The West End: Craft Bar and Neighborhood Kitchen

The owner Alex is amazing Thank you for a great night. A great place to just chill. The art on the wall is nothing short but amazing.

Dropped in tonight to check it out and have a drink and thanks to Alex, creator of all you’ll drink, taste and experience, and Mia, his right hand woman, we made it a few drinks.
There were some other folks at the bar who seemed like regulars but we were instantly treated like equals, if not better. Order one of Alex’s own concoctions and if you’re lucky you’ll get a story, and possibly history lesson, telling you how he came up with it and why.
As a bier and vodka man I have a lot to learn about bourbon and the like and look forward
to doing my so right here.
Our next venture will include food so stay tuned (as if anyone reads what I scribe).
Happy hour seems like a great way to try the great variety on the menu — so if you are in the Westwood or Century City area you may want to let traffic die down and hit up Alex and his West End spot.

I’ve been wanting to try this place for a while. It turned out to be the perfect spot to meet a group of good friends for Happy Hour drinks and nosh. We were fortunate enough to get the center area couches to be able to relax and hang out. The Happy Hour cocktail prices made it very affordable to order refills. Started with chips and fresh, unique pico de gallo, and then moved onto sliders and dirty fries. Both fantastic, both will be ordered again. The West End turned out to be just what I was hoping for, a fun, local, good-​looking, find with good drinks, service and excellent cared-​for food. Will be back.

They have a good veggie burger. They overcharged my credit card ($ 7 more). I contacted them and they asked me to stop by to double check the tickets. I did it, when I could, and they didn’t have the ticket ready to show it to me. What? I finally contested the payment through my credit card assistance service, but they wasted a lot of my time. Won’t go again or will use cash.
p. s.: This behavior (overcharging credit cards) seems very usual in west LA, it already happened to me and my friends in other bars in SM. Bar owners should check more on their employees.

This is my Wednesday Wine Down place, although from time to time I get one of their delicious cocktails (either the Last Word or the Tom Collins with a twist). Alex, the owner, is amazing in the kitchen. Killer sliders & dirt fries, cauliflower, etc.
To the locals, it’s more like our own club, since there has never been much promotion of the bar, so it’s purely word of mouth. It’s more of the cult-​groovin’ place than a trendy 20 something bar. It’s for those who are into a chill evening with friends and a good drink and bite.

The food here was great. The veggie burger was one of the best I’ve had. The «vibes» leave something to be desired.
The strange thing was that I went here on a Tuesday night and there was only ONE other table in the whole place. It definitely has a «lounge» feel but without the people! It was trying to be trendy but it didn’t work aesthetically — like the artwork was trying to fit some modern aesthetic of ‘edgy and graphic’ and yet at the same time there was a TV over the bar broadcasting a football game.
I think this place is better suited to a casual cocktail than a dinner for two. If you do want a nice cocktail, I recommend «The Last Call» — a prohibition era gin drink with green Chartreuse and maraschino liqueur. Very tasty!

A good bar with good food and people.

2.5 stars — REVIEW FOR DRINKS ONLY
I certainly wouldn’t call The West End a craft cocktail bar; the drinks aren’t that original (i.e., the menu is filled with spins off of classics like old fashioneds, gimlets, and whiskey sours). Plus, their only happy hour offerings are for beer, wine, and well drinks. …Well drinks? How can you be a craft cocktail bar if you’re advertising well drinks on the menu!!?
Ok, all my hipster cocktail snobbery aside, the drinks are definitely on the light/​sweet end. I tried one with cognac, white pineau, benedictine, and raisin but it was definitely very heavy on the pineau and tasted more like a very alcoholic wine. My friend’s banana old fashioned was slightly unbalanced with a little too much of that banana ester-​y flavor. Moreover, when we arrived on a Thursday night business was dead (we were the only ones there!) so the atmosphere was a bit awkward and lacking.
I can find plenty of other places in this city to get mediocre cocktails (at better prices during HH too for that matter), so unfortunately, the West End falls in a little behind the rest at 2.5 stars for me.

I used to love going to The West End with a few of my girlfriends after work for Thursday Happy Hour. The atmosphere is relaxing and I would definitely recommend for someone who simply wants a relaxing happy hour.
The Food: I’ve only ever gotten a few appetizers (Garlic fries, etc.) here. The food was good and served in a timely manner.
The Drinks: I’ve only been here for happy hour, so everything was affordable. Their happy hour menu was small, but with good selections.
The Service: There is nothing wrong with the actual service once you’re in the bar, but they’ve had inconsistent store hours. I’ve arrived quite a few times 30 minutes after the bar is supposed to open, only to see it closed. A couple times I’ve even called the bar when they were not open as expected, only to be told that they’re closed for a party, and see the bar open 30 minutes later for no private party. I’m not sure if this was some miscommunication, but these inconsistent hours are the reason I no longer go to The West End.

