Hinano Cafe
15 Washington Blvd.
Venice, CA 90292
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In light of Venice’s rapid gentrification, it’s nice to know that there’s still a beach bar where you can get a cheap beer, shoot some pool, and mingle with local surfer bums, hippies, and the occasional gang member. Those places are all but gone. Hinano’s is the exception. Surrounded by trendy eateries with a high douchebag quotient, this surfer shack extraordinaire has embraced the Venice mentality over the years and maintains that laid back style today.

Hinano is adorned out front with a string of Christmas lights year round and aglow with neon within. Don’t let the ski-capped eastern-European doorman checking IDs fool you. You won’t find any Kolatchys in this bar, but rather a fine variety of draught beer, a delicious and affordable bar menu served throughout the night (try the burgers), and free popcorn courtesy of the stand-up machine in the corner. Bring enough change for the PacMan and pool tables and enough greenbacks to quench your thirst as Hinano is cash only. And don’t bother with the Valets on Washington right in front of the bar (yes, it’s gotten that bad). Park on Pacific or one of the other side streets.

As usual, the casual debauchery starts around 9PM an gets really interesting by 10:00. Come for one drink, or stay for one too many. Bring anyone and everyone, and join us for a great time in the middle of the week. If you arrive early or late, look for the people having a damn good time (it’ll be us), or start having a damn good time on your own (we’ll find you, if the friendly regulars don’t find you first).

Carpe Drink’em,

Alex, Damien, & Travis - WDBT Co-czars

San Francisco Saloon Co
11501 West Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90064
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Northern Californians new to Los Angeles might be particularly interested in a dive bar bearing the name of their beloved Bay Area city. They might jump at the chance to step over the threshold into a room that captures the character and ambiance of a watering hole in historic North Beach. Perhaps they would yearn to mingle with patrons whose fashion sense and love for show tunes takes them back to their days in the Castro District. Or, at the very least, the NorCal sports fan might hope to catch a Giants game in the warm company of SF natives looking to get away from their violent, Dodger-worshipping roommates.

Needless to say, the person who steps foot into the San Franciso Saloon Co will be sorely disappointed and be awakened to the sad fact that there really isn’t anything authentic in LA; only pathetic attempts to emulate other cities, cultures, foods, and experiences for the purpose of either attracting tourists or improving their Zagat rating. There is actually very little about this bar that resembles or harkens back to the original Sin City of California other than the name and the strip club one block down.

That said, the San Francisco Saloon Co is a worthy dive, serving up a fine selection of draft beer at dive-worthy prices and a highly respectable bar menu. Despite the copious TVs throughout the establishment, don’t expect to find the game you were planning on watching unless it’s on one of the major networks. We would suggest, instead, that you direct your attention out the large, front-facing windows to the highly entertaining strip club clientele occasionally passing by.

As usual, the casual debauchery starts around 9PM and gets really interesting by 10:00. Come for one drink, or stay for one too many. Bring anyone and everyone, and join us for a great time in the middle of the week. If you arrive early or late, look for the people having a damn good time (it’ll be us), or start having a damn good time on your own (we’ll find you, if the friendly regulars don’t find you first).

Carpe Drink’em,

Alex, Damien, & Travis - WDBT Co-czars

Backstage Bar & Grill
10400 Culver Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
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Don’t let this establishment’s proper name fool you. Unlike other "Bar & Grill" establishments you may come across that feature the bar-going atmosphere of an Applebee’s, the "& Grill" portion of Backstage is strictly there to put the face of legitimacy on bar tabs expensed by Sony lot employees from across the street. Here at the Backstage, the motto written across the biker gang tattoo-esque logo is "Dedicated to Pleasure", and once you step through the doors, it’s clear that the pleasure of alcohol consumption is the real focus. That’s not, of course, to minimize the glory of their extensive menu of top-notch pub food, and if you’re lucky, you just might get to witness a Co-Czar chowing down on a row of sliders.

When it comes to treating its patrons right, the Backstage does it right, designating Mondays and Tuesdays as "Regular’s Night" and effortlessly creating a Sam Malone-worthy environment on other days unparalleled in the LA bar scene. Karaoke is offered up 3 nights a week, with the notable exception of Wednesdays. In a town where every dive bar seems to place its karaoke on our night, this offers us a welcome reprieve from "Cheeseburger in Paradise" at a bar that knows Wednesdays are for one thing only: The World Dive Bar Tour. Please join us this week for one of the true gems of the Tour.

