R Bar
- Hours:
Mon-Wed 5:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m.
Thu-Fri 5:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.
Sat 7:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.
Sun 7:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Music: Juke Box
- Best Nights: Mon, Fri, Sat
- Happy Hour: Yes
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Smoking: No
- Coat Check: No
42 reviews
Neighborhood: Westlake
"The decor is amazing. It's a little smaller than I imagined from the pictures, but it's absolutely gorgeous in person. It has a sorta…" read more »
137 Reviews for R Bar
R Bar, what can I say about you? The password to get in is very cool. The low light, dark decor and rowdy group of people make me feel like I am on a pirate ship. Although I think the rowdiness was confined to the group of people I was with! The bar tender was really forgiving when I told her I didn't care what she made, as long as it was sweet. Not sure of everything I had. But the watermelon something or other was really good. I could really like this bar more if it weren't for the location. And the taco truck outside is also a big plus.
I did split some garlic fries with a friend of mine and they were really good! They were just as expensive as you'd see at any other bar, but good! Just watch out for the garlic breath.
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"R Bar" or (aaaRrrrr Bar, as I like to call it) is a far cry from your normal Ktown watering hole: the interior is dive bar meets Disney's "Pirates of the Carribean" water ride, all splashed in red, and the crowd is mostly white instead of Asian. The mood that the place sets is very cool~ walking into a sign-less establishment accessible only by password makes you feel very "in the know," and the near-pitch black interior means that you can shmooze in private with your friends at one of the small tables in the back while still being close to the "scene."
Still, R Bar is not without its hassles. The location--at a busy intersection on 8th and Irolo--makes parking difficult. The bar and its staff are like a three headed dragon. Each of the bartenders is eager to please, but none of them know what the other two are doing, and as a result, orders and bills can get mixed up (mine did). Though the interior is somewhat divey, don't expect cheap drinks; they'll run you just as much as at some clubs. Oh, and make sure to keep up with the password changes, otherwise the bouncer might make you walk the plank. Aye, matey~!
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Growing up, my parents -- amazing as they are -- subcontracted their duties to certain babysitters named Mr. Magnavox, Cookie Monster, and Elmo. Ergo, my formative years were marked by childhood obesity, the tendency to gorge on Chips Ahoy! by going "om nom nom nom," and the need to be told that I'm special. Seriously, who dreamt up Sesame Street? "No no, forget MLK guys, I think what's really missing as a role model for kids is a gigantic gay bird who wears purple eyeshadow." (http://en.wikipedia.or...)
Fast forward to 2008 and I still have these tendencies. Only instead of cookies, these days I'm drunkenly pounding my fist on the bar and demanding "me want vodka! me drink vodka!" as the guzzling of the upside down bottle makes for its own "om nom nom nom." So what place better to satisfy the vodka monster (aka moi) AND make you feel like you're special than an unmarked, almost secretive bar who's door has to be knocked on before a man opens a tiny porthole and demands a password?
Speaking of said password, you can keep up with what it is by knowing someone cool, or friending them on MySpace (http://profile.myspace...)
Things are a little disorienting once you get inside though. What?! A dim lounge where I can actually hear myself speak? And what's with the awesome music (read: Violent Femmes, Journey, et al) in the acoustically appropriate jukebox? I thought the hipsters had all taken over and made Joy Division jukebox and jukeplay de rigeur. And the place is sexy -- a cross between a 20's speakeasy and the Study of an English manor, with crystal chandeliers and dark wood everywhere. In recognition of their look, they could master a few more old-timey drinks (a friend had to teach the bartender how to make a sidecar) but that's hardly a gripe.
Considering R Bar's founders have just about nailed everything else and certainly shown a certain adeptness for managing a bar, I wonder if they were raised on something else. Books, perhaps?
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My experience at the R Bar was a total deja vu.
