Koreatown: Break Room 86 Is Now Open for Cocktails, Video Games and Karaoke

The hotly anticipated 80s club Break Room 86 is now open at the Line Hotel in Koreatown. The entrance is located on Ardmore, just look for the neon sign– and the line of people waiting to see the gorgeous room.

There are so many details — everything from the wall of lockers, stereos, TVs and plenty of lounging space. There are also a couple of performance spaces perfect for the live bands and shows throughout the night. And near the exit is a bank of arcade games. The fun doesn’t stop there as there are four karaoke (or is it noraebang since we’re in Ktown?) rooms including one with a pretty fun entrance. You just have to find the most excellent Bill and Ted’s style phone booth. Duuuude, I love the 80s!

The best smelling drink on the menu is the Ecto Cooler which totally blew my mind. If you ever watched Ghostbusters, you wouldn’t imagine ectoplasm to be something palatable. The tequila drink smells so fresh, you want another one before you even finish your first drink. It’s also very savory so you can easily have another one without the sugar rush.

Ecto Cooler – Altos plata tequila, Noilly Prat dry vermouth, cucumber syrup, sage, lime, Bitter Truth celery bitters, Maldon smoked salt

I love the energy of the live shows. Break Room 86 currently has the talents of a very good Michael Jackson impersonator, break dancers and more.

The best name for a drink has to go to Cherry Chapstick. Although there are a couple of cherry elements from the cherry-infused pisco to the Cherry Herring, it’s not that sweet. It’s balanced out by gin and a couple of juices as well as the workhorse bitters; Angostura and Peychaud’s.

Cherry Chapstick – cherry infused-Encanto pisco, Aviation gin, Cherry Herring, lime, pineapple juice, Angostura bitters, Peychaud’s bitters

Break Room 86 has a couple of neat things on the menu including house-made wine coolers and boozy push pops. I tasted one; the Sesame Strawberry Daiquiri. My suggestion is to get a couple of these and share with friends because you’ll want to try the other two flavors. I hope to try the push pops on another trip.

Sesame Strawberry Daiquiri – strawberry infused-rose wine, toasted sesame syrup, lime, bubbles

Every single time I’ve been to Break Room 86 (three times so far!), I’ve fallen in love with some 80s song I hadn’t heard in a while. I just love the music they play. The 80s had so many hits and all the best dance music.

For another stirred cocktail, try the Are We Not Men which is a whiskey drink for everyone. The Scotch is rounded out by the aquavit and St. Germain liqueur. For a touch of sweetness, the citron honey is a cool change from agave or simple syrups.

Are We Not Men – Monkey Shoulder blended Scotch, Noilly Prat dry vermouth, Krogstad aquavit, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, citron honey, Angostura orange bitters

The karaoke rooms can be rented by the hour. There is a good assortment of songs, even some in Korean! But I was totally intrigued by the video game consoles. So sing or play games… your choice.

Cruel summer turned out to be my favorite drink of the list so far. I was initially leery of the coconut infused-rum since I’m not really a big coconut fan but it’s very subtle and you get a little bit more of the spiced banana milk. Plus with three different kinds of rum, it leaned definitely in the direction of a pina colada. But a very sophisticated one.

Cruel Summer – coconut infused-Plantation Barbados 5-year rum, El Dorado 12-year rum, Cruzan Black Strap rum, spiced banana milk

Coffee and booze fans will delight in this drink. It’s a wonderful stirred cocktail with two very powerful kicks including high proof rye whiskey and the very nice Ron Zacapa 23-year rum. Old Fashioned cocktail fans will enjoy this one.

Big Time – coffee infused-Rittenhouse rye, Ron Zacapa 23-year rum, demerara syrup, Miracle Mile toasted pecan bitters

One of the most colorful drinks on the menu, the Rock-It Pop tastes like my childhood. After the dentist– and especially after a tooth extraction, my grandfather would always treat me to a popsicle (yes, he also gave me Hershey’s chocolate for tummy aches). Vodka works in this drink with a lot of fruity flavors.

Rock-It Pop – Absolut Elyx, raspberry black tea syrup, lemon, Senior blue curacao

Break Room 86 must just become my regular spot. Although they have snacks, I would suggest hitting up the plethora of nearby spots including Pot or Commissary inside the Line Hotel, St. Martha or Cassell’s Hamburgers or really just about anything in Ktown is delicious. Maybe noodles and dumplings at nearby Myung Dong Kyoja.

Also make it a bar hop with the Normandie Club, the bar at Pot and Ktown’s fave Cafe Bleu.

Break Room 86

630 S Ardmore Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90010  —  (213) 368-3056

 

© The Minty 2015