I haven't been back here in years. Â Almost forgot where this was. Â They changed it up a bit in the lounge area, which actually looks really nice. Â The service was good. Â Just a little disappointed with the waitress. Â She was a bit harsh with putting the glasses on the table and spilling the beer for my friend while pouring it into the glass. Â There was no apology said and just walked away. Â So of course that reflected on the tip that we left her. Â The place would have gotten a 5 star but oh well. Â It was still nice to be back.
Review Source:This place is super BH. Â
It would be douchey except for the fact that the servers are actually REALLY friendly and quick. Â My moscow mule was delicious and they brought me snacks (wasabi peas, truffle popcorn, and chips) to munch on. Â
Dimly lit, nice quiet ambiance - good place for a chill drink. Â Def not the place for a rowdy night out. Â Everybody looks rich here. Â ha.
I really want to like this place way more than I do. Â It has a very hollywood vibe to it and the elegance factor is off the charts but the food is just not very good. Â They have a great prix fix menu for lunch which is quite affordable but also rather bland...since I have some friends who only like bland food I would recommend this place to them because it is definitely a higher tier of bland food...but Iguess I just want more...haven't given up on them quite yet but getting close
Review Source:To be clear, this is the Lobby Bar & Lounge at the L'Ermitage hotel in Bev Hills and word is this place is the "IT" place for Hollywood power houses to come and mingle and schmooze with fellow power houses, and place for Hollywood nobody to come and wait for somebody who could help him/her to be recognized and developed as a talent.
So when my fellow industry friend wanted to grab a drink, he naturally picked this spot, out of habit I'm sure. Â I am a nobody-nobody, so none of this glitzy schmitzy mattered to me at all. Â All I care about is: How comfortable is this place and How good are the drinks?
Understated classiness with luxurious and sumptuous couch next to a fire place...I started to think "hum, I could get used to this". Â It is great for an intimate conversations, catching up, take a break from the flamboyant scene. Â This is for the directors, producers and writers, not for LiLo or Paris or some other young Hollywood F*ck-up to flash their coochies.
While there, do not forget the wasabi peas.....great with a glass or two of buttery smooth Sauvignon Blanc.
Super classy, tucked away little joint inside the L'Ermitage Hotel. My usual drink of choice is the gimlet, which I ordered from our friendly bartender Josh. What a charmer!
For me, drinking usually leads to eating, so I ordered the miso scallion chicken. When it finally ended up coming out, it took me a few bites to realize that it was the wrong dish...but Stephanie (I'm assuming she's the manager) came to the rescue and brought over what I had ordered, and took it off the bill. Such a sweetheart.
The chicken in the first dish was really oversalted and not quite to my liking, as it seemed overprocessed as well. The food and drinks are pricey, but in my mind it was worth it. Come on, it's Beverly Hills!
I really like this place. Not to make an assumption, but it seems like there are quite a few "working girls" doing their thing here, talking to lone gentlemen at the bar. Just an observation. It only added to the amusement. Great people watching, to boot! I will definitely be returning here!
A friend of mine, who is a manager and producer, took me to the Writers Bar and I have been hooked ever since. Â Whenever I'm in LA, I always hope that I find the time to go for at least one drink. Â Located in Beverly Hills, on Burton Way which is a gorgeous street, it's as luxurious and sumptious-just as you would expect.
The bar is definitely full of  "people from the industry, and by that I mean the business,"  but even if you aren't, you should go anyway as it it a lovely place to have a few drinks with friends.
The three times I have been there, my friend always runs into other managers or agents while we're there. I've had a couple of star sightings but mainly this is an agent/manager/publicist lounge unless it's  later in the evening when it seems to turn into a make out lounge after 11.  Typically attracting  very overdressed copuples who come in, sit in corner seats that are not as secluded as they think are, and start in with the full make out.  Perhaps they have forgotten this is also a hotel and could get a room?
Seating is very comfortable; chairs & couches, so it feels like your living room. Â The best seat in the house is the couch area in front of the fireplace-if you can get it- as I've noticed that once people hunker down, they're there for the night. Â It's quiet enough that you can have a real conversation without yelling and seating is not so close together that you have to worry that your neighbor is listening to you.
As previously stated by other reviews, it is expensive. Â Basic cocktails are over $10.00, with specialty drinks well over $20 but all of the booze is top shelf. Â My only complaint is that they don't have Old Raj Gin, otherwise it would have received 5 stars. Service is attentive, although when it is the height of cocktail hour, expect to wait a little bit for your server to bring your drink. Â In the meantime, you can scarf down the famous wasabi peas.
You can valet for $7 bucks or park for free on the street.
If aloof isolationism is the fashionable norm in a bar, just call me Anna Wintour and send me straight to Writers Bar. Â
If discretely witnessing LA "Industry" folk conducting affairs while partaking in Stolichnaya Elite is also part of the norm, just call me US Magazine-obsessed, and meet me on one of the stiff-backed Writers Bar couches. Â Don't forget the wasabi peanuts.
And, if enjoying an expertly (but expensively) mixed cocktail while engaging in polite (but hushed) conversation is the norm, on any given night (surprise-surprise), you'll also find me (and 3 credit cards) at Writers Bar.
