After years of customers peeking through construction zone gates and emailing the Austin-based company with timeline questions, the Alamo Drafthouse has arrived in Los Angeles. The multi-story movieplex lands at the redone Bloc retail and dining development in Downtown this weekend, with the first films firing up for exclusive members tonight. That means rare screenings, one-off film debuts and mini festivals, plus a whole slew of blockbusters and indie films for fans of all sorts — plus lots of food, beer, cocktails, and games of course.
The sprawling Alamo Drafthouse lands nearly atop the Bloc, to the right of the large Macy’s anchor department store just off the corner of 7th and Flower. The place carries 12 theaters in total, with just under 570 seats across all of the screening rooms.
Each seat offers a full menu of food and drink (more on that below), with customers encouraged to arrive ahead of each film’s run time to place initial orders with servers. The theaters open 30 minutes ahead of trailers for just this purpose, though food can still be ordered during the films by writing down items on a slip of paper and leaving them for staff to snag. It’s a rather uncomplicated system in practice, and one Alamo staff says is designed to minimize disruptions. It must be working, considering the company has 50-odd locations across multiple states.
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Downstairs, fans can still experience Alamo Drafthouse by way of the Video Vortex room, an open bar and seating area just off the entrance and lobby. There are 150 total seats spread across the dining and gaming area, along with a full Tex-Mex menu, movie-themed cocktails, and more than 45 craft beers on tap. In addition to the food, diners can rent out movies, play arcade games, buy merchandise like posters and t-shirts and collectibles, or hang out and play board games while films flicker on the projector screen at the end of the room. The full theater menu is below, and the Video Vortex menu can be found here.
Los Angeles’s first Alamo Drafthouse officially opens for business today to Alamo’s Victory program members, before opening to the general public tomorrow. Screening tickets range around the $17 mark, with food and drink from chef Hondo Houston for purchase. Hours vary depending on programming, and Alamo Drafthouse does validate for parking at the Bloc.
Alamo Drafthouse. 700 W. 7th St., Los Angeles, CA.
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