It's always a good time at this spot. The staff is incredibly kind especially the bartender Aaron…read moreand the karaoke host Kisser. Aaron is always so kind, attentive, and professional. Kisser is really sweet, fun and an incredible singer. The space is intimate, cozy and dimmly lit. The drinks are reasonably priced and tasty. All in all this spot is a gem in Chinatown.

Popped in with my husband after a Dodgers game a few weeks ago. From the outside, it looks pretty…read moreunassuming, but the interior is a little spacious with several lounging areas. The drink menu is extensive, and the overall vibe is casual and chill. We were still in our jerseys, which made us feel a bit out of place at first, but there were a few other fans inside. We enjoyed the music, had a great drink, and had a nice time unwinding. Parking sucks in the area (as expected), but if you're nearby, check it out.

Hell yeah! Came…read morehere on a Friday night to celebrate a friend's birthday. Street parking was a little difficult to find but not impossible. There was a cover charge (~$12) and drinks weren't cheap but reasonably priced. There are two floors and each floor has its own dance floor.. they played a lot of alternative 80/90s. Small smoking patio in the front and clean bathrooms. We had a blast! HBD Andrew!

I'll start by saying, this place isn't fancy at all, and there are a few blemishes but does that…read morematter? Absolutely not! This place is amazing and has a great vibe! Inka One has been running BoomBox LA for about 18 years, and Grand Star Jazz Club is fortunate to host this iconic hip hop event that has been around for nearly two decades. You can catch legendary DJs like the Beat Junkies, Shortkut, 9th Wonder, Lord Finesse, House Shoes, DJ Revolution, and many more every first Saturday of the month. Drinks are served on both the first and second floors, each offering different music and vibes. The drinks are a bit light, which is perfect for me since I'm a lightweight. They don't serve food, but there are some great late-night spots nearby, like Hollywood Thai or Bossa Nova. If you're looking for a place to relax, listen to good music without distractions, and just vibe out, Grand Star hosts one of the coolest events in their venue. OOOO 4 out of 5 Afros

Came during a weekend night. Found street parking a block away…read more Got in at 9:30pm with no wait, no cover charge. There were a few people inside. We got the Poet's Dream for $16 and El Camino for $16. Both drinks were really strong and tasted pretty good. The El Camino was very similar to an old fashioned. Felt the drinks were good for the price. They start the music at 10pm. There a line forming outside by 10pm. They let people upstairs shortly after the music started. We were able to sit on the couch upstairs. The place got packed really fast. Unfortunately, it got really hot. We left at 11:30pm and saw that the line reached the Hill Street.

Have come here twice for Mahjong nights (hosted on Mondays), both times have been such a wonderful…read moreexperience! My friend surprised me and bought me a birthday shot last night, it was really good! He said he ordered us green tea shots! Very flavorful, sweet, and kinda strong too (but maybe that's because we were both running on lowk empty stomachs haha). They also always have water dispensers stationed on both floors :) The security guard (bouncer?) is friendly, always offering greetings as you enter and leave There's plenty of restroom stalls (two private ones downstairs, a larger one with a BEAUTIFUL fountain sink & full body mirror upstairs) Vibes are immaculate! Low lighting, background music, plenty of seating Highly recommend!

Such a cool little spot to check out in Downtown LA if you're looking for something low key after…read moredinner. They have a bunch of old-school arcade games from the Nintendo/Super Nintendo days, and you actually use tokens to play, which makes the whole experience feel even more nostalgic. They also have a DJ and a full bar, and honestly, the drinks were really good! It's a fun place to hang out with friends, play some games, grab a drink, and just enjoy the atmosphere. Definitely recommend stopping by for a nightcap if you're already in DTLA and want to do something a little different.

Walked in on a Friday evening around 8:30-9. There was no line to get in and the place didn't seem…read morecrowded. My husband and I walked around before we decided to grab a drink at the bar. I had already drank at some breweries before we came here so I didn't want any more mixed drinks. I got a canned drink, I don't remember the name We had some coins and started to play. A couple of the machines took our coins but the games never started which was a bummer but we just moved on. We later saw people playing on them so it was probably something we did wrong. The place was a good vibe with a do playing music. We spent about an hour before we decided to check another place out. My husband and I had a lot of fun. Good way to reminisce when we were young kids playing these games.

