Downtown’s Next Casual Cocktail Setup Lands Inside a Spring Street Food Hall

Downtown’s laid back Corporation Food Hall has a new anchor tenant: The Fountain, a bar project by the busy Artisanal Brewers Collective team. The full cocktail bar is set to open in the coming days at the back of the food hall on south Spring Street.

The Fountain is slated to be a different kind of project for ABC, the bustling bar and restaurant group known for dropping in a dozen new projects around greater Southern California in just a few years’ time. Many of those focus on housemade craft beer (as the name implies) done inside standalone restaurant spaces they also operate, whereas The Fountain is part of someone else’s larger footprint. The 16-seat U-shaped back bar won’t serve any food of its own, relying instead on existing vendors inside like South City Fried Chicken and Gyoza Boyz.

As for the drinks, the plan is to offer a consolidated menu of $12 cocktail options that can be served fast and kept fun, as well as the usual slew of craft beer. The opening menu will actually use a classic View-Finder (suddenly a very hot retro restaurant item, apparently) to show off images of the ‘80s era drinks, ranging from a Huey Lewis and the Booze with rye whiskey and sweet vermouth, to the Depeche Mojito with rum, lime, mint, and sugar. The colorful opening menu is below.

The Fountain is just the latest tenant to make a go of it at Corporation Food Hall. The small space has struggled to attract a consistent customer base beyond the lunchtime crowds, even as more and more food halls look to come online in greater Downtown. There’s a big new option called Santee Passage coming online in the nearby Fashion District next year as well as The Fields open at LAFC’s Banc of California Stadium, while Clifton’s Republic recently began a rebrand that will reportedly turn the ground-floor cafeteria into a food hall as well. And, of course, Downtown is also home to the 101-years-young Grand Central Market, one of America’s most recognized food halls.

Expect an opening for The Fountain sometime before the end of the month, along with a 25% off deal when the place actually comes alive. Look for hours from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

The Fountain. 724 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA.

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