As usual, the casual debauchery starts around 9PM an gets really interesting by 10:00. Come for one drink, or stay for one too many. Bring anyone and everyone, and join us for a great time in the middle of the week. If you arrive early or late, look for the people having a damn good time (it’ll be us), or start having a damn good time on your own (we’ll find you).

Carpe Drink’em,

Alex, Damien, & Travis, WDBT Co-Czars

"Heaven blazing into the head: Tragedy wrought to its uttermost. Though Hamlet rambles and Lear rages, And all the drop-scenes drop at once, Upon a hundred thousand stages, It cannot grow by an inch or an ounce"

- Yeats

Jumbo’s Clown Room
5153 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
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As the name suggests, Jumbo’s Clown Room is a magical place that some would think lives only in the mind of an innocent child. It is a relief to us all that this land of prelapsarian wonder does exist, and it does so in an East Hollywood strip-mall, in a neighborhood predominantly consisting of Thai restaurants.

From the outside, Jumbo’s bears the same sort of anonymous facade as most destinations on the tour, but inside exists freakish, yet undeniably alluring sights and sounds worthy of P.T. Barnum himself. The drink selection and pricing is that of your standard Hollywood dive, and the jukebox is strictly rock and roll, with each song carefully selected by the outgoing and friendly employees. Credit cards are accepted, however it is encouraged that you bring cash. Preferably singles.

As usual, the casual debauchery starts around 9PM an gets really interesting by 10:00. Come for one drink, or stay for one too many. Bring anyone and everyone, and join us for a great time in the middle of the week. If you arrive early or late, look for the people having a damn good time (it’ll be us), or start having a damn good time on your own (we’ll find you).

Carpe Drink’em!

Alex, Damien, & Travis, WDBT Co-Czars

"You oughta be ashamed of yourselves. A bunch of big guys like you, pickin’ on a poor little orphan like him. Suppose you was torn away from your mother when you was just a baby. Nobody to tuck you in at nights. No warm, soft, caressin’ trunk to snuzzle into. How would you like to be left out alone, in a cold, cruel, heartless woild? And why? I ask ya, why? Just because he’s got those big ears, they call him a freak. The laughing stock of the circus. And when his mother tried to protect him, they threw her into the clink. And on top of that, they made him a clown! Socially he’s washed up! Ah, but what’s the use of talkin’ to you cold-hearted boids? Go ahead. Have your fun. Laugh at him. Kick him now that he’s down. Go on! I don’t care."

- Timothy Q. Mouse, Dumbo

Cinema Bar
3967 Sepulveda Blvd.
The City of Culver City, CA 90230
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To visit a place with a name such as "Cinema," depending on your knowledge of popular LA bars/clubs, one might assume that inside such an establishment a projector, large screen, and ample seating could be found in addition to the requisite trendy atmosphere and overpriced drinks. On the contrary the Cinema Bar is neither trendy nor overpriced and has barely enough room inside for a big screen TV let alone a movie theater. However, the bar still features live entertainment by squeezing a folk or country/blues band into the corner, making it a one-of-a-kind stop on the Tour.

Allegedly one of the oldest in the city so nice they named it twice, Cinema Bar gets its moniker because it’s situated within the borders of the crooked-street, red-light-camera-saturated, and arrogantly-christened "heart of screenland." The soft glow of Christmas lights on the walls and bartenders’ stiff drinks creates a cozy ambiance, crucial for such a claustrophobic space. As the seating is as limited as the standing room, expect to rub shoulders with fellow bar goers as the place fills up. And don’t worry, should either the stiff drinks or an dashing bar maiden/fella keep you from getting home, the Sun Burst motel across the street stays open late.

As usual, the casual debauchery starts around 9PM an gets really interesting by 10:00. Come for one drink, or stay for one too many. Bring anyone and everyone, and join us for a great time in the middle of the week. If you arrive early or late, look for the people having a damn good time (it’ll be us), or start having a damn good time on your own (we’ll find you).

Carpe Drink’em,

Alex, Damien, & Travis, WDBT Co-Czars

"You can walk into a movie theater in Amsterdam and buy a beer. And I don’t mean just like in no paper cup, I’m talking about a glass of beer."

