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A beer hall flipped into a sports and cocktail bar on 7th Street in downtown Los Angeles, offering a refined place for the modern sports fan to get something other than a PBR and buffalo wings. Nestled among favorites like B.S. Taqueria, Little Sister and Seven Grand, the new Brack Shop Tavern assumes the space formerly occupied by the beer-centric Barrel Down. Brack Shop comes from Last Word Hospitality, the folks behind Silver Lake's Same Same.
Fans of Barrel Down will find Brack Shop Tavern comfortingly familiar, as it has retained the minimalist bar, the sidewalk patio, and the large selection of draft beers. There have been several cosmetic changes, however, via Ricki Kline of Design + Build. The walls are a deep blue (a nod to our new football team) and they're lined with neatly framed portraits of athletes, the way other bars display the stars of old Hollywood. There are more TVs, of course, as it couldn't be a sports bar without them, but their specialty isn't massive mugs of session ale and greasy bar food. Rather, they have a fine selection of craft cocktails, solid beers and a small, but varied menu with reasonable prices—especially during happy hour.
Food offerings range from shareable snacks to the filling sandwiches, without a clear direction: you can get a Mediterranean salad, tamales or a Welsh rarebit, for instance. If you're just looking for something to munch on while watching the game, order a bag of their buttered popcorn, flavored with chermoula and nori. Their elote is a standout small plate: the corn comes off the cob, smothered in garlic and lime aioli, and manchego and cotija cheese. For something a bit heartier, try the piri piri roasted pork empanadas, and for something even more filling, they do a patty melt with jalapeno pimento cheese, to which you can add a fried egg for a buck. There are plenty of options for vegetarians, including the spicy mole tacos, which consist of cauliflower, pickled red onion and lime crema on a tortilla made in-house.
They've got about over a dozen craft beers on tap, including some seasonal and nitro options, as well as wine and craft cocktails. Those run about $10-12, and include Just Another Tequila Sunrise (a spicy take on the classic cocktail with tequila, mezcal, passion fruit and cayenne syrup, and hibiscus) and the highly caffeinated Brack Shop Coffee made with cold brew, amaro and chicory bourbon.
During happy hour, which runs Monday through Saturday from 4-7 p.m., you can get deals on select small plates and a drink for $5-7. This includes house wines for $5, a $6 Old Fashioned, a $7 penicillin, or a $5 vodka, whiskey or tequila cocktail mixed with one of their house-made sodas. (The tequila + cucumber or the vodka + hibiscus are quite refreshing and not too boozy.) On Sundays from 10 a.m. to midnight, you can stop by for football, a bloody Mary, and brunch.
Brack Shop Tavern is located at 525 W. 7th Street in downtown Los Angeles, (213) 232-8657
