Akbar

09/04/2008 Posted by johnjs67

Pay in cash or don't go at all! If you give them your credit card, you may be surprised by the "tip" they seem to give themselves. Not to be trusted.

05/08/2008 Posted by jesloz11

Been to Akbar a few times. Great place to relax and unwind. If you are looking for the pretentious weho scene, this is not the place to go. Very low key, lots of locals, and down to earth people. Met my partner at Akbar so I cant complain!!! Only inconvenience is the 20 tab on credit cards. Other than that not a bad place to go to.

Pros: drinks, location

Cons: parking, seating

02/01/2008 Posted by manwest

While it IS agreed here that the bartenders can be rude and curt and very easily agitated, the place is quite fun. A very diverse crowd as opposed to a few years ago and more space than before. With a little less "I'm Silverlake-cool so everyone annoys me" attitude, it could be the best place ever.

Pros: Cute guys, gay, good neighborhood place, fun music

Cons: bartenteders attitudes...

12/13/2007 Posted by jeffreynow

Jeffrey Wylie here, manager of AKBAR. Regarding the previous posting by "foodielover1": even after 11 years here at AKBAR (and 27 years total in the bar business), I am still amazed at how drunk people THINK they remember events correctly, and how they refuse to take responsibility for their actions. The bartender in question wrote in the bar journal book about this guy the night he came in, and how agro he became after getting drunk (even before he cashed out), and even said they guy might call to complain. He didn't, and he also never disputed his credit card charge. Maybe after his hangover cleared up he realized how rude and obnoxious he behaved toward the staff... Remember folks, if you can't be a happy drunk, don't be a drunk! Cheers!

09/02/2007 Posted by foodielover1

After a week of arduous work, I went there alone to drink and relax. And it turned out to be the worst night ever. My bartender, Fred, not only accused me for drinks I haven't even ordered, I later found out that he charged twice of what I had spent on my debit card without my authorization. I will soon deal with it with the consumer protection agency. There are bartenders who worked long enough and I prefer to deal with, but FRED...he's got be fired.

02/02/2007 Posted by hogolight

Back in the day this was a neighborhood bar named Jolie's. The seven or so guys at the bar nursed stiff drinks and the owner/bartender was as drunk as they were. Sounds perfect.. except they were all at least 70. Not that I minded because I was in my 20s then and hungry for male attention and thirsty for free liquor, both of which were in no short supply. Flash forward 10 years. Silver Lake is younger, straighter and hipper. Jolies disappeared like The Detour and Cuffs. Akbar is the perfect bar for the friendly folks now living in the 'hood. Any night finds gay folks and straights, men and women proving that in Los Angeles, we can all just get along. The crowd is edgy but friendly and approachable, even for gay guys like me in their late, late mid thirties. My only complaint is the effort it takes to get a libation. When you first approach the bar it seems as if two guys are working their asses off and seven guys are just ignoring you, then you realize there are three barbacks for every bartender, which means your half empty drinks disappear like the shrimp at a buffet but actually getting a drink is like a person of color trying to get a cab in the rain. The $20 credit card minimum is a bit annoying, as suggested by other reviewers, more actual bartenders might improve the overall experience as well as their attitude. If you are gay try MJ's on Hyperion (the former Woody's) and if you are straight try The Good Luck bar (which was some gay bar before too but I forget the name).

Pros: Great crowd, fun and easy going and approachable

Cons: You might die of thirst

01/28/2007 Posted by diegoooooooo

It's another great night at Akbar: a fun cruisy friendly young crowd, Bowie cranked on the juke box, you and your friends celebrating the end of another tough week or maybe a birhtday or special occasion. . relaxed and fun. . . and then, it's time to order a drink. . . GOD HELP YOU. . the staff there is a total bummer. . . cold, rude, impersonal. . . all over the city bartenders greet you with a smile, remember your name, remember your drink and gladly accept your credit card and open a tab. . but not HERE. It's as if most of the staff (and there are some notable exceptions) can't wait until everyone goes home. I have a problem with the $20 minimum on a credit card. . not because I'm not going to spend more than $20 but because they make such a big deal out of it. . and in the process they ignore that age old tradtition of friends at a bar. . buying rounds. . . if I want to buy a round for my friends and it comes to $15 and they are going to buy a round for me, then Akbar should make it as convenient as possible for that process to occur. . yet they insist on charging me a $20 minimum and all my friends (buying identical rounds) the same minimum and I find this somehow reprehensible. So definitely go to Akbar, take your friends and enjoy. But be ready for some attitude and some below par service at the bar. Except for Thursday, (when D.J. Tony Powell does a mix that is just SICK) expect a great music selection on the dance floor with some lazy D.J.'s who don't even bother to beat match. Nevertheless, a good time is generally had by all. The crowd is warm, fun and friendly. Drinks are potent once you get one. And the place is totally cool.

Pros: Nice friendly fun crowd totally mixed and eclectic

Cons: The barstools have more personality than most of the staff.

01/09/2007 Posted by panchamora

We went here for my friends b-day, we are all straight but had a blast dancing with the guys who showed us some moves! The bartendars are nice and boy, do they not play around with thier alcohol...usually my drinks taste too juicy but here, one sip and I already felt a buzz. The music was non-stop great and the people were so friendly.

Pros: good drinks, good music

Cons: only two toilets!

11/20/2006 Posted by cherryjones

This place has loads of atmosphere, stiff drinks, and friendly people. Too crowded for my tastes on the weekend (so crowded it's hard to move), but during the week is a great hangout. The back room hosts several weekly events - tuesday night comedy, wednesday night craft night, etc. Plus, try one of the bartender's homemade cookies!

Pros: stiff drinks, great price, atmosphere, friendly and diverse mix of people, weekly event nights, homemade cookies

Cons: parking lot is too small, too crowded on weekends

08/30/2006 Posted by villie1

I was not thilled with the service at all. The place was extremely crowded and bumping my drink. The staff were taking their time serving me, and to top it off my drink was not what I had requested and it was impossible approaching the bar again since it was sooo crowded. I just let more people bump into me, and in no time my drink had spilled and I was out the door.

Pros: parking

Cons: bad service