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

Sheddy’s Public Parlour
361 S. Fairfax Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
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There are a few things we’ve learned on the Tour about dives in Los Angeles, and the most important may be that no matter how upscale, redeveloped, or polished a community there are always dive bars. Where you least expect them, often hidden in plain sight, these little gems are what keep us well nourished in our ongoing dive bar explorations.

Sheddy’s is one of these places. Almost like the bipolar counterpart to the eastside Tiki Ti, Sheddy’s is time capsule and a monument to a singular vision of a perfect drinking establishment. It is a wine and beer bar from an era before there was such a thing as a wine or beer bar. This may be because the owner, Jim Sheddy, is a Canadian. Or it may be because Jim simply loves a good Dogfishhead IPA or a complex Spanish red with a plate of cheese - and thinks we all should too.

There is parking in the back for a few cars, they take plastic, and the rest is more or less by the book. It will also the birthday of Co-Czar Travis, and he specifically picked out this bar (never before on the tour) given his general agreement with Jim Sheddy’s vision.

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

Ye Coach & Horses
7617 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
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It is with deep sadness and painful lament that we report another one of our Dives, Ye Coach & Horses, will be closing after 73 years of business because of a leasing issue. Not even the employees know exactly when the closure will happen, but as if it were a patient on his deathbed, its important that we all make an effort to drop by and pay our last respects before he passes. Therefore, this week, WDBT is calling an audible and switching from Westwood to Hollywood in order to give this fine establishment the send-off it deserves.

Ye Coach & Horses was more than just a historic Hollywood landmark, it represented a boundary on the World Dive Bar Tour, dividing Sunset Boulevard between overpriced, hoity-toity douchebaggery and easy-going, pabst-chuggin’ rock n’ roll. It was our Gateway Arch, our Statue of Liberty, marking the entrance into a new world of old; the east-Hollywood dive. And a landmark it was, unique in all respects from its narrow, Tudor-style interior, capturing the essence of a 16th century pub to the motley clientele, some of whom look like they might have stepped out of the 16th century.  While a great deal more could be written about this fine establishment, nothing can compare to an actual memory seared into one’s consciousness–so make it happen for your first time or last time on Wednesday while the doors are still open.

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

"And so, Theodore Donald Karabotsos, in accordance with what we think your dying wishes might well have been, we commit your final mortal remains to the bosom of the Pacific Ocean, which you loved so well. Good night, sweet prince."

–Walter - The Big Lebowski

Big Dean’s "Muscle-In"
1615 Ocean Front Walk
Santa Monica, CA 90401
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Every summer for the past 4 years, the World Dive Bar Tour has kicked off the season at the best beach bar in the county, "Big Dean’s ‘Muscle-In,’" a dive’s dive that perfectly blends easy-going, surfer sensibility with dilapidated decor.  Rather than closing at sunset like most bars on the strand, Big Dean’s owner T.J. graciously keeps the doors open extra late JUST FOR US (that includes the kitchen, Travis), and Mary Francis keeps the beer flowing like wine long into the evening.  If you stay long enough, she might even school you in the art of vanishing beer. Invite your friends and co-workers. This is one for the calendar. Let’s show Big Dean’s our appreciation and make this the best dive stop of the year!

Built over 80 years ago, Big Dean’s has changed hands and changed names a number of times, but it has never lost its appeal as the quintessential beach bar.  Icy cold American macro-brews are available on tap, served in a variety of different sized plastic cups.  Wine is available upon request and will more than likely come from a cardboard box rather than the rusty spigot protruding from a wooden cupboard labeled "M-rlct."  Like an ancient Roman city, Big Dean’s has simply built on top of its previous occupants.  Their refrigerator is literally a converted ice box, the bathrooms former broom closets that may or may not be ADA compliant.

Don’t fret at Big Dean’s location. There is plenty of free parking in the structure at 2nd & Colorado. There are also free street spots if you’re lucky enough to find one. Last year, some people parked at the beach lot right next to the bar, but it technically closes at sunset. So do so at your own risk.

