The 3rd Stop

8636 W. 3rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
310.273.3605

Parking: Valet or Self Park lot, both $6

Monday-Friday, 5-7pm and Saturday & Sunday, all night, $4 – 3 select beers, $7 glasses of wine, $5-7 select appetizers

One thing that is certain about The 3^rd Stop is that is a neighborhood favorite. We arrived at the bar when it opened, and as soon as we sat down, people were literally rounding the corners to enter the bar. It was if The Pied Piper of Happy Hour played a tune that summoned everyone. It was never packed but we were glad to have gotten there early to score a patio seat.

Since we were still in the middle of a heat wave, we opted for white wine and sangria, both $7 a glass. The sangria was just right: not too sweet, not too full of fruit. The only complaint is that there was more ice than sangria in the first glass so it finished pretty quickly.

As for the food, every table gets a small bowl of what we believe is reduced fat Pringles. Interesting choice, but definitely preferred over peanuts, snack mix, or whatever stale food left on bars. We later split a pizza that was just OK. Pizza and booze always go well together, but the pizza was more reminiscent of something you buy by the slice at 3am at a random place while one friend looks for a place to pee and the other friend is busy making out with someone who promised her pizza. We had pizza at The 3^rd Stop a few years back and remember it being far better.

When you go to a happy hour directly across the street from Cedars Sinai, you can’t help but have fantasies of McSteamy look-a-likes coming in after a hard days work. We saw plenty of female medical staff, but not one man.

The longer we were at The 3^rd Stop, the more we realized the location is kinda a weird one. There are lots of ambulances that come by that our conversation had to be muted several times while we waiting out the sirens. At one point, we saw an ambulance slowly loading in a patient. When trying to get happy at happy hour, looking at sick man on a stretcher is kind of sad. All you want to do is help. There is also a bus stop directly in front of the bar, which makes you feel like you need to wave at the passengers or something.

We would go The 3rd Stop if in the neighborhood, but wouldn’t randomly stop by.

Rating: 3 Martinis