Effortlessly hidden at the Raffles L'Ermitage Hotel, Writers Bar is like the bar that outdoes all others, for all of the above. Â In one bar, you can see Donatella Versace types being shielded from onlookers and girls in their 20's straddling very old men producer types. Â You can also "pretend" that you joked around with Matthew Perry because you just "happened" to see him there, and had the guts to say "hey man, loved that episode when you and Monica finally hooked up!" And on most nights, you can just go and enjoy a drink in such a classy place, while enjoying the superb service only known to the Raffles L'Ermitage chain of hotels.
Overall, beware of sticker shock. Â While I was on a diet (and at Writers Bar), I condoned myself to drinking only Ketel + Soda (or Amstel Light), and my choice depended on the locale. Â Not surprisingly, my double Ketel on the rocks cost me nearly $25, which singlehandedly forced me to start drinking $13 Amstel Lights. Â Though it was $13, drinking a beer just didn't seem right at the Writers Bar - even though that lecherous producer-type oh-so-sneakily poured his beer all over that straddling young girl's white tank top before whisking her off (upstairs, I'd imagine).
I hear this place is tres happening on weekend nights, but for a quiet, well-heeled, luxurious place to grab a drink during the week, it's great. Â My fiance's sister was in town and staying at L'Ermitage recently, so we met her here late one night for drinks and catching up. Â My cocktail (Belvedere dirty martini, three olives) was excellent, the bartender solicitous yet unobtrusive. Â There are plenty of comfortable and well-appointed sofas and chairs on which to convene, and service away from the bar is just as attentive - our glasses were never empty (maybe that's our problem). Â I try to stay away from Beverly Hills, but if you're there and in need of a drink, you'd do well at the Writer's Bar. Â Just bring your American Express black card.
Review Source:it must have been an "off" night when I arrived with a friend. Â Maybe I'll go back. Â It was definitely quiet around 12:30am when we got there. Â The bartender was nice, but clueless. Â O.K. we asked for a PImm's Cup...fair enough it's an unusual drink, but if you work at a high end place like this, I would expect you to know how to mix your drinks. Â Not to mention, he only had one bottle of Pimm's left, and it was nearly empty. Â We ordered Lillet on the rocks instead. Â The drinks are damn pricey...and I felt the urge to say "Pardon me, but do you have any Grey Poupon?" Â Â Maybe I'll go back sometime to see what the scene there is actually like, and check out the patio.
Review Source:As other reviewers have mentioned, it's almost impossible to find a quiet place for conversation and drinks in this town. Of course, Writer's Bar has more going for it than that. The ambiance is warm and inviting (couches, fireplaces) and the service was attentive but not smothering. A little out-of-the way (and, yes, expensive) oasis in the city. One slightly unfortunate thing is that the clientele is mixed bag. When we went, we witnessed a hilarious but slightly pathetic Hollywood mating ritual. An old balding guy was hitting on two young Eastern European girls half his age and he actually said "I'm a producer" as part of his rap. I'm not hating. It was just unsubtle and he was seated too close to us for us to ignore him. Not a big deal. My guess is that the crowd may occasionally skew toward slightly absurd "industry" folk but, for the most part, everyone was keeping it cool.
Review Source:(Acually called Writers Bar)
As a person who works for a film company (don't worry, I'm not an executive so as to toot horns) this bar seems like an invaluable mingling tool. I looked this place up on Yelp, and with 2 reviews I was intrigued and when I went on vacation recently to LA for the first time I decided to try the place out with my good friend Eric S. and get the scoop.
It's expensive, as you would expect from any place attached to a Beverly Hills hotel (L'Ermitage). 7 dollars for a beer is something I rarely want to do, but I can't take myself away from places like this.
It's all golden sheen and beige linings; part, or maybe all, of the wines are shelved in these neat rooms that you can look into on your way to the bathroom. You hit the lounge area first, comfy ornate chairs perfect for meetings. The bar itself is small, but there's also other rooms beyond. Sitting at the bar was nice because you get free WASABI PEAS. And I'm a huge fan of WASABI PEAS.
Georgi the bartender was an Asian-American like myself. He told us a little about the place. It's 85, 90 percent industry. My interested was invested right then. Yes that sounds fake and desperate of me, but for a person who loves this thing called film so immensely, it's probably a great opportunity to meet people and get their thoughts about business, life, personal creativity, and also can allow for some cynical criticism whilst being in the thick of things.
See in New York, bars filled with suits and rich people are firmly rooted in finance, banking, advertising, etc. LA flips that to say, everyone is in entertainment. This was that kind of lounge.
I'm in agreement with the other two reviews, valet parking is not needed because the street has plenty of room to park a block away.
Oh and we saw Lionel Richie, he was having a drink with two friends. DANCIN' ON THE CEILIN'!!!!
a great spot to take a date for a quiet drink. Â yes, it's expensive, but it's also ridiculously difficult to find a spot in this burnished LAndscape that is actually cool and allows for conversation of the non-screaming variety.
i shy away from fruity drinks but i tried my date's blackberry martini and it instantly made my top ten drinks list, which i didn't have until just now.
as you would expect, everything is top notch: service, decor, drinks. Â so bring your gold card... the one that's actually made of gold.