SOUTH

I've found South Bar to be hit or miss since I moved to LA a few months ago, but you'll never be disappointed when you're only paying $3 a beer. That's why I can't believe I'm the first to mention "Recession-Proof Thursdays." $3 draft beer, $2 mystery shots, and $2-$3 sandwiches like sloppy joes, pulled pork, and grilled cheese! Trust me, I consider myself to have a "sophisticated pallete" (I enjoy 5 course tasting menus), and enjoyed every last bite. My bf and I stayed for a game, had two beers each, two shots, and 5 sandwiches between us for unter $30! Staff is friendly despite the crowd...even if one of them is a yankees fan :)

Pros: cheap food/drink, young vibe

Posted 11/03/09

2-for-1 every day from 3PM-8PM.
Tuesday nights, 2-for-1 from 9PM to close.
The bar is a little lackluster in my opinion, but it draws a good crowd on weekends and during any major sporting event that isn't golf. I like the food, and it never gave me the mud butt, but it seems others have had dissimilar experiences. Go the safe route and just drink. The bartenders are friendly and they know how to make an "18 Dummy..." in a mason jar, no less!

Pros: Firendly staff, best happy hour ever

Cons: it gets a little too crowded

Posted 02/20/09

Nice Bar but absolutely horrible food, went there for my buddies birthday because he was visiting from Louisiana and I herd this place had good southern style food. Biggest mistake ever! Two of the guys got sick from the food, yes the food because the two guys that got sick don?t drink. I think the alcohol saved the rest of us. I called to speak with the manager and I am still waiting for a call back?it?s only been 3 or 4 weeks. I know he can?t be that busy because there was hardly anyone in there when we went, and now I know why.

Pros: Nice Bar

Cons: Everything else

Posted 02/18/09

This place was recommended by several people. We decided to try it out. It has a sports bar feel without being too crammed. The tables have a good amount of space between them plus they have a space where you can lounge in some comfy chairs to watch the game. The drinks were the BIGGEST let down. If you let to have good drinks while your out. DONT go here. The pour is terrible. It taste like juice. Not to mention they are $10 plus a drink. I do not mind paying good mooney for a good drink but when it is bad then they are just trying to rip people off. The food was ok. Part of our food came out cold. It was not authentic food, and since we ordered cajun dishes we expected them to be spicy. They were NOT spicy AT ALL!! This is suppose to be cajun food! I was not to thrilled with this place and think that they are way over priced for what they have to offer. I would only go back if it is happy hour and stick with beer because the bartenders are not good.

Posted 12/21/08

I have been to a lot of bars in LA and this one is at the top of my list. I have been to this place at least 50 times. It is that good. I would say I have been to over 40 other bars in LA, so have seen the full range of what is out there.

1. Drinks - Drinks are reasonably priced and not mixed down. Great selection of beers on tap and bartenders are always cool. Lots of specialty drinks that will allow you to get your drink on Southern style.

2. TV's - If you want to go somewhere and watch a game, this is THE place. They have over 30 huge flatscreen TV's and they are well placed. Any game that is on, is playing at this place. And let's say that you want to watch a game and it is not already playing, the DJ or one of the staff will get it on a TV for you.

3. Food - Food is awesome. There is a very good variety of items and the prices are reasonable. I have tried pretty much everything on the menu here and nothing has disappointed me. My favorites would have to include the Chicken PotPie and Bacon Cheese Burgers. The place opens around noon so this is a very good place for business lunches or client meetings as well.

4. Service - Wait times are not long excpet for sometimes when place is packed out. Even then, wait staff are pretty much awesome.

5. Parking - This is LA,so no review would be complete without mentioning where you can park your ride. This place has plenty of parking with attendants. No hunting for a spot or worrying about getting towed or broken into.

I live in the SF valley and I regularly drive over to the Westside to go to South.

Once you go there, you will see what I am talking about!

Pros: Tons of TVs, Good food & drinks, enough parking, fast service, Good DJ

Cons: Sometimes crowded on Friday night

Posted 12/10/08

I may be biased because I'm from the south, but I love this place...For anyone who has been in LA for awhile, I think this place offers a welcome alternative. It's a breath of fresh air (literally) the way they've set up the windows & patio to feel so open. The staff is cute and nice, the food is solid, you're in good hands at the bar, I'm a fan of the DJ & it's just a good scene...I think they've experienced some growing pains like any new kid on the block, but I think this place is here to stay. My recommendation on food is to grab a handful of apps - can't go wrong w/ the fried green tomaters, voodoo shrimp, fried pickles, hush puppies & don't be afraid of the chicken-waffle sliders. If you're into specialty drinks, get the Hurricane, otherwise the beer list is more than ample. I brought in a group of 15 & was treated like a king, as they have a couple great rooms in the back. If your crew is looking for a new spot, I highly recommend the South.

