I know people have Yelped that they don't want this place to be known so they can have it all to themselves. I get it. Craft beer at a local bar that used to be a Coors Light go to. It isn't anymore. It's a local bar with great beer and if people don't figure that out, it won't be there anymore and that would be sad. Come on locals. Enjoy your beer. We had Ballast Point's double IPA, Dorado, and LA's own Ohana IPA. Bartender was very personable, but he had to be, we were the only ones in there. I know. It was a Tuesday at 6:00 but come on. Appreciate it, it's the only place in La Crescenta that has taps of craft beer so show up!!
Review Source:Woooo, The Crest!
As others have stated, this place is the best little dive bar you can find in a quiet neighborhood such as La Crescenta. Mark, the owner, does an amazing job tending the bar and running this place. Constant rotations of craft beers here. They bring in the best and ones I've never heard of, so I always love coming in to learn about a new local brewery. Where else can you find that in a place like this? They do an excellent job at switching up their entertainment throughout the week, so there's really something for everyone!
This place knows who they are, and they keep it that way. Give it a chance!
This is how you run a bar. Mark has done an incredible job turning this place around from it's past and gone about it so intelligently. Very simple concept. Not booking cover bands and karaoke, not stocking generic well liquors or domestic swill beers, and not hanging plastic beer posters on the walls, ensures you keep a certain unwanted crowd away. Hosting quality original bands and playing good music on your iPod, serving a tasteful selection of high end and small batch liquors as well as craft beers and unique imports, and exhibiting interesting pieces of work from local artists, attracts a desirable and appreciative clientele. Thankfully, Mark "gets it". Let's hope enough others in the area do as well and support The Crest. We're lucky to have it!
Review Source:Five stars for The Crest! Â (I know that, looking at my rating distribution that doesn't seem to be saying much, but.. um... well, I have a broad palate, what can I say.)
After reading all the great reviews, my expectations were high when I stepped on to the sidewalk outside the Crest and gazed at the neon glowing "Cocktails" sign hanging over the door. Â According to my friend's extremely informed borderline alcoholic assessment, "the best bars only usually have those glowing cocktails sign."
I'll admit, when you first step in, The Crest isn't the best-looking bar, but the more time you spend there, the more you come to understand its peculiar brand of charm. Â
Love the rotating arsenal of craft beers on tap and their cheap, delicious, incredibly well-made cocktails! Â It took some time for the drinks to come out but that was because the bartender was taking his time to ensure that he was making us a quality drank. Â My friend couldn't stop raving about his old-fashioned which was made in the.. um, old-fashioned way, I guess, that is, without being watered down. Â & I've drank a fair number of dirty martinis in my life and this was one of the best I've ever had - definitely not what you'd expect from an inconspicuous little dive bar in La Crescenta! Mark was also gracious enough to let us to try a shot of the jalapeno tequila (unfortunately he was out of limes so we couldn't try the marg) and it was omg, peppery alcoholic bliss on my tongue. Â Also, cheap, cheap, cheap! Â It's like dive bar Narnia, you step into the door and you're transported to a magical land. Â
I agree with a lot of the other reviews here that The Crest is definitely a hidden gem - it's one of those places you'd like to keep a neighborhood secret because you don't want it tarnished by it becoming overly popular, but at the same time, I too would have never discovered it if not for the power of Yelp! Â Whenever I'm at home and I want a relaxed place to grab a late-night with friends, The Crest will definitely be at the top of my list.
The place was pretty empty, but then again, it was Christmas eve..Beers are decently priced and they have a nice selection. There was only one bartender but I guess there was no need for another one. He was really chill. Nice place to grab some drinks and catch up with friends. Who knew there was a bar open that late in La Crescenta? I thought everything closes early!
Review Source:First review living in Los Angeles...
Yes! This place is literally right down the road from me on Foothill...
To the person before me who complained about ambiance, those of us in the rest of the world might call this a "dive bar". Â If you need ambiance that badly then go someplace else.
