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 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

Smog Cutter
864 N. Virgil Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90029
map

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

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

The Gas Lite
2030 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90403
map

Every year America observes Memorial day, a solumn day of rememberance for those brave souls who have fallen in battle serving our country. The World Dive Bar Tour would like to extend the holiday into the week and officially dedicate the following Wednesday to the memory of the great Dives of the Los Angeles that have shut their doors, never again to see the light of a neon beer sign.

In observance of WDBT Memorial Day we visit The Gas Lite, a bar that represents the rest, a place that sets the gold standard of dives that others can only dream of reaching. It’s a place that brings the best characteristics of all dives together into a melting pot of shabby "dive-ersity." It’s one of the greats on the west side that has withstood the test of time and remained a rock in the community, unchanged by the gentrification and modernization of the city.

The Gas Lite harkens back to a day when all bars opened at 6am and men could drink their breakfast to the soft sound of clinking glasses and the crackle of a spinning 45. Today, the glasses have been replaced by cheap plastic cups and the 45 by an internet jukebox and nightly karaoke that is anything but quiet, but doors are still open at the crack of dawn, giving a solid 15 hours to imbibe before the ruckus builds.

In the unlikely instance you should you arrive late Wednesday night only to find yourself standing amongst a lot of gelled hair and popped-collars, we assure you this is only temporary. In the past few years, the Gas Lite has absorbed some of the overflow from trendier bars and clubs in the area, and with that has come a slightly higher douche quotient and the presence of the occasional recreational drug. A WDBTour-goer once recounted finding a small baggy of powder on the floor of the ladies room that may or may not have been cocaine.

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

Scarlet Lady Saloon
5411 Sepulveda Blvd.
The City of Culver City, CA 90230
Map

In honor of the passing of Valentine’s Day, this week The World Dive Bar Tour proudly visits one bar that will never complain the wilted roses you bought at an onramp to the 405 a few minutes prior to picking her up represented a failure to understand her needs and take the relationship seriously. A bar that will always put out after a nice steakhouse Valentine’s dinner, even if she’s apparently in the midst of experimenting with veganism and claims that she told you about it months ago, but you’re just a bad listener. Obviously, we’re talking about the Scarlet Lady Saloon, in the City of Culver City.

The last visit to the Scarlet Lady is of historical note on the tour, due to the invention that night of the LA Car Chase Drinking Game, wherein every time the chyron on KCAL-9’s broadcast of a speeding late-70s Japanese import is updated to a new Inland Empire municipality, the tour chugs. Given that there are far more municipalities than we initially assumed, and that the Datsun is a deceptively fast vehicle, even with only 3 functioning tires and a disabled woman lodged in the grill, little else is remembered from that night.

Be advised that The Scarlet Lady does take credit cards, so don’t let her near your wallet.

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-czarss

Amagi Night Club
6114 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Map

It’s a new year, and you’re ready to hit the gym, finish that big project in your garage, and, most-importantly, make the next American Idol tryouts. What better way to kick off 2009 than by working on a resolution you have no intention of sticking to?! The Fourth Annual Would Dive Bar Tour starts at Amagi in Hollywood this week, the finest sushi/dive/karaoke establishment east of Highland. Once known for its health department "C" rating, and still known for the mediocre sushi and the Karaoke Ninja of Sunset, who visits every Wednesday to sing November Rain, Amagi is the finest amalgam of Japanese and Hollywood culture.

Situated in the famous "Gower’s Gulch" strip mall between a Subway and Rite Aid, across from a free AIDS testing facility, Amagi’s restaurant and bar are separated by a wall, but that shouldn’t discourage you from bringing your tuna roll to the Karaoke stage. You should also bring a couple bucks to tip the KJ. And if you can’t muster the courage to sing, fear not. Liquid courage at Amagi is affordable, and they take credit.

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

Cosmos Saloon
333 E 1st St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

For those who have followed the ebb and flow of dive bar for many years, the name Cosmos might sound very familiar. Last season, on an ill fated full moon, we attempted to visit this fine establishment. Unfortunately for the intrepid group of dive bar goers that night, on the dutch door of the bar entrance a handwritten note was posted. Written mostly Japanese characters, it was the final line in English which hurt the most. "Bar Close Tonight." Those assembled, who had gathered for the promise of a Japanese pre-’scent of a woman’ Al Pacino bartender, karaoke in languages we can’t even speak, and Suntory Whiskey, found solace in a nearby shady hostess bar followed by a local brewery.

