Most people I know have visited Villains Tavern in the warehouse district of Los Angeles some time or other, but if you have not, make your way down there as it is a different animal as they say. I remember going for the grand opening in the Summer a couple of years ago and the place was packed, but a return visit on a bitter cold Tuesday night had a different feel altogether.

The country band playing that evening soldiered on with their Johnny Cash inspired material, but even they were having difficulty with the guitar strings on such a cold night. I had no such trouble with the Villains Hamburger, created by the new chef/consultant Vartan Abgaryan of the Cliffs Edge, a fairly well-known restaurant co-owned by the Villains owner, Dana Hollister. This particular burger that I had with the Mezzo Secco jack cheese is topped with tomato, avocado and jalapeno aioli. His menu updates include Salted Caramel Corn featuring bacon & bourbon, caramel, sea salt and black pepper. He has also added Grilled Cheese, Kentucky Shrimp, the No Kill Burger, a Bacon Dog and tempura Green Beans with a chili aioli. Abgaryan does not actually hang out at Villains, but stays in touch with the kitchen to see that everything runs smoothly

However, creative cocktails are the game here, and they have actually added cocktails on tap. First one is the Rum Back w/Plantation Barbados Rum, Ginger-apple cider shrub, Angostura and Club Soda. The other one on tap is Aperol Spritz w/Aperol, Prosecco, Club Soda and an Orange Wheel. Both of these are priced at $11, but instead I tried the Stan Lee ($12), Hibiscus and Jasmin Tea infused gin, lemongrass, citrus, egg whites and orange bitters.

Handcrafted cocktails are still big news at Villains starting with the Wild Vine w/Jameson Whisky, Luxardo Bitter Liquor, Red Grapes, Lemon, Cane Syrup and served with a grape and orange slice or the Myrrha w/tomato infused vodka, Amaro Nonino, Luxardo Bitter Liquor, Celery Bitters and served with a cucumber wheel. They also do shots of the Spirits, and have some pretty unusual selections to choose from, especially in the range of vodka with Beluga, Reyka Small Batch, Green Mack and 360 Vodka.

The beer menu is also pretty impressive with a large draft selection, and some with pretty exotic names. These would include Monks Café Sour Ale, Weihenstephaner Oktoberfest, Dudes Pecan Brown and Golden Road Wolf Among Weeds.

Villains Tavern
1356 Palmetto Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 613-0766

HOURS:
Monday – Sunday 5:30pm – 2AM