Only good things about this place are the private parking lot, somewhat cheap drink considering there's no happy hour and fast service. Â But that's it.
The bartender was old and lame. She played Mariah Carey on the jukebox and complained about our choice of language... It's a bar loosen up. Â People who say this place is great don't know what a good bar is. Â I live a couple blocks away and wouldn't go back.
i've def experienced better. the bartenders are cold and not sociable. the karaoke dj is even colder. scratch that. he's rude. the layout of the venue is strange, too. there's a  corridor where the bar is situated, and the booths are facing the bar. where the bar ends, is where the pool tables and dj is. the place is shaped like a narrow rectangle.
on the plus side, the drinks are cheap.
My volleyball team and I have been here a handful of times after our Tuesday and Thursday night games.
Pool tables: yay!
Jukebox that takes money: boo!
The Speak Easy is pretty dead on Tuesday/Thursdays nights. But it has friendly bartenders, cheap beer, relaxed atmosphere, and a lot parking that makes up for it. Its a little on the smaller side, but I can see the appeal.
This place is super shady when you get here early.
My friends and I came here to hang out during Thanksgiving. Â We had a ton of fun. Â Two of my friends got here before me and they could have sworn the music stopped and the whole bar was staring at them when they walked in. Â They thought I was playing a joke on them by sending them there.
Later on in the night there were a ton of people. Â We had a ton of fun hanging out here, drinking cheep beers and playing pool! Â There were actually a few expert pool players already there.
The bar easily handled the big group of people, as well as our big group of friends. Â Everyone had a ton of fun! Â I would come back!
great little hidden place away from all the noise and crowds when you want that night to just chill and not be bombarded by a-holes. They have 2 great pool tables and the karoke night is awesome! we had a blast there singing away. the bartenders are very social and very nice and approachable. the crowd is a local group and casual. the bathrooms are very clean. There is a parking lot there and it is a hidden gem.
Review Source:This is a fun dive bar that's all to easy to pass by if you don't know where it is. Â Not that you could be blamed for passing it by - there's not much happening here. Â But, if you take the time to come in, you can relish in the laid back atmosphere, friendly and approachable bartender, cheap beer (bottle/can only), Sunday night trivia, interesting local characters and pool tables that rarely have a long wait. Â Plus, you're invited to bring in any outside food that you want, since they don't serve any.
There's a small attached parking lot.
This spot was OK, it has a familiar feeling to it.. like maybe one of those hometown bars to hang out at because there isn't any place else to go.. It reminds me of the basement den of "That 70's show".. It's very relaxed and has a ton of friendly regulars that engage in community conversation.. usually sex and politics.. and the barmaid is lovely. They pour stiff drinks, and have a decent jukebox.. The point of a good dive bar is the vortex-potential.. but this one doesn't quite have that.. after the first one.. if you're not satisfied with the conversation, or if your song isn't on, you're looking for an excuse to leave.. matter of fact.. you don't need one.
Review Source:Imagine that your friend's creepy dad turned his basement into an oversized bar. Â There's wood paneling and bad carpeting. Â It's dark. Â A couple of pool tables are over in the back, unused.
But, turn on the karaoke machine and the party is on. Â (See attached photo.) Â Cheap drinks and a salty bartender. Â Fun crowd. Â Highly recommended.
I simply love this bar. Ruthie is a gem, she makes great Jack & Gingers, and she loves playing pool and great songs on the jukebox. Great mix of patrons, young and old. People are friendly, but not overly so. You might buy a complete stranger a drink or vice versa and it's all good.
Most people stop in from the neighborhood, including us. Not everyone is going to like this place - it's not a scene, and that's the point.
Also, if you want to hear some karaoke magic, this is the place. On one crowded night, I thought the jukebox was just turned up a bit. Turns out the girl behind me was rocking the mic better than the real thing. Who knew?!
My girl Luna has the Moves Like Jäger, she's got the Moves Like Jäger, she's got the Mooohohoooohooh-ooves like Jäger ... meister, that is. Â
More specifically, Jäger Bombs, which are blackout-inducing drinks that consist of three simple maneuvers:  drop shots of Jäger into glasses of Red Bull; drop repeatedly down your thirsty gullet; then drop them all back to earth later in the evening, uncontrollably, through your mouth and nose like Gary Johnston from the puppet movie "Team America: World Police."
