Drinks in West LA?

[jeffandnat]

Anybody know of a good spot near the 405/Sawtelle/Santa Monica Blvd area to have after dinner drinks with a client. Normally I would head down to Abbot Kinney and go to Hals, but am looking for something different and closer to the westside.

[jeffandnat]

Thanks for the ideas everyone. Ended up at Arsenal, and it was great! Cool atmosphere decent drinks, and we sat in the room on the westside of the bar, and were able to have a conversation and still hear the D.J.

[yogachik]

The bar at Il Moro, on Olympic near Sawtelle.

[mollyomormon]

Maybe the bar at Westside Tavern? Or the Arsenal. The Arsenal is definitely quieter than (and not as dark as) the Liquid Kitty. More divey, but SF Saloon is also quiet.

[Bria Silbert]

Bandera's on Wilshire and Barrington has a bar.

[mollyomormon]

the only issue with the Bandera bar is that it can sometimes be loud if it's one of the nights when they have a jazz trio playing.

[maxcatsilver]

OP mentioned "drinks with a client" I'd break it down this way:

If client likes a hipster setting and can handle noise/crowds: Liquid Kitty

If client prefers an anti-hipster setting (or sees an atavistic jukebox as ironically hip) and likes it quieter: Lost & Found

If client prefers something between the two and then maybe wants to go to a restaurant within walking distance (I.e Bombay Cafe, Sushi House, Chan Dara, Yabu): Arsenal

Though as someone already noted, Liquid Kitty and the Arsenal aren't that far from each other on Pico, so the restaurant info applies equally I suppose.

[MissCast]

And that would be every night since there's a band 7 nights/week. :-)

[Capybara]

I like the bar at the Westside Tavern, but I wouldn't go with a client as you can't count on being able to get a seat.

[Servorg]

If it's a bar you are after then Liquid Kitty comes to mind. On Pico just a block west of Barrington on the S side of the street with it's iconic neon cigarette/martini glass sign (and the cigarette part is obviously ironic at this point in time). Or just a bit farther west is the Arsenal.

www.thekitty.com

www.arsenalbar.com

[jeffandnat]

I thought about the Kitty, but I need to be able to have a little conversation, and the Kitty is pretty loud.

[Servorg]

There is a very quiet neighborhood bar (and of course I'm blanking on the name right this second) in the little mini mall on the SW corner of Barrington and National across the street from the Whole Foods market.

[Servorg]

Just remembered the name - Lost and Found...

[jeffandnat]

Lost & Found?

[jeffandnat]

Lost & Found could work. Thanks.