Because Big Dean’s is being kind of enough to stay open late for us, we’ll begin the revelry an HOUR EARLY at 8pm. As usual, It’ll get real interesting by 10. Come for one venti bud light, 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

Tony’s Saloon
2017 E. 7th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90021
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This Wednesday the tour will throw Los Angeles a bone. Or more specifically, throw the Los Angeles bar scene a bone. As a careful reader of this humble newsletter and as a casual attendee of the tour you will likely know that we consistently rage, rage against the dying of the light. For each dive bar where the spark of perfect accessibility is fed into the incinerator of velvet ropes, doormen, and cocktails sporting infusions of acai berries, we shed a tear and often light a few devotional candles to St. Petersburg del Florida, the patron saint of dive bars.

This week we visit Tony’s Saloon, which is not really a dive, but more of a neo-dive. Owned by the same group behind The Golden Gopher and Seven Grand, Tony’s is located at the far eastern extent of the normal dive bar territories, well off the beaten path, in the midst of the confounding hybrid industrial trendy loft landscape between Skid Row and the Los Angeles river. Tony’s offers a quality pool table, darts, and a ping pong table on the patio. There is free parking in the lot right next to the bar, but carpool if you plan on attempting to make your way through the whiskey list…. as it is much longer the those offered at our usual dives.

And, if the scene is just way to upstanding for your taste, feel free to head back west on 7th street a few blocks to Campers Corner; a dive so deep it doesn’t even have a yelp review to its name and may also be a check cashing service. We might just decline to join ya.

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, & where the hell is Travis? - WDBT Co-czars

"Everyone kept telling me, Just be yourself. Be yourself. I kept thinking, there’s got to be more to it than that!" -Tony Danza

Club Tee Gee
3210 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90039
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It’s Wednesday afternoon. Dive bar begins in a few short hours, and the drinking public is in a state of panic. The resident Czar expert on Club Tee Gee has gone AWOL. Fallen off the grid. Most likely off on another bender of raging on barley wine… or designing a middle school. You never know with that guy. Fear not though, for the World Dive Bar Tour always goes on.

Having never been to Club Tee Gee, I can tell you that it’s a bar on Glendale Blvd, with a neon sign in a funny font that looks like it says, "Club Tee Yee". Do not be fooled, though. The name of this bar is "Club Tee Gee", and that’s a very nice name for a bar. Although the name sounds somewhat like "Club Tiki", I am also reasonably certain that it is not a tiki bar. But it could be. You never know. Since I am also uncertain whether they take credit cards, I would also suggest bringing some cash. Even if they take credit cards, it’s always a good idea to carry some cash, just in case. With those details out of the way, I now implore you to join me this evening, in heading off into this great unknown.

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, & where the hell is Travis? - WDBT Co-czars

"It all adds up. He stole somebody’s hair, made a wig, knocked out the guard, tunneled his way through a sewer line, and then stopped to get a candied apple on his way to Mexico" — Maebe Funke

Joker
2827 Pico Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
Map

We are happy to report that despite a recent drug bust at the Joker where a bindle of cocaine was found in the bathroom along with scales, packaging materials, and $5,000 cash in "undisclosed locations," this fine establishment remains open for business.  We have not yet confirmed if the bartender who was arrested got her job back, but we’re certain that her consummate selling skills are an asset the owner of any bar would want behind the counter.  We are lobbying him to promptly post her bail and restore her position.

While SMPD considers the Joker a "nuisance," we on the World Dive Bar Tour consider any bar where bottles are broken and cars are set ablaze in the parking lot a paragon of watering holes.  Holding to values from a day long past where disputes were settled with fisticuffs or the occasional Molotov cocktail, by default we assume that the owner of the torched vehicle no doubt got his comeuppance and absolve the perpetrator from any wrongdoing.

Needless to say, Joker is lacking anything but character.  Pictures of the eponymous Batman villain and other clowns adorn its walls along with other decorations indicative of a time when the "jokers" were the ones who went outside to smoke a cigarette.