It reminded me of the set of the very first Czech gay porn flick I saw...because I watch porno for set design ideas, y'know. You probably remember it, right? It's the one where three twinks meet up at a pub that looked remarkably just like the R Bar and then proceed to fuck each other in a bathroom stall of a train station nearby all while moaning and grunting and shouting "Pravda vítezí!" , because who doesn't like a little patrotism in their gay porn? This must explain why I get hard when I hear the "Star Spangled Banner" or recite the pledge everytime I gets bi-zaay.
I digress.
The R Bar is fucking gorgeous. It's full of natural wood, comfy couches and lots of gothic motif. The lighting is dim as hell which makes everyone look 10x more fuckable. Having to pull out a password to enter the bar from god knows where also increases the posh-romantic-sexiness of this place.
The one thing they need to improve on is learning more old-timey drinks. Drinks like a Rusty Nail or a Side Car or a Negroni are drinking staples. Charging $10 for a signature drink you don't know how to make is blasphemy. I'd dock a star for this, but the cute bartender that mixed my drink was total eye candy. I'm a whore for pasty white boys with pocket bartender guides.
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"I love Chemicals" such a clever password....
I've been to this bar a few times.. it's pretty cool, though I almost feel like I'm getting a little too old for places like this...
Maybe I'm becoming crotchety quite early for my age... Why does a good book and a cup of tea at night sound more and more appetizing with each passing day???
Maybe it's because of places like the R Bar. Places that I enjoy too much!!! Maybe waking up drunk isn't a good thing anymore..... hmmmm...
Shocking... had an epiphany.
In beautiful Ktown, R Bar doesn't prostitute the name on the building , so keep a look out....
It's dark, and loungey almost gothic aesthetically speaking with dark walls and crystal chandeliers.....
plenty of seats... good music, lots of classic rock, lots of Led Zepplin... sweet!
The drinks were on the weak side a little and were expensive for what they are... but the bartenders were nice.
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Not too familiar with this area.
Hell, not too familiar with directions. I can write them down on a piece of paper, neat as hell, with my girly writing, and I can follow them, but once it gets to the point of actually pinpointing out where it is, it always catches me by surprise. I was prepared too. I stared at the photos on this business listing here and ingrained the photo in my head.
NO DICE FRIEND.
Those pictures must be glamour shots or something. For one, there's Korean writing on the corner. I forgot what it said, but it didn't say "R Bar". I saw the address though, very clearly, and kind of just continued on 8th shocked that I found it so quickly. Heh heh heh.
Anyhow, I found parking just up the street. The sidewalks are very uneven and random strangers on the sidewalk made me feel super hot when they did their "hey mamas" and wolf-whistling. (I felt hot when I left too. You can always count on K-town to lift your spirits.)
Uhmmum, anyhow, continuing on:
Please read David L.'s review from this point on. http://www.yelp.com/bi...
I swear, I couldn't taste the vodka! It was all tonic! All tonic!!
Super friendly bartenders. Thanks for making all my wild buzzy dreams come true. ;)
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I LOVE CHEMICALS.
a place that requires a password to get in. interesting. but before i got into further details, this place is located in Koreatown in the heart of LA! don't ask me what i was doing in Ktown but hey, this place is pretty dope.
I got here and a friend told me that the door guy required a password. she told me in advance so i knew i wouldn't had an issue coming in. as i was walking towards the door, a couple in front of me (totally out of towners) approached the door guy and didn't know the password. i felt for them and i was like, well they're with me. i told the guy the password and he looked at me like if i was on drugs. I LOVE CHEMICALS. the chick laughs thinking that it was cheesy but i was like thinking to myself "bitch you're lucky i'm nice!"
Anyways - when i stepped into this bar, it was nice! kinda small and cramped but nice decor and everything. The bartenders here are the SHIT. quick service and basically know how to make all the drinks. for some reason, i got my friend vodka tonics all night and she said she couldn't taste the vodka. i made sure that the bartenders were pouring the vodka into the drink which they were. it just turned out that my friend didn't realized it was on the bottom and basically got pretty faded that night LOL.
overall, this place is a must visit bar. I'm sad that i can't find more places like these in Orange County but I'm glad that i would also have to drive out to LA for fun.
