We held an event in the private room at Inkwell Tavern on 6/8 and it truly couldn't have been…read morebetter! The team at Inkwell was so kind and worked with us to accommodate EVERYTHING we wanted - from the timing of the plates, to making room for our photobooth set up, to serving a speciality cocktail we requested!! (Which was delicious!) The communication with management was great. They encouraged us to come in a few days before to do a tech test to make sure everything ran smoothly for the screening part of our event. As expected, things did indeed run smoothly as a result! Their Monday night karaoke was going on simultaneously and the sound didn't interfere with our screening at all. We had about 30 attendees and the room was a very comfortable size for us, it's also beautiful! The entire experience was fantastic, we're very happy with how the evening turned out! Thank you to the wonderful staff for making it all happen for us!

The drinks here are excellent! You order at the bar and they bring your food to you…read more Masala Grilled Chicken Sandwich - Tasted bland but too spicy at the same time. Very one note. The chicken was a little dry and the seasoning on it just tasted spicy to be spicy. No real flavor. The cucumber and slaw also did not help with the bland taste. It really needed an acidic component to bring the flavors out or an aioli. The fries it came with were divine though! I subbed for waffle fries and they were oh so crispy! Corpse Reviver - Get it. Just get it. Refreshing with just the right amount of alcohol I want to taste in my drink hehe. Food came out timely, staff were helpful and attentive. Great place for a group of 4-5 - anymore and it'd be too crowded as they don't have big tables. Loved the vibe of the place. I really want to like LIKE this spot so I think I'll get something else entree wise next time!

Went to Idle Hour for the Bottomless Drag Brunch with friends and we had a blast!! I love a good…read moredrag show and the one at Idle Hour was Drag-mazing!! Tickets: You can pre-purchase tickets on Eventbrite Food: We had brunch so you really can't go wrong with breakfast food, however, the food was yummy. Especially the cinnamon rolls. The bottomless mimosa is worth it if you have a few people with you. Service: Now I'm going to assume service was a bit slow b/c of the drag show being packed however, we had a great server! Ambiance: When you walk into the Idle Hour, you're immediately transported into a dark brewery. So cool. Plenty of space for groups. Parking: street parking, not sure if they have a lot behind the venue. So Go, Enjoy & have a Drag-tastic time!!

This place deserves all of the stars. I have become a regular here because of the amazing people…read morewho work here, the fantastic food, great drinks, cool vibe, good music, drag brunch, and themed events. The people who work here: all kind and helpful and on top of their stuff. This place gets really packed sometimes but even in the chaos, when customers are rude and drunk and break things they keep their cool, always. But don't treat them poorly. I will come for you. Chard is the GM and he is one of the kindest and most generous humans I have had the pleasure of know and is the mastermind behind getting the themed nights up and going. His ability to make a person feel welcome is pretty much unmatched in my opinion. The food: omg you guys the FOOD!!!! It's so good. They just changed the menu so I haven't gotten to try everything yet but the chicken dumplings are delicious. A bit of a kick but the best kind. The chili cheese fries that my friend had were also so good. Perfect cheese to chili ratio with the fries. There is a chef in the back who is passionate about food and making sure it tastes perfect so I trust everything is good. But if you are unsure ask the servers or bartenders. They won't steer you wrong. The drinks: admittedly, I mostly drink just screwball on the rocks. However every mixed cocktail I have had here has been perfection. Mark is the manager and he could be a mixologist, should be a mixologist, super nice guy who is shockingly good and remembering peoples drink preferences. Like a year ago was the last time I ordered cider and he remembered! The vibe: I wouldn't really call this place a dive bar, but it's sort of got a hint of dive bar going on. The back patio is really nice during the summer but sitting inside the barrel is fun too. The bulldog is kinda small so you won't fit a ton of people in there but it's still fun. Lots of places to sit although sometimes it does get packed and it's standing room only. Not to mention, they allow dogs!!! This is a great place to come with a first date. It's good for dressing up a little but not too much and there are some corners you can sit in so you can have a little closeness. But the staff will also keep an eye out for you. If you are feeling uncomfortable in any way, they will keep an eye out for you and help you out. There isn't a designated dance floor but they won't be mad if you dance in the area that you've got available to you. Just don't accidentally knock anything over or hit anybody. The music: Chard is usually in charge of the play list but even when he isn't the music is usually pretty great and there's a band that comes and plays on Sundays for a while in the afternoon/evening. I have found some of my new favorite music because of this place. Drag brunch: I've never actually attended because I've heard it gets a little crazy and that can be a little scary overwhelming for me, but they do it everyday Saturday and Sunday and that's been going strong for a pretty long time so I have to assume it's a good time. The themed events: this is the kind of crazy I can handle though. They have done lots of the rings, zelda anniversary, a Star Wars themed singles event for Valentine's Day, a scholastic book fair, and Easter egg hunt, their Halloween and New Year's Eve events were AMAZING, I could go on and on. People turn up for these events and they are just some of the most fun especially with the costumes you will see. Go to Idle Hour. I've never loved a bar before. This place is something else. I promise you won't be disappointed, unless you're one of those kinds of people who finds something wrong no matter how amazing the place is or you're kind of an entitled jerk.

