Nestled in Westwood Village is an unexpected piece of the East Coast in the form of Glendon Bar and Kitchen. Not only does the restaurant offer an affordable happy hour, any guest can tell from the get-go that this bar stands out from the rest with its high ceilings and interior design.
“It definitely has a New York feel,” general manager Julien Cox said. “This place is very casual chic, with exposed brick walls and chandeliers.”
As a preserved historic site, it’s no wonder that the eatery boasts more of a classy, vintage feel than the regular run-of-the-mill Westwood bar. It also helps that the owner and executive chef, Nick Jacobs, lived, worked, and was culinarily trained in New York.
“We still have the old, original signage of the Mustache Cafe, the restaurant that used to occupy this spot,” Diane Jacobs, Nick’s mother, said. “The Mustache Cafe was an iconic restaurant for years, the place to be if you were in Westwood. It was made to look like a French marketplace.”
The chef still makes his version of the French souffle that used to be served to diners.
“We’re proud to be part of the Mustache essence,” Jacobs said.
Although a couple of short-lived restaurants preceded it, the Glendon Bar and Kitchen is currently in its fifth year of business. “There’s nothing that goes through the kitchen doors that wasn’t prepared and made on-site,” Jacobs said.
The freshly made food likely contributes to the array of different crowds Glendon Bar and Kitchen attracts.
“We get a mix of everybody,” Cox said. “Sometimes there are older crowds just wanting a glass of wine, and then there are college students participating in bar crawls. We also have a lot of young professionals coming through.”
With UCLA’s main campus a stone’s throw away, Glendon Bar and Kitchen is also accustomed to hosting college-related private events, whether it be as simple as a study group or as bustling as a fraternity event.
Naturally, the bar’s college-focused location makes for the perfect chance to provide a killer happy hour special.
Every day from 4 pm to 7 pm and then from 10 pm to midnight (closing), Glendon Bar and Kitchen offers happy hour drinks and eats. Cocktails are priced at $7.50, with wines at $6, well drinks at $5.50, and beers at $3.50 and $4.
Some of the bar’s signature cocktails include the Slenderita Black (Zarco Blanco tequila, lime, fresh blackberries, and agave) and the Jane Fonda (cucumber pieces, agave, freshly squeezed lime juice, and vodka).
A variation of the Moscow Mule is also available, with ginger highlighted instead of incorporating ginger beer, senior bartender Ryan Hooks uses fresh-cut ginger and ginger ale to spotlight the taste.
“This way, we get a better essence of the ginger, but still get the fizziness by adding in the ginger ale,” Hooks said. “We still have ginger beer available upon request, though.”
Hooks also said that Glendon’s flatbreads – the Chicken Barbie (grilled chicken, spicy BBQ black bean sauce, scallions, red onions, grilled corn, roasted peppers, mozzarella, gruyere, parmesan, and sour cream) and the Ugly Goat (goat cheese, kale, pesto sauce, mozzarella, parmesan, scallions, and basil) – are customer favorites, pair well with the alcoholic drinks, and are priced at $6.50 during happy hour.
To add to the variety, there are about 13 other food choices available during happy hour, from spring rolls to Belgian-style fries to $1 wings.
“I’d say we probably have the best happy hour in Los Angeles,” both Hooks and Cox said with a laugh.
Glendon Bar and Kitchen is located at 1071 Glendon Ave. in Westwood. For more information, call 310.208.2023 or visit glendonla.com.
