Everyone loves a secret! There’s something about having inside info that buoys your spirit and adds a spring to your step. Even better than knowing a secret is being able to let your friends in on it. Tucked away on El Centro Avenue just off Hollywood Boulevard; L.A.’s hippest garage sale offers the chance to snag vintage vinyl and for those in the know, a little something extra. Past the dusty knickknacks and requisite rolling rack of dated fashions sits a garage refrigerator that holds more than the promise of an ice cold beer. Pull open the dingy appliance door and step through to the decade where adults threw key parties and girls like Marcia Brady ruled the school.
Good Times at Davey Wayne’s is the latest concept bar from the Houston brothers, the team behind some of L.A.’s most buzzed about hot spots, including Harvard and Stone, Dirty Laundry and No Vacancy. This time around, the brothers take on the 1970s and starting with the epic garage sale as speakeasy façade, their attention to detail is truly impressive.
The dimly lit, wood-paneled space is broken up into a series of intimate rooms each containing clusters of chenille couches and chairs in faded avocado green, burnt orange and mustard yellow. These cozy little groupings along with the groovy décor were designed to make you feel as if you’re hanging out in the rec room your parents never got around to updating.
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Travel past the DJ spinning old school tunes atop a vintage tube TV cabinet to the main bar to grab a draught beer or classic cocktail. The drinks on the bar menu are a nod to the 70s both in name and in style. The Regal Beagle (Plantation Barbados 5yr rum, salted pistachio syrup, amontillado sherry, fresh lime, egg white) and Some Call me Maurice (cinnamon-infused Vida Mezcal, Crème de menthe, Crème de cacao, coffee, cream) are sweet, stiff concoctions reminiscent of that era. The bartenders will also whip up libations based on your liquor and taste preferences. I asked for something “crisp and savory” and ended up with the Good Times riff on the Eastern Standard, which happens to be one of my favorites. It was a delicious balance of vodka, lime, mint and cucumber.
Ready for some fresh air and possibly a snack, I hit the back patio. An airstream trailer serves as the outdoor bar where you can get boozy sno-cones and dine on tasty comfort food like spicy Korean BBQ ribs and street corn. Keeping true to the theme, the outdoor space is replete with hammocks and kitschy patio furniture, the perfect “backyard” spot for hanging with friends. Good Times at Davey Wayne’s was designed to show you a good time, and it does just that.