This was the last stop in a night where Conrad and I stepped out to LA to have a good time. So by…read morethe time I got there I was tipsy. I was not falling down the stairs, nor was I slurring my words, nor was I misaligning my pool shots, but I was definetely feeling the good inside my blood. I note this, not to highlight my cool factor as if I was a frat bro in a Florida party school, but more to describe how my experience was fogged by my consumption. This place was definetely a hot spot to hit, but I just will not be able to descrbie everything with speicifc detail, more, broad strokes of a good time. The place is reached by going down a flight of stairs, which feels like one is going to catch the J line in New York. I think I felt this more because of the Spring St sign- a famous stop in NY, NY. As soon, I got there, the goal was to continue the good time and this place allowed that at a reasonable price. They had these can drinks that I really responded and they were only 7 dollars. Ok, I know that saying something is only 7 dollars in this economy can seem out of touch. But a drink in LA most of the time will run you at least 12 to 16 dollars, and I think it is mostly on the 16 side. So finding a 7 dollar drink in a hot spot is refreshing. It was a Suncruiser- a vodka spirit based drink- that was part of their specials for their night. maybe is more expensive on other nights when it is not on special? After the drink Conrand and I stepped into their floor. It was the first time we were there and it is basically a basement game room on whatever it is that Bane takes to make himself go from puny human to muscle-on-muscle-on-muscle villain. There is a lot of pool tables maybe like 5, and I saw ping pong, and other table games. Additionally, instead of a speaker or a recorder- the one's that spin old timey records- there was a band. I took a short video of the band but I could not tell you if this band was good or bad or their name or their style of music. I was partly present, and I just heard the music, I did not appreciate the performers. It happens. So Conrad and I play all the time together. And I saw a guy playing by himself. We quickly introduced oursevles and then we played pool. Here is the thing that I am happy to write about this place. Unline a regular bar with a pool table, where every one knows your name, this place had the opportunity to meet new people. And I enjoyed playing with this guy. He was a new challenge. He had fresh stories. And he offered a view of the world I enjoyed. So this place offers the opportunity to meet new people over a game of pool. If pool is your thing than this place will make you happy an if pool is your way of meeting new folks then this place will make you happy and give you opportunities to find the folks you imagine you need in your life. In the final analysis, I want to go here again, and experience the place more broadly. Not sure if I will write a new Yelp, because even though I bared bone this one, it still gives the primary messages I want to. And to the guy who I played with thanks for having a good time with me, even if it was short. And sometimes, short, can be just enough.

Band AMAZING Drinks Good…read morePo boy 2/10 I was given my poboy on stale/hard bread. As a cook, how did you not take enough pride into what you're serving people to not notice? After picking thru it because I was hungry, I spoke to an manager and he just seemed as if I was not being honest, so I pulled the broken bread pieces out to show him; and he didn't offer anything in return. I won't be back.

Great place for a show. Really small/intimate and sound is good. There staff was good, things were…read morerun well. They have Grand Old Echo on Sundays for the season, billing it as country but the bands we saw were Americana, yay. Very clean place and clean bathrooms. The complaint is that we came too early-- it wasn't clear the music doesn't start till 6:30 and had no idea there were 3 bands before the advertised headliner. Still we enjoyed it all and there's a stage out on the tiny back patio for a band where ppl continued to hang. Canned beer, some liquor for drinks, soft drinks, some food like hot dog, pretzels, popcorn. If you go early, you might snag one of the comfy benches along the walls.

I don't know much about LA and I was somewhat worried if The Echo would be located in a good part…read moreof town. To my pleasant surprise, The Echo was located in an area that felt like a small town. It was bustling with concert goers who seem to be conscious of everyone's happiness and safety. The feeling of community was strong. The venue was small but comfortable. The staff were helpful. Venue doesn't have a full bar so don't expect to order specialty cocktails. Paid $500+ for this particular concert.

What a great freaking room for music…read more Finally made it out to this gem in downtown LA and now I'm asking why I put it off so long. This is like the perfect size venue - just big enough without feeling cavernous like the Wiltern or Palladium. The sound is top notch and the sightlines are superb. Added bonus - parking for a fair price down the street. I don't drink so I can't tell you about the bar service but I assume it's quality haha Can't wait to see more shows at this gem

We were here for the Violent Femmes concert. Parking was easy because we paid in advance…read more We had drinks and dinner inside the venue. We ordered food via their QR code. We ordered the smash burger and pizza, which you pick up when you get a text notification. We ordered our cocktails at the bar. There was only one bartender, but she kept the line moving. Kudos to her! The venue has two levels. The restaurant/bar is the top level, and the stage/bar is the bottom level. We watched and danced the night away on the bottom level. The stage is elevated, so you have a good view from anywhere.

