If you want a cocktail made correctly, you can depend on Big Bar. Top notch ingredients, top shelf liquors and top drawer bartenders. Perhaps their next endeavor should be called Top Bar. Their custom made cocktails live-up to the price they charge. Big, however, is a euphemism because it is a bit on the small size during its peak hours, but worth the wait. read more

Big Bar - The real trifecta. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Love the decor of the bar. Marble counters, friendly staff and great cocktails! I will definitely go back! read more

Eugene rocked the bar last night mixing up the Moscow mule, Scotch mule, a Brooklyn and a swimming pool full of Penecillins. Nice little bar space attached to the Alcove cafe. Great low key alternative to heading out to a club for drinks. It's too bad other people have had unhappy experiences here cause I couldn't have been more impressed. To those complaining about cocktails being $12, where have you been living? That's totally reasonable for LA. Only tried the sliders off the menu and they were good. They also played great music the night I was there. Will definitely be back. We got dessert from the Alcove side just so we could talk to the super hot guy behind the cash. Make him a bartender and we'll be at Big Bar every night....on that note. read more

Just came here for Valentines Day Prom event. What a GREAT space and romantic ambience. If you've never been to Big Bar or Alcove Cafe & Bakery (which I hadn't until this event) let me paint a quick picture of the venue. After passing through the beautifully lit courtyard you enter a building which divides in to two spaces, Alcove Bakery on the right and Big Bar on the left. I couldn't help but think "What an interesting mix of two genres...pastries and cocktails!" It does feel like two distinct spaces but they complement each other in their diversity. Also, I can't imagine anything better than stumbling out of a bar in to a bakery at 2o'clock in the morning! It brings a whole new meaning to the term 'Bartenders Breakfast!' They make their own kosher chocolate in the bakery and a bunch of delicious looking cookies and pastries. The cocktails I tried in Big Bar were really good, balanced and interesting. I had the "Le vie En Rose" but I don't know if this was only available for the French themed event. Dan Long does the drink program there and he is a really good bartender so I imagine any cocktails will be goo there. Food wise all the 'bar bites' we had (in particular the SLIDERS) were delicious. Check out my full review here (Yelp doesn't allow more to fit on here and you can't see photos!) lol www.thefussyone.com/big-bar-prom2012 I liked this location a lot and I recommend going to the Valentines Day Prom next year. It was ridiculously fun! :) read more

I like how small this place is. I like the whole outside seating, not so much of the inside, but it does go with the layout. I went there to taste the pies, but they were alright. I had the banana with chocolate one it was good, but it needed just a tiny bit of sugar. But a small amount and it would have been great. Because the taste was not overwhelming. We also had cheese cake, that tasted the same like everywhere you would buy it. The service was nice, the bar was small. I just thought the white color inside didn't go with the outside seating. We also had three carne asada sliders. Wish I tasted them to give info, but by the smell they gave off they were fully cooked. Makes it look like the inside of a cake, or a ballerina studio lol. The outside seating was small but cosy. read more

I went to Big Bar with my friends. I loved it very much!!!! Beautiful and cozy place.We were sitting in patio.The workers were very nice with customers. I really recommend everyone to go there. I'll definitely go back. read more

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Lived around the corner from this place for 3 years, and I enjoyed every cocktail and snack I ever had. The seasonal cocktail menu always has great surprises, but the weekly happy hour special drinks are solid and affordable for the area. I miss it now that I've moved. read more

Sit at the bar and chat the night away. The bartenders are so friendly and can make you anything you want. Had a hot toddy and a burger and was happy as a clam. read more

Found this place waiting for a concert at the Greek. So cute and awesome. Great service, good food and drinks. Will definitely come back to see Mario, the bartender!! read more

This place is definitely not a BIG bar. I came on a Thursday night and there was no seating at the bar. The bartenders however were really friendly and kept coming around to ask us if we wanted drinks. I got the apple bottom jeans and I really liked it! It was really tasty and definitely a unique drink that I would recommend. They have many food options and a lot of dessert that looked yummy. I'll definitely be sure to come back here again! read more

