The Woods

For years people have been telling me about this place, but I kept forgetting to go. I would drive by the strip mall with the light up sign and think, «oh, I should go here…» And then forget. Luckily, someone reminded us to go, so on Sunday night, we ventured out and oh my god, what a treat of a bar. There’s happy hour until 10 every night with $ 5 wells, a $ 4 shot, and $ 6 martinis, a strong pour, a digital jukebox when there isn’t a DJ playing, and a forest them throughout the building. The outside is deceiving but once you enter through those doors, you’ve entered into a makeshift forest. Each table is a tree stump and it’s a scream and wonderful. We sat there for a few hours, and drank with everyone else who could get drunk on a Sunday night. We will be back. Often.

Sooooo… I valet my car in what looks like a pretty broke down strip mall in Hollywood and look around to make sure I’m in the right spot– my friend wants to celebrate her birthday HERE?!? But when I walk in, all the doubt and confusion washes away.
It’s a hipster-​y dive bar inside complete with «wood» all over the walls, hence the name I suppose? Haha. We were there on a Saturday night, which is the ONLY night you need to visit because DJ Prophet is there on Saturdays playing the best classic hip hop, amazing dance music and just spinning the all-​around best records!
The bartenders make great drinks that aren’t watered down and they have the hot jams– what else could you need?!? I have trekked from the Westside to Hollywood for this place now 2 more times since the birthday within the last few months. SUPER GOOD MUSIC! Awesome!

What else can you say about this gem of a dive bar. Great staff, great drinks, and great music.

Dark, dingy, dive bar.
I say I don’t drink, but I may have a little tipple a couple times a year. I was enticed to come here with a friend offering to buy me a drink. Not willing to pass up a good thing, we hoofed it over here from Madame Tussaud’s.
Inside, a non-​descript lounge is what greeted me. Very dark, I managed to read the menu & notice their drink specials. It’s been so long that I forgot what drink I had, but it came out right away.
I found it funny & a stroke to my ego when the bartender asked for my ID. It’s all that clean living, I tells ya ;p
We didn’t stay too long, as we were just killing time before an event. I’m not a barfly, however I think The Woods does the trick for those looking for a drink

Just in terms of drinks, this isn’t a bad spot. The drinks are great and the prices aren’t too bad. Where this place sets itself apart is the atmosphere. In terms of ambience, this is the best bar I’ve ever been to. The lights are low. I mean, real low. The low lights and décor set a pretty perfect tone for whatever reason you’re drinking. Meeting a babe for a first date? Why not take her to a dark and scary bar in a strip mall? The woodsy vibe of the place might make her think you’re a tough lumberjack instead of a guy that reads Cosmo and collects snow globes. Feeling murdery? Sulk in one of the very dark corners and order a couple drinks to stoke that rage while you plan your attack. Need to come out to your parents? They probably already know, but take them here to break the news, anyways, because why the hell not. Looking to honor the spirit of Andrew WK and party hard? Grab a drink and go over to the DJ to raise the roof, because I hear it’s on fire. Whatever you’re looking to do, this is your spot.

Pro tip: order «sex in the woods»
And have a good time :) read the other reviews if you want the basic info.
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Sweet little spot love the drinks! The décor makes you feel like your in the great outdoors. With a starlit sky as a ceiling the atmosphere is romantic and cozy. Bartenders are super nice and friendly and great at their craft. Go on a romantic date or fun night out with friends.

Hole in the wall Bar. Doesn’t look like much from the outside, but it’s nicer on the inside. Super loud music so it’s hard to talk. Feels more like a bar than a lounge. They do have some good drinks.
I got the Woods, which was whiskey and some mint leaves. Good but watered down, so I don’t feel like it justifies for the price they charge.
They have seats/​couches around, so you can sit there if a space opens up. It’s not really a place I would normally come to with big groups.

Fun place to start or close out your night. Good drinks, nice ambiance, mixed crowd, and a DJ that plays what HE likes to listen to (he didn’t take requests — in my book that’s a good thing).

Awesome fun venue that allows outside food to be brought in. Love the vibe of the bar and had a fun time with friends during happy hour where you can get drinks for $ 5 from 8 – 10 PM.

$ 8 rum and cokes. Happy hour everyday until 10pm! $ 5 per drink till 10. Great vibe. Cool WOODY vibe. Lol
GREAT DJ!