Pros: the atmosphere, the staff, the apps & the bar

Cons: gets crowded late on the wkends

Posted 11/17/08

I have been in LA for a while, and I am so glad SOUTH has arrived. Everytime i am there i can be myself, and just have fun. The food is amazing, and my friends and i have sworn we will eat everything on the menu. The drinks are great, and very reasonable. I have been for hapy hour (mon-fri 3-8) with co-workers, and we always have a blast. The staff always bends over backwards, and they are by far the friendliest i have come across in the city. The bartenders are fast, efficent, and approachable. They remember your names and what you drink! I like it that they have something different going on every night. Karaoke is a blast on Sundays (2 dollar shots), Honkey Tonk Bingo on Tuesdays (be prepared), and by far the best trivia ive seen in LA on Wed nights.... It truly is a place that makes you feel home.. Thank you SOUTH!!

Pros: Friendly service, great food, great atmosphere

Posted 11/13/08

bad service, crowded, loud loud music/ tv's..., not comfortable for dining and food not good at all ; we were really disappointed, everyone looked very young and wasted

Pros: a new neighborhood possibility

Cons: bad service, uncomfortable seating and music/tv's too loud

Posted 11/10/08

My girlfriends and I have been frequenting SOUTH since it opened this past Spring. South works as your typical "Neighborhood Bar & Grill". Actually, it's kind of like an Applebee's or TGIF's if you eliminated the Weight Watchers menu and the teenage waitresses and replaced them with fried pickles and super hunky bar staff.

South is a great place to catch a game. They have a ton of TV's, always tuned into really important sporting events. I was even able to watch Joey Chestnut defeat Kobyachi during this year's Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Contest at South! When game time is over, South often plays really random music videos, which is something that I always look for and admire in any bar.

The drinks are reasonably priced and they have these massive fish bowl drinks that look like a fun time. The menu features Southern inspired fare, not too friendly to the waistline (i.e. a plethora of deep fried items, nachos (which are a fav) and massive burgers and sandwiches). On Friday & Saturday nights it is not uncommon to find a line outside the door. South is a great place to meet singles. The DJ isn't the best, and must feel obligated to play "Sweet Home Alabama each night as a tribute to the restaurant / bar's moniker. They do not play Bob Sinclair.

Overall, I would recommend South. It is a great place to go for an unpretentious good time.

Posted 10/30/08

Went there with some friends the other day for happy hour and although the concept seems promissing, the execution is lacking. The place seems relatively new, tons of flat screens, cute waitresses and a pretty large venue, but the appetizers were sub-par and the signature drinks alittle pricy.

Happy hour had some good deals on well drinks and beer, but again, the signature drinks were $10-$15 (should have been a discount during HH). The nachos are below average (served luke warm, horrible cheese sauce, weak chips and rubber chicken), the french fries were ruined by the olive tepanade they top them off with and the chicken and waffle sliders were marginal (they could have had something with this menu item - made Roscoe's C&W look like the fine dining) as it was an ok waffle with a chicken strip in the middle, served with gravy (bad idea) and syrup.

Didn't have a Hurricane (props to them for trying to use Pat O'Brien's Hurricane mix (from New Orleans), but then they go and use Tommy Bahamma rum and ruin it. Yes the drinks are served in mason jars to try to add that southern flair, but I'd just prefer they make a proper drink like they do in the South. The mint julep was awful. They tried to call it a " southern mojito", another bad idea. A proper mint julep should just be muddled mint, sugar, spring water, crushed ice and Bourbon. The freaking thing had limes in it. Any proper southerner would pours that drink "stiff", meaning heavy on the Bourbon, with a touch of spring water and the sugar and mint are just for show. The disaster they pored me there was overly sweet, used mint that was wilting and probably a shot and a half of Bourbon. Again, the limes just ruined it! Overall, probably would chill there again, but would only drink the beer and stay away from the food.

Hopefully they can revamp the menu, get some better bartenders and the South shall rise again!

Pros: New, plenty of tv's and cute waitresses

Cons: Signature drinks are weak, food is bad

Posted 08/06/08

I want this place to be fun. I live nearby and love sports bars. Everytime I go here I look around and think I'm just in an everyday strip center bar like a TGI Friday's or BW3's. I hope the energy and crowd doesn't die down too soon!

Posted 06/18/08

South is bigger than most sports bars in the west-side, namely, Busby's, Q's or the Parlor. While most of the sports bars I mentioned are cool, when it gets crowded (for big games - like the NBA Finals), it's hard to move around those bars (specially the Parlor). Food-wise, it's a mixed bag, while the menu does offer southern food, most of the food on the menu is fried, so if you're watching your health, this is not the first choice for dining. The biggest draw of this bar is the layout, theres TV's all over the place, so wherever you are, you can watch TV. The staff is very friendly, so are the owners (former Q's bartenders). The drinks are good, the patrons represents a good cross-section of west-side people: young people, recent college grads, business professionals who work in the area...so its a good mix of people. The vibe is pretty good. Lots of good-looking single people come here (if you're on the prowl), and definitely never a dull moment. I'm a regular patron already and they've only been open for 2 months. Kudos to the owners!

Posted 06/06/08