LAist Interview: The York Bar Proprietors
In business since summer and reviewed then by LAist, The York is a gastropub in Highland Park located in the same spot that once housed The Wild Hare and before that, The Dragon. Looking nothing like its more quaint predecessors, The York offers drinks and food to the Northeast LA neighborhood in an updated, contemporary style. When business partners/owners, Ryan Ballinger and Gabe Byer took over the space, they tore out the old wood paneling and beat-up vinyl booths. Now free from a layer of fake wood, the walls display exposed brick and above them, wooden beams traverse the ceiling. Ballinger describes, “We opted for raw instead of finished, and reused a lot of materials when we could. For instance, our tabletops are from a company that makes hard slabs from pressed recycled paper.” Byer calls the style they went for as “industrial, but rustic and warm. A little quirky and fun. Mostly the kind of bar I would hang out in - not a typical LA theme place.”
That's a good description. The York is inviting and earthy, despite some more edgy, industrial details. The lighting is soft and flattering to all (beware!). The establishment offers a nice array of beers on draft, including Pilsner Urquell, Fat Tire, Boddington’s Cider, Guinness, Firestone and Craftsman. Says Ballinger, “[We carry] import beers and American craft beers. We're killing it with Craftsman beers from Pasadena, but I'm sure Mark Jilg would rather not have me plug his company, as he stays busy keeping up with demand already. Drink Craftsman beer.”
Besides calling the shots, both partners can often be found behind the bar taking orders from patrons. Food is also ordered via the bar with coordinated numbers given out on metal stands to customers. Byer and Ballinger tout The York’s burger as their favorite item on the menu. It’s a cheddar burger with spicy harissa aoli, pickled onion and rocket lettuce.
“It makes me proud,” says Byer.
“We worked with Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo (Blue Palms Lounge) as consulting chefs to come up with one that would rival some of the burgers we consider Los Angeles classics,” Ballinger explains. “Our customers are enjoying it, and we aim to offer it in different ways instead of not allowing changes to its composition -- but most people have it the way it is on the menu, because it rocks.”
The Highland Park location was key for the owners. Notes Byer, “I had not realized how starved I had been for a sense of community. I had been living in Hollywood for seven years. Neighbors would come and go and you rarely saw the same person on the street twice -- not to mention the traffic, the noise, and the grime. Highland Park fills those communal needs. You could run most of your daily errands by foot if you wanted to and you see a lot of the same faces in the stores and on the streets. Plus, there is a certain sense of camaraderie amongst the people that have moved here over the years from LA proper -- a feeling that they discovered something special.”
Adds Ballinger, “The history of the neighborhood, it being such an old settled part of Los Angeles, is appealing. I've always felt that American history is somehow forgotten in the movement of ‘progress,’ that the elements of our collective past are too often covered up with something new in the hopes that people see only the clean veneer. What we've tried to do with The York is share with the citizens of Highland Park some of the wonderful qualities of the neighborhood in case they may have forgotten what they were. I'd love it if the streetcar still stopped in front of the building. We want people to get out and about, interact with each other, and get to know their neighbors.
One of the only benefits of having notoriously crushing traffic in the city is that people start to draw their circle tighter around where they live as far as work, errands, and fun. It actually can help create wonderful neighborhoods, because people don't want to get stuck in their car if they don't have to. We have numerous customers who walk to visit us at The York, and I think that's great.”
Ballinger hopes to offer a needed space for locals and those visiting the area. “[It’s] a casual environment to relax and enjoy good food and drink. A place to catch up with neighbors and make new friends. A place that has few if any of the pressures of work or home and is staffed by people who do their best to take care of you -- as long as you order through the bar.”
Says Byer, “Thanks to everyone who has helped us make this project happen, and thanks to the people of Northeast Los Angeles who have welcomed us. We're looking forward to serving you.”
The York
5018 York Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90042
(323) 255-9675
Mon. -Fri.: 5:00 pm – 2:00 am
Sat. & Sun: 10:30 am – 2:30 am
Photos by An Tran for LAist