WATCH out for the «Bouncer», he is ready to fight and it doest matter if you are a young women. I simply asked If I could use the restroom, instead of giving an answer like «No, I’m sorry the restroom is for customers only. He went on to attack me saying that «what do you expect me to do? let everyone in just to use the restroom? I said I just asked a simple question, he became more angry and started to scream at me, everyone just standing around while a over grown «Bouncer, who claims to be the owner (which I highly doubt) screams at a 5’5 women. He was ready to argue before i even walked up, his eyes were extremely blood shot, I would not be surprised if he was high because his actions were insane. He called me every name in the book, when I began to stand up for myself. He called me bitch, a hoe, just extremely terrible names, the sad part was, was that he was screaming so loud and not one man or anybody said anything to him… what has this world come to? and kept claiming to be the owner when I asked for him/​her. After all this my friends and I drove by to take a picture of him, he waved I’m assuming that he is used to this because of the other terrible reviews on here. PLEASE CHOOSE ANOTHER BAR TO GO TO. THERE ARE MILLIONS OF BARS IN HOLLYWOOD. I will be calling to speak to the «real manager». Same your money and stay away from the bouncer, who is so angry at the world he has nothing better to do then to fight and call names at a young women.

Summary:
The Woods practices a policy that appears in violation of CA and Federal laws. GLBT and allies read on.
Detailed explanation:
My girlfriend and I chose the Woods to meet up with a friend of ours, based on the positive reviews and central location. I entered the establishment after a positive interaction with the bouncer who even thanked me for asking him how his night was going. I was wearing a tight tank top, pants, eye makeup and my hair is in an asymmetrical, short haircut.
My gf and I ordered drinks and sat down to wait for our friend to arrive. ¹⁄₃ into our 1^st glass of wine there and for the evening, our friend texts us to inform us that he’s not allowed into the establishment. I go outside to find our friend, who identifies as genderqueer, wearing a tight tank top, capris, eye makeup and has a very similar short asymmetrical haircut to my own. He tells me he’s not being allowed into the bar because he is wearing a tank top. I politely explain to the bouncer that my girlfriend and I have just ordered drinks and would appreciate him allowing our friend into the establishment to join us.
(The following quotes are sometimes word-​for-​word and sometimes paraphrased.)
«You want me to break the law for you?» the bouncer asks.
«What law are you breaking in allowing our friend in?»
«The law of the establishment,» he says. He tells me that men aren’t allowed in without sleeves.
«But I’m wearing a tank top and you let me in,» I tell him.
«I said men,» he responds.
«That’s sexist.» I say.
«That’s your opinion,» he replies.
I believe he’s wrong. That sort of double standard is also illegal, as explained in the Unruh Civil Rights Act– see last 2 paragraphs.
I go back inside to attempt to speak with the manager. As I enter, the very first person I see, standing next to the bar directly in line with the entrance, is a male wearing a masculine, white tank top. I quickly scan the room, 6 more tank tops in sight.
I ask the bartender if I could speak with his manager. Manager’s not coming in for another hour and he asks me if he can help. I tell him that my friend is being denied entrance for wearing clothing similar to what I have on and that is a problem. He sends a text and tells me that he’s waiting to hear back from his manager.
While I am having this encounter with the bartender, my girlfriend watches the bouncer come inside, lean into the guy who is wearing a tank top and say something to him. That man immediately puts his jacket on.
Our friend is waiting, so we decide to leave and in doing so, I lose my cool and the bouncer and I get into it re: their policy. Not my finest moment, but as he lost his cool he said it was private property and they reserve the right to deny service to anyone. I took his photo in case I need to ID him later. As I’m being herded away by my gf, while we’re 10′ away in the parking lot in front, the bouncer yells back «leave or I’ll make you wish you had.»
I don’t take kindly to threats, so I turn around and walk toward him and ask what exactly he means by that.
«You want equality so much, that’s what I’d say to a man.»
#1, I’m a pacifist and think physical fighting is ridiculous. #2, I’m 5’7″ and 115 pounds. This guy was around 6′ and I’m guessing more than double what I weigh. Clearly I have no intention of getting into a physical fight with the guy, but I also know that threat was meant to intimidate and I’m not intimidated. I’m in the legal right, him hitting me would land him in jail, and wouldn’t look good for The Woods and we both know it. At that point my gf comes over and reminds me we can do more later and so we go.
For patrons and owners, like those who own The Woods, know the law. This is a passage from the CA Attorney General’s government website:
The Unruh Civil Rights Act (76), or Unruh Act, as discussed in the housing chapter of this publication, applies to all business establishments of every kind whatsoever which provide services, goods, or accommodations to the public. Businesses subject to the Unruh Act include bookstores, gymnasiums, shopping centers, mobile home parks, bars and restaurants, schools, medical and dental offices, hotels and motels, and condominium homeowners associations. (77) The Unruh Act prohibits all types of arbitrary discrimination, and not just discrimination based on sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, age, disability or medical condition. (78) The Unruh Act also prohibits discrimination based on personal characteristics, geographical origin, physical attributes, and individual beliefs. For example, the arbitrary exclusion of individuals from a restaurant based on their sexual orientation is prohibited. (79)
To the Woods, please be aware that all that’s required to bring a legal case is proof of a discrimination pattern. I highly suggest you change the «law» of your establishment if you don’t want to find yourself in conflict with the law of the State of California

