Happy Hour: Trader Vic’s

Although I find myself reaching for mostly whiskey drinks these days, I’m not adverse to rum. I like a good tiki drink as much as anyone. And mai tais are a fave. I’ve been going to Trader Vic’s for years. When a new location opened up in Downtown, I thought it would be as much fun as the old Beverly Hills location (not the new one relegated to the pool area).  But this LA Live location is a little too new. There’s no patina of age and most of the decor could be considered hokey.

The Vixen and I hosted a big event at Trader Vic’s last Fall. With over 70 people attending, it was a bit difficult to get management to understand we needed the entire bar and not the tiny patio they had us milling around in. Despite the frustration at setting up the event, everyone enjoyed themselves. I have heard the manager I dealt with has moved on so perhaps things will be a bit more easier if we were to set up another large event.

Of course, I returned for the drinks.  My favorite is the Queen’s Park Swizzle.  Usually the bartender will try to make sure I understand what I’m getting into. It’s a mixture of dark and light rums with some lime juice. Sounds fairly tame but you really shouldn’t have more than two. Maybe just have one.

Trader Vic’s also serves up a decent happy hour with $3 off specialty drinks, $4 beer and $5 selected wine, Ocean vodka and Barcadi rum drinks.

We were headed to dinner so we didn’t order much food. Otherwise, I find the Trader Vic’s burger for $5 is quite filling. The calamari was pretty good as well as the fries from the pulled pork sliders. The buns and meat were a little sad. Yet, appreciated to combat the instant buzz of Trader Vic’s drinks.

Trader Vic’s

800 West Olympic Boulevard

Los Angeles, CA 90015-1360

(213) 785-3330