An easy to read menu describing the cocktails greets you at the bar. They will also make you an off menu drink if you would like. Juan, the barkeep, made my wife and I some wonderful cocktails. The standout was the Little Dart, which was tart, citric and sweet while letting the rum through perfectly.The service was attentive and friendly. Drinks were mixed with care but served in a reasonable amount of time. Cocktails are $12 which is right in the standard range for drinks of this caliber. You get to spend a little time with your cocktails since they give more volume than other similar bars. The drinks also tend to be a little stiffer which adds to the value. Juan really shines and adds to the experience. He took great care of my wife and I. He was informative and told great stories without ever being intrusive. While the bar feels very different than what I am used to (very west L.A.ish) I will return often and am glad that I gave it a try. The only con is the street parking. Valet is available for $15. read more

This was my first time here and I was expecting it to be amazing because every time I walk by it was always busy, but my expectations were too high I guess. I had some friends visiting from Thailand, so they ordered the shrimp & crab omelettes, but neither seafood was fully cooked, so it was very hard to eat. They never had this back home so weren't sure how it should taste. I tried it and I wouldn't have it again. The drinks were good, but a bit expensive. The worst part was our waiter. We were just ignored for 20 minutes after sitting. They weren't that busy so I don't know why. Maybe I would try it again and have something less exotic, but the atmosphere is good so that is why it wasn't all bad. read more

Rosie left a really, REALLY bad taste in my mouth... literally and figuratively last week. Mmmmkkk.... I get it. You work at a mixology bar. COOL. FYI- Just because my boyfriend and I don't always want to be chugging down some cognac in the middle of the day on a weekday doesn't mean we should be treated like ingrates. We asked Rosie if she could make me a drink with any kind of muddled fruit and vodka, or fruit juice... She said NO and pointed to the cognac. She said they didn't have fruit, nor juice, and that she would only make drinks with whiskey. Really? Because I'm looking at a photo right now of a drink that appears to contain both juice and fruit. Ended up ordering a drink that was kind of gross. I had to chug down water to get the shitty taste out of my mouth. Then, I had to pay up the ass for it. Thanks for nothing Rosie. read more

Bartenders are very educated, seem experienced (the chick bartender with short hair is super rude) but can sometimes come off as arrogant, know-it-all types. Its fine because they serve good cocktails. The cocktails cost about $14 if you do not order off the chalk board drink of the day board. Those chalk board drinks tend to cost $10. Now, I do like that they use a large ice cube for my classic cocktail (as the ice melts slower). The atmosphere is fine, and the constant Pandora or iTunes playlist is cool. I like the marble counters and the high chairs. The place is a bit small and not ideal for groups larger than 4. As this is a shared space with the Alcove restaurant there are some cool menu options if you get the munchies. Going here makes me feel like I still went out a night on the town, without having to pay a door charge or fall in line at a disco tech. Overall the draw are the tasty cocktails, not the bartenders, not the prices nor the customer service. read more

The cake was decent after it thawed. They gave it really cold. The location was really good and the other food looked good !

What a bizarre place. The actual space isn't really condusive to drinking. The bar tender clearly had no idea what he was doing and took forever making crappy over priced drinks. To make matters worse it appears as if most of the drinks on the menu have been stolen from better bartenders. read more

Super Duper Cute, from the cute Strawberry Blonde bartender, to the great muddled drinks, to the $15 Salads from Alcove. It's a great place for a mid-day drink, and there's nothing wrong with drinking in the middle of the day! read more

This is after secound visit. I like the restaurant but i do not recomend the bar next door. The bartender is rude and unfriedly, like he wished he could have other job. There had some special drinks as the day special for Happy Hours, but when we try to order it, we were told, not available anymore, no explanation. I will be looking for other place for friendly drink. read more

