The Pikey

7616 W. Sunset Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 850-5400

thepikeyla.com

twitter.com/thepikeyla

Parking: Neighborhood parking, check the signs and meters, limited parking behind the bar

Days: Daily

Time: 4-6pm

Drink Deals: $3 Beers, $5 Wines, $9 Specialty Cocktails

Food Deals: Bar bites from $3-6

For our last Happy Hour visit with JG in town, we decided on a nearby location that we’d covered before – back when it was the much beloved Coach & Horses. After the heartbreaking last days of C&H, the bar and its adjacent restaurant were transformed into the Pikey, a lighter, airier, cleaner British-fashioned pub than its predecessor.

JG had read that the place really picked up at night and dinner tables were hard to come by, so we were pleasantly surprised to find the place pretty quiet when we stopped by at 5pm on a Saturday afternoon. There were enough folks for okay people watching – a group of girls either meeting up for a rowdy book club or a tame bachelorette party, several couples including at least 2 sets that looked like tourists (I want to know what guide books they were reading to find this spot!), and the quintessential LA bar-goer – a cute writer working on his laptop.

The Pikey is known for its elevated pub food – courtesy chef Ralph Johnson who helped kick off the nation’s gastropub craze at NYC’s Spotted Pig. With large plates like Eggplant, Tomato, & Lentil Curry w/ Punjabi Cornbread ($13) and British classic Fish & Chips ($14), I was sorry I didn’t go to the pub on an emptier stomach. Luckily, their Happy Hour small plates were just fine too – I enjoyed Snack of Champions: Smoked Bar Nuts ($3) and Pickled Vegetables ($4). Yum! JG was smart and showed up hungry – she enjoyed the Fish & Chips!

 Fish & Chips ($14)

 

Smoked Bar Nuts ($3)

 Pickled Vegetables ($4)

Besides its rep for tasty bites, The Pikey also has a high mixology pedigree as its owner Ralph Johnson also owns one of JG’s favorite mixology spots, The Roger Room. The Pikey’s specialty drinks aren’t cheap, though at $9 during Happy Hour, they’re still $5 cheaper than their non-HH price. 

The Stanley ($9)

They also offer $3 PBR Tall Boys and Bud Light Cans and $5 house red and white wines, but what’s the fun with those items when their specialty cocktails line-up includes fun drinks like The Stanley (Starr African Rum, Pimm’s No. 1, and Lemon Juice) and the awesomely named Divine Brown (Ancient Age Whiskey and Dr. Pepper) (Hugh Grant was arrested with Ms. Brown a block up the street, right by the former All American Burger, now the all American Chipotle). I ordered the Stanley whilst JG went for the Sloane Ranger (Stoli Vanilla, Crushed Strawberries, and Champagne). 

The Sloane Ranger ($9) and sample of The Caravan

The drinks were quite good and strong, so we only had the one round, but the excellent bartender hooked us up with shot-glass sized samples of the Caravan (rum, honey liqueur, pineapple juice, and habanero infused peach bitters). Awesome.

While we miss the gritty dive bar glamour of Coach & Horses, we can totally get behind Happy Hour at The Pikey. We’re just not so sure about its name – an apparently offensive British slang term. Dang, why you gotta be all controversial? We just want good food, good drinks, and a good time!

--JB

Rating: 4 Martinis