Bugatta

7174 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 964-9494

www.bugatta.com

Parking: Metered Street Parking
Days: Daily
Times: 4-7pm Drink Deals: $4-5 Beers, $6 House Wines, $6 10oz. Martinis (yeah!) and $6 Specialty Cocktails Food Deals: Small plates from $6 to $8
Note: Photo is from Halloween ;)!
 

Bugatta's Bar

In the vein of re-purposed Happy Hour locales (think Evo Kitchen nee Pizza Fusion), we were excited to check out the former Bungalow Club's new incantation, Bugatta! On a recent pre-Halloween Saturday afternoon, Ms. Kitty Packard & I stepped out for a mini-Happy Hour Tour, starting at Bugatta. Already happy to see that they run Happy Hour 4-7pm daily – we were also impressed by the updated decor; featuring white walls, black bar, terrific natural lighting, gorgeous turquoise lounge sofas and lotsa-Halloween decorations :).

Gorgeous Turquoise Couches!

The outside patio wasn’t open yet – it appeared to still be undergoing some renovation, so we grabbed a seat at the bar, where we enjoyed perusing the variety of Happy Hour booze options – including a wide selection of $6 martinis and specialty cocktails , from the Elderflower Gimlet to the Dirty Hipster to the Jalapeno Twist. I very much enjoyed my Lavender Cosmo made with homemade lavender syrup; Ms. Kitty aptly named it “Summer on a Swing.” For her drink, she tried the Ward 8, which sounds like the wing of a mental institution – but it’s actually a delicious concoction that looks like a Bloody Mary Martini, but tastes like a nice sweet & sour cocktail made with bourbon. She called that one “Summer Barbeque!”

Miss Packard & her Ward 8 + Freddy Krueger; Muy Delicious $6 Martinis - Ward 8 & Lavender Cosmo

For vittles, I was at first a little depressed by the lack of vegetarian options amongst some nice meat selections on the Happy Hour menu…. But I was so impressed by the veggie options that they did have that I didn’t mind as much. LOVED the Bangkok Hummus, a hummus topped with something like teriyaki-glazed mushrooms and served with warm pita bread, and the delicious Apple Bruschetta, crusty bread topped with a sweet combination of finely chopped apples, balsamic vinegar, currants, and a honey goat cheese sauce! Both bites were $6 and well worth it for the taste and aiiight serving size!

Apple Bruschetta ($6) and Bangkok Hummus ($6)

I feel like Bungalow Club was probably doing fine as that bar, but I guess it was ready for renovations after being open for 10 years and the owner decided to go in a different direction with the décor and menu (apparently more tapas-oriented now). I can understand that – Melrose is a happening street, but this further-east location doesn’t see as much foot-traffic, so it’s always good to stay fresh and relevant!

Definitely liked the atmosphere and the nice Happy Hour times – would definitely recommend checking it out!

Or so they say!

--JB

Rating: 4.5 Martinis