin Rummy is a new tiki bar on the block. It lies in the very appropriate city of Marina Del Rey, which is as tropically vibed as it gets. It was once Nueva, which was once a restaurant, but the owners shed that old skin for a touch of tiki charm, which is making a nice comeback. The drinks are what one can expect for tiki varietals; strong, sweet, and full of fun. If you are feeling a bit more adventurous or have a good group , there are also some nice bowls to get the party started. If you are not feeling the urge to do the tipsy tiki shuffle, there are also plenty of water stations abound as well as nice nonalcoholic fruity beverages to indulge on. There is also a food menu. While not steeped In tiki design per se, it's more of a holdover from the previous incarnation as a food restaurant. There is nothing to immediately catch your attention, but the food definitely shall hit the spot if you are hungry for more than just drinks. The area is small and intimate, but large enough to get a good hideaway feel going. There are also pinball machines to keep you preoccupied in case the clientele isn't to your tastes. You have to order up at the bar for food and drink, so make sure you have a group table staked out, or if you went stag, it's best to set at the bar top. Finally, if the tiki drinks aren't to your preference, there is another bar space called the Little Friend, in the same location that offers some different types of beverages. If you are up for an island treat, Gin Rummy is definitely a solid...

Was very loyal to Nueva, great food and amazing staff. Was disappointed when they announced they were converting it to a new place, but was optimistic and truly wanted to love it. Sad to say I left very disappointed:

Vegan Chicken strips: tasted like they used a box of the cheapest plant-based chicken nuggets you can find in the freezer aisle. Dry, no flavor, reminiscent of cardboard. Stay far, far away. Fries (chips): these were fine, nothing to write home about Piña Colada: not very strong, but flavors were nice. Would like to see them try a blended rendition rather than on the rocks. Service: slow, but the staff was apologetic and I feel like this could just be a growing pain from converting to a tiki bar. Ambience: I can appreciate a dive bar, but this feels more like a tacky college bar

Hoping they can turn it around by improving the food. Feels like they kept Nueva prices and lowered...

Finally made a trip to Gin Rummy. We loves a good tiki bar and this one is not bad. The drinks we had were excellent. We got the nui nui and the scorpion sting. The scorpion had a nice spicy kick at the end of each sip but was front loaded with sweet juicyness. It was lovely. We also got shrimp tacos and carne asada and the cauliflower and the smokey Caesar salad. The tacos were serviceable if a bit dry. Decent flavor. The person who ordered the salad loved it. A live DJ was spinning yacht rock and the volume was way high for us olds; had a little trouble conversing. But the mostly young crowd had no issues. Love the 4 pinball machines that take credit cards and not quarters. $1 gets you 5 balls. Valet or street parking only. Would go back as it is a great place for a...