When King Eddy Saloon was taken over by ACME a few years ago, there was a cry from dive bar aficionados to ensure the classic Skid Row haunt would retain its character. In some ways, the place got a well deserved clean up and scrub down, but in other ways, that gritty feel went away. Jeremy Fall, who recently made over Writer's Room in Hollywood to Golden Box, took over King Eddy with the idea of taking it back to its New Wave days in the 80s.
Fall first cut down the size of the bar in half, allowing more room for people to hang out and (gasp) even dance, though it's not the kind of club one will find on Hollywood Blvd these days. The ventilated smoking room (which ACME turned into a darts room) is back too, which makes it easy for smokers to get their fix while sipping on a tall boy. And the walls are back to black, with vintage neon signs, a Pac-Mac arcade, and even Nintendo and Genesis to keep imbibers entertained.
Drink prices remain reasonable, at $4-5 for beer, $6 wells, $8 call drinks, and $10 premium pours. Starting this week, shots of Jameson and a house beer go for $8. Tunes range from classic rock and dance throwbacks to new & dark wave hits. The King Eddy is back again, with some new shiny parts, and grungy ones in the right place.
Open tonight at 8 p.m.
