Next Door Lounge

Next Door Lounge just opened in Hollywood last week and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they have happy hour. Yay! Being that I'm from the Valley, I was a bit confused because there is a "Next Door Tapas Lounge" in Studio City but they are not related at all. Next Door Lounge in Hollywood reminds me of the Edison with its speakeasy vibe from the 20's.  When you first arrive, there is a doorman in front to greet you and to inform the host you are there so he can seat you. I chose to sit at the bar, but he even walked me there and grabbed an extra chair needed for a friend arriving soon. That was kinda classy. But enough of this chitter-chatter, let's move on to the food and drinks!!

Next Door offers happy hour daily from 5-8pm. At first they were advertising that HH went until 7pm but have since changed that. Let's hope that sticks!
 

For happy hour drinks they offer 5 different specialty cocktails, 2 craft beers, and 4 types of wine.
Definitely a nice selection.

We tried all five drinks and my favorite was the Whiskey Sour. It is my favorite drink in general so no big shock there. $8 for the Whiskey Sour was a decent price but the others would be better at $6. (Regular prices are around $12) The only drink I didn't care for was the Daiquiri. It was just kind of bland. But the rest were fair. I wouldn't say they meet the same quality as the drinks I've had at the Edison or other bars known for their mixology.

**Good to know: If you order the Whiskey Sour, make sure to tell them you don't want it on the rocks. The picture below is my drink, but when a friend ordered it later from a different bartender, it was with ice. #NoIceInWhiskeySoursPlease

Whiskey Sour $8

Old Forester Bourbon, lemon, sugar, egg whites

 Tommy's Margarita $8

Blanco Tequila, agave nectar, lime

 French 75 - $8

Gordon's gin, lemon, sugar, prosecco

 Daiquiri - $8

Matusalem Plantino, lime, sugar

 Moscow Mule - $8

Vodka, ginger beer

For happy hour food there is a small but tasty selection.  There are four items which are all shown below except for "The Sheik" which is a Greek salad with cucumber, red onion, tomato, and Greek olives served with Chipotle hummus and pita ($6). I liked all three dishes we had.

Los Federales $6

Tortillas filled with grilled lime free-range chicken, caramelized onions, 

roasted peppers, black beans, cheese with a Chipotle drizzle

Spinach and Goat Cheese Flatbread - $6

spinach, walnuts, roasted apple, mozzarella, goat cheese, fresh herbs

 The Darb - $4

Roasted red and white beets, carrots, parsnip, 

turnip, celery root, and goat cheese
Very tasty!!!

And they even have dessert on the happy hour menu. Love!!!

Creme Brulee - $4

Overall I liked the food more than the drinks, but they are still in their opening stages so hopefully some of the bumps will be smoothed out down the road.  Joe Brooke (former cocktail director of the Edison) does have a role in making some of the cocktails and he told us they are still working on the final cocktail menu so a revisit is definitely in order.

Happy Hour

Daily 5-8pm

Next Door Lounge

1154 North Highland Avenue
Hollywood, CA 90038
(323) 465-5500

nextdoorhollywood.com
facebook.com/nextdoorlounge 
twitter.com/nextdoorlounge