Esquire Bar & Lounge

The Esquire bar & Lounge wants to be something. Is it that something? No. Can it be that something? Yes. Is it safe to come and get drunk and dance and be merry while the Esquire bar figures out what in the fuck it is? Sure. Hold on to your butts … boom!

If ur looking for a place that’s mainly Hispanic with ugly old men this is the place for u. Me and the friends sat at the bar watching bartenders laugh and fool around not even taking own drink orders for 10 mins. After we got our beers lots of Hispanic music… um ok. I guess if that’s what they were catering to. Got, stared down by these wanna be gangster looking old men. Probably cuz we were white and asian. Drank our beers and skidazzled. Never coming back not trying to go to the station. At least they have a Diversity geez. Avoid at all cost

I used to come here all the time when I still lived in LA. This place is a quaint hidden gem in Pasadena, I’m really surprised at some of the bitter reviews. It has such a cool; relaxed vibe and reminds me of all the bars I love in Silverlake. I was there this past weekend to have a drink before heading out to Hollywood. I was helped by a friendly Asian girl in her 20s that poured me an amazing Merlot. I wish I could remember the name of it. As usual Esquire didn’t dissapoint. Try the Merlot!

I love bars that have the it factor .This bar is quite a surprise almost like a speak easy vibe. I met the bartender named Fiona she has the it factor ! Genuine attitude good looking and brings A game to the bar with class .She poured amazing drinks and was very attentive. I looked around the place and gotta say I was impressed by the overall coolness of the bar .Plus really chill and fun crowd that where easy to speak to. Overall this is a place that will keep me coming back !!!. I highly recommend rolling in one night a checking it out for yourself !.

Went to this bar last week after getting tired of my usual home bar, it definitely has a different feel had a Manhattan Meredith was cool and friendly will return.

Cute, cozy bar. Was there for a 40^th Bday party. Good location for a small gathering/​party of 50. Music is a hit and miss depending on the DJ. (Get DJ Vader)! He has a good mix of music from hip hop, 80’s, edm, cumbias, etc.

Talk about a bar that takes you by surprise! Definitely not what you may expect from the outside, but step into this bar and it’s like a whole other world. Great entertainment on the weekends with a very unique layout. Great for any night out, be it drinks with your friends or just a cozy outing with your sweetie.
BE SURE TO GO WHEN KAT IS WORKING!
It’s Kat Your Bartender! She’s the veteran alcohol architect in the building. She mixes up all the classics and even a few of her own unique concoctions. You may even just find yourself rearranging your evenings to hang out at Esquire every week. Kat is where it’s at!

I danced a lot. Pretty people all round. Drinks for all. Mary was a fantastic bar tender;) love the stuff and things. Would defiantly go back

This is a great bar in an odd location.
I prefer smaller, more intimate types of bars and this place fits the bill on weekdays. I’ve been on several random weekday evenings and it’s just the right amount of dark, fairly quiet and decent prices on beer.
On the Friday and Saturday nights that I have experienced, there are DJs and it gets loud and crowded and that just ain’t my thing.
They’ve got a decent selection of beers on tap (I’m strictly a beer drinker.) The bartenders are always super friendly and super nice. There’s plenty of free parking in their lot and the lot next door and there isn’t a cover charge. (I hate places that charge you to enter the premises.)
Overall, I say check it out. You won’t be disappointed.

Wasn’t too sure what to expect from this place, all the reviews seemed decent but you never really know.
We were meeting up for a friends 30^th and she had a reservation. We showed up early in comparison to the rest of the group and the bar staff had let another group occupy our reserved area. After a little back and fourth the group did move but made it clear they weren’t happy. Whatevs. The place was really nice inside, again, I wasn’t sure what to expect going in but it was very romantic and intimate. nice dark wood, rod iron and dim lighting. The music was pretty on point that night, good mix of 90’s hip hop, dance tunes and music that just doesn’t suck. Of course later in the night it turned into the generic dance music that just seems to repeat but no one seemed to notice or care. Service was a bit slow but they only had two bartenders on that night and from what I saw there were 4 large parties including us and then the general patrons, although surprisingly it never seemed to crowded. The wait for the restroom was never out of control. All in all it was a pretty nice place. I did kinda get the vibe that it was a «gay/​lesbian» bar, but that’s cool too. It could have just been the crowd that night, none the less, wouldn’t stop me from coming back. Over all it was a good experience.

