Message from Barbarella Bar
Silverlake's newest hot spot, Barbarella Bar, is a sprawling 4,300-square-foot bar, restaurant, and lounge whose name is inspired by the legendary 1968 cult classic film. Visionary owner Anat Escher's plan is to enhance Silverlake's nightlife culture. Escher’s other property, The Bungalow Club, has been a long-standing success on Melrose Avenue since 2001. Barbarella Bar boasts an incredible selection of artisan beer--over 24 global microbrews on tap from Germany, Canada, Belgium and the U.S. and an impressive wine list Rounding out the spirits are 10oz specialty martinis and cocktails such as the ultra-satisfying Barbarella Cosmo. The World cuisine menu features big and small plates focused intently on the use of organic meat, fish and vegetables. Patrons can dine on cold and hot dishes that includes a large choice of vegan and vegetarian items.
Editorial by Citysearch
In ShortShowcasing a spacious, sexy interior with high ceilings and walls lined with red leather booths, this space is, contrary to its name, more than just a bar. In fact, it's a full-service restaurant that gets extra jammed come Friday and Saturday nights. The owners (also behind the Bugalow Club on Melrose) are also contemplating installing a sushi bar upstairs. While it's painful to see this space trying so hard to be everything at once, the good news is that management seems very open to feedback from the neighborhood. And if the locals who've already embraced the place have anything to say about it, this spot won't share the fate of former occupant Zen Sushi.
Key Points
- 24 Global Microbrews On Tap.
- Happy Hour Menu
- LA's Best DJs
The Inside Scoop
- Know Before You Go - Dinner is served from 6pm to 12am Sunday through Thursday, and till 1am Friday and Saturday.
- Parking - Pony up the $4 for valet--it's worth it to not deal with the hassle of trying to find street parking.
- Save Money - Happy hour is from 4pm to 7pm nightly featuring half off on all cocktails and specialty priced beer and wine.
- What to Drink - The bar features over 24 global microbrews on tap from Germany, Canada, Belgium and the U.S. There's also a list of specialty martinis and cocktails like the Barbarella Cosmo.
- Save Money - Happy hour happens from 4pm-7pm during the week. Specials include $4 draft beer, $6 martinis and mojitos and discounted small plates.
- Save Money - Happy hour lasts all day long on Mondays and from 4pm-7pm the rest of the week. Specials include $4 draft beer, $6 martinis and mojitoes and discounted small plates.
Latest reviews from Citysearch.
Barbella Bar
by TrealTalk
I thought this place was mad fun. A really cool vibe. The drinks were a little more than i thought for Happy Hour, but nonetheless, everything was cool. If their Happy Hour was as inexpensive as Club Sushi's, this place would be perfect!
Pros: Cool Spot
Posted 04/09/09
Great atmosphere and people
by honeysuckles
My friends and I checked out this bar on a Friday night. The interior looks great but most importantly we loved the drinks and the appetizers were good. The crowd was good looking and everyone was having a good time. I would definitely go back to chill out again.
Pros: Good drinks
Posted 04/05/09
Fabulous newcomer to Silverlake
by doney86
I celebrated my birthday here on 3/14/09. I live in Los Feliz and love to support the local businesses. I was excited to see that Barbarella had recently opened and was curious about having my party there. Let me just preface this review by saying I can be quite picky ? that?s not to say that I?m hard to please, just that if things don?t fall into place just right well ? a girl can get easily disappointed.
The owner Anat could not have taken better care of the planning, the night, the whole package. I was very, very impressed. She was easy to get a hold of, attentive to emails, requests, was extremely cooperative and accommodating. I could not have been more pleased with how the evening turned out. She reserved the whole cozy black leather booth area just to the left of the front door for us. We had dinner for 20 people. The servers (namely Sara & Nicole) were amazing. They were friendly, attentive, had impeccable timing with the appetizers, dinner, cake ? When we needed extra table space, they brought an additional table out immediately. Anat allowed us to bring in our own DJ which was incredibly awesome as well.
I?ve heard varying reviews about the food. I can only attest for what I had but I heard no complaints from any of our guests. We had family style appetizers and I loved all the ones we had ? especially the arugula salad (very fresh, loved the strawberries) and burrata mozzarella (interesting combination of flavors & very tasty). I thought the halibut entr?e was amazing.