ARRRR Matey
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I Came here tonight for an UYE, and yeah it is in a weird part of town but it is a really cool bar. Very dark and sensual decor. The music selection that was played was good and the bartenders were cool! The drinks were nice and stiff too which is an important part of any bar. I will come back again
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Don't panic!
You'll need the password to enter this somewhat unmarked location.
You will need a few pints of beer in you before any hyperspace journey.
While this dive bar is more costly than Frank N Hanks, it is much larger. With more nooks and crannies in near darkness. The money won't matter much since "the end is nigh!"
Tip for the tipsy. The restrooms are simply marked "G" and "W". You figure it out.
Remember to take your towel with you on the trip. Oh, and stay away from the Vogons, they're a bit uptight.
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I've always wanted to get drunk on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride...thanks, R Bar!
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a bar that literally has no sign outside to indicate "R Bar", that requires people to knock on a door, then have to give a password to a man looking behind the door is pretty sweet in my book...and that's something i would totally have if i ever had a bar...or any business (hmm...that gives me an idea...)
i came here last night to drink for the children...literally....because the children in India need our love...and money...but i like this bar. it was a nice looking place and it looks like it can have a good (and preppy) crowd. the drink prices are the usual....$6 for a beer...nearly $10 for mixed drinks....just like any other "cool" place in L.A.
The bartenders and the guy at the door were really cool people and the drinks had plenty of alcohol in them (obviously, since a bunch of yelpers are hungover as i type this). and what's even better...you can go grab tacos or elotes right outside of the place! i love it!
the only complaint i have was that parking sucks...forcing you to definitely do valet to stop wasting gas and time looking for a spot.. and it was hot as hell in there. they really need to turn the A/C up more or keep it on longer. they didn't turn it on til about 9:45!!!
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i had some wings and fries. they were mediocre. i showed up to drink. prices were fair. seating was intimate. nice wood benches/booths. but it was "food stinky" in here. i come to have a drink - i'm thinking, "my clothes is going to smell like this unpleasant food aroma."
This place is WAAAY over-rated, even for a bar in LA. There are NO draft beers (cans only... hope you like Bud). The staff have no idea how to mix a drink (hint: the "special" cocktails are made with a bottle of fruit juice and cheap liquor), expect everything to taste watery. Don't get food there, either. It's priced like an airport kiosk (and of similar quality). If you absolutely must eat, I recommend the fantastic burrito truck parked across the street.
That brings me to my largest criticism: don't come here if you are on a budget. Expect to spend about 4 bucks for a can of cheap, domestic beer (and that was during happy hour!). Everything else is similarly over-priced and underwhelming.
The only reason this place gets any stars is for the decor. Lots of old, dark wood and little hide-aways.
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Okay, uglies, I know R Bar is doing you a solid by turning off all the lights, but for those of us who like to be able to see our hands in front of our faces, enough is enough. I had to use my cell phone if I wanted to see anything the whole night, but at some point I got so black out drunk, that it sort of stopped being a priority for me. The jukebox has everything and is definitely the best that I've seen in L.A. so far. It was really up to date, but had all the good old stuff like Bowie and Billy Idol.
I usually shit on every bar in L.A. that I go to for the ability to attract throngs of idiot assholes, but there really weren't that many at R Bar. I was surprised that I didn't leave loathing every single person I talked to like I usually do. That staff is really friendly and hot, and like I always say, life is too short to surround yourself with ugly people. I didn't have to wait at the bar for ten minutes before I could even order my drinks and I had the best red headed slut of my life.
There was also a really friendly waitress who was going around with mystery shots, one called zombie something that was amazing, but I don't really remember. Everyone keeps talking about pricey drinks, but in comparison to most places I've been, these were pretty cheap.