Great vibe, $ 11 signature cocktails, $ 6 well drinks, dj on Friday, wasn’t crowded at all n ppl were so nice. Drink was great, orders an old fashion. Dj was kinda old school but I personally LOVED it!!! DEF. Will be back SOON!!! Oh and free wi-​fi

I wish I knew about this place when I was younger and had more energy. Overall, the place is clean and just the right size for this type of local place. The drinks were priced fairly, and generally the atmosphere wasn’t overly sleazy.
I will say that the music is kind of hit-​or-​miss here. When I came in (around 9:30), they were playing some awesome hip-​hop jams from the 90s-​2000s, so I was getting pumped for dancing starting at 10-​ish when more people would come. However, when that time came, they switched to 80s music. Now, 80s music is perfectly dance-​able when mixed well, but it wasn’t. Then, it went to some dance music — ok, but needed more mixing. The rule of thumb is that you shouldn’t play a full-​length song on the dancefloor, because people get bored. We left in about an hour because we just couldn’t get into the groove of the music.
Interesting music videos, though.

My brother always spoke very highly of this bar, but I never went until recently. I really enjoyed myself, and the bartender was awesome to chat with! The vibe of the place is very mellow and enjoyable. The only thing I wish they had was a kitchen for those of us that get the drunk munchies when we drink. ^^ I can’t wait to come back again! ENJOY!

I’ve been living in Pasadena for just under a year, this place was my discovery, I frequent this place once or twice a week. I will be leaving Pasadena soon and will be missing my favorite bar. :-(. The bartenders are super friendly, they are always making me feel welcomed.
Some of the negative reviews I’ve read have nothing to do with the bar, such as getting a ticket for making an illegal u-​turn. Please give me a break.
They play great music, the VJ is a really cool dude. The atmosphere is always friendly.

The good:
It’s close enought to take a taxi to — though, the last time I said ‘take me to the bar on Foothill by Sears’ the taxi drivers response was ‘…the gay bar? you don’t look gay” *chuckles* There’s a look??? He also thought I was a mix of Italian, Armenian and Mexican… ooook! No! I just talk with my hands, have a big butt and speak Spanish (my version of Spanish anyhow) …that was an interesting little drive.
I don’t generally run into people that I know here. I like to go places and not worry about having to do the whole ‘how have you been?!’ routine. Sometimes I want to go someplace where not everyone knows my name. Anonymity can be a good thing.
The bad:
The ticket my friend endured for making a u turn to park one of the times that we went to check this place out. It seems the cops like to roll by at random times. If wanted to be harassed by cops I’d wear my skittles gear on Colorado Blvd by the Motel/​Hotel/​Holiday Inn — (* Skittles Gear: the little mini dress that every girl seems to own in every rainbow color imaginable– I know you know what i’m talking about…*)
The bartenders don’t seem to be very friendly to me. They seem to be friendly to everyone else but I always feel like I’m standing an overly extended amount of time at the bar just trying to get someone’s attention. *plays smallest violin for self* For such a small venue, it really shouldn’t take so long to get a drink.
There is a lounge area located right next to the dance floor and to the restrooms. It seems like a strange place to put a couch and seating area. Though if you get a kick out of people dancing the ‘I have to pee really bad dance’ on one end while watching someone move out of rhythm to whatever is playing on the other end, then you are in prime retail location.

Oh how the mighty have fallen.
Equire Lounge was my diamond in the rough. A place that reminded me of the loose and fun atmosphere in the artsy Silver Lake community. My 2^nd favorite martini bar. My hideaway by the freeway, where my nights of carousing would start or would end. Now I can’t stand the site of the place.
The good:
— Still minutes from my home.
— Prices are still pretty good for drinks well drinks.
The bad:
— The specialized drink selection has gone down.
— The bar was poorly stocked, as they ran out of a few items for necessary for drinks (cream in my date’s case). How do you not stock properly for the weekend? You ran out the night before? What manager allows this happen?
— Cable TV movies are being shown on the screen (yeah, like I came here to watch a movie). What happened to the fun videos?
— Dance floor area is cluttered with larger speakers
— Music selection to shake your booty or drink to has gone out the window (I know, this is just a personal preference thing, but instead of feeling like a good place to have fun or chill, everyone I looked at at the bar was miserable).
The ugly:
— Bartenders were too busy flipping through the channels for something to watch or getting wooed by a customer pay attention to other people at the bar.
— Drinks were done poorly made. (My cosmopitan tasted more like lemonade with a dash of cranberry juice)
— Bartenders just stood in the back, arms crosses, making sure the oogling men at the bar checked out their breasts instead of actually getting them drinks. A patron walked in, sat, waited and walked out before the girls took their eyes off the TV.
— If the bar is quiet, and there are two of you and everyone seems to have their drinks, make the effort to go to a store and *buy* a carton of milk or other stuff you may need. Otherwise we will go out of the bar and spend it elsewhere.
Gods, this used to be a great place…