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DiKqGXeX9LhQ&s=877f48f57f7cbd7b7a9e23c867954d95762d4e5d0722c5eac84b3cd1650b6945" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/w…</a>
The thing about Luna though is that she never passes out in the deep end of her own vomitus pool at a night's conclusion. Â Emesis is her nemesis, so she takes every precautionary measure imaginable to counter the effects of extreme drinking, such as E, Adderall, Percocet, 'caine--you name it.
So last night she invited me to this quaint little dive on Pico Boulevard for "a drink or two" and I gladly obliged. Â We showed up at the same time and exchanged the usual pleasantries before taking a seat at the empty bar.
"Jäger bombs?" she goaded me before ordering.
"C'mon, Lu. Â You know I don't drink that demon semen."
She turned to the bartender and eagerly displayed two fingers:  "Two Jäger bombs, please."
Six hours later, I was holding her hair in the restroom of her apartment as she puked violently into the toilet. Â Upon hearing her throw up, then seeing it, and then smelling it, my stomach quickly followed. Â Still clutching her mane, I spewed my guts into the adjacent sink and the ensuing spastic contortions caused me to yank her upward with every heave.
Together we created this bizarre tug-of-war seesaw of call-and-response vomiting: Â I would blow chunks, then my death grip would snap her neck back; and then she would jerk me down as she chundered some more, which would then cause me to retch and pull her up all over again. Â It was like a workout video for dueling barfers: Â "Up... blech! Down... ralph! Up... hurl! Down... can you feel that burn in your esophagus and nostrils?! Â No pain no gain!"
After we toweled off and moved to the living room for a night cap, I asked her how long it had been since she last upchucked and she told me it was something like six years. Â When I asked her why she hadn't taken her usual steps to prevent the horrendous outcome of a night that was supposed to end after a two drink minimum, she calmly replied: Â "I'm trying to cut back on partying."
You go, girl.
Before I can review this place, I ought probably to offer a few caveats:
+ This is my best friend's favorite bar.
+ I've been here only once, while visiting LA for the night. (I live in San Francisco, a fact which, now that I write it, may or may not be a separate caveat.)
+ I was with, obviously, that best friend.
+ I was stopping in on my way to the wedding of an old lover in San Diego.
+ I was also there with a few other good friends, we all went to the same small college in Massachusetts, some ten, god almost fifteen years ago now.
+ We know how to work a jukebox.
+ We worked the jukebox.
+ By "worked the jukebox" I mean played 15-minute Yo La Tengo songs and roughly 1/5 of Led Zeppelin I and two songs each from Leonard Cohen and Hall & Oates and one song each from Junior Boys* and Fruit Bats and Van Morrison and I'll stop now, you get the picture.
+ I had three martinis, ah maybe four, plus some shot, on the house, that Ruthie the barmaid poured for all of us (herself included), that tasted like either Betty Crocker yellow cake or Betty Crocker yellow cake batter.
+ Our group of four to five was at all times at least the plurality, and usually the majority of the patrons in the establishment.
+ It was a Thursday night.
+ Oh, from roughly 9pm to 1am.
You know that scene towards the end of Magnolia, William H. Macy's character Donny is sulking in the corner of that otherwise raucous bar somewhere in the Los Angeles constellation, that orthodontally wired bartender throbbing the heart of another, older, somehow more alive man, everyone in fact having a good time because that's what people do in bars like that one, on nights like that, when we are all brave and alive like that--if you can remember that scene, and that feeling, then that is what this night was not. This was a quiet night. This was a night  when no one else was in the bar when we walked in, and no one else was in the bar when we walked out. This was a night, this was a bar we rescued from the Nickelbacked purgatory into which a ponytailed pool player nearly hurled us, this was the place I walked out of and said, or probably slurred, That was the best $17 I ever spent on a jukebox. The regulars, the real marathoners come here at 11, or noon,  every day, the barmaids live out back behind or above the bar, they've both been working here 15-odd years or more and may very well be indentured, for all I know, but on this night it was heaven. On this night it was the dimly lit vestibule to the only kind of life I could probably go on living forever, and I am grateful for it.
*Put on by the WILSEW, ooh yeah, she can work a jukebox, too!
I have a tendency to visit bars before the "Lunch hour rush" but with a dive bar, you gotta worry about the "morning rush hour". Â Typical dive with the local mature gentleman hanging out having a beer at 10am, catching the news, and some chit chat.
The place is pretty cool, the bartender was a nice lady the only downside to the place was the price of a bloody mary which if I can remember correctly it was like 4.50 or 5.50, dont get me wrong though, they were strong. Â Im sure you can find a cheaper bar though.
So after my flight touched down on Sat night, my bro took me to this spot.