Great drink Beau Geste Fizz and good guacamole! Visiting from DC area and after I came from the Griffith observatory I asked a friend for a bar nearby. He suggested this place which was around the corner and it was great! read more

Their service is pretty terrible but their food is decent. Parking is a hassle, so take their valet. We waited a very long time for our drinks, food, check, boxes, etc. We had a larger party so I'm giving 3 stars. I think if we had fewer people, things would have went swimmingly. However, what should have been maybe an hour and a half dinner ended up being 3 hours. Everyone was feeling antsy to leave and even the front hostess who seated us was wondering where our waitress was. I might just have to wait a while before returning to try it for the second time... read more

My Go-To cocktails and healthy bar treats spot. Bartenders are dope and ask what they have in the little cask. It's always a good treat.

Very nice bar. The bartender, Eugene, was attentive and knowledgeable. He made me an excellent cocktail called "Tigermom Gimlet". Delicious! Very good customer service. Will be back soon. read more

Initially, I was skeptical about Big Bar. Not that there is ever a bad place to drink but having cocktails at a brunch spot, at night, just seems odd. I guess at the end of the day I'm not a huge Alcove fan. It's a little too momish for my tastes. That was until I realized you can drink handcrafted cocktails outside! This is amazing. I wish there were more outdoors places like this in LA. The waitstaff is always a bit understaffed, but the bartenders are super friendly, and the drinks are very solid. Recommended for all your outdoor drinking needs. read more

The bar is small, the people are nice. I'm a little confused how to review the place. Yes it's a bar. Yes they have a variety of interesting drinks on the menu. Their wine list is short and without worldly variety. So all I can rate about this place is atmosphere, the drink I chose (St. Anne's Helper), and the service Quan and I received. Atmosphere: If you combine it with the external Alcove (which it really isn't, because you can't order the drinks out there) then it's really a beautiful almost magical location. I'd give it 4.5 for atmosphere. The bar itself is tight, small, simple, almost divey, but very trendy. I'd rate it a 3.5. In an effort to balance out what a place gets for where it is and what it does to deserve it, I'll have to rate the atmosphere a 3.9-4.0*. I find it unfair to rest on the laurels of what others do around you to prop up your character. Though I know the mantra "location, location, location." St. Anne's Helper... I must admit. I am a fan of the charity St. Anne's as they are really the only thing in the county that helps newly emancipated minors, mothers with children, etc. They are really a sorely needed resource. So, when it comes to the drink, am I aware of any biblical or non-biblical relationship to alcohol? Nope... someone educate me? Though it has some extreme complexity in the forbidden bitters and the orange. What really comes across is bourbon, plain and simple. A little too much if you ask me. But then again I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I asked the bartender what she'd like and bam, well, I always like the sound of bourbon (especially 10yr Eagle). Ok so in reality, the expectation was moderate, but I really had a hard time drinking it. really feeling like a glass full of bourbon with nothing to cut it, except the sweet smell of orange zest. I'd rate the drink a 3.25*. Service: First the bill was wrong and no thoughts to opening a tab were given. So closing out was done after the St. Anne's helper. However, I ordered a wine for Quan and they re-billed me for the St. Anne's Helper. Additionally, my questions about the drinks were met with no information or support in understanding them. Really drinks with character need to have bartenders with character or they fall flat. That's not to say they don't mix great drinks. Most people seemed happy. But friendliness did not transfer from Cheers :-). I may come back, but it'll be more for the Alcove than the Big Bar. read more

I'm new to America and still not very used to the portion sizes that most restaurants have. The brunches at Big Bar are positively huge - I got the portobello mushroom sandwich and ordered a side of onion rings, which ended up being more like onion bracelets beside a too-big-for-two-hands burger. Everything tasted great. My only complaint was the coffee - the latte milk was really thin and kind of burnt; not my idea of a good time, particularly in the volume with which it was served. read more