I took a special someone here for a birthday celebration, and everything went great from start to…read morefinish. The food and drinks were amazing, and our server was friendly, attentive, and did an excellent job taking care of us. The outdoor seating was one of my favorite parts. It has a great atmosphere and is perfect for a date night. Thanks to the staff for helping make the birthday celebration so memorable. I would definitely recommend this place and look forward to coming back!

I came here to celebrate a birthday…read more The moment I stepped in it was beautiful, it felt like I was in a small coastal town in Europe/the Mediterranean. I was already planning on doing the whole-nine-yards Caviar, Wine pairing, Prefix and supplements. But Mehran, our server and very experienced Sommelier brought it all together. He gave us history on restaurant, deeper background on wines, in depth explanation for the dishes. The night would not have gone as perfectly as it did had he not been our server. We came all the way from the Bay Area and we will be BEGGING for an opportunity to come back to North Hollywood soon.

What a pleasant surprise of a restaurant behind the very non-descript but mysterious grey building…read morewith no-signage door! It's a restaurant with an overall speakeasy vibe BUT is not dark and foreboding. Rather, its high ceilings, well spaced out tables, and appropriately lit dining/bar space has a welcoming, cool vibe! And the music to fill the space before the live music was well, my kinda music - vibey 80s/90s hip hop. On top of that, the STAFF - the folks we met on a Monday (senior citizen hour) night were incredibly kind and attentive. We did stay through the first set of musicians that performed and it was great. Loud, but not loud enough that me and my friend couldn't still talk. Now onto the food. A nice surprise, considering this is a music joint! That bread was solid. The side portions decent - mushrooms and broccoli were fine. The steak was a generous size, cooked appropriately medium rare, and came with a unique side of bone marrow salsa. That was a nice, interesting touch. Was it the BEST food I've ever had? Not exactly, BUT it was the best food as part of a music joint, in the Valley. So the 5 star rating is really for the OVERALL experience.

I was invited to dinner here by one of my friends who knows the chef that was part of the event…read morethat night. We came in at 7:30pm on Wed. 7/10/26 and they were having a special collaboration prefix dinner between Chef Oscar Torres and Chef Joe Garcia. Normally this is an à la carte restaurant, but tonight was a special event. They offer valet parking or you can park at a meter on Lankershim. You would never even guess there is a restaurant here when you look at the building from the outside. The name of the restaurant isn't even visible anywhere. Once you walk in, it's like you are transported to another world. The place was packed and the music was bumping. The vibes were immediately great and the moody lighting made for some cool ambience. We were seated immediately and our table happened to be right in front of the band stand. They were absolutely OUTSTANDING and the highlight of the evening! You could tell every single person in the quartet really felt every note they were playing in their soul. The harpist was exceptionally good. It was such a joy to listen to them while we ate our meal. Speaking of our meal, it was 7 courses with each chef using the same ingredients to create completely different dishes. It was a cool concept and everything tasted very good. Very fresh and excellent quality ingredients in every dish. The meal had 2 downsides for me and one of them was the dessert. It was a coconut pudding with some sort of fruit granita on top, with a slice of melon on ice. It felt cheap, almost as if there wasn't even any effort in coming up with something substantial and decent. The pudding itself was grainy, and the granita was already melted when it came to the table. For me, it didn't taste good and it didn't work. The other downside was the wait time between the risotto course and the fish course. Our server told us "they're super backed up with the Halibut in the kitchen", so I'm not sure what happened. It was about a 30 minute wait before we got the fish, but I will say it was cooked to perfection. I really liked this place and would like to try it again under regular circumstances. I've heard a lot of good things about their food and I'd like to try things from their actual menu. This experience was a 4-star, but maybe next time it will be a 5-star.

Celebrated a friend's birthday here last night and it was a blast…read more Typical friday busy night. The bar has two TV's to watch sports with multiple couch and tables to hang out. Music was kinda loud that it was kinda hard to converse with friends. Bartenders we're nice, although it took awhile for our orders to be served. Quesadilla and garlic fries we're not bad choices. I Just can't say the same to the chicken tenders. Parking is residential so a little walk shouldn't be a problem. Overall, I wouldn't hesitate to visit this bar again.