We were surprised to find this place so empty and quiet on a Friday night on the evening before 4^th of July. As we sat down and could actually hear each other speak we thought «is this real life or is this the twilight zone?»
The place has a nice vibe — quiet, nice lighting, cool art on the wall — pretty small with a couch in the center and booth/​tables on the side by the bar. The place is connected to a Moroccan restaurant by an opening in the wall, covered by transparent red curtains. The building has a big colorful mural on the wall outside that added a nice pop of color to Westwood Blvd. and the surrounding shops that all look pretty similar. Our server was nice and cheerful.
I ordered a Goose Island IPA and my fiancé ordered the Stella hard cider. Not much of a beer selection for a «gastropub» but there were more cocktail and wine options.
We started with the Mac & Cheese, which was great — simple but creamy and tasty. 2 cheddars, pecorino and béchamel.
I ordered the veggie burger (homemade vegan patty, onion marmalade, Mesclun greens, Harissa aioli and Moroccan spiced ketchup with big wedge fries — (although the menu doesn’t state what kind of fries come with this dish — I was assuming skinny shoestring fries) and was surprised by what I got. The burger was tasty with a Moroccan flair and spices and raisins, but it was far too sweet. I wish the waiter would’ve warned me about this when I inquired about the burger. I think most people assume when ordering any kind of burger it will be savory, not sweet. I removed a star for this.
My date order the beef burger — onion marmalade, Mesclun greens, Harissa aioli add fried egg ($ 1.50), add dirt fries: beer-​battered skinny fries, fresh herbs, Gilroy garlic and olive oil. These were delicious. I didn’t see an option to add cheese but I’m assuming one could if desired. The burger was decent. His burger came without the egg as ordered, so the waiter took the plate back to get a quick egg fry-​up and was kind enough to deduct the egg charge from the tab. This is a simple gesture yet much appreciated when the order doesn’t arrive the first time as expected.
Overall this place has a nice vibe, although could’ve used a bit more AC. A great place to go if you want to get a drink, some gastropub type food, catch up with a friend and actually not have to yell to hear and be heard. I’m not sure why there was barely anyone there, but the emptiness is nice for those who don’t like too many people and noise. Maybe not so nice for the business though. This place is not too far from our house and we would go back.

This place seems to be pretty hit or miss with the crowds, according to other reviews. I was here on a Sunday night, when no one else was (literally, the place was empty), but they were bumping those tunes WAYYYYY too loud, and stuck us next to the bass, and finally I just… I just had to ask. Please turn it down? Or off? OH THANK GOD, they did.
The food itself was forgettable, having eaten here a couple months ago and I can’t remember what I ordered. The drinks were alright, not the best. HOWEVER, the four stars — and only the four stars — are for their divine dessert, the ice cream sandwich. They bake the cookies from scratch each time, and it is… oh…it’s so perfect. It’s just delectable. I beg and plead my boyfriend that we should come here again, but so far no dice — trying to eat healthy, or some shit. Whatever.
I give this place the official stamp of: Do NOT skip dessert here.

Vibe was fun, food was great & drinks were better! My first time there & definitely won’t be my last

I like the location & the fact that it has a small parking lot. The place is small & on Friday night it is pretty full. I’m surprised that there is only one girl waiting tables & tending the bar busting her ass. She had some help with a couple of guys busing tables, but maybe someone called out sick.
I had the Paloma. It was really good. Very well made. I had the fish tacos which were pretty solid & the hand cut fries were excellent. I like that the menu is pretty small, but has good options.
All in all, the food was satisfying, but I wouldn’t necessarily run back for more. Ambiance is nice & they definitely need ore staff on a Friday.

This was a bit of a Unilocal letdown more than a restaurant letdown… but the 3-​star review is deserving.
Was looking for a place to meet a friend from out of town for a late dinner. We were meeting around 9pm, and I wanted a place on the Westside that would have a fun, bar-​like atmosphere… but wasn’t «full on bar» — I still wanted to sit down, have some space, and enjoy some food.
It was EMPTY… at 9pm! On a Friday! It’s not the restaurant’s fault… I’m more disappointed in Unilocal and my fellow Angelenos!
Two beers later, and we were being rushed to order food because the kitchen was closing. I had sliders, which were fine, but not particularly amazing in any certain way.
The whole night just had a strange feel to it… an almost «what are you doing here» vibe from the staff.