Drinks here are some of the cheapest on the west side, and one could leave thoroughly lubricated for under $10. But Joker is cash only, so be sure to hit up the ATM ahead of time. And, there’s ample parking in the back.

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

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

3rd Annual SP Classic
RED LINE TOUR

FIRST HOLE:
Phillippe’s French Dip
1001 N. Alameda St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

More than a year and a half has passed since we last had a contest of champions . This year we will be giving the San Pedro greens keepers* a respite. This year we will be taking the tour below the streets of LA! We will tee off just outside of Union Station at Philippe’s and enjoy the history of railroads depicted on the walls. From there, we will all buy $5 Metro Day Passes (as a greens fee) and hop on on the subway to our next set of holes. We will continue following the Red Line stopping at bars along the way until we reach Hollywood.

For those unfamiliar with the game, Bar Golf combines the best elements of a pub crawl with a variety of rules derived from that fabled club and ball sport invented by the Dutch and popularized by the Scotts. Each bar serves as a different hole, with a scorecard of drinks of varying difficulty corresponding to golf nomenclature of "Pars", "Birdies", "Eagles" and so on. Other familiar golf concepts also apply, including water hazards (vomiting penalty) and mulligans (spilt beverages). Bear in mind that, whereas in real golf, shooting a hole in one on every hole is merely highly improbable, in bar golf, attempting to do so will result in a hospital visit and stomach pumping. Bar golf is a sport of moderation and pacing, where the tortoise oftentimes does beat the hare.

Some of the holes we will be visiting include World Dive Bar Tour favorites like the White Horse Inn and Powerhouse. We have added a number of new venues like Gallery Bar, nestled in the bosom of the Biltmore Hotel and the MacArthur Park flavor of the Tango Room.

Come to compete; come to caddy*; come to watch. Golf wear is encouraged. If you want to compete or would like to volunteer to caddy, please RSVP to divebar@worlddivebartour.com (or post a note saying so on the facebook invite wall) so that we can arrange transportation and caddies accordingly. This year’s winner will receive the coveted ‘green jacket’ with commemorative patch, and all competitors will receive prizes fitting this vaunted occasion.

For the first time this year, golfers who finish the course will get to compete in a bonus whole where a particularly garish set of golfwear can get them a whole in one, a birdie or an eagle.

Carpe Drink’em,

Nate, Auxiliary Captain

*Greens keeper: Dive Bar Proprietors
** Caddy: Designated Driver, score keeper, shepherd

View Red Line Tour in a larger map

Shatto 39 Lanes
3255 West 4th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90020
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This week the World Dive Bar Tour takes its annual rite of spring, the bowling night. While our exploration of the Los Angeles dive bar bowling alley has ranged far and wide, from joints named ‘Mar Vista’, ‘Midtown’, and ‘Bay Shore’, it has never led us to this corner of Los Angeles. Yes, Shatto 39 Lanes is one of the first destinations for the tour directly adjacent to Little Bangladesh*. For the whole story on Little Bangladesh, you’ll just have head on down to the the bowling alley so we can give ya the scoop. In addition to exhaustive explanations of neighborhood politics and low impact intrigue, Shatto Lanes offers cheap bowling in a wonderful 60’s styled decor (which was installed in the 60’s when it was just plain old decor), a full bar with inexpensive Oat Sodas and Caucasians, a collection of vintage arcade games, and diverse cross-section of Angelenos including the aforementioned Bangladeshis.

Free parking is available in the garage, and is likely the most shady element to encounter. We would also encourage all bar goers to check out the neighborhood nearby where in addition to the pulse of Bhangra there is a literal menagerie of sights, sounds, and flavors.

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

*neighborhood designation still pending

Proposed Name of Community: "Little Bangladesh"
Street Boundaries / Area: "Area surrounded by Wilshire Blvd, Western Ave, 3rd St., and Vermont Avenue."
Reason for name change: "We have a lot of people of our Bangladesh commnity living within that boundary."

-from City of Los Angeles application to name or rename communities