 - Vincent Vega, Pulp Fiction

Smog Cutter
864 N. Virgil Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90029
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Step through the curtain into in this legendary Silver Lake establishment, and you’ll promptly be greeted by one of three Thai sisters, eager to check your ID. Don’t worry if you happen to be under age, though, as these ladies wouldn’t hesitate to serve a 12 year old — the thoroughness of ID checking is simply so that they can memorize your name, and call you by it for the rest of the night. Under ordinary circumstances, this level of interest in their bar’s patrons would be considered an exemplary model of customer service, except that the things they’ll be calling you for the rest of the night will not be very nice.

This is the Smog Cutter, after all — embodying either the best, or the worst, of all things dive. The place reeks of mildew, the service goes out of their way to insult you, and the drinks are warm and, surprisingly, a little overpriced given just how dire the surroundings are. But still we on the World Dive Bar Tour Executive Committee not only keep coming back for more, but have granted the Smog Cutter the honor of kicking off our 2010 calendar — a year that will undoubtedly be our best and boldest yet.

Many anecdotes come to mind to sum up all that is the Smog Cutter, from instances of crotch grabbings by the bartenders, to glass-shattering displays of karaoke madness, but it really all comes down to one member of the Executive Committee sitting with her hand on the bar, as a cockroach came scampering over her arm. With a quick "whack!", the cockroach was disposed of by a quick-thinking Czar, but the noise caused Sunshine, the legendary lead bartender, to come running.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Sunshine, "You kill Susie!"

As Sunshine cradled the dead roach in her hand, she took a closer look and, with a sigh of relief exclaimed…

"Ah, don’t worry. It just George."

As usual, the casual debauchery starts around 9PM an gets really interesting by 10:00. Come for one drink, or stay for one too many. Bring anyone and everyone, and join us for a great time in the middle of the week. If you arrive early or late, look for the people having a damn good time (it’ll be us), or start having a damn good time on your own (we’ll find you).

Carpe Drink’em,

Alex, Damien, & Travis, WDBT Co-Czars

"You must have known that I was lonely, because you came to my rescue. And I know that this must be heaven, how could so much love be inside of you?"

- Stevie Wonder

Prince O’Whales
335 Culver Blvd.
Playa Del Rey, CA 90293
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There are only two dive bars left this year, and Prince O’Whales is a new addition to the Tour that shouldn’t be missed. The "P.O.W." (as the locals call it) is actually 2 bars, one for live music and a larger one with TVs and dining tables–we encourage any sampling from their respectable bar menu. The bifurcated bar is separated by a dark, filthy, "outdoor" hallway soaked in puddles of spilled bud light, which also doubles as a smoking area, though don’t be surprised if inside the bartenders are ashing while pouring your drinks.

The clientele consists mostly of baby boomers who roll in from their ocean view homes up the hill and LMU students who never cease to harsh the mellow of anyone looking for a quiet drink. The latter is more of an issue on Tuesdays when a band is playing. Have a seat at the bar and you will most likely end up next to a crusty ol’ regular who started drinking long before you and will be arguing with the barkeep for another one long after you leave. Needless to say, some of the best conversations start with these loyal patrons.

As usual, the casual debauchery starts around 9PM an gets really interesting by 10:00. Come for one drink, or stay for one too many. Bring anyone and everyone, and join us for a great time in the middle of the week. If you arrive early or late, look for the people having a damn good time (it’ll be us), or start having a damn good time on your own (we’ll find you).

Carpe Drink’em,
Alex, Damien, & Travis - WDBT Co-Czars

"…the crowd in there, friends aside, seemed more like it was 1 p.m. on a Tuesday and acted as if they were just drinking as much as they could before they had to go back for the rest of their shift at the slaughterhouse."

-Yelp.com reviewer

Kibitz Room
419 N. Fairfax Ave.
West Hollywood, CA 90036
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Following the observance of Yom Kippur, the predominantly goy and shichtza WDBT will pause for a stop on the tour to remember who really runs this town. While our agents, lawyers, producers, and, in stark contrast, most of the town’s great comedy writers, observed a 25-hour fast, praying for atonement and repentance in the utmost ritual purity on Monday, this Wednesday, we will pollute ourselves with manischewitz in the spirit of multiculturalism, entering the belly of the beast — the Fairfax District — to visit the Kibitz Room adjacent Canter’s Deli.

