Nick + Stef's Steakhouse

330 South Hope Street
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 680-0330
Nick + Stef’s at Patina Group



Parking: Validated parking with complimentary valet service is available in the Wells Fargo Center garage, entrance on Hope Street. From 7am-5pm: $9 for 2 hours. 5pm-close: Complimentary valet for 3 hours ($7 max)
Days: Monday – Friday
Times: 3pm to Close (that’s 3-9:30pm on M-Thurs and 3-10:30pm on Friday’s)
Drink Deals: $5-7 bottled beers & house wines, $6 draft beers, and $6-12 mixed drinks
Food Deals: $4-11 bites + $14 & $17 cheese plates
Ya'll know I just wanted an excuse to post this awesome picture again and that's the only reason I headed down to Nick + Stef's; I needed a bougie Happy Hour where the attorneys of "LA Law" might have drank their troubles away. Half-kidding – I do love the picture, but I knew JG & I needed to spread the downtown/eastside Happy Hour love and I've long been reading about Nick + Stef's basically all week-night Happy Hour.

So, I hiked to the Red Line and rode the subway down to Pershing Square to meet up with my good pal, Little Orphan Andy (LOA for short), at his cool downtown office. Together we moseyed on over to Nick + Stef's Steakhouse, which at first glance, may seem like a strange place for 2 strict vegetarians to wine and dine. However, I'd checked the Happy Hour menu in advance and was totally digging all their vegetarian options.

Creeper-Vision of suits inside!

Immediately, I noticed how "LA Law" the scene was –plenty of suits inside at the cool triangular bar and outside with the nice heat-lamp'd patio. Along with this cool crowd, I also noticed that HH prices weren't exactly that cheap - mixed drink from $6-12 and food from $4-11. As a Happy Hour connoisseur, I have come to realize that afternoon/evening-long Happy Hours don’t always translate to the best deals. That said – you could do much worse than a fun upscale downtown LA courtyard sipping on $6 Moscow Mules with an old buddy.

Us Moscow Mules & South-Siders on the patio

LOA & I both tried the Moscow Mule (vodka, lime juice and ginger beer), inspired by no less than Miss Oprah Winfrey! And I also opted for a South Side (gin, lemon juice, and mint) for Drink #2. I wanted Drink #3, at which point LOA said that he’d heard that anything after 3 drinks is considered binge-drinking, and then at which point, I said, “well oh shit, I’m fucked.”

Luckily, we weren’t just binge-drinking, we had some delicious pickings for our food palate as well – Marinated Olives with Marzano Almonds ($5), Sweet Potato Fries w/ Fried Ginger ($4); and Roasted Italian Sweet Pepper Pizza with goat cheese ($9). Obviously, the meat is a main draw – choices like Happy Hour Sliders will run you $2 and Braised Beef Short Rib skewers are $8.

Dinner is served!

By the time we’d left Nick + Stef’s around 9:15pm, the inside bar was nearly cleared out. Interestingly, the same parties that had been on the patio when we arrived were all still there. Must be something magic about that patio?!

In summation (because that’s what we’d say on “LA Law”), I’ve concluded that Nick + Stef’s has a nice Happy Hour. I don’t know if it can really win the “Best Steakhouse and Happy Hour Award” that it claims on its website, but it’s a cool, inoffensive spot set amidst some groovy downtown skyscrapers and you can drink $6 Moscow Mules for 6 and a half hours. Here-here.

--JB

Rating: 4 Martinis