1652 North Cherokee Ave Hollywood, CA 90028
(323) 462-9621
www.boardners.com
Parking: Street parking and adjacent lots (some as low as $5)
Days: Daily
Times: Monday-Thursday – 5-8pm; Friday & Saturday – 4-8pm, All Day Sunday
Drink Deals: $4 & $5 beers, $6 well drinks and house wines
Food Deals: $6 Appetizers
It was a crisp and cool January afternoon; I had planned a little girl fun with an afternoon Happy Hour followed by an evening screening of BLUE HAWAII at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. Looking for a Saturday afternoon Happy Hour in my HH-Database, I thought it might be fun to try out Boardner's, tucked along Cherokee Ave. just south of Hollywood Blvd. I'd only been once before, though I was intimately familiar with the bar from its open mic night scene in LOVE DON'T COST A THING. Just kidding, Google can't confirm or deny that the scene was shot there, but I say yay.
Anyhow, we were happy that we ended up at Boardner's because their Happy Hour bar food was really, really good. Our group of five ordered a selection of the $6 Happy Hour food options: Fried Calamari, Fish & Chips (and peas), Garlic Herb French fries w/ garlic and chipotle aioili, 10-Layer Tortilla Tower (so good we had to order 2!), "The Best" Macaroni & Cheese (I'm not a cheese addict, but it was really tasty). Totally dug the food options, but found the $6 pricetag for all items kind of a mixed bag. For example, while the fish & chips could have been a full dinner, the same-priced order of garlic fries had about the same amount of fries as the fish & chips and could have easily been $3 elsewhere. Still, I think the prices probably balance out when all is said and done - I'd just advise against ordering the fries if you're looking for a good value :).
Clockwise from top: Complimentary Chips and Chipotle Sauce, Calamari, Mac & Cheese, Garlic Fries, Fish & Chips, 10 Layer Tortilla Tower (all $6 except for the chips/chipotle)
The drink prices seemed slightly high for a Happy Hour as well - $4 domestics, $5 imports, $6 well drinks and house wines - I feel like the average LA Happy Hour is a dollar or two lower than those price-points. Then again, most LA joints don't offer daily Happy Hours, 2-for-1 drink deals on Tuesdays, and all day Happy Hour on Sunday - so I guess the more frequent HH kinda justifies the slightly higher HH prices. I had 2 glasses of the house Pinot Grigio, which came highly recommended from our cool bartender/waitress – she even said she’d bring me something else if I didn’t like it.
As for the scene, it was really weird - Nick Cannon was there with Christina Milian and there were some poets onstage... Not! It was actually a decent scene - the lounge is dark with some cool neon. There were a good number of peeps there when we arrived, they left soon after and were replaced with another group - turns out that Boardner's plays host to the Accomplice Tour, described as part game, part theater, part tour! Boardner's also plays host to a couple folks I think might have been regulars, including a dude with the coolest hat in the world, stating simply and eloquently, "BARTENDERS ARE GODS."
Our Happy Hour Tour Gang: TG, Booze, JB, Kitty Packard, and Ms. Nic (we didn't ostracize her, she was late for the group photo :).
Also, in “Break-Out-Your-Spandex” news, we’ve heard their Blue Monday’s 80’s Dance Party Night is a fun time!
--JB
Rating: 4 Martinis
Sadly, they have changed the menu. There is no longer a specific happy hour menu, just the main menu which has items starting at about $6. However, much of the food that made me keep coming back is no longer on the menu. It's more of a tapas menu now as far as the lower priced items go. I was a regular at this bar because I loved the atmosphere AND because the happy hour food was so good and so cheap. This is no longer the case and I am making far less frequent trips to Boardners. It makes me sad.
ReplyDeleteOh man, that's a bummer, but appreciate your update! Wonder if there's a new owner? C'est la vie, as George Harrison sang - "All things must pass!" Even excellent Happy Hours.
ReplyDeleteBoardners has an excellent new menu starting at $5. Celebrity Chef William Annesley is rocking the kitchen at Boardners now!! Boardners has $3/$4 beer and $5 well & Wine. Boardners has 2 for 1 Tuesdays- Whiskey Wednesdays A shot of whiskey and a beer for $7 and $3 Thursdays (Beer & Wells). They have the same owner!
ReplyDelete