Library Bar — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Yesterday, my pal and I came here for happy hour drinks/food. The drinks were tasty and the bartenders who made them were nice. The food was typical bar food... I ordered the fried cauliflower, which was great, but the loaded fries weren't as exciting. I was OK with it, though. It's bar food, I guess.

As soon as we ordered our drinks, we were asked if we wanted to open a tab. Yes. But, since it was two of us, we wanted to open a tab for each. They explained it was easier to put us on one tab, then separate when we checked out. Weird, but OK.

We go to close our tab/settle our bill, and they drop off one bill. I flagged the bartender lady down to tell her we were supposed to have two separate bills, and all she said was, "Sorry." Like, Oopsie, sorry, but no, we're not going to bother separating your bill.

And then it got really weird. My friend looked at the bill and she was charged regular price for two drinks and one of the appetizers. She was also charged 20% for gratuity because the bill was over $100.

First of all, we specifically requested we separate our tabs when we arrived and were told we could when we closed our bill. They didn't honor that. All we got was a "sorry." We both think the reason they don't split bills is so they can charge 20% gratuity. And, seriously, it's not like we ordered a ton of food. 3 appetizers and 4 drinks, and the bill was $128 dollars! I tip well, so it's not like they wouldn't have gotten a decent tip from me, anyway.

And then, it got REALLY weird. It took three people in a huddle to review the overcharge. The lady bartender brought it over and said it had been fixed. My friend looked at it, and it STILL wasn't. They didn't fix the overcharge on her appetizer. She brought it to the attention of the lady bartender and she was like, "the chicken was $5." My friend was like, "I'm going to go ahead and pay it, but your website/menu says the chicken is $2 extra, NOT $5." That's when the lady got really curt and said, "we're aware and we're working on fixing it."

Here's my second of all: if you have a listed price for Happy Hour, but it's wrong, you should still honor it. YOU made the mistake, not the customer. That's super bad business to be like, "It's wrong, so you have to pay the price we don't have listed on the website." Not only that, but when they huddled together to review the bill, then brought it back, the lady bartender said it had been fixed. No, no, it hadn't been, and she knew it.

Sad. 2 stars for the cool decor and for the nice bartenders we had at...

Came here with a friend for some low-key Saturday night drinks. We walked into Gilt Bar upstairs which is equally as chic and swanky. I will certainly have to come back there for food.

We asked if there was a spot open for two, they informed us that there was not one for at least an hour unless we wanted to sit at a communal table. We opted to do that and it was a good decision. We were seated at the edge of a big table but there were open seats in between so we still had a little privacy.

The atmosphere down there is amazing. Speakeasy would definitely be the word to describe it, but there is a certain degree of class and old-world refinement about the space that makes it probably one of the best places in the city to sit down, sip on some drinks and enjoy some good conversation that isn't drowned out at all by music or other people's conversations. The space is small, intimate, and relatively quiet, which was refreshing compared to most other bars in the city that have loud music, big rooms, cramped seating/standing, etc.

I had the French 75 cocktail and a scotch. I thought the French 75 was just alright. It seemed to be a pretty simple combination of gin, lemon and prosecco for $13, but it was a good sized drink. Next time I will get something else. I also had a Macallan scotch on the rocks, and the "rocks" was just one "rock" of ice. I was very pleased to see that this type of ice cube was utilized as opposed to just a bunch of little cubes; the big chunk elevates the drink's flavor and doesn't water it down as badly or as fast as the small cubes. This is one of those little details that when paid attention to is what separates the men from the boys in terms of expensive places to enjoy high quality drinks.

Our server was good. She was knowledgeable enough to be able to tell me (without going back to look at the bottles) the Macallan was a sherry cask finished scotch off the top of her head. Impressive. She was attentive but not overly so and honestly just drinking we really didn't need much attention.

The only drawback to the Library is that it is on the pricey side. However, the atmosphere is certainly worth the splurge every once in awhile.

Will definitely...

I love a bar with a concept and was obsessed over the library theme. Though not exactly hidden, the walls of books and intimate, cozy seating felt akin to a speakeasy. The contrast of the classic study aesthetic against the neon, almost cyberpunk-esque bar was surprisingly harmonious. Best of all, on a Thursday night at 7pm, this place was barely populated - which was wonderful because I got prime choice of seat next to the bookcase on the sofa and could take as many pictures as I wanted.

The bartender was so nice and helpful in navigating my “reading list” for the night. My first “novel” was the “Adventure of Blackberry Finn,” a blackberry infused vodka with lemon and blackberry smush. On said adventure with Finn, I fell off the raft and was doggy paddling in the vodka. Some cocktails coyly hide their spirits as they lure you into a sense of false security. Library Bar cocktails are not like that. They don’t hide their spirits - they’re leading the pep rally. They are upfront and honest about what they contain. Take a sip and it’s undeniably VODKA. Despite that, I still thought it tasted good. Sweet, fresh, and bang for your buck with how strong it was.

The burger was quite yummy for something served at a bar. Maybe (definitely) I was already quite tipsy at this point, but I liked the burger. My friend thought it was kinda dry, but I didn’t. The fries were also nice and fluffy. I do wish they didn’t run out of the poutine… that sounded good. It probably would’ve helped soak up the alcohol too.

To be honest, I thought the literary drink names were so cute I couldn’t resist ordering a second drink. Of Ice and Mezcal was, as the bartender described it, almost a straight up spirit. Sipping on it was actually quite pleasant - the smoky taste of the Mezcal paired well with the brightness from the grapefruit bitters. But it was definitely too much for my second drink of the night (I really should have listened oops).

I would definitely come back! I see myself stopping by after work to bask in the ambiance and enjoy a nice drink - especially on weeknights on their off hours. What should I...