I came on a Saturday night, and it was almost completely empty — only one other table, which left by the time we received our food. The place is setup so there is the bar up front, and tables toward the back. It’s connected through a small doorway to a place next door, which I believe is a separate restaurant (not sure if owned by same person). There is a small private lot, which is convenient, but there shouldn’t be a problem with street parking on Westwood Ave.
In any case, the service was a bit slow, but very nice. It’s supposed to be tapas, so we wanted to order a good sampling.
1. Cauliflower: Yes. Really liked this. Large pieces, well-​seasoned. Just crunchy enough.
2. Merguez: This was done perfectly. Moderately spicy, large pieces, and came with crispy baguette.
3. Burger with side of «Dirt» fries: This was pretty good, with plenty of cheese inside (I think it was feta?). The fries were crispy and well-​seasoned.
4. B’stia: Delicious! Very thin crispy pastry (think a light baklava) filled with semi-​sweet meat. May not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I really like lightly-​sweetened meats, so I loved this dish.
We also got a few drinks, which were decent. Overall, the pricing of this place can get pretty steep. It was about $ 40 a person for two people for the above items with drinks.

This is a pretty good option for happy hour in the century city area. We came with a group of three on a Tuesday for drinks and light snacks. I ordered the house red ($ 5) and the sliders ($ 6). The sliders were really good and a nice size. I wasn’t super impressed by the wine but can’t complain too much given the price.
Service was just ok, we were seated quickly but it took a while to get menus. Our server didn’t seem very familiar with the menu (maybe he was new?). We asked a couple of questions and were looking for suggestions on what to order but his response for just about everything was «I haven’t tried that» — not helpful.
The overall vibe of the place was pretty good. And we were a chatty group so stayed for quite a while. I didn’t feel any pressure to leave even when we didn’t order a second round, so bonus points there.
Parking was easy (and free!) on the street less than a block away.

I really liked this place! The food is KILLER. I was surprised given the hole in the wall appearance. The cocktail list is also on point. The vibe is pretty modern meets somewhat hipster. I think the owner owns the restaurant nextdoor too (I think it is Indian). The only downside was that they were understaffed and drinks took a while. Other than that, I was pleasantly surprised! Fun secret on the west side.

I have never had a restaurant/​bar to myself before — it’s a bit weird but kinda cool. I met my date here on a Wednesday night and there was one other couple in there but I guess they got there earlier and quickly left. There was one waitress at the bar and essentially some kitchen staff in the back that was shared by the Moroccan restaurant next door. It was weird because we we sat at a table and you could hear the music going — felt like someone’s cell phone ring tone kept going off.
We had gotten there at 7:30 and unfortunately the happy hour had stopped at 7! From the reviews and the website I thought it was until 8pm. Oh well, we started with some cocktails — I got a strawberry tequila drink that was pretty good and my date got a Manhattan. They were both very strong! We ordered some of the dirt fries and «pickled stuff» to start with. Fries were tasty and came with this aioli sauce and the pickled stuff included some carrots, radishes and an assortment of veggies.
Since I was eating the fries, I decided to be good and have a salad. The waitress recommended the goat cheese and my date got the burger. We enjoyed another drink and then our food came. It didn’t look like there were any patrons in the Moroccan restaurant so we basically had the kitchen staff to our self. The food came out fairly fast, we were still munching on our appetizers. My salad had bit chunks of goat cheese and beets on it — very yummy! The burger looked yummy and messy.
Overall a great place to hang and have a few drinks. Food is good and the one waitress was friendly and attentive. Not sure why more people don’t come here but maybe they should bring back happy hour until 8!

I’ve lived on the west side for 10 years and had no idea this place was here! The décor and vibe are great — a little dark, moody, and sexy without being cheesy. My boyfriend and I really like small plates, which is why we chose this place for dinner and cocktails.
Drinks
–we both had the Sangria, which is dark and strong and delicious. They do not skimp on the alcohol.
Apps
–B’stia: the meat was kind of dry, but I loved it for the mere reason that it’s chicken in a sweet pastry… which was weird. And awesome.
–Dirt Fries — garlicky fries, hard to go wrong here.
Main
–Lamb — it was very tasty, but not nearly enough food for what it cost. Seriously, it was like ¾ cup of meat.
All in all, I thought it was a fun place but I don’t know if I’d go out of my way to go back or recommend it to friends. The best part was the vibe and the Sangria, but I’m like 97% stomach so it’s the food that matters most.

I’m slowly starting to explore happy hour places on the Westside — and the West End happened to be a geographically-​convenient option for meeting up with a friend to catch up.
We arrived around 6pm on a Friday and pretty much had the place to ourselves, at least for the first 45 minutes or so. The place got significantly busier towards 7:00 and by the time we left at nearly 7:45 there wasn’t an available seat in the place. There is a parking lot behind the restaurant that you’ll easily miss if you’re heading north on Westwood, and there is a lot of metered street parking nearby.
This was a great happy hour, with $ 5 for most drink specials — well drinks, a couple beer choices, a couple wine choices, and a couple of specialty cocktails for a buck or two more. There was also a decent appetizer meal, and we enjoyed the garlic parmesan fries and the mac & cheese. The atmosphere was very chill and open, with electronic music playing in the background.
This is a great happy hour spot to add to the rotation!