My friends and I were looking for a board game bar and this was the only one around us. It's under…read morenew management and needs a lot of help. Pros: free parking in the back, bartender is friendly, food is offered, space is large. Cons: food and drinks were bad, games were minimal, damaged, with pieces everywhere, staff was off putting Examples: - my friend ordered a hot chocolate and said it was the worst she's ever had. The water to powder ratio made it more like tea. She asked for more powder. They brought out a Swiss Miss packet, and made passive aggressive comments about how they were going above and beyond for her and they should charge her double (she's not a picky person so for her to complain you know it's bad) - we only found three games in the place but they were small plastic things like flick the ball into the hoop with all pieces out of the boxes and laying randomly under a tv tray behind a bar table - the food wasn't very good - the waiter didn't remember he needed my payment for the two hours I was there - the menu was basically non existent because their fryer was down and so they couldn't offer most items - it was dark and hard to see anything - the owner and her relative took over our hangout for around 30-40 min, asking us to bring in our "actor friends" and help them get more business.

We visited Tonga Hut during their recent "Spring Time Schenanigans" tiki marketplace event. They…read morehave a tiki marketplace several times a year, and this one was held on a Sunday afternoon from noon to 6pm. It takes place mostly in their rear patio area and parking lot, but a good number of vendors were also in an adjacent air conditioned event room. They have a very small parking lot, but it was occupied by vendors during this event. Do not park in the parking lots of the adjacent businesses, as we were warned when entering the Tonga Hut that cars get towed regularly. There's plenty of street parking in the nearby neighborhood. Entering from the rear, there is a good sized covered patio with around eight benches. We went inside to check it out and grab a drink. The interior is fairly small with four good sized booths, a lounge area with a large J-shaped couch with several small tables, and around ten seats at the bar. It is dimly lit with some basic tiki décor, and has an old-school feel. They had a fixed cocktail menu for this event which is understandable. We stood in line at the bar for about ten minutes, got our drinks and went out to the patio. The bartender was friendly, and didn't seem flustered by the high volume of patrons. I had the Horned Beast O' The Celtic Sea (Oceanus Hibernicus Irish Malt, Jamacian Rum, House Made Falernum & Orgeat, Peach, Citrus, Dash of Cherry Heering, $13). She had the Leprechaun Grog (Three Rums, Lime, Grapefruit, Honey, Spice, Soda, $14). Both drinks were good, were served in souvenir plastic cups, and were a bargain at $13 to $14. If you ordered a drink containing Oceanus whiskey, the bartender gave you a gold coin and you could exchange it with the Oceanus representative on the patio for a free T-shirt. Durango Tacos was setup near the rear entrance for food. We had four tacos (two carne asada and two veggie), and they were good and reasonably priced. This was the first tiki marketplace we have attended. There were around twenty vendors with a good assortment of art work, tiki mugs, tiki clothing, tiki décor, and other miscellaneous items. I purchased a few nice tiki shirts which were a steal at $20 and $25. The vendors and visitors were all very friendly and in a festive mood. We hung out for about ninety minutes and had a good time. We will return at some point to try their regular cocktail menu and see what it's like on a non-event night.

Tonga hut is my favorite local tiki bar, but it is such a hit or miss when I go!…read more On a weekend, you could easily walk in with no problem or be hit with a one-hour wait. Sometimes they have servers, other times you order at the bar. The last time I went, there was a long line as only one bartender was making drinks, yikes! Despite that, the drinks are solid, reasonably priced, and strong! They have a variety of drinks and nightly specials. Each bartender also has their own "secret menu" specials that only they can make. The decor is very on theme, and they have a fire pit and heaters outside for when it is chilly.

Best vibe. The decor is amazing I love the beers here. They have the Hitachio Yuzu Lager which is…read morereally hard to find. Evan the bartender is always awesome and makes amazing custom cocktails.

Free pool! Cool…read morebar, cool bartenders, pretty lowkey, ambiance is also cool . The drinks were decent, I would suggest switching up the bar menu a bit, but our bartender guy was super friendly and kind. Not super packed, kind of dead actually... but that was the vibe we were going for. Nice for a casual hang or game of pool.

We really enjoyed our Friday evening here! It's a beautiful bar/restaurant with quite the view of…read morethe surrounding area; the decor is open and upscale and it's great! The service was friendly and pleasant and prompt, and our food and wine were great. Absolutely will recommend and return!

As a lover of speakeasies and craft cocktails, The Green Room has been on my list for a while. What…read morebetter time to go than on my anniversary! Echoing what everyone else has been saying - the service is SO slow. It was about 45 minutes before we were able to order our second drink and our water glasses were empty. They have so many runners bringing the drinks out but only a few servers and, from the looks of it, one bartender (on a Saturday night - what?!). The server was saying he was trying to find a manager to help out but they were nowhere to be found. Clearly management is fine with these service times since they're still making $$$. The drinks were delicious, and I loved that there were heaters on the patio (though they did get very hot at times). Our server was so kind and brought us a celebratory drink. I do wish there were more explanations with the beverages, especially for the Paid Vacation as most people will not realize you're supposed to bite into the buzz button for the tingly sensation. I would come back, but need some time for my wallet to recover first, haha!