Although our understanding is that "kibitz" is a pickled herring jelly, meant for spreading on bagels or rye bread, the bar itself is Dive Bar Tour Kosher, with an old man serving up cheap drinks at a reasonable price, and a wide range of friendly clientele. The only reminder of the bar’s Jewry is the relentless singing of classic Hebrew drinking songs… "Have a tequila, have a tequila…"

As usual, the casual debauchery starts around 9PM and gets really interesting by 10:00. Come for one drink, or stay for one too many. Bring anyone and everyone, and join us for a great time in the middle of the week. If you arrive early or late, look for the people having a damn good time (it’ll be us), or start having a damn good time on your own (we’ll find you, if the friendly regulars don’t find you first).

Carpe Drink’em,

Alex, Damien, & Travis - WDBT Co-czars

"Five thousand years of beautiful tradition, from Moses to Sandy Kaufax, YOU’RE GODDAMN RIGHT I’M LIVING IN THE PAST!"
- Walter Sobchak

Cozy Inn
11155 Washington Place
Culver City, CA 90232
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The Cozy Inn has always been a WDBT Culver City favorite, known for its subdued character, precarious location, and colorful clientele. There is always at least one Harley parked outside and a quiet group of hard-boiled, blue-collar geriatrics inside drinking Wild Turkey and Bud. People keep to themselves, but it’s always possible to make a new acquaintance for the night over a game of shuffleboard or darts.

In the two years since we last visited the Cozy, it would seem business has increased–and the douchebag quotient has risen slightly–as more post-college 20-somethings discover the Washington and Washington nexus. Nevertheless, the ambiance remains the same, and the drinks remain stiff and cheap. The Cozy is still cash only, and you can still bet on seeing bored, Culver City PD patrolling the parking lot when you leave. So be prepared for both, and remember: always drink and drive responsibly.

For quality pre-dive eats or a post-dive sobriety snack, hit up Jonnie’s Pastrami or the famous Tito’s or Cinco de Mayo taco stands, all within walking distance.

As usual, the casual debauchery starts around 9PM and gets really interesting by 10:00. Come for one drink, or stay for one too many. Bring anyone and everyone, and join us for a great time in the middle of the week. If you arrive early or late, look for the people having a damn good time (it’ll be us), or start having a damn good time on your own (we’ll find you).

Carpe Drink’em,

Alex, Damien, & Travis - WDBT Co-czars

   "Beer makes you feel the way you ought to feel without beer."

                                                                    — Henry Lawson

Backstage Bar & Grill
10400 Culver Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
map

Don’t let this establishment’s proper name fool you. Unlike other "Bar & Grill" establishments you may come across that feature the bar-going atmosphere of an Applebee’s, the "& Grill" portion of Backstage is strictly there to put the face of legitimacy on bar tabs expensed by Sony lot employees from across the street. Here at the Backstage, the motto written across the biker gang tattoo-esque logo is "Dedicated to Pleasure", and once you step through the doors, it’s clear that the pleasure of alcohol consumption is the real focus. That’s not, of course, to minimize the glory of their extensive menu of top-notch pub food, and if you’re lucky, you just might get to witness a Co-Czar chowing down on a row of sliders.

When it comes to treating its patrons right, the Backstage does it right, designating Tuesdays as "Regular’s Night", and effortlessly creating a Sam Malone-worthy environment on non-Tuesdays unparalleled in the LA bar scene. Karaoke is offered up 3 nights a week, with the notable exception of Wednesdays. In a town where every dive bar seems to place its karaoke on our night, this offers us a welcome reprieve from "Cheeseburger in Paradise" at a bar that knows Wednesdays are for one thing only: The World Dive Bar Tour. Please join us this week for one of the true gems of the Tour.

As usual, the casual debauchery starts around 9PM an gets really interesting by 10:00. Come for one drink, or stay for one too many. Bring anyone and everyone, and join us for a great time in the middle of the week. If you arrive early or late, look for the people having a damn good time (it’ll be us), or start having a damn good time on your own (we’ll find you).

Carpe Drink’em,

Alex, Damien, & Travis, WDBT Co-Czars

"Heaven blazing into the head: Tragedy wrought to its uttermost. Though Hamlet rambles and Lear rages, And all the drop-scenes drop at once, Upon a hundred thousand stages, It cannot grow by an inch or an ounce"
- Yeats