Don't get me wrong... Â this place is pretty comfy, despite first impressions. Bartenders are super nice, though I don't know about their mixed drinks-intricity here (if you want froo-froo go somewhere else). They have 6-8 beers on tap, ALL quite good. Arrogant Bastard, Dead Guy, Lucifer, and a few I'd never seen before. You get a lot for your money too, so if you're having one of those days (or one of those dates) where you need the shot glass filled to the tippy top, it's right here my friend.
Basically, I agree with an earlier reviewer:
Don't come here and ruin what is now my Official Local Place For A Drink (that wildly kicks ass in the best ways possible and is better than anyone else's, you see [he says jokingly] Â )
Don't come here and crowd the place up. The people actually seemed kind of cool, and were having a good time! I felt fairly relaxed, for a Chicago transplant totally out of place who hasn't ever tried "the bar scene" before.
Don't come here for the small but AMAZING hard alcohol selection. They get it here, it's all The Good Stuff. The one rye they had... Whistle Pig. Woo! Plus, seeing Hendricks gin always warms my cockles. And... Laphroiag. Did I spell that right? I don't care! It's delicious!
Don't come here to listen to the music on Saturday night. It may be locals that I have no idea about, but they really put themselves into it seemingly and I actually enjoyed a bar act, which is exceedingly rare for me! So... stay away so I can enjoy them without people crowding and pushing.
If, however, you persist...
...if you just can't stand to be in the "out crowd" :-P ...
...if you decide to come over to what is a totally fantastic local bar (admittedly the skosh-iest skosh hipster-y) where you can relax with a very good drink and cool locals...
...then I guess we might meet up, because I'm giving this bar the Five Star, and you should come check it out.
P.S. If you're a transplant from Chicago/The Midwest, this place might remind you of someplace you've been before. I miss Chi-town, but I can go to The Crest now and hold onto a piece of home for the price of a drink or two.
i can't believe this place... utter poop. Â probably the worst bar that i've ever been to.
that bartender.. or whatever he calls himself. Â man.. just don't call him a mixologist. Â call him a pourologist. Â
anyway, this place is horrible. Â the men's bathroom has some writing on the wall, and there's this really small trashcan in there with a lid that gets full every once in a while. Â the women's bathroom is like right next to the men's bathroom! Â it's like whatever.
the drinks? doesn't even have canned beer! Â what kind of place is this? Â where is my PBR!?!? Â no.. just beer from the tap. Â and seriously i've never even heard of these beers.. they're all some kind of local brands and apparently they're in limited quantities. Â it's probably in small quantities because they're like crafty or something, and the selection changes very regularly... probably because he doesn't sell the cans. Â
oh, speaking of selling, geez... i ordered a Crest Special one time. Â wow. Â do NOT get that.
There's a lot of bottles behind the bar which look pretty... and every once in a while you'll see something new that hasn't been there before. Â But seriously, the WINE selection here is terrible! Â like, one red and one white. Â seriously? Â who does that??
ugh. Â horrible place. Â the absolute bane of la crescenta. Â the only reason i ever go back is so that i can constantly witness the downard spiral of beer of all that is Crest .
UGH.
The bartender gets 5 stars - he's excellent. Â But that's where the good part ends. Â
This place is lit up like an interrogation. Â Cool art on the walls, but you don't need flood lights to see it. Â Total buzzkill. Â Clubby, glassy lit-up part of the bar (the part by your legs if you sit at the bar) also clashed with the rest of the decor. Â I've seriously experienced more ambiance at an airport bar. Â Music was also not conducive the night I was there - just some kinda jagged alt stuff that didn't go well with a small mid-week crowd.
I'd like to see this place succeed but they really need to bring the ambiance up to the level of the mixology - I can't enjoy drinks this good in a setting this bad.