Parking wasn't bad at all and it was free! THANK GOD. Fucking something in this city is free for once. You had to give a password at the door that was "Nobody puts Baby in the corner". The "Dirty Dancing" homage was cute and it kept out all of the usual idiots that I was talking about before.
Clean bathrooms and slightly crowded, but in a good way...ewww except if it means you have to press your entire body into that Gerard Depardeau lookalike that keeps staring at your ass.
I liked it here, but I still had to stop by The Drawing Room before I went back to my place.
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Every single time I come here, I always wait until around until someone knows the password to this place. Awful, but it's the only way I can get in.
The first time around, a group of us went here with a password in hand already. We could tell that we can provide assistance to a couple waiting near the newspaper rack because their eyes instantly sparkle when we gave the right password and the door was opened for us immediately.
This place does make me feel like it's a speakeasy club here because of the secret password for entrance. To make the place more secretive, they dimmed down the lights for the ominous feel where you just don't know where the evil will be lurking from. At that point, I just want to know if the magic brick road will lead me to the bar.
After a few more times coming here, I started to warm up to the place. It didn't feel right to have the place so dark, but after a few drinks, you would start to appreciate more of the unbearable darkness that would consume the light to make it a black cloak covering your head as you walk around the place.
The drinks are not dive bar cheap, but not WeHo expensive either. It's a lounge price where R Bar is the low maintenance lounge bar you would be willing to share it with your friends. Great spot for a date place too. Not so good for a pick up bar because you don't know if you are going to be bumping ugly. I wouldn't risk it for at this dark place.
It's a cool place just to hang out, relax, and get a few drinks. I'm on the fence about the password thing. That is the only thing that gnawed me, but as long as they don't charge a cover fee, I'm all for it.
PM Caroline Y. for the password, she will hook you up.
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I went back...didn't get as drunk as the last time I went, but I still liked it. :) So it wasn't my drunkenness that made me like this place. I really do like it.
You need a password to get in. Pay me $5 and I'll tell you. ; ) J/K.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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03/29/2007
First to Review
Laura~! I think we love you~!
We had a fabulous time at this bar...Laura is one of the owners of this… Read more »
FanFREAKIN'Tastic. Ok, yeah the drinks are a bit pricey- i still can't figure out what exactly ended up paying for when we left at 2am, but whatever.
The place is awesome- outside is totally black and no sign other than something in Korean. You get to the door, tell the dude the password and you are suddenly trasported to a bar that looks like an old-world bordello.
The bartenders are AWESOME- Laura, Dan, and Diana- they hooked us up!! I love sitting at the bar and doing Irish Car Bombs with the bartenders- it's just good times all around. I will DEFINITELY be making this a regular hang out.
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Best damn, uh, weird speakeasy/pirate/murky hole of booziness i've ever come across. The staff is spectacular and the drinks always strong. Even the munchies are good. Give it a try and decide for yourself.
I really enjoy this speakeasy. The vibe of this bar, reminds me of a pirate ship much like the redwood bar but not as highly themed. The rate for the drinks are fair, beers are around $3-7 and margaritas are $10. One of the bar tenders would do magic tricks and you can chose your very own music at the juke box! I would say the passwords are fairly funny and you have to search them on myspace. I give them a full star because I had the best time there and when they double paid me, they fixed it right away.
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I went here for my girlfriend's best friend's birthday party. The whole "password" thing was not necessary. They get three stars because I left my credit card at the bar and went home to Orange County without it. The owner sweetly mailed it back to me.
Good people, decent bar.
Very friendly staff, excellent space. Good, small live music and comedy shows. Don't be spooked by the password. No one is snooty. A little slow during the week; so go give 'em your business.
