Mohawk Bend

 

 

 

 

 

 

Despite being massively hungover from the previous night of drinking, me and my two friends went to bed late and woke up early to stand in line in hope of getting among the first tastes of Pliny the Younger. With time passing by before the doors opened, some staff walked the line and handed up complimentary freshly baked treats to warm us up Already off to a great first impression despite its drab, movie theater exterior, we walked inside Mohawk Bend around 9:30am and got a real taste of its interior. Comfortable patio seating, a long, deep dining area which opens into a brightly sunlit room complete with a fireplace, flora, and big comfortable seats. Being a special release day, Mohawk Bend was well staffed, extremely polite and outgoing, and forgiving to me and my friends' crazy antics throughout our visit. One unique thing that Mohawk Bend pulled was spacing out the release; you would receive a flyer for what time you could grab a pour of said beer, encouraging people to come back later in the day