Blue Palms Brewhouse

Blue Palms BrewhouseBlue Palms Brewhouse
Blue Palms BrewhouseBlue Palms Brewhouse
Bar, Eatery

6124 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, California, 90028-5304
United States

(323) 464-2337 | map
bluepalmsbrewhouse.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.48
Reviews:
85
Ratings:
125
pDev:
9.6%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by vacax:
Photo of vacax
Reviewed by vacax from California

4.53/5  rDev +1.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4
I have been to Blue Palms probably five times or so, most recently for the First Anniversary Party. The location is great, or horrible, depending on your disposition toward Hollywood. It is right smack dab on Hollywood Blvd. in the same building as the Henry Fonda Music Box Theatre. About a block away from the Pantages Theatre, and conveniently the red line Metro Station.

Parking can be a hassle. There is street parking, but I know more than one person who has gotten their car towed in this area. I normally pay the ten bones to park in the lot next door, so I don't have to worry about meters or moving my car. Taking the train is always a good idea, not just due to parking and the obvious alcohol consumption factor, but also to avoid the traffic that oh so often plagues both the 101 and 110 freeways.

The inside of the Blue Palms is classy but not fancy, just as it is not tiny but gets packed on a Friday/Saturday night. There is lots of wood, high ceilings, and instead of cheap trinkets the walls are adorned with things like barley malt bags and signs explaining different styles of beer. My one official complaint is that I consider too-loud music to be a distraction from the experience. Unless, of course, The Firkins or Final Gravity are playing a gig here. Woo!

There is a chalk board above the bar normally listing what is on tap, but there are also daily printed menus with style, ABV, and pour size information. Blue Palms also offers proper glassware to allow proper revelry in its ever rotating draft selections. All quality selections on a bad night here, on a good night owner Brian Lenzo will have gone out of his way to procure some rare and exciting brews. I enjoyed such interesting things as Whiskey Barrel Aged Ten Fidy, Russian River Temptation, Bruery Sour in the Rye, FW Parabola, FW Abacus, FW Double Jack, Alpine Bad Boy, and Alpine Exponential Hoppiness on cask. In the past I have had other interesting brews, such as verticals of Firestone Walker 10, 11, and 12.

Service level is typically very high. The bar staff has an exceptional level of beer knowledge--they employ some real connoisseurs here. Service is best at the bar, as things can get pretty crazy for the servers when the entire place is elbow to elbow. They do a about as good of a job of snaking through the people to get to the tables as could probably be done.

Food is outstanding with quality ingredients. They serve what might look like bar food at first glance, but when you read the menus it is quickly apparent that everything here is gourmet. A decent sized menu for a bar, and the Burger #2 (kobe beef with braised short rib, caramelized onions, porcini mushrooms, and gruyere) is an example of taking regular grub to the next level of delicious. Unfortunately, appetizers are a bit expensive for my taste. 25 cent wing night on Thursday is a homerun, though.

Beer prices are typical for an LA craft bar, mostly $6-7 for a draft. Food menu is a bit spendy, do not expect to eat for less than ten bucks (it is tasty though).
Aug 12, 2009
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by slasich from Pennsylvania

May 16, 2020
 
Rated: 4.73 by eawolff99 from Minnesota

Mar 03, 2020
Photo of HKUSPC40
Reviewed by HKUSPC40 from Washington

4.7/5  rDev +4.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
This place is delicious. Came to BA looking for a serious taproom while on a work trip and y'all didn't disappoint. Had the truffle burger and am making my way through a Tales from the Cryo. If you want a good place for serious beer and pub food in L.A. then look no further.
May 26, 2017
Photo of T_type231
Rated by T_type231 from California

4.95/5  rDev +10.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
Awesome selection of all styles, from everywhere. Good menu. Very friendly and helpful staff. I love this place.
Sep 11, 2016
Photo of mynie
Reviewed by mynie from Maryland

4.67/5  rDev +4.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75
I never rated the Blue Palms before? Woah!

It's a a wonderful beer joint, easily the best spot I've ever been to in Los Angeles (I've spent a cumulative 21 days in LA in the last decade, however, so I'm not some kind of expert).

Anyhow, they get the good shit on the regular. Tap takeovers, rare releases, Pliny, etc. If it's in the area, it'll be here.

The crowd and staff are very friendly--zero pomp or snobbiness, and they don't make you jump through any weird hoops to get the beer you want. Accessibility has its price, though, and so good stuff often goes quickly.

All beers are listed on a pair of meticulously updated video screens. They also print out lists once or twice a day. Full details are given for each beer, and the staff is very knowledgeable.

The atmosphere is very dark and unpretentious, more or less like your average bar only cleaner and without the general air of destitution. The place isn't particularly spacious but the seating is designed so that you never feel pinned in (the lack of decor and clutter help, too). Some might be turned off by the lack of attention paid to the vibe of the place, but I would respond to that with two points: 1) I'd rather a place have a neutral vibe than a bad vibe, and 2) that tells me they care more about the beer, and about drawing in people who are dedicated to the beer, than in impressing random passersby.