Drinks were pricey and beers were standard fare, but they have a great jukebox and it was relatively d-bag free. Will I go back? Yes, provided I am already drunk, it's late, and I want to sing along to the Pixies and not be judged.
i went to see conor oberst and jenny lewis play. . . i ended up seeing conor only. the line was outrageous but we ended up getting in and goddamn it was packed. it took me 15 minutes to finally get drinks but they weren't half as expensive as i expected them to be.
four stars bc kids there are too obsessed with checking out each other's outfits and criticizing each other rather than enjoying a night out with friends. wtf is up with hipsters from orange county (mission viejo at that) driving all the way up to talk shit about LA kids. keep that in your own city, leave LA alone. otherwise people there (for the most part, minus a few of the aforementioned kids) were super chill and friendly. in fact, one sweet lady fanned me for sharing my standing space with her friend. there are good people there, just gotta get past all of the fedoras, suspenders and bangs.
This is almost everything you could ever want in a bar.
It's dark.
There is plenty of seating.
There are many hiding places.
You can hold a serious conversation with someone.
They know that "on the rocks" means a few ice cubes, not a cup of ice with some bourbon on top.
You're a little scared for your safety when going home after last call.
The password makes me feel special.
Heard about this place via word of mouth so IIventured to this bar all by myu lonesome one night,--and my recent move to K-town has got me exlploring the hood. I heard it was hard to find, like on the corner of Normandie and Irolo or something, like that. I was a little tipsy. Hopefully I can find it again.
There was a password to get in..I mumbled some old password but the girl at the door was very nice and let me in. She also seemed like she was having such a great time . So I went in..ordered a drink from a mega fit bartender and just sat down. The decor is neat. Super high seats that seem semi private; perfect for enjoying any vice choice with little notice.
I just want to be up to no good when I go in there, hopefully that will be soon.
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This is a good, solid bar in my neighborhood. But for it to be my neighborhood bar, the price on the drinks would need to go down. Like, to match the retro, semi dive-ish setting and the location (8th Street and Irolo?). The staff is nice and laid-back, I like the darkness and woodiness of it, the drinks decent (but a bit overpriced as noted before).
Recommend it highly for Happy Hour (drinks half-price up until 9pm on weekdays, I believe; not sure about weekends).
They have a small bar menu - the sirloin burger is delicious! Wish they had a couple salad options (maybe they have one but I don't think it appealed to me). Just a thought...
Check it out for yourself!
3.5
There was street parking but it eluded me. Eventually, I found a spot blocks and blocks away. Then I managed to twist my ankle (damn uneven pavement!) and hobbled the rest of the way to the unmarked bar. Fortunately, I figured out where it was from the bunches of hipsters making their way there.
There was a live band which was mostly bearable though they were very loud (and not particularly great) so it was hard to enjoy a quiet conversation with friends. Overheard- "bros before hos!" To which I responded, "chicks before dicks!" This continued for a bit. Eventually the band gave up their racket and the bar switched to a pretty good play list though they played Modest Mouse twice within 20 minutes. Now, I like Modest Mouse (in fact, I adore them) but really? Change it up!
It took a while to order drinks at the bar but the vodka tonic was fairly well made. $7 for well.
Restrooms aren't marked. Ooops, the ladies is the one closer to the wall by the bar. Thank goodness I didn't walk in on anyone.
Am I allowed to say they have very good ventilation if you feel the need to smoke indoors...
Basically, I liked the dark bar (with a cool little lounge in the back with the pretty sofa) because it is a cool hang out place but I wish someone drove me and deposited me out front so I am not still hobbling around days later on this busted ankle.
--edit 6/11/08
Okay, the restrooms are marked by a stained glassed "L" and "G" above the restrooms.
Dude, I so got ripped off. I got charged for 4 drinks when I only had 3. I was trying to figure out what the hell was up but the bartender seemed kind of desperate considering it was so empty on a Tuesday night. Also, the drinks sucked last night. No vodka whatsoever.
And for that, I drop stars. Bleh.
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I really enjoyed this bar and I didn't mind having to sign up to their myspace page to keep up with the password, but.......Please stop sending me so many myspace messages, party invites, and BB updates.
