Open 365 days a year, Mom’s Bar is designed to make you new friends and get a good, bargain buzz on. The no-frills lounge bar is ideal for parties (no reservation fees and an affordable, affable space) or for meeting new people; whoever you come in with, Mom’s will take care of you.
The sister bar (or aunt?) of the Backstage Bar in Culver City, Mom’s spot, on Santa Monica Blvd. between Amherst and Wellesley avenues, has been open since 1955 where it was first called Blue Flame.
Curiously, it was named after another legendary Mom’s Bar of year’s past; hidden above the streets of Westwood Village and only accessible by alley and up a long metal stairway, this Mom’s Bar was an underage drinker’s fantasy described as a rough and tough biker bar-pool hall.
“It was kind of a rough place you couldn’t wander in by accident,” said Ben, the manager of the Mom’s Bar of today. “Now of course it’s not like that with our Mom’s. But for a lot of people growing up on the Westside it was kind of a positive memory.”
The existing Mom’s Bar is a decidedly more welcoming place. It starts with a young staff for a young crowd. And the driving ethos of their service begins with the friendliness of the bartenders and servers.
“It’s kind of a different business model because of our hiring,” Ben said. “We don’t necessarily go for the most experienced and longest resume. We go for really decent human beings with a good heart and a happy attitude and then teach them how to do what they need to do. But it starts with the staff.”
The gregarious staff not only compliments the space inside of Mom’s, but they serve it well. Full service is offered on the smoking-and-drinking patio, in the quiet lounge in the back replete with sofas and dim lighting, and in the game room with Ms. Pacman.
In the main room, a Ping Pong table sits on the dance floor during the weekday, if you’re not in the photo booth or at the jukebox.
Arguably the most popular drink is the $9 AFF (Absolutely ****ing Fabulous) with Absolut Raspberry, Chambord Liqueur, Peach Liqueur, cranberry and fresh lime juice and shaken on the rocks. Second best comes in the form of the house’s version of the $9 Moscow Mule, with Stoli, lime juice, essence of ginger and ginger ale, served in the traditional copper cup.
But feel free to stray from the expected winners and venture out to try drinks like the American Beauty, made of Midnight Moon Apple Pie Whiskey, fresh lime and a splash of ginger ale on the rocks. Or the White Light, with Tequila Cazadores Silver, Soho Lychee Liqueur, grapefruit juice and a splash of soda.
The draft and bottle beer list is just as impressive as the cocktails. And the list of wines, cordials, rums, gins, tequila, vodka and international whiskeys will keep your palettes and wallets content. This is a bar for the drinker who does not discriminate. If you want a variety of drink options, explore Mom’s liquor cabinet.
With that, Happy Hour is seven days a week, from 4 to 8 p.m., with $1 off all ready cheap drinks. Feel at ease to binge-eat their homemade garlic-lemon-salt-pepper potato chips. Thick and hand-cut, they’re free and everlasting and not just for Happy Hour.
If you get hungry for more, gourmet food trucks line the streets outside on the weekend nights. Even better, you can bring your food inside after. Try the pizza place across the street if the food trucks are missing.
Inside, the action is even more diverse. Tuesdays see Berlin-style Ping Pong, a kind of musical chairs for the paddle and balls. Wednesdays is karaoke night, hosted by KJ-Shane for the past four years. Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights host live DJs with no cover charge, ever.
“The DJs are just really in tune with the crowd – everyone works up a little sweat,” Ben said.
And then there’s the ‘90s night on the last Friday of every month. Dress code is ‘90s attire (think dungarees, flannels and backward caps), music from the late 20th century and glow bands swarm the bar. The best costume gets a gift certificate.
“The truth is, it’s a very social place when you go back to what bars has always been about,” Ben said.
He likened the experience of Mom’s to the origin of the tavern in pre-America Europe; the inceptive goal was to foster a place of merry drinking and sociable mingling.
“I think that what Mom’s has going for it,” he said, adding that it’s a place for people of all backgrounds to circulate.
Mom’s Bar is located at 12238 Santa Monica Blvd., and open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. For more information call 310-820-MOMS or visit momsbar.com.
