Air Conditioned Bar

06/29/08

Great DJ and Courteous Doorman

by Elan7253 at Citysearch

I went here with three of my friends on a Saturday night. First off, there was no line when we got there around 10:30 and the Doorman was by far one of the the most courteous and polite doorman I've ever met in LA. He smiled, complimented the ladies, and did not carry any pretentious attitude. He also dressed well in a nice suit and not baggy jeans or a hoodie. Inside, the Saturday night DJ was amazing. Again, some of the best music I've heard played at a bar. A nice balance between top 40 and some Old School with a slight emphasis on Tupac.

While the interior is kind of small, its not at all super crowded. A pretty good looking crowd composed mostly by people in their Mid to High 20s and early 30s. My friends and I were able to move around quite easily and had no trouble finding seats at the bar. The wine selection is fairly impressive. I'm glad they serve Cristalino, which is one of my favorite sparkling wines (Even though at $8 a glass I could have bought myself an entire bottle from somewhere else). They also have Perroni on tap which is my beer of choice when going out. One of my friends ordered the Pinot-Tini which was a mix of Pinot Gris, Pineapple juice and simple syrup. She's not much of a wine drinker at all but really enjoyed the drink while I thought it was too sweet for my taste.

Overall, this place is a real jewel on the westside. Don't be misled by the neighborhood and its location down the street from a 99 Cent store. Parking was also really easy, and you can also call for a FREE table reservations.

• Pros: Nice Doorman, Great DJ, Easy Parking, Free Table Reservations
• Cons: Small interior

06/13/08

nice atmosphere

by pinotknows at Citysearch

was there tuesday with my coworkers and found this beautiful nook on the side of pico. who knew? this place was so gorgeous inside and the dj was really great and its usually rare to find a bar with a dj on tuesday nites in santa monica. the wine selection was nice and the bartender was friendly unlike some hollywood types that cant even smile. as an after work spot, its a great wine tasting spot and place to unwind. i heard the weekend s get busy but as a nice place to be on the weekdays this is it and we'll be back for another round!

• Pros: beautiful place, sophisticated, good cheese plate with the wine, dj, easy to talk to people because its not crowded
• Cons: parking is a little hard to find, no dance floor

06/08/08

It clearly isn't air conditioned...

by BarrelThief at Citysearch

because all the wine we tried, tasted like it had been stored in an oven. Let me explain.

My girlfriend and I order a glass of Primus Cab and Edna Valley Syrah - mine came from a bottle already opened and hers came half from an open bottle and half from a new. Mine tasted old and tasteless,. Hers? Like the Night Train Express.

Okay. It's a bar. Maybe the bottle of Syrah had been sitting out, half drunk for a week or two. Fine. We replace it with a glass of Bodegas Borsao, which, in our opinion is a hell of a bottle for the price. We've probably downed at least 30 bottles of this over time, which we pick up from the 154 market in Santa Ynez. Great wine selection there, BTW.

The glass came from a new bottle. Sadly, it tasted sour as well. The only thing we could think of is that they store their wine out in some uninsulated, un-AIR CONDITIONED warehouse before bringing it into the bar. Unbelievably, the manager was going to charge us for both glasses until I through a fit. "I just opened that bottle, you expect me to just throw it out?" Ah, yeah! And don't charge me for the glass of nasty you poured either.

Hey, it'd be a great place if the wine was actually stored correctly. Maybe go for the hard licks instead? In the mean time, go to Bottlerock in Culver City. Excellent place and wine.

• Pros: Great location, not crowded
• Cons: Bad wine and service

04/26/08

bottomless sangria!

by alirg at Citysearch

bottomless sangria night was great (and tasty!!) It gets an average because there was NO ONE at the bar. Went with friends, and we had a blast talking. The astmosphere however is really amazing. Open, modern feeling.

I just wish it was more crowded on weeknights.

11/26/07

Nothing to get all hot & bothered about

by marpop at Citysearch

This place is pretty hyped so I was curious to check it out when I got invited to a little shindig on a Friday nite. Aside from the not-so appealing location on Pico, I gave it a shot. The bar area to the right is dimly lit w/red lighting and the ottomans/booths were peopled with couples and after-workers having some wine. The drink menu is pretty extensive, so if you're into that sort of thing you'll be happy. To the left is a raised platform with seats and (I think) a DJ who was playing the loud loungey sounds. Even though I was there with a group, I wasn't really feelin it. But that could be because I'm not into wine.

• Pros: lots of wine for drinkers
• Cons: it's on yucky pico

09/06/07

yeah

by jo_se at Citysearch

not bad - just a regular place to get a drink and some cheese...There's a wine tasting night too for the KCRW, Trader Joes, literati crowd....

• Pros: dig a pony
• Cons: none.

01/15/07

Best Wine Tasting on the West Side

by scenegirl at Citysearch

I am so excited about this sassy lounge!!! I went to a wine tasting there last tuesday night and it was so much fun!!! Tasted great wines and learned a lot too. Bringing my girls...Tuesday here we come!!

• Pros: ambience, amazing service, great djs

12/26/06

Wonderful Spot to Chill

by martinikitty13 at Citysearch

This place is not pretentious and has a wonderful cozy kitsch about it. The bartender was very vivacious and helpful and recommended a lovely malbec. My group sat at the comfy seating area in the back and we enjoyed the dj immensely (eclectic mix of music). We will definitely return!

• Pros: Great casual vibe; Good wine selection; Great music
• Cons: Tiny space

12/19/06

Great music

by redyouwanttoknow at Citysearch

I've been coming to AC for awhile. The music is good and the bar is always crowded on the weekends, especially Friday nights. They specialize in wine but all of the mixed drinks are good and the bartenders are always cool. The atmosphere is sophisticated but pretty chill. I keep bringing new friends to AC and they always want to go back.

12/19/06

Great ambiance

by whatthefun333 at Citysearch

I have only been to Air Conditioned once but had a great time. The atmosphere is great - it's really dark and the wood makes for a cool setting. They have tons of wines- every one I tried was good- but I loved the Cherritini. I went on a wednesday, which was kind of mello, but I heard Friday is really fun.