Dude, I just don't know what else to say about this bar other than the fact that it's one the best bar's I've ever been to. Our band, RISC, was invited to play a show here at the Crest and I had a good time. The stage was a tad bit small for the fiver-member group, but word on street is that they're going to have a bigger stage where the pool table is (tis what I heard). Anyway, the bartenders are two of the nicest dudes you'll ever meet, they're very generous on the mixed drinks. After performing, Mark made me a huwhiskey sour, and I had no idea he was able to make it the way I like it, which was more-huwhiskey less-sour...lol.
But overall, if you guys are up for a nice chill spot with music, TVs, live band music, pool table (free) and lounge area...you guys need to hit up The Crest in La Crescenta!
I want to tell you about this bar, but I don't want you to come.
Look, you need to know that they have craft beer from a whole bunch of microbreweries. (And they're excellent. And there's a constant rotation.)
You need to know that those jars with the peppers and tequila floating around nicely in there? You want that. In your mouth. Preferably mixed in a margarita.
You need to know that Mark, the guy who runs the place, is a cut above whoever the hell runs the other joints in La Crescenta.
You need to know that if you venture out from the beer, you're not getting some whacked out mixology - you're getting good, strong drinks, and relatively cheap. (Liquor off the shelf maxes out at $6. I've had a good old fashioned here.)
The Crest is phenomenal, so I'm going to be extremely selfish and tell you this: don't come.
My first bar in La Crestenta and im glad it was a great one! Great little hole in a wall.  Awesome craftbeers on tap. Really cool bartenders. Friendly local crowd.There was a  local band playing nothing but Jimi Hendrix and SRV covers but they were really good! There's also a single bar size pool table in the back to shoot on.  I had a great time here with Michelle M "The Duchess" lol ;)
Review Source:Wow! Craft beer in La Crescenta!!! Who would have thought that this ghetto old bar would have ever turned into my new local beer spot. Â Keep in mind that there is NO CRAP ON TAP!! Â Meaning no Coors or Bud light, etc. This place rocks because it is trying to do what no one else in the area is doing. If you like good beer then pop in and give this neighborhood dive a try. Beers are only $5 even for the stronger ales!!! Â They have a full bar too, so incase you are not in the mood for beer, you have other options.
Note: Â While sitting at the bar, I heard a bunch of people ordering the hand made margarita, so it must be good.
Seriously...5 stars because as the rating says "WooHoo! As good as it gets!" Â and I couldn't agree more.
Having lived in the La Cresenta/Tujunga area for the past 2 years, I was in dire need of finding a decent watering hole (you can only take so much of the local bars around town!) Â Along came The Crest. Â Without much fanfare or publicity, this place slide into the neighborhood under the stealth of night! Â And I'm sooo glad it did!
My days of running off to Pasadena for an awesome pint are over because I found, not a decent bar mind you, but one of the great beer bars around. Â Being a huge Craft Beer kinda guy, The Crest stocks some of the best and rare gems availible. Â I almost cried when I found out they had a Collaboration from Ommegang brewery and La Chouffee called "Gnomegang"..Never seen it anywhere and it was amazing! Â Thanks Mark for getting that. Â If you're not savvy on the whole beer thing, Mark is a great resource for you, explaining what beers are what and offering taste of all on tap. Â And if beer isn't your thing, his "Spicy Margarita" (made with house-infused chile tequila" is freakin' amazing!
The Crest has a rotating tap system so it benefits you to go often as many get tapped out quick. Â Love the vibe this place puts out, always comfortable and relaxing. Â Best Drinks around and always great music playing! Â
Go there and go often, see you there
Still a great craft beer bar, but wait...there's more!
Mark makes a stellar margarita. Â It isn't just any margarita though. Â He infuses tequila with peppers. Â He has three levels of tequila insanity: Â jalapeno, serrano and habenero. Â You can choose your pain level accordingly, but I really do highly recommend the spicy margarita with the jalapeno vodka -full strength. Â Be patient. Â This type of goodness takes a few minutes to prepare as it is all done from scratch. Â (No crappy margarita mix here!)