On that night, just like General Douglas MacArthur in retreat from the Philippines in the face of Japanese aggression, we of the WDBT vowed to return.

This week marks the day we make good on that promise, and return to Little Tokyo. Where with the help of a few big bottles of Kirin, we will be belting out Japanese pop songs like regulars, smoking an odd cigarette, swapping stories with the old man who always seems to be firmly planted at the bar, and otherwise raising quite a ruckus. Comfortable with the knowledge that in this Cosmos, yes, we can all be a star. Just remember - no dancing.

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

"Here we are. Earth. Full of things as usual."

-King of All Cosmos

WEDNESDAY, January 16th, 2008

Del’s Saloon

12238 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025 (West LA)

The World Dive Bar Tour Executive Committee strategically selects each and every dive bar to not only coincide with different holidays but to encourage and promote networking and camaraderie. We’ll be exploring some über-seedy and questionable drinking establishments this year, and to best get reacquainted with Tour regulars and new members, it’s important to drink in familiar surroundings.

Thus, we officially kick off 2008 at Del’s Saloon, a friendly neighborhood bar offering all the standard amenities you can expect from a typical LA dive. Del’s is particularly unique in that it contains nearly every hallmark of a dive including pool and darts, golden tee, year-round christmas light decor, Wednesday karaoke, and an allegiance to a particular NFL team (Bills). In the spirit of remaining low-key and unobtrusive, Del’s often keeps the front door locked so you’ll most likely enter from the rear.

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

“So there, I am, in Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, at about 3 o’clock in the morning, looking for one thousand brown M & Ms to fill a brandy glass, or Ozzy wouldn’t go on stage that night. So, Jeff Beck pops his head ’round the door, and mentions there’s a little sweets shop on the edge of town. So we go. And it’s closed. So there’s me, and Keith Moon, and David Crosby, breaking into that little sweets shop. Well, instead of a guard dog, they’ve got this bloody great big Bengal tiger. I managed to take out the tiger with a can of mace, but the shopkeeper and his son… that’s a different story altogether. I had to beat them to death with their own shoes. Nasty business, really, but sure enough I got the M & Ms, and Ozzy went on stage and did a great show.”

- Del Preston, the Greatest Roadie that Ever Lived

[rating:3.5]

WDBT 2007 was an epic year. Unforgettable Wednesday nights; the birth of the Extension; attendance has grown substantially, swelling with quality people; not to mention the San Pedro Classic!

The official WDBT 2008 calendar doesn’t start until next week. But if you are anything like me, you are going through dive bar withdrawal. And January 16th can’t come soon enough.

To heal your woes, we are proud to bring you the World Dive Bar Tour 2008 Preview at Amagi’s (brought to you by WDBT Extension). Nothing calms the shakes like a little bit of karaoke and a lot of Blue Moon. And no where can you get as elegant a balance of the very best and the very worst entertainment Hollywood has to offer. Every trip to Amagi’s leaves the sojourner with a tale to tell. And do I really even need to remind you of the one and only karaoke ninja?

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,
Nate
Auxiliary Captain

[rating:3.5]

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Gas Lite
2030 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90403

We labeled it our "most entertaining" dive bar of last year. That was due in part to the USC sorority birthday party that was taking place at the time and the fact that Damien got to make out with one of the girls. Okay, it’s really just Damien who labeled it the "most entertaining" dive bar of last year, but fun at the Gas Lite isn’t limited to sorority soirees, as the cheap drinks and karaoke madness almost guarantee that you’ll walk out of there with a story to tell. In fact, one of our regular dive bar attendees recently left with an ounce of cocaine she found on the floor of the bathroom! SCORE!

Notably, Gas Lite is one of the only places in the city left that offers a 6AM early bird breakfast in a bottle. Unfortunately, the karaoke stage is only open in the evenings, so don’t bother going in before noon expecting to see sloshed geriatrics belting out their favorite Dean Martin tunes.

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

"I feel sorry for people who don’t drink. They wake up in the morning and that’s the best they’re going to feel all day."

- Dean Martin