Crawfords in Westlake Is Dustin Lancaster's New Ode to the Great American Dive Bar

Former Westlake dive bar Linda’s shuttered long ago on Beverly, leaving late night drinkers in the area with one fewer place to fuel up before a meal at the Original Tommy’s across the street. But now here comes congenial replacement Crawfords, which aims to keep the same simple dive bar attitude, but hopefully do away with some of the previous tenant’s seedier elements.

Dustin Lancaster (Bar Covell, Augustine Wine Bar, L&E Oyster Bar, etc.) is behind the new joint, along with Matthew Dittman (a former bartender from the Hermosillo), Dave Abrams (previously of L&E), and Michael Blackman. The four guys plan to not deviate too much from the Linda’s original — they’ll be keeping Budweiser on tap permanently, for example — while switching up some of the details and offering a few classier tap and by-the-bottle beer options.

Crawfords will also have food, apparently, with fried chicken being made nightly by Brian Garrigues, formerly of Short Order. He teamed up with Christian Page to lock in the menu, and will be there cooking it up nightly.

That group has developed something of a niche for themselves in the world of casual bar rehabs, previously taking over places like El Conquistador in Silver Lake and turning them into more fun-loving concepts. They’re even still in the works on the next iteration of longtime Highland Park pool hall Hi-Hat.

Soft open as of this weekend, look for Crawfords to keep daily evening hours from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. And unlike Linda’s, its divey predecessor, you won’t have go be buzzed in by the bartender just to get a drink anymore.

Crawfords
2616 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA