The Red Lion Tavern
2366 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles, California 90039
USA
Phone: (323) 662-5337
www.redliontavern.net
Established in 1962, this is one of LA's "older" pubs/bars (pause for laughter from my European east coast visitors...) I first started going there in 2000.
It is a German pub, serving German cuisine and a good selection of German beer. Located near the trendy Silverlake* area, it attracts an ecclectic crowd and is always hopping on the weekends. The tri-level layout and cramped, dark interior give it a very cozy feel.
With its deep, soft vinyl booths the Lion has a distinct 1960's feel to it. The pint-sized mid-level bar (above) is a snug fit for six or seven friends or soon-to-be friends.
This is the place to be: the beer garden (above). It has less comfortable patio seating, but is home to a nice bar (below) and lots of that wonderful California sunshine. Unfortunately, lots of ciggarette smoke also. It is the one area where patrons can smoke. But the circulation is decent, so I never let it ruin my fun.
The beer selection is very nice -- I like their wheat beers and bitburger. The food is OK, and seems to get better when you're three beers down and gripped by the munchies. The sausage platter is Melissa's favaorite, and the delightfully plain (German?) style turkey sandwich is a favorite of mine. And it's nice to have a pub that also serves hard booze -- always a treat when shots start making the rounds at the otherwise aptly named beergarden! The service can be very "European" if I must say -- casual, and sometimes very slow during busy evening hours. I've actually come to welcome that (especially when traveling in Europe) because I never feel rushed.
Of course the walls & ceilings outside are covered with beer signs, banners and other memorabilia. One proclaims Los Angeles to be the sister city of Berlin. Heaters keep you warm in the chilly southern California evenings, and live music can be heard downstairs during certain hours.
Three Tips: 1.) I like the way the beergarden crowd invades the interior bar areas after they shut down the patio around 12:00am. On weekends, the party inside often really gets going then. 2.) Parking is almost always a challenge, but that's L.A. for you. I suggest you do what my friends and I do: carpool and park a block away on Brier St. next to the Bank of America. 3.) BUT DO NOT PARK in the Bank parking lot! Your car may be towed away!
*Despite many movie depictions to the contrary, the Los Angeles area is not an overtly beautiful place. Silverlake is no exception. It is trendy, and fast emerging and beautifying -- the hill neighborhoods are especially pricey with nice homes. But overall Silverlake still suffers from that classic L.A. ugliness that surprises tourists expecting all of L.A. to be palm tree-lined boulevards. Those of us who have lived in L.A. long enough tend to embrace this ugliness because we know what gems hide behind this misleading facade.