The drinks are very fairly priced (as is the food) and the martinis are ample! You definitely get your money?s worth. I think it?s fantastic that they have happy hour every day of the week, not just the weekdays.
The only complaint I have which I didn?t experience personally but several of my friends commented on is the valet. In the middle of an economic downturn, you wouldn?t know it at Barbarella. They?re doing phenomenally well ? more than their valet service can handle. Cars were lined down Hyperion waiting to be parked. They need to hire a few more guys on weekend nights for sure.
Overall, we had an amazing, unforgettable experience. The service, the food, the drinks, the music & ambience ? it was all perfect. This was one of those ?landmark? birthdays for me, so I needed to be whisked away into a happy place for 5 hours filled with fun and no stress. Barbarella delivered in spades. I definitely plan on becoming a regular here.
Pros: great place for a party, affordable, friendly staff
Cons: parking, valet staff needs help
Posted 03/19/09
Great beer selection. Crappy service
by SativanSam
We went a couple weeks ago for our friend's birthday. The place looks pretty cool when you walk in. Big. Lots of beer taps. We had to wait at the front to be helped to our table for about 5 minutes. We sat down and waited for at least 20 minutes for anyone to come offer us a drink. We actually went up to the bar to get a drink, but had to wait there too, so we sat back down. Our waitress was adorable, but she kept bringing us the wrong beers. When we finally were asked what we wanted to eat, we were told they were out of about 4 things on the menu. A friend asked for something that the waitress hadn't included on her 'We are out of: ' list, and she came back and said they were out of that too. We had to wait FOREVER for drinks, and when we were finished, we had to wait even longer to get our check. It was extremely frustrating, and the food wasn't even that great anyway. I will NOT be making the trek to Silver Lake for Barbarella again. It's a shame because it could be a really great place.
Pros: They let us bring in our own birthday cake.
Cons: Bad service. They were out of EVERYTHING. On a Wednesday.
Posted 03/13/09
straight
by Poeticalmath
Went there to enjoy a great evening with some friends, with the intent of getting smashed..... ended up slammin pitchers, was kind of disappointed
Pros: beer
Cons: not a wide selection of hard alcohol
Posted 03/13/09
Bad Service, Salty Food, Good Beer
by chavi00
I went to Barbarella Friday night for dinner and drinks.
Drinks were great. Large selection of beers.
Food was waaaay less than great. Everything was extremely salty. We started with the guacamole egg rolls which had a nice crust, but were super mushy and salty inside (we should've figured on the mush). I had the California burger which was very small and was overwhelmed by the huge bun that engulfed it. Two-thirds of the way in, the burger was gone and all I had left was mushed bread. My wife's pizza was edible, but slightly burnt and very garlicky.
Oh, and the service freakin' blew. It took about 10 minutes to get a drink at the bar, which wasn't even close to packed. When our friends joined us at our table for after-dinner drinks, their drink orders took at least 20 minutes. We spent a lot of time time waiting on the waitstaff.
Maybe I'll return there for drinks, but never for food. There are much better places to go to on Hillhurst and Vermont for similar food and an overall better dining experience.
Pros: Nice Beer Selection
Cons: Food, Service
Posted 03/07/09
hot foreign bartenders in corsets, amazing prices for happy hour, huge world famous beer selection
by chrisbueno
I freaking loved the place. The food is totally affordable and delicious. We came in for happy hour last night and couldn't believe the prices on all those world famous beers.. for $4 bucks you can have any tap beer you want such as Chimay, St. Bernardus, Triple Karmeliet, Fullers ESB and some other ones I can't remember, they have over 20 beers on tap too. If I remember correctly they also have a happy hr special for $6.00 on martini's, mojitos and well drinks.. plus some menu items such as empanadas made w/ brie cheese and ahi tar tar (sooo good), oh and must I mention that their martinis are 10 ounces? omg I had only one and was def feeling it. They also have a fire pit outside too. The place is just very different and totally Silverlake. Will definitely become a regular. Also, the bartenders are super helpful and willing to teach you about the beers or anything else you might ask, oh and they all wear corsets so what more can you ask for haha..
Pros: cheap valet, cheap drinks, good looking employees, beautiful place and great beer and wine selection
Cons: found nothing bad about the place
Posted 02/21/09