Some additional things that make this place great are the people. Â This place tends to attract people the like good beer. Â In turn, patrons find they have a lot in common and share a lot of beer recommendations; Â many are home beer brewers too! Â
The place just keeps getting better and better!
Great place! Mark the bartender always is rotating rare and very good beers on tap. I have never had a beer there that I didn't like. If you don't know what you want, tell him what you usually drink and he will find you something that you will love! The best part is that the drink prices are EXTREMELY REASONABLE. $4-6 for depending on the ABV and how rare the beer is.
Also, Mark infuses his own Jalapeno Tequila. If you are going there for the first time, I highly recommend that you try it. If you don't want all the spice of sipping a shot of spicy tequila, Mark makes a fantastic margarita with it. He can make the margarita full power or half power if you want all of the flavor with a little lip tingling.
Last but not least, the atmosphere is really pleasant. Mark always has really chill music playing and all of the people who frequent this bar are really down to earth and friendly. And the music is always at a level which allows for conversations to take place (there is nothing worse than going to a bar where the music is so loud that you have to go outside to talk).
TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE CREST!
I liked this place a lot. The owner, Mark, is a nice guy and really tries to stock good alcohol for anyone who wants something a little bit different than a shot of Jack or a Bud Light. The prices are extremely reasonable for some spectacular beer, and the atmosphere is low-key.
What really sets this apart for me is the level of accommodation here. Before I ordered any beer from the tap, Mark asked me if I wanted to try some of it and was eager to talk about what his thoughts on the beer were, what was appealing about it, and what other people thought about it from their first impressions. He's a guy that's interested in being a bartender and running a tavern, and that goes a long way with me. Too often, you see bartenders who have long grown bored with what they're doing and the environment they're in, so it's nice to see and talk to someone who cares and wants your business.
On top of that, there's a few pool tables, a good choice (and volume) of music, and enough tables to sit down and talk, making it a comfortable place to hang out. It strikes a good blend of being hip without being pretentious or uncomfortable, which is a hard balance to strike in LA--Even a part of LA as distant as La Crescenta. Â
I hope The Crest sticks around for a while.
This place is seriously fantastic. I went for the first time a couple of weeks ago and all I want to do is go back!
The bartenders/owners are fun, knowledgeable, and care about your time. Want a beer recommendation? Try them all before you buy! They only serve quality beer and the prices are out of this world.
If you're feeling a bit more adventurous, they even make their own Jalapeno infused tequila shots which are amazing but not for the faint of heart.
Give this place a shot, you will not be disappointed. Odds are you'll end up being a regular before you know it.
I wake up in the morning thinking about The Crest. Â Like a good lover, this place knows how to treat me right and makes me want to come again and again. Â Okay, maybe that was too much innuendo!
It is, honest to goodness, a gem to have such a cool place to kick it with amazing craft beer on tap! Â I know nothing about beer but every time I go, I Â learn something new. Â I've even had EBS which wasn't bad! Â If you want a strong girly drink or ten, have no fears, the guys here will provide strong drinks and memorable buzzes!
The two owners are outstanding guys who go out of their way to make every experience at the crest welcoming and deliciously alcoholic! Â Right now, they even have complimentary bottled water! Â Who else in LA does that?
I seriously SERIOUSLY highly recommend this place, that's what I've been telling all my friends and now the yelp world too!
The Bar Formerly Known as Whisperz (there must be some sort of symbol for this) is quite the gem. Â The quiet town of La Crescenta has long been in need of a decent watering hole, especially one geared towards younger people, and the Crest goes above and beyond in filling that need. Â A variety of tasty craft beers is available on tap, and they served soft pretzels and bratwursts during their Oktoberfest celebration. Â Pool tables, an enjoyable soundtrack (comprised largely of indie hip-hop selections), and the friendliest bartenders in town provide even more reason to get drunk in the foothills.
Review Source:
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