Overall, an excellent beer destination and a must-visit if you're in Hollywood.
Jul 04, 2016
 
Rated: 4.23 by IceAce from California

May 08, 2016
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

4.2/5  rDev -6.3%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3
Place seems to have gone through its trials and tribulations over the years, but its always been great when I've been there, a place to have fun, they don't give a shit, they'll have football on, its right next to the Fonda theatre, so there's some cool shows and beers to be had.

Quality of the tap list is always phenomenal, and the bottle list is nothing to sneeze at either. Parking sucks. Lots of wood inside. Good service, friendly. Solid selection, the food seems average.
Dec 30, 2015
Photo of jeffreydurbin
Reviewed by jeffreydurbin from New Jersey

4.54/5  rDev +1.3%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.75 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
We (6 or 7 of us) were going to have a happy hour at a kitschy place around the corner but they were closed for a private party and we switched to this bar. We scored! There are 24 beers on tap and on Tuesdays all 24 of them are on happy hour until 10pm (unless there is a show at Fonda Theater next door.)

This is the only place where I have ever seen Pliney the Elder. It was very good but not awesome enough to be unique.

The service was outstanding. It didn't matter who was our server because whenever one of them walked by they would ask if we needed anything. We got everything pretty quickly.

The happy hour food was basically bar food but it was excellent quality. We were very happy with the food.

As for decor and vibe, it was good but it got really crowded by the time we left. I think a young person hoping to mingle would rate it higher on vibe but we were more focused on our group.

We happen to be going back tonight for another happy hour (12 people) so I will let you know how they handle a large party.
Dec 22, 2015
Photo of Absolut
Reviewed by Absolut from California

4.68/5  rDev +4.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.25
Wonderful beer selection and knowledgeable staff.

Food is upscale pub food- burgers, fish and chips, sausages etc.

Beer lines are well maintained and rotated often.
Jul 26, 2015
Photo of blues_fever
Rated by blues_fever from California

5/5  rDev +11.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
The selection is awesome and the burgers are on the same level.
Jun 03, 2015
 
Rated: 5 by mohaghandi from California

Jun 01, 2015
 
Rated: 4.73 by sillyhed8 from California

Apr 28, 2015
 
Rated: 5 by midnightcowboy818 from New York

Apr 27, 2015
Photo of mig100
Reviewed by mig100 from Texas

4.16/5  rDev -7.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.75
Great spot. You can sense a real craft connection, superb special events... Firestone Walker, Ballast Point, etc... Great food and a really solid bottle list/refrigerator.

Staff is knowledgeable for the most part, but service-wise they need to really step up their game. When it's a special event or busy, bartenders seem to make it a point to ignore patrons. You've got to literally yell and beg to buy a drink. Bartenders act overly stressed, even though they're just doing their job. Everybody gets stressed at work, but not at the expense of alienating your customers. If I owned the place and saw my staff behave/work like this I'd be pissed. End rant.
Apr 24, 2015
 
Rated: 4.61 by Thepleasantimbiber from California

Mar 10, 2015
 
Rated: 4.73 by oldsailor from Connecticut

Feb 22, 2015
Photo of Alpha309
Reviewed by Alpha309 from California

4.4/5  rDev -1.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5
Good selection of seasonals and year round beers. Bar staff knows what they are talking about and almost immediately come up with a good recommendation if you are not sure what you want. They have always been right for my tastes. Food is just the typical bar food, done well, but only so much you can do with it. Overall a very good place.
Feb 13, 2015
 
Rated: 4.13 by Cynic-ale from Texas

Feb 09, 2015
 
Rated: 4.85 by Amychop

Jan 28, 2015
 
Rated: 4.75 by carolineoncrack from California

Jan 26, 2015
Photo of evan35
Reviewed by evan35 from North Carolina

3.94/5  rDev -12.1%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3.25 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5
If you can't see their projector with the beers on tap, they tell you to look it up on their website. I prefer my beer bars to be a bit more friendly than this spot. However, the beer selection was superb.
Jan 21, 2015
 
Rated: 4.46 by kingston213 from California

Jan 06, 2015
 
Rated: 5 by crob3888 from California

Nov 15, 2014
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Reviewed by deford from California

4.25/5  rDev -5.1%
A fantastic local bar/eatery. Every beer served in the appropriate glass. Fantastic selection of beers. Gets a bit crowded at times but you can always find a place to sit...
Nov 06, 2014
 
Rated: 4.56 by Abrahammer from California

Nov 01, 2014
Photo of jwolfe1311
Rated by jwolfe1311 from California

5/5  rDev +11.6%
Rotating beers. As good as it gets. Great food.
Oct 26, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by wethorseblanket from California

Sep 25, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by aoampm from Hawaii

Sep 06, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by Texasfan549 from Texas

Aug 16, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by vonnerbeer from Massachusetts

Aug 08, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by LBittman from California

Jul 18, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by yarnanimal from California

Jul 08, 2014
 
Rated: 2.75 by LakerLeith from California

Jul 02, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by ChrisSFV

Jun 12, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by BeerBeast from Florida

Jun 08, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by GlassHound from California

Jun 05, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by beernazi from California

Apr 03, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by Mykol from California

Mar 31, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Gobzilla from California

Mar 17, 2014
Blue Palms Brewhouse in Los Angeles, CA
Place rating: 4.48 out of 5 with 125 ratings