Love this hole in the wall next to late night delicious ice cream, omg did I mention the ice cream is amazing next door??! Well yes, it is. I’ve been here quite a few times and if you have nothing to do and can walk here then it’s like oh hell why not?! Tacos outside a huge letdown and then there’s always a
Liquor store right there for the after party. All in all a four for locals and a nice quiet night!!!

A fun upscale dive in a grody strip mall in Hollywood. The atmosphere is cool, and the drinks are cheap. It’s a fun place to stop in and have a few drinks in an environment that is less intense than a lot of the other bars and clubs in the area. It doesn’t have that Hollywood pretension feeling.
I’m not really a big fan of the jukebox and would prefer they just picked their own style of music and not the style of the drunken asshole with the most fives, but it can make for an interesting night when people are outbidding each other.
Also, when you’re done here, walk next door to Mashti Malone’s and get some ice cream.

Skip this place unless you just want to enjoy a bottled beer in a cool atmosphere.
First, the bartender didn’t know how to make a simple Manhattan; she asked me if it was made with dry or sweet vermouth. (Yup!) I asked for it up, and she proceeded to mix the drink IN the cocktail glass without stirring it first with ice. (Um. what??) When I corrected her, she told me she didn’t like my attitude. Likewise, my date complained that her Old Fashioned was the worst that she’s ever had.
Second, the music. It’s loud, it sucks and doesn’t fit the atmosphere. This place found a great interior designer but needs a manager who can hire bartenders who know how to tend, who can give this bar a bit more oomph to its liquor selection and who can take that jukebox out of the joint and play music that is more fitting.
Again, skip this place unless you just want to enjoy a bottled beer in a cool atmosphere.

I wanted to try somewhere new so I thought I would lool to my fellow Unilocalers for some suggestions. I read some of the reviews and gave this place a shot. To be honest, I really didn’t like it. First off, I was completely turned off my the location. It’s located in a shopping center… where there is liquor store, Kabab place and a strop club. What an odd combo. I just was kind of shocked about the location.
Second, their drinks were not great. I was ready to like the place if their drinks were great… but to my dismay, they were not.
The inside of the place is nice tho. It’s very «woodsy» as the name describes. Crowd was ok, there was one person wearing pajama bottoms… I know it’s a dive bar… but pajama bottoms???
Anyways, overall the only good thing about this place is that once you are inside you forget how terrible the outside was… but I wasn’t a fan of the drinks. So if you can get passed the outside, and have good luck with your drinks… you may enjoy your night.

My my my. I definitely love the décor and feel of this place. I feel like I just stepped into a cabin party. So awesome. I came in on a slow night but I’m quite happy to be in a mostly empty bar when it’s this small. I will say the only reason they didn’t get a five star was because there’s no games, pool table or nothin. Boo! Otherwise it’s a cool place to hang out. Bartender seemed nice. Wine was slim pickin’s– especially if you exclusively drink red or white. Otherwise all other drinks are available.

A hidden gem in a strip mall off the beaten path of Hollywood Boulevard. Dark, intimate and just plain cool.

This place has an incredible atomasphere. Upon arriving you may think your in the wrong place as the bar is in a run down old strip mall, but once you enter you’ll be transported into a cozy warm woodsey lounge.
The whole place is literally lined with beautiful wood décor. Stunning finished tree trunk cocktail tables and a beautiful back lit stick bar completes the welcoming environment.
If that doesn’t get you in then their happy hour most certainly will. Great happy hour drinks that run until 10pm that’s right people HH UNTIL 10PM! 5 dollar well drinks and a great selection of beer.
My only complaint is that there is no food so I would suggest getting somthing before you get there.