The people at Alcove must be extraordinarily ambitious. As if having one of the most delicious, most coziest, most kick ass cafe/bakeries in LA wasn't enough, they had to go and open an amazing bar right next door. Now the only reason you need to stray from this little Hillhurst compound on a Saturday night is if you want to go dancing. Big Bar markets itself as a laid back neighborhood bar with sophisticated cocktails. I feel it's a blend of both a neighborhood bar and of one of the speakeasy joints that are having a resurgence around here. As others have noted, there's nothing 'Big' about Big Bar. You walk through Alcove's (now shared with Big Bar's) gorgeous outdoor patio filled with trees and their overhanging leaves to the front door of Big Bar. The space is seriously the size of my bedroom. The designers of the spot must have watched one of those HGTV specials on how to maximize small spaces (my fav is 'Small Spaces in the Big City) because you don't feel cramped at all, only cozy. There's a beautiful L-shaped dark wood (?cherry oak) and marble bar directly in front of you. The stools are covered in brown leather with over-sized brass divots and foot rests. The area behind the bar looks like a playground for bartenders. There are all sorts of ingredients and tools for making multi-ingredient sophisticated cocktails; bottles of high end liquor, baskets of fresh fruit, mint, bitters, mortar & pestle and some neat looking press that I'm not sure what they would use it for. The wall facing you is reserved for the wine display and there's also two marble topped tables in case you want a bit of privacy.They pull off the old timey vibe without it being kitschy (not that I'm anti kitschy). I kept waiting to see Hemingway or Fitzgerald pull up a bar stool next to me. Instead, it was just a really attractive guy and his really attractive girlfriend. The menu is filled with classic cocktails (their specialty), and a somewhat limited, although quality, beer and wine selection. There is a huge food menu offered as well. I couldn't tell if it was the full Alcove menu or not but seriously, it was pretty extensive. Being from Georgia, I had to order the Georgian mint julep. Big Bar's version is made with gin. It's topped with a large mound of shaved ice and fresh mint. It looks like a wonderful alcohol infused snow cone and is delicious! Not too sweet, not too strong. It was a super labor intensive cocktail and in retrospect, I wish I would've tipped the guy more. My bf got the LA cocktail (Buffalo Trace bourbon, sweet vermouth, lemon, egg, nutmeg) and while I can't handle my bourbon, this was an extremely tasty cocktail. He concurred. I think all the cocktails are $12. Parking is street (limited) or valet ($7 I think). Really great place. ps. thank god this thing has spell check. I think I just had to correct 17 words. read more

Very useful when the line is preposterous at Alcove. They serve the complete menu at the bar which is blissfully quiet compared to the din outside. The bartender was super nice and made me a non-spicy bloody mary. I'm not a fan of black pepper in my beverages. Minus one star for having only one bathroom. You have to be shitting me, that has to be illegal or something considering how many people are within that black iron fence perimeter. read more

Happy hour here is phenom! Basket of fries and glass of wine on the patio. Also, if you like bacon, dates and goat cheese you have to try "pig dates a goat" .... So yummy! read more

Was looking for a bar with outdoor seating and Big Bar / Alcove Cafe and Bakery proved to be a perfect choice! Terrific craft cocktails, delicious food at a reasonable price, lots of tables out on the brick patio underneath well-lit trees, and a really interesting, diverse, Los Feliz crowd. They seem to have some table service on weekend evenings, but the basic drill is you order your drinks at the bar and your food at the bakery/cafe side, take a number, and then they bring it to your table. It was wonderful; can't wait to go back! read more

Great craft cocktails with a friendly neighborhood vibe. The bar is very comfortable - a place you could linger at for hours. Hipe music, excellent lighting. Good menu options too if you get hungry. read more

Love Big bar! The dessert is always right on, and the gourmet drinks are a force to be reckoned with. Big fan of the Moscow Mule. On Monday I asked for something made with muddled basil leaves, and VIOLA! I had it! Bartenders know what they are doing- and even taste each drink before it's served. A little pricey for drinks, but the atmosphere and quality is there. For food; Turkey pesto pannini! And their dipping sauce for fries! Can't go wrong. Additionally- The pesto sauce on their mashed potatoes (that comes with the shrimp cocktail) is another epic win. read more

