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Best Places to Drink in Los Angeles

Since I'm no good with exact measurements, it makes it difficult to acutally write out decent recipes. So I figured, with my judgmental nature, I can continue to submit entries on the my favorite places to consume food and drink. Since I've started out with the best places to eat, I'll continue with the best places to drink... Again, in no particular order. I'll separate by areas of LA - starting from the East side. I like dive-y places as opposed to "scene-y" places. However, that doesn't mean a few "scene-y" places won't show up on this list. In general, I like places that are conducive to sitting, drinking, and talking. PASADENA: 1. Lucky Baldwin's, Old Town, Pasadena - yeah, I don't really like Old Town too much, but this can be a chill place to get a beer. uhh.....that's about it CHINATOWN: 1. Mountain Bar SILVERLAKE/LOS FELIZ: 1. 4100 Bar 2. Ye Rustic Inn - red vinyl booths, bringing back the Regal Beagle... 3. Good Luck Bar 4. Tiki Ti - about as large as your studio apartment with the most ridiculous tiki drinks...so great. There are all these old guys drinking at the bar. 5. Mixville Bar at the Edendale Grille - I almost hesitate to put this up here. There is great al fresco patio seating with enough of a barrier so that you don't hear cars. You can always sit (the bar is great too, friendly bartenders) which is a huge plus for me. 6. The Red Lion Tavern - I guess this is the Deutsch Regal Beagle? 7. Tantra - nice lounge with Indian cuisine and drinks 8. The SmogCutter - talk about a nasty dive, complete with bad karaoke, and pushy Asian bartender/owners - good after you've already a few and are about to head home... 9. Vermont - swankier bar attached to the restaurant, but a great place to meet up with people during the weeknight (you can actually have a conversation then) 10. Drawing Room - slamming karaoke that people really get into 11. Club Tee Gee - again, all my choices seems to summon the Regal Beagle 12. Giggles in Glendale....TOTALLY KIDDING...I just wanted to put a place called Giggles in this list somewhere... DOWNTOWN: 1. The Bar at the Hotel Figueroa - beautiful inside and out, and NOT crowded. You could definitely have a birthday party here. 2. Golden Gopher 3. Broadway Bar HOLLYWOOD: 1. The White Horse - total dive bar, the Russian lady/owner (?) might just make you a free hot dog that she pulls out of a pan full of steaming hot groty water...but you gotta love it. 2. Cat and Fiddle - great for large groups and if you want to be outside, very chill, obviously can get crowded during the weekends 3. Bowery Bar - good burgers as well 4. Magnolia - kind of scene-y, but decent. Was there for New Year's and it was actually fun 5. The Well - always pretty relaxed, even when crowded, you may be able to squeeze into a seat somewhere WEST HOLLYWOOD/STRIP - just by definition the bars on the Strip are known to be ridiculous, but here are the few that I've found tolerable (OK, I actually like them): 1. Bar Marmont at the Chateau Marmont- now I know I said I did not like "scene-y" and this place seems like it would be, but I really don't think it's that bad. Maybe it's because I'm old and I'll go a tad earlier (before 10:30) and I can always get a seat, a drink, and people watch. I will say, it's one of my favorites. There's never a line and it's not as obnoxious as Miyagi's or Saddle Ranch or Sky Bar (where there is line even when no one is inside). I will say, though, I haven't been there since they've re-modeled, so maybe things are different. 2. The Bar at the Standard - I've always been able to grab a seat indoors or out, never had to wait in line, and it hasn't been suffocatingly crowded. 3. Rainbow Bar and Grille - I've only been here once and will probably never go back, but it is definitely worth visiting at least once. If you want to see what the 1980's cat dragged in....go to the Rainbow. Again aging 80's butt-rockers and their detritus. Very very interesting. Was that mean? I think there are famous old has-beens hanging out there, but I don't know who they are...not even if you tell me their names. WEST HOLLYWOOD/FAIRFAX/MELROSE/BEVERLY HILLS: 1. The Dime - great little dive, great on the weeknights and early on the weekends, avoid it during late hours on the weekends, too crowded and too loud and too annoying the later it gets. 2. Canter's Deli/Kibbitz Room - open 24 hours 3. Dominick's - the bar in the restaurant as well as in the patio area is really chill. Everyone I've taken there has loved it. 4. Snake Pit - great little dive bar, great bartenders 5. Table 8 - the lounge attached to the restaurant is great for drinks/dessert WESTWOOD: 1. Tengu - it's a Japanese restaurant, but it has a great happy hour with half price sushi and random sake-tini drinks 2. Palomino's - again, decent happy hour That's about it...Westwood is pretty useless when it comes to food and drink.... SANTA MONICA/VENICE: 1. Renee's - great dive for beer 2. The Viceroy - a little chi-chi, but I've always been able to grab a seat with friends and you can roam from inside to outdoors 3. The Bar at the Casa del Mar - very chi-chi, on the quiet side, great for meeting friends, who are visiting and staying in SM, to catch up 4. The Otheroom - great selection of wines/beers, chill atmosphere, highly highly recommended 5. Hal's - small bar area attached to restaurant, jazz 6. Beechwood - half bar/half restaurant. One entire side of the bar half of the place opens up to a patio. 7. Chez Jay - great old dive bar 8. Air-Conditioned - great beer/wine bar, they even started serving cheese plates, nice bartender/owner, interesting DJs on the weekends. Not crowded when I've been there, but that was when they first opened. Haven't been in awhile, so don't know if it's more crowded now. Here's the list for now. Once again, will keep adding as more places pop into mind. I'll try to go light on the Regal Beagle type places...