1739 Public House



Los Feliz can be a bit of a crapshoot for bars, especially if your tastes don't include valets or PBR, but with the recent addition of 1739 Public House on Vermont, just across the street from The Dresden, maybe this neighborhood is getting lucky.

Walk inside, and the well-lit interiors look almost Craftsman-like: simple mod walls, large rectangular windows, metal and wood construction. There's a distinct separation between the bar and barstools and the tables for groups, and so far I haven't had trouble finding a seat in either area. Yet there's no theme to Public House, unlike so many trendy bars today. No, this place feels like a local haunt, upgraded a few notches, and then mixed with a ton of beer.

And this is the good stuff. Come here, and you won't find local brews but instead far-flung favorites from all over the world. Over 40 beers are on tap, and the Belgians do particularly well here - taste Grimbergen, Delirium Tremens, Chimay, Maredsous, and the gorgeous Kwak in its distinctive hourglass-shaped, wooden-frame supported pint-glass. International, domestic, even Pabst and Tecate (if you roll that way) - it's all $6 every night of the week. You can get other drinks, but really, why bother?

Owners Franck Alix and Jasbir Singh, who also runs the next-door Cuba de Oro (which shares a bathroom with Public House... odd), are intent on building a loyal coalition, too, with ideas like free pizza with every drink, from 3 to 7 every weekday, and weekend brunch, with free Bloody Marys with your Eggs Benedict or mushroom omelets. The food is unimpressive, however, dishing out generous portions of rather generic-sounding chicken and steak dinners. The burgers are decent, the fries uninspired, and the mac-and-cheese is nothing to be excited about.

But the lackluster food doesn't dim the upbeat feeling of this place. Not dingy enough for hipsters, nor hip enough for Hollywood types, and certainly not Hollywood enough for out-of-towners, Public House feels local. The bartenders are friendly, the service is usually quick, and the crowd is pretty mellow, except on crazy quiz nights (Wednesday) when the place is packed.

Zbutton
1739 Public House
1739 N Vermont Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 663-1739   more