A. Packed but you could breathe. Â I expected it to be overflowin with hipsters, but the patrons looked like a mixed bag.
B. I know "chill" can mean many things, but since I've been engulfed in jersey shore bars for 2 months, this spot had a majorly chill vibe.
C. I had some mixed drinks, which knocked me on my ass. Â I'm no lightweight but I still got smashed.
D. Music was dope, and kickin butt at the pool table is a norm for me, but I got rolled.
E. Prices were pretty cheap, less than nyc drinks...and since my bro paid, it was all gravy.
I'll hit up again when back in Santa Monica.
so my friend Love C. took me to this dive bar saturday for karaoke. Â this place has 2 pool tables, juke box, an awesome bartendar name Ruth who makes a yummy german chocolate shot...OMG! it's so good! Â yes, i was all about the shot :) & i made Love C. sick from too many of them :( sorry...there were not many people there but i didn't care, we sang & had a blast.
i went back there the next saturday night and it was packed but i still had a good time! Â i have to say this is one of my fav dive bars.
Finally came back for karaoke night... (Saturday)...
And Ruth's drinks are soo sooo strong that my karaoke song progression went from disco... to Journey... to Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock and finally closed out the night with Baby Got Back. Â Yeah... apparently, sooo strong a drink that by the end of the night, I thought I could rap... although I was the only one, because before I left, Ruth said, "honey... you should stick to disco... " Â
Hahahaha! Â
Karaoke without the crowd (shit... did I just blow it?) or pretentiousness. Â And I was best friends with everyone before I left the place. Â Hugs all around. Â Too bad I don't remember anyone's names.
I wish one of my "best friends" was there in the morning to hold my hair back while I dry-heaved. Â Oi. Â
I *heart* the Speak Easy! Â Really. Â I do.
.
Let's begin by saying that I work very very close by, and that by the end of the night, if i work nights, I just need a drink or two at a place where it's not too loud, the other people are friendly and buy you drinks, and you don't have to worry about a thing.
I don't only come here out of convience though. Ruthie and Spud are great people, and they're greater bartenders. Ruthie makes a mean vodka and 7up. Sometimes, I can't even taste the 7up ha! The prices are very reasonable especially cause there's so much liquor in every drink.
For entertainment, they just installed a new jukebox, which I'd say is a little pricy for me. There are two pool tables for only 75 cents a game, which can get me hooked for hours. And when it slows down, Ruthie'll even play with you.
Wait for it, they have their own parking lot, an atm machine, and karaoke saturdays, although I've never actually been.
my thumb is to the side on this one. tweeder twattering and whatnot...
Everyone deserves a "second chance" so I figured that by now, the old Karaoke Host must be long gone, so I figured I'd give it a shot and check out the Speakeasy again.
So it's two years later, and I decided to give it a go.
The Karaoke host from Hell is no longer there, and the rest of the staff are friendly as ever. Â Â Plus, it looks like some money was put into the place -- The trough has been replaced by an actual restroom! Â Nicely done.
The Karaoke host was very nice, and the atmosphere was a little different than "back in the day" but it was a fun night, so I've got this place back on my radar.
I visited Speak Easy the first week of February. Â For a Friday night, the spot had fifteen people which seems kind of empty. Â
There is a lot of space in the bar and ample free parking on the street and parking lot. Â
Ruth, the bartender was rude to our group. Â At point when we ordered shots of "Patron" tequila (pronouncing it correctly) she told us that in Speak Easy the only language that is spoken is English. Â We decided to let it be since we were there to celebrate the going-away of a friend. Â
The pool tables (two of them) allowed us to enjoy the rest of the night until the the owner, an older fellow, came up to me and said that even though this was a bar, I needed to use a bedroom/living room voice since I was being too loud. Â I really did not understand why there was such animosity towards my friends and I.
I will say that their mixed drinks are good and not at sky-high prices, but the bad service and idiotic comments definitely did not leave my friends and I with any hope of coming back.
This place is EFFING AWESOME!!!!!
Came here on Saturday night, and im so glad I did! I wish I had found it sooner. Definitely will be top on my list of dives to visit in the future! This little hole-in-the-wall is the epitome of an awesome dive bar.
When we walked in I felt as if I'd instantly been transported to Minnesota, or some other state in the midwest, only the bar tendresses (is that a word? it is now) are SCOTTISH (don't call them Irish, but they're very nice). Not that I like the midwest, but anywhere that can make me FEEL like im not in California, when I AM is pretty awesome. It felt like it was about 50 degrees in there, the air conditioning was pumping-which was good cuz we had just come from the fiery 200 degree temperatures of the Daily Pint.