But seriously, this place rocks. If your going with a group you definitely got to get there before ten on any given night if you want a good spot to kick it. This place always has such a wide array of people, it's fun to just sit back and watch. Always seems to be something going on here.
*Start here..then brass monkey...end it with Frank n Hanks and you got a great night in Ktown
The password we used was SOOOO YESTERDAY's!!!! Oops. ha.
It still worked. Got there before the crowd. We yapped in the corner with some slick dark light. Decent tunes Sweet happy, attentive waitress. 45 mins later amateur night started. We ran like hell.
*********
Note: this place used to be Playas Azules. Someone I know rented around the corner, we stopped once and it was a mexican cowboy hat wearing crowd. Looked like a western set but I considered it like a Devo whip it set. Those days are gone, now i cannot drive past without yelling Playas....the other person yelling Azules brings a tear to my eye.
sort of stumbled into this place some random friday night and my life was changed. this is now my go to place on the weekends. i've taken my mom here, all my friends and my roommates, and everyone loves it as much as i do. i haven't found a cooler bar in all of los angeles. it's a little bit of a drive for me, but always worth it. and who doesn't love a place with a password? awesome, period :)
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*Knock*Knock*Knock*
*Unmarked door opens a crack*
"No one puts Baby in the corner."
*Door opens the rest of the way and four girls walk in*
And so my first experience at R Bar begins. After finding the password on their Myspace page, a couple Yelpettes, a non-Yelper friend and I headed over to this Speakeasy. Now, don't quote me on this or anything, but I'm pretty sure that the Speakeasies of the prohibition era didn't post their passwords on Myspace pages. Maybe they did, who knows. Anyway, I can sure as hell tell you they didn't take their passwords from crappy 80s films about a privilege girl learning how to dirty up her dancing from the help. They were too cool for that.
After flashing our IDs, I looked at the jukebox. Two Pogues albums were staring back at me. Cool. We then walked around the place. Well executed decor. A lot of nooks and crannies to snuggle with that certain someone. Not that I condone any type of PDA. Ick. Anyway, I was trying to convince my companions to distract the employees while I stole the chandelier. They didn't go for it. Damn them.
The bar is sizable which made the lack of people even more glaring. We got there at around 10pm on a Tuesday night. Not the biggest night of the week, but for there only to be four patrons in the entire place? This did make it easy to order drinks. I was tempted to get the absinthe, but as I was driving AND one shot is $20, I decided against it. One day though, one day.
The four of us sat down at the bench near the bar. Close bar access is important. I got a gimlet, but couldn't taste any alcohol in it. My friend, on the other hand, got a Jack and Diet Coke where she couldn't taste the DC. Both were $7 which isn't too bad for a hipster bar.
My friend decided that she was hungry. She opted for the grilled cheese and tomato soup. Both were very good. The grilled cheese was nicely buttered so that it kind of caramelized. The soup was hearty and hit that childhood tomato soup spot that everyone has.
I will be going back to this spot at some point. I'm sure I'll be bumping it up to a 4 star then. For now though, my weak drinks (the vodka soda was weak as well) won't allow anything above three.
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Yes, I am still wondering why you need a password to get in. It's not a speak easy..there is no gold coin approval...especially if they are rocking INXS' "Kick" album. Two drinks were eighteen dollars. I think I would have better appreciated if I went when it was still run by the Salvadorian mob.
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Oh R Bar... not only do you give me strong cocktails, a pirate theme and a jukebox with taste, but you also have a password to keep out the retards and a bartender who can blow fire.
I'm in love.
If only you were closer to my home or I'd be there every night. I guess no one can be perfect.
Tip: for you smokers (not me) there's an inside area in the back just for you.
It's time to be a hater.
Located somewhere else, I would probably give R Bar at least 3 stars. The theme and name are fun. The decor is kind of lame and half-assed. The drinks were typical for LA. One of the bartenders was cool enough to take shots with us.
