El Prado

I am constantly ordering the wrong beers here, but that is my fault.
Otherwise, I like the staff, it smells nice, there is a smoking section, the records are great. When I get a job & can afford this place, i will def be there often.

Fulfilling a generation's needs: filament lighting, dimly-dimly lit, exposed brick, vinyl record player, menu written with marker on glass, long wooden bar, cheese plates, and a curtain. Oh that curtain. Look, I get it. I know what the appeal of a curtain means to a business. However. One day I would love to open that curtain to find a scene from 1914 Paris where people are fucking alive. They're brimming with creativity & emotion. They're smoking. They're dazzling strangers. They're tap dancing on the tile. They're making announcements on the bar. It's no issue with El Prado here. They're executing everything they'd set out to do, and they're doing it very well. Their wine list here is simple, straight forward and very good. A Sparkling Pinot. Cava. So much goodness. But just once would I love to see my generation doing something in a place like this other than doing not a goddamn thing. Often times these brooding bars of hunched over backs, cackling couples & plaid-plaid-plaid just don't seem very welcoming (and I'm sure they're okay with it). If there's ever a place that defines a time, it's this one, and they should be very proud of that.

Maybe my pants aren't tight enough, but trying to squeeze through this bar from one side to the other when it is busy isn't worth the hassle. But if you're super-hip and have a touch of claustrophilia, I can see the appeal.

I've been here a number of times in the last couple of years, and I'll say the service has always come with a smile. However, the beers are overpriced and the place is the width of a small car.