My first time here I had my doubts, overpriced mixology concoctions that perhaps wouldn't live up to the hype. Nope, killer drinks including a Apple Jack Old Fashioned that blew everyone away. There are a multitude of amazing possibilities available just let the tend know what you want. Fold in the Alcove menu which is amazing (see green apple and brie sandwich and the turkey and hummus sandwich) and you will be a convert. Nice addition to the hood~! read more

This bar in Los Feliz is all about atmosphere. The ambiance is lively, young, happening and the heated outdoor tables are always full. The drinks are OK but the food is not good. They have valet parking which is a lifesaver in a neighborhood where it is impossible to park. I would go back for drinks if I happen to be in the neighborhood and maybe I would try dessert, but I would definitely not return for a meal. read more

when alcove first opened, the service was so bad, i didn't come back for a few years. i've been back three times now but to big bar - which is think is the best thing about alcove! the bar itself is really cool and the bartenders are so helpful and friendly. there's also a good wine list but try at least one of the speciality drinks! the menu has some nice selections, some healthy, some indulgent - any of the salads are really yummy! portions are generous here. the desserts good if the item is fresh (ordered a piece cake and it was apparent it had been in the pastry case for a few days) and the displays are SO enticing. prepared to be packed in if you want to sit on the patio - it's really nice al fresco dining, but everyone else has the same idea! as usual in this area, parking is a premium...you can find street parking in the neighborhood on franklin or finley and walk a couple of blocks. read more

Eugene's Mixtape mixology on Thursday nights is reason enough to stop in to the friendly, yet swank scene at Big Bar... To be wowed by transcendent musical soundscapes AND his finely crafted cocktails. If you want every sip to be followed by an audible, "mmm!" and every song to be met with, "ahhh! I love this one!!" Big Bar Thursdays. Eugene. Go. read more

meh, the last time i was here the service was pretty terrible. we walked up to the bar to order drinks where the bartender asked us if we wanted to order food. we said we were going to order later when our third friend arrived. he told us to order our drinks at the food counter. we waited in line at the food counter and when we got to the front they told us if we were only going to order alcohol we should order it at the bar. my friend forced them to take her order but i went back to the bar. look, i know they make artisanal cocktails or whatever, but it took 15-20 minutes for the bartender to make my drink. no, i don't need you to slap my mint leave, thank you very much. spare me the dog and pony show and just hand me my drink! basically, this place just seems to employ a bunch of hipsters who are more interested in standing around looking cool than providing customer service. i can't say that i won't be back because my friends seem to love this place and i do enjoy their garden patio but i also can't promise i'll be entirely happy about it. read more

This place is plain awesome. Its a "bar in LA" so i don't pay attention to attitude and others people skills though i have to say I've had both good and bad experiences with the staff here but come on it's not about that. Its the yummy drinks and awesome vibe and company that you keep so if that's your prerogative happy drinking! read more

Rude Bar I was excited to go to this bar with my girlfriend but I will never step foot back in there again the bar tender female was drink savy but so rude. she should leave her attitude at the door. Why would anyone want to pay to be treated poory. read more

I really like the alcove and the new big bar is pretty cool but if you want to have dinner and get drinks it's kind of annoying. First you have to sit on the drinks side of the patio and the hostess has to tell one of the bar waitresses you want drinks. Then you still have to get up and walk over to the alcove side to wait in line to order. There is a separate bill for the drinks--I don't know why they couldn't just streamline the whole process and just have waitresses instead of this split situation. I am assuming it's an ownership thing and that's why the tabs are separate. Seriously though, they made a good thing way more complicated than it needed to be. read more

I finally had a drink here for the first time back in March. It was good and yummy-with a long rectangular block of ice! I forgot what I had exactly but it was the special of the day. We sat at the bar-the decor and atmosphere was great. Would definitely come back and take advantage of the Happy Hour one of these days. read more