Ever since I first stepped into this place in 2010, I’ve become a regular. Matt, Carolina & Juliea are 3 great reasons to go there. They are a cool group of bartenders that work on various nights. If you wanna relax and just chill, come in from Tuesday to Thursday. Come in on Friday & Saturday for a party atmosphere with a DJ and dancing.
Drinks are spot on and the prices totally fair.

After driving past here for over a year regularly… I had to stop in and chill and ummm yeah not exactly what I had expected but then again it is exactly what I had suspected… it’s a local crowd of regulars who seem to mostly be single and not exactly part of a larger group of friends…
It reminds me of cheers a bit the place where you go where everyone knows your name, because no one knows your name anywhere else. The crowd seems to be very well acquainted and I felt a bit outsiderish as did my friends.
None the less we sat and enjoyed a drink or two and they had honest pours with decent taste. The bartendress was a nice gal who you have to go to to order and pick up your drinks unless its slow she doesn’t bring them out to you.
Pro Tip: Park in the side lot not on the street as its very close to the fwy entrance and you may otherwise get clipped.
The ambience is very dark and dreary except at the bar where its more lit. They have some deep booth seats as well as regular chairs here. The tables occasionally wobble so be careful about leaning on them or putting your arms on them if there are drinks on top.
There is a side area that they may set up for dancing or music later on at night, but not sure what they play there, as nothing was going on except set up while I was there with my friends.

Have you ever walked down the street and found a penny or better yet, a quarter?! And you believe that its your lucky day and you gotta cherish that coin? This is what I think about Esquire. It’s a gem that needs to be cherished. The bf brought me here with his friends after dinner. At first I was a little sketchy. It’s a little building off Foothill attached to a Psychic’s office. Looks can be deceiving cause it looks nothing like you think it would from the outside.
The bar has candle sconces everywhere on the wall and brings a close feeling. We sat at the bar and the bartender, Kat helped us out. And for the fellas, she is NOT a site for sore eyes. She was very nice and funny. She made us different drinks she experimented with, one was a Summer F#$k, which was very refreshing. I also had a Adiós Homes, she combined an AMF and LA City Water, there are 5 liquors in the pint sized cup … so I was GREAT for the rest of the night. The drinks were priced accordingly, not too expensive. Kat made us feel welcomed and it felt like your good old neighborhood bar, which I believe it was. Since most of the people walking through the door knew the bartender and they talked about their lives. The ambiance of the place was great.
If you’re ever in the area, you should drop by. It’s a cool and quiet spot to catch a drink and chill.

Esquire Bar is the perfect date-​night destination bar… if you are either 40 years old or need to use the bathroom (I’ll address this in a moment).
Arriving on «Cuban Night», Unilocaler Jessica C. and I were welcomed by, well… barely anyone. The bar was rather desolate except for some over-​weight Mexican-​looking guys (outside was parked a van with a «Team Crossfit» gym logo. hmmmm) and a couple DJ’s spinning Cuban music. Although clean and spacious, this bar has a mixture of décor that looks like the houses of my Persian friends mixed with a cheap hotel bar. Various styles are displayed and therefore the couches don’t really go with the candle-​holders, lights, etc. It gives off a cheap feel even though it is trying to be artsy.
Despite the odd clientele and mis-​matched décor, the bartender Carolina is a complete doll. She even sat down with us at our table to chit-​chat (then again, she was probably happy to have SOME female clients versus the old geezers). She was one of the highlights of the night. For my drink, Carolina handed me my Sex Kitten Martini with a smile. I am NOT generally a martini drinker but this was EXCELLENT! Containing real raspberry purée, Skyy Vodka, lime and some other liqueur resulted in a ruby red beverage which was not only sexy to look at but made me purr, as well. Yum!
To get back to the introduction, Esquire is the best place to use the bathroom. If you really have to go; skip the gas station, buy a drink and use theirs. I swear it is nicer than the bathroom in my apartment. Probably the best bar bathroom I’ve seen. And it’s not one of those stalled bathrooms but the single-​use ones and it was CLEAN, didn’t smell, and stocked. Bravo! (Please see photo).
Not a bad place. If nothing else, you can chat it up with Carolina and use the bathroom.