But I have to be critical of the establishment, per se. It's a pseudo-exclusive, white-owned bar in the middle of ktown, surrounded by latina/os. The lack of signage and password are excuses for discrimination. That's fine, but it's not the type of place I care to go back to. Plus the crowd isn't my style either, so I'm happy to go to one of the several other pirate-themed bars in the area where drinks are cheaper, food is better, and the theme is more fun.
To each her own, right? And don't hate on me because I started out with a disclaimer.
Dude, I went to this bar tonight. We get there and the door is locked like last time and the guy asks if we "know the password"? What is this a fucking tree fort? After a little bit of attitude dude lets us in and we're the only ones at the whole bar! This place is lame. It's elitist, but it's not even nice---?????? Why would anyone try to keep anyone out? But I guess more importantly, why would anyone care about getting in?
P.S. Maybe it's because everyone totally smokes in this bar still?
P.S.S. The password is triple lindy which means nothing to me and will never be uttered by my lips again. Maybe I'll give the NEXT bar that opens in this space (in 3 to 7 months) a chance, but not this one....
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Crowded for a password entry type of place...
It is pretty cool, I like the place. It's a cool dark old world kind of bar and it does close at 1am, however, they make it really easy to stay and drink after 2am, or at least it seems like it... The valet situation is kind of weird actually, but I did valet. I had a lot of fun there, my only real problem with it is I think they charge way to much for their drinks considering the type of place it is and location, I mean damn, it's pretty much the same price as The Standard! Anyways... Great spot, check it out.
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The password thing makes this place interesting and it's a good place for gathering a group of friends.
Other than that, it's a dive dive bar with not dive bar prices.
Still, the friendly staff, quirky atmosphere eclectic jukebox and ghetto K-town location makes this place.
TIP: Don't fret about the password ... just call them before you go and they'll tell you.
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What a cool spot! It's a pirate bar so the inside is dark with dark wood, candles and antique looking chandeliers, giving you the feeling you're in the belly of a old-time pirate galleon. I half expected there to be sea sounds and a mild sway, but instead there was rock music and incredibly hip-looking people milling about.
Although we were there on a Saturday night, it was not crowded and we were able to easily seat a party of six near the bar with ease. My margarita was really good - strong and sour - and I had quite a good time once we got the glaring candle off our table and my eyes got used to the darkness. It's surprising big with lots of tables available in the side rooms - again kinda like a ship. Good women's room. My only deal with this place is that the music is almost too loud to have a decent conversation withe the person next to you and impossible to talk to some one across the table.
Oh, and you need a password to get in. Cool kids only, apparently.
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such a great bar! its a bit embarrassing when you're telling your friends where to meet you and you have to tell them the address and the password. but once you're in it is far from pretentious. the drinks are a bit expensive, but its got a great atmosphere. its very dark with lots of booths so you can come with a group and hide in a corner and not have to deal with being hit on by creeps. also, when they are closing, after last call, one of the bartender goes around and does magic tricks at the tables. magic tricks when you have had a couple cocktails aren't even tricks anymore. its real magic!
10 Reasons why I love R Bar
10. Great juke box (Bowie, Cash, Muse, Ramones, Journey, Prince, etc)
9. Bartenders that understand why you are at a BAR, ahem, stiff drinks!
8. Friendly doormen
7. Spicy Thai chicken wings
6. Friendly bartenders
5. A password relating to The Goonies
4. Great ambience-dimly lit, dark wood interior, red accents with plush seating
3. Diverse, unpretentious, social crowd
2. Did I mention hot, friendly bartenders that pour stiff drinks?
And the #1 reason I love R Bar is that on my birthday I learned, you can't have a hang over if you wake up STILL drunk!
Okay so some of those were repeats but this place never disappoints thanks to Laura, Hope and the team.
They do close at 1:30 and make sure you write down the cross streets as there is NO sign, just a black awning with Korean writing.
Bottoms up, cheers mate!
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update 1/6/08: the password now references another movie (back to school) gotta love the 80s!
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