86
Hollywood, CA 90028
Phone: (323) 871-8634
- Cross Street:
- Hudson Street
- Hours:
- Wed-Sat 7pm-2am
Editorial Review for 86 – by Tara de Lis
In Short
Down the stairs and past the old sliding peephole, this dark cub offers plush tables and wraparound booths all facing the small center stage. Here, the spirit of the Jazz Age is alive and well at the silent film star's former gin joint. It's in the wild eyes of house band drummer Willie McNeil as he counts off Latin jazz number beats to the shimmying moves of sequin-clad burlesque dancers. And it's also bringing sexy back in a way that the pubescent JT could only dream about--not since the swing revival of the early '90s have Hollywood club kids been done up so dapper. From high-cheek-boned Johnny Depp lookalikes in fedoras to the flapper-esque little black dress brigade, this crowd is smokin'. And speaking of smoking, true to the time period, there's no need to climb all the way up to street level to light up; a sealed inner hallway features framed photos of old movies stars and windowsills lined with sand.
Hits: L.A. is notorious for guest list drama, and the Cahuenga Corridor is the biggest offender, which makes it really refreshing to see no line and polite doormen. The nice treatment is reflected in friendly conversation among strangers in the well-dressed crowd.
Misses: The band stops playing around midnight, which means you'll need to get there earlier than the usual club rush hour of 11:30pm. The smoking hallway could really use some better ventilation.
Editorial content is independent of paid advertisers. Any expenses are paid for by Citysearch.
Insider Tips
Know Before You GoThe official street address is actually that of the Hillview residential living spaces and sister cafe Lift. The entrance to the club is located on Hudson Street. Look for the valet stand and the doorman.
Know Before You GoA small but full dinner menu is available between 7pm and 9:30pm, featuring dishes such as Ceasar salad, prawn cocktail, Dijon chicken and lobster thermador. Call to reserve a table or to get on the list--someone usually will return your message.
What to DrinkThere's a full bar and an extensive menu of classic cocktails such as grasshoppers and sazeracs. Drink prices are surprisingly affordable for a Hollywood bar.
User Reviews for 86
04/26/2008 Posted by ducebigolow
Read the great reviews and decided to visit 86 on a Saturday. I invited a few friends and actually had my B-Day dinner here. We arrived early (8:30PM reservations). The doormen, host & server gave us outstanding service. Very friendly and accommodating. The menu is small, but everyone was satisfied with their meals. The jazz band was good, but Carolina (burlesque dancer) made the show. The band ended @ 11PM and thats when the 86 turned from Lounge to Club. A few of my friends arrived late and they had the bad experiences everyone is writing about. Apparently, the Doormen turn from friendly to your typical rude Hollywood bouncer after 11PM. My friends eventually got in (since I had dinner reservations). I highly recommend 86 if you are looking for a nice meal and good show. Arrive early to avoid the hassle.
Pros: Great show, good lounge
Cons: Club after 11PM
04/24/2008 Posted by Delizius
I was excited to go see what all the buzz was about at 86, a hollywood lounge with no attitude, no stuffy doormen and great prizes, so the review for city search implied. So, I decided to go on a date and went to on Wed. night, got there at around 11 pm valet my car and that was an experience. I should have known how the rest of my outing was going to turn out. I was haggeled by the valet for preference parking or regular parking. Then there are two doors and you don't know which one is the main entrance because you see people going in through both. We make it to the right one and we are standing infront of the doorman for 5 min. before he even acknowledges us being there and there was no line,here goes the great doorman with no attitude out the window. Then he asked us what he could help us with, I was thinking isn't it obvious we're here for the lounge. He then looks at both of us and saids we are at capacity and unless you know the promoters I can't help you. So, I said fine and stuck around to see what was going on, still remembering the city search rave on the place of no attitude and then a group of 10 people who obviously didn't know the promoter were let in. So, be warned this place is just like every other wanna be hip bar. And to top it all off it took us 20 min to get my car. It was unbelieveable that it took longer to get my car then to get turned down at the door. So, like I said city search got their rave wrong about this place, like I said not all it's cracked up to be.
Pros: None
Cons: seedy parking service, attitude at the door
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