After losing The Good Luck Bar, Angelenos are compelled to remember why its presence was so impactful in the first place.
With #NationalDiveBarDay right around the corner, what better way to celebrate than by honoring a Los Angeles favorite? Locals who adored The Goodluck Bar during its 25-year-run didn’t keep coming back just for the coconut cocktails – the Island-inspired dive bar held many memories, laughs, and ironic fortunes for nearly three decades.
If we’re being honest, dive bars are arguably one of the better of nightlife options to exist – nothing beats cheap drinks and an escape from all the too-good, Hollywood nonsense happening in the city. Whether it’s the kitschy decor usually plastered all over the walls, neon lights, or vintage-esque paraphernalia like a jukebox of some sorts, something about the dive bar culture screams: “you’re welcome here!”
The Good Luck Bar had this unmatchable je ne sais quoi that old-timers and hipsters alike crave to see emulated in dive bars on the rise. Its ambiance did a sensational job of making guests feel transported out of the city and encouraged to take on the night with a pint, or two, in hand. The bar’s closure, which was to make way for new development, is a nostalgic loss to the Los Feliz neighborhood which seems to slowly be losing its historic character.
Everyone has their own idea of LA’s dive bar culture, but a definite requirement is that – like The Goodluck Bar – no matter the time of day or year, patrons should be able to head over to their neighborhood dive and expect the same come-as-you-are attributes that led them to fall in love with the essence of the speakeasy, tiki, or roadhouse joint in the first place.
Dive bar culture in Los Angeles is still alive and well, varying from classic haunts to funky themes and chicken wings. Whether you occasionally stop by to people watch or are known on a first-name basis with the bartenders, some of the best parts about a dive bar are things that are completely indescribable. So go out there, treat yourself to a Seagram’s 7&7 (Seagram’s 7 and lemon-lime soda), and make those unsurpassable blurred-memories which make dive bars all the more special.