We showed up here for the first time last night to see an Oakland band we love play their first LA…read moreshow. Walking into the venue (which must be entered from a remote back alley) people just outside said to us "you're walking into a WEIRD vibe". We thought that meant "punk", and we weren't completely wrong- but we were promptly informed the lead singer of the first band had dislocated her knee and torn her ACL on the stage- it is not known whether the stage caused this but most said the singer was not doing anything crazy in terms of movement. The ambulance was called, and the people in charge were managing the situation to the absolute best of their ability but that poor lead singer was on stage incapacitated with people all around her giving her conflicting advice. This poor thing. They moved all the bands down to the floor level after the first band in order to mitigate the situation. There were some massive sound quality issues, the lights stayed on for the entirety our out-of-town friends set, which they still played like champions- the closing band even had the guys in charge of wandering on the stages behind them and even onto the stage with them, mid-set- (to fix issues I'm sure). I just felt so bad for everyone involved: the injured band, the fans who paid and had to wait a long time through delays, the bands that played after the incident (the band we saw had the lights on the entire set too), and the crew running the show who were clearly just doing their best given the circumstances. I will say it was a calm intimate venue when it all went down- everyone was trying to help, just a crazy first impression of The Smell for us.

The venue has always been marketed by word of mouth, and has always seemed like an exclusive place…read moreto find new artists. My impression from this was that the venue was somewhat better kept than what it was. I had a wonderful time seeing my friend's band perform, and they were absolutely fantastic. They delivered an amazing show, despite sound issues that persisted here and there throughout their set. The community the place brought out and together was also great and a huge plus to the whole night. But the thing that I cannot get over is how absolutely gross this venue is... I was so grossed out that it's actually the reason I had to write a review. I just took a shower, cleaned all the clothes I was wearing while there, and I still can't shake how gross I feel! I think the venue is a great size, great layout, great potential for the atmosphere... and hey, I get that it's summer and it's hot and all, but it was so damn hot, I took my shirt off, stripped only to my bra, and I could barely ignore the heat while trying to enjoy my friend's performance. People were moshing, as this was a punk show, and sweat droplets were flying everywhere.... I mean, it almost felt like I was standing in a shower (gag). Because of this, the whole place ended up just... smelling. Which, I guess, at least they weren't kidding with that name! You'll come across a lot of different smells in your time there, and leave with some new ones of your own (double gag). The bathrooms were... I'm sorry but just absolutely gross. I've seen a few other reviews saying it smells like urine outside... maybe cause it's more desirable to do your business in the alleyway than the bathrooms. There was a roach in one :( I enjoyed a lot about the venue, and I love the community that it attracts, but come on... can we keep it cleaner? And at least cool enough that people don't nearly faint from the lack of air flow? I'm so completely baffled at how this place seems so exclusive in terms of the artists it showcases, and then the venue itself is just genuinely nasty.

It was a great experience to going see a film or a show . The drinks was great to enjoyread more

Came here for the first time to see afroman perform and it was a fun time. Not overly packed, they…read morehave an upper loft area and a main floor area. Stuck around after since the show offered a meet and greet. They have a food bar connected with pizza and a bar. Parking in the area is mostly paid or if you get lucky street / meter parking

We just stopped in for a quick drink early evening, so there weren't many people there yet. My…read morefriend wanted to check the place out. It looks like a fun place to hang out, dance, and listen to live bands if that's your thing. There is a tiny stage area that was sectioned off, and I imagine the place easily gets packed. The wood interiors have seen better days, and the seating is somewhat sparse to make room for a larger dance area. It looks like the type of place that gets stuffy quickly as there aren't any windows from what I recall. They have a patio, but we didn't make it out there. There were a couple of TVs with the World Cup on at the time, but I'm not sure if they keep sports on the screens all the time. Be ready to have your ID checked at the door.

Such a vibe. This place has all the (good) ratchet vibes. The outside bartender is so generous with…read morethe alcohol. A drink out there is enough for the night. Restroom lines aren't too long and they're decently cleaned. I like the option you have to go outside for fresh air. They have different music out there so you can dance as well or sit down. they also have food available for purchase in the patio. There is a food truck at the entrance. Don't forget to bring cash for the cover! Pretty spacious overall, but the inside bar area can get a bit crowded since it's a walkway as well.