There are pool tables in the front, a tv in the corner with karaoke (which consists of one, yes one person with a mic singing in front of the screen! and maybe a few onlookers), a long bar on one side, and some weird (but rad!) Denny's style booths along the other side. The crowd average age is about 60. Not a good place to meet someone if you're in your 20's or 30's, but GUUUUR ATE for people watching (which is one of my hobbies) or catching up and hanging out with friends. The environment is actually conducive to conversation unlike most over packed, loud-ass bars on the west side. And if you happen to sit down next to Jim the owner (like we did!) you will have some great ones! Thanks for all the cool stories Jim!
My only gripe is that they don't have any beer on tap, and the bathrooms definitely need to be redone (eventhough they do kind of go with the place, sorry Jim). They apparently just decided not to buy into the whole tap craze but I think it might benefit them. I also found the fact that they had random six packs just stacked up on top of the bar and cheap bottles of wine (that looked like they had been sitting there for a gazillion years) lined up down below kinda strange. I guess they might just be running out of space?
Anywho, great bar, good peeps, stiff drinks, and air conditioning! woooohoooo! four starraz
Cheap drinks (but nothing on tap) and a firebrand Scot barmaid make this windowless, dingy bar a true keeper for anyone who collects dives. Â Weekends tend to crowd out with the dregs of other bars' parties, but the crowd tends to be lively, chatty and karaoke (if you're there on the right night).
Review Source:What I love about this place is the fact that it isn't a "scene." It's a neighborhood place with lots of regulars. You shouldn't go if you're looking for a hip scene - in fact, we wouldn't want you there. This is the kind of place "where everybody knows your name." Come to think of it, unless you're super cool, don't go to the Speak. It's a place that's better as a well-kept secret.
Review Source:This is a pretty good dive bar in which to play pool. Â It has 2 coin-operated pool tables, and some very friendly players who are pretty good. Â Â
If you know of a better pub or tavern in which to play bar pool, please let me know
-- <a href="mailto:David@Bar-Pool.com">David@Bar-Pool.com</a> Â
 <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.Bar-Pool.com&s=b374b65e8d2b44e3af23909a3ab2627dbea9305900cffaf3a753bedb009f67f2" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.Bar-Pool.com</a>
This is probably my favorite bar in LA period. The people giving it negative reviews for it being empty are missing the point of why this place is awesome.
Usually my point for going out is to a. drink and b. talk to whoever I am with. This bar is awesome for that as the drinks are reasonably priced (for LA at least) and it's quiet. They have 2 pool tables, and they do karaoke there. There is also a jukebox. Â There are two Scottish bartenders there that always remember me and give decent service. The crowd is just odd here which is why I love it.
This used to be my last stop of the night when I lived in Venice, but now I'm way further east. I miss this place a lot.
Walked in and thought I flashed back to the '70s... or was it the '80s? Â Wall paneling and mirrors with the gold crackle design... ye'sir. Â
Agree with Danielle A. now that I think of it--it looks like a converted frat house basement... nah... not frat house. Â I think that's giving frat house decor too much credit or credit where it's not deserved. Â
Our bartender looked straight-out from the '80s--she had this massive frizzed-out coif and was wearing an ocean blue shirt and pants thing... it wasn't a suit per se. Â Funny lady.
My kvetch here is that they don't take cards, but they do have an ATM on-site which will happily charge you a $2.50 convenience fee. Â Also, I was hoping that the drinks would be cheaper in such a divey place, but they're not. Â
I'll probably end up coming back here above all that since my friend lives in the area.
Not a bad place for a bar that's pretty much unknown. Â There have karaoke on Thursday and Saturday nights. Â They're good about having groups take over the place without having to pay a fee but having a Cash Only bar (nothing on tap) is somewhat limiting. Â Granted, it is a full bar, but the prices also aren't the lowest ($4.75 for a Sierra Nevada bottle). Â Two pool tables, a long bar, a big screen TV, and about 8 booths. Â Would be a good place to go with a bunch of people but far from a 'scene'.
Review Source:Walked in here with another couple who lived nearby and couldn't believe it....there were only 2 other people at the bar. Let's just say, it wasn't early and it wasn't a weeknight.
Pool tables, Karaoke (apparently, though have never witnessed it), and a smarmy bartender. Looked like the interior to some frat house's basement turned bar. I thought "speak easy" would be kinda cool. That night, there wasn't even any fun people watching.
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