Mountain

07/03/07

Nice chill spot

by regalmama

Mountain Bar is a great place to chill, grab some drinks with friends and avoid all the Hollywood hustle. It might be a little hard to find if its your first time going here though. It is nestled within a little Chinese complex. Upstairs is a not pretty at all, but I just went there a couple of weeks ago and was told they were remodeling it. The music is the best! I loved the "true" underground hip hop and reggae provided by Live Injection Sounds. Downstairs has an old school feel as well. The walls are red but the place mostly is very dim. The bar is excellent, drinks are reasonable. A big plus is that its in Chinatown, so after drinks everyone usually hits up the local chinese restaurant, either Full House or Won Cok. Overall, a nice dive bar to chill out and listen to good tunes!

• Pros: Music, location in Chinatown, very chill bar
• Cons: hard to find at first, a little outdated

03/07/07

You can dance for inspiration, get in the groove at the Mountain Bar!!!!

by comemeetif

this is place is oh so nice and the upstairs is a dark 70's lounge that makes you feel oh so..... Instituto Fazcionsita will present Chow NAsty from San Francisco and Shell Shag from Brooklyn on March 25th, a Sunday. Come for some good shows, some awesome DJs that will keep you in the boogying mood. This isn't another hipster twister, ok maybe it, but hey no one else does is like IF. Free booze for the first hour, cant beat that. Check our myspace for the latest from Instituto Fazcionista on everything. Web site launch party coming on APril 2nd, stay tuned!

• Pros: Good looking people, beautiful ambiance, music will not let you stop dancing
• Cons: only one toilet, who cares!

01/18/07

All about the Eastside!

by nativelagirl

Yes people, life exists east of the 405, and -gasp- there is a nightlife in downtown LA! Make an escape to Chinatown, where you will find this fun bar and chill people. This spot pulls in an ethnically diverse eastside-artsy-fartsy crowd, ranging from hipsters to underground hip hop-heads and everything in between. The music is good and there is some dance space, but it's still more of a "hang out" kind of bar. Drinks are reasonable and well made. There are only one or two other small bars in walking distance, so don't expect to hop around too much. Also, you won't see the bar from the street - walk down the brick pathway/shopping alley that is perpendicular to Broadway and Hill St. to find your way there. There are a few parking lots close by and they don't cost much, however if you scope out Broadway/Hill you might find free street parking.

• Pros: Good vibe, cool crowd, nice escape from the Hollywood fluff.
• Cons: Free street parking fills quickly, hard to find for newbies

10/31/06

Out of the way and worth it.

by t_size

Ah, the Mountain Bar. It's almost impossible to find. It took us about an hour of walking around Chinatown, but was worth all the trouble since it's an awesome bar. Downstairs has a huge bar and nice-sized dancefloor. The decor is strange, but that's okay. Upstairs is where the bands play. If you don't like standing and staring at bands in an awkwardly smallish room, go chill out in the connecting room, full of super comfy leather couches, cause it's a great way to relax and enjoy live music. I go back often.

10/22/06

Hip and sorta sticky

by groknix

Downstairs is cool, and the walls are dripping with fake bl00d. Light fixtures are unique, and there is a hip vibe, but wander upstairs and you might be sucked back to your late teens. The upstairs is gross and sticky...from the mattress to the icky carpet up the stairs, unless you are 22 and hammered, you will want to take a shower and disinfect the shoes you are wearing. They open at 7ish and cater to the young and tragically hip, so be prepared before you go. Could be so much cooler, but is just another hole in the wall. File this one under dive.

07/20/06

cool stop after dodger game

by mark177

my friends and I take the gold linefrom pasadena to dodger games and stop here before and after. cool mellow place with inexpensive drinks and easy going crowds. never too lively but never too dead.

• Pros: mellow crowd on the way too/from dodger games
• Cons: drippy wall coverings need to be reconsidered

10/07/05

not exactly sure...

by akira101

it's a nice place, no doubt. red decor... real chill. across from the bar is a little water fountain, something fun to do when after hangin in the bar. however, the crowd here is not what i expected. some nights had people over 40. plus some nights it can actually be dead. they also show short films here on some nights...

• Pros: red decor, lounge

08/16/05

Shangri LA

by strout

Hard to find, but worth it. The people, the staff, the place are always cool. Mellow place that gets busy late night. Cultural events happen upstairs, blending with the mysterious goings on of a city. Downstairs stays convivial and solid with good music from a harvard degree mix.

• Pros: People, Bartenders
• Cons: Hard to find

07/20/05

Artsy Chinatown bar is a molten red bastion of bohemian cool.

by Tara Lis

The Scene
An eclectic team of artists completely refurbished the former home of Chinatown's oldest restaurant, the General Lee. On the surface, its striking red paint job, cascading ceilings and feng shui design feel vintage Hill Street. Deeper inspection reveals artistic modern touches like color-clustered, triangular floor tiles, propeller-like paper lamp constellations and textured walls that appear to be melting. Locals and adventurous Eastsiders situate themselves under the custom-carved bar's translucent shelves or lounge on leather benches positioned around the room's perimeter.

The Draw
The product of three longtime Chung King Road art-scene collaborators, Mountain Bar is a respite from cutthroat Hollywood guest lists and dress codes. The owners encourage more than drinking--they occasionally host creative forums for their core crowd of cronies and other independent thinkers. Scenesters are starting to creep in after the buzz generated by Brad Pitt's appearance at the grand opening, but the vibe remains unassuming.

05/03/05

Too much Shim.. Not enough Sham

by wizlaw

This place seems to be way too overhyped.. On one hand, this is a very different place unlike the bars in Hollywood.. BUT then you might as well have stayed at home.. or driven to TJ for a new bar experience. Here parking is horrible, the place is a dark hole in the hole, they dont serve any food. Within 30 seconds the novelty wears out.. Dont forget one has to also navigate through China town to reach this place.. All in all. five thumbs down!!!

• Pros: NONE
• Cons: SKANKY, NO PARKING, NO FOOD