Now that LA County has entered a less restrictive tier in the early weeks of May and mask wearing is looking less and less necessary if vaccinated, things are feeling normal again and our favorite restaurants and bars are back open and getting a lot more busier. Indoor seating is now available at a higher capacity, reservations are strongly recommended, televisions are turned on with our favorite sports teams, and summer weather is fast approaching bringing in much needed business. As things are starting to look brighter, unfortunately some neighborhood favorites have remained closed. An arcade restaurant and bar located down the street from Dodger Stadium, a vegan and non-vegan bar and restaurant staple, and an interesting bar in East Hollywood with hourly burlesque shows. These are bars I hope reopen and can’t wait to be back at.

Mohawk Bend

Mohawk Bend was one of the first bars I went to after turning 21. The food has always been delicious, the beer and drinks on point, and the ambience providing a chill day or night even on busy nights. Located on Sunset Blvd. and Mohawk street right off Alvarado, the bar has a central location serving to various neighborhoods from Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles to East LA and of course Echo Park. The bar is located in an old theater and offers vegan and non-vegan plates including pizzas, buffalo cauliflower, burgers, and pours drinks from local small-scale breweries, wineries, and distilleries. Its close enough to Dodger Stadium to begin your bar hopping prior to a game or end your night after it. Mohawk Bend had been offering takeout services throughout much of the pandemic, but as mentioned on their website, they have temporarily closed its doors and are currently in hibernation mode. Luckily, the site also says that although they will be closed down for some time, it is to make sure when they reopen in a post pandemic world, Mohawk Bend comes back even better than before.

Button Mash

Conveniently the closest bar on your walk up to Dodger Stadium, Button Mash was a welcomed addition to the Echo Park area when it opened in 2015. Arcade bars were becoming popular and having one to go to before and after Dodger Games made for a great pairing. Button Mash united 80s/90s arcade games, craft beers and wines, a colorful menu featuring tofu balls, noodles, a jackfruit sandwich and ginger wings (my personal fave), and a connected pawn shop. The owners did open during the pandemic offering weekend only patio services in their parking lot and takeout dinners featuring some of their menu favorites, but unfortunately they did close. Although they did post on their Instagram saying they had closed for the rest of 2020, they did leave the door open for a comeback sometime in the future.

Harvard & Stone

Harvard & Stone is located in East Hollywood in an area that can easily be missed if you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for. The outside of the bar may be deceiving because it doesn’t provide an entertaining look, but you’ll find out its the inside that counts. The bar setting is a dark factory themed mixed with a slight saloon look offering live music, DJs, creative drinks and burlesque shows on the weekends. Unfortunately, bars that don’t serve food have been hit hardest with not being able to open throughout the pandemic up until mid May of 2021. Unlike, Button Mash and Mohawk Bend, there has been no update regarding any reopening on social media and the website appears to be outdated, but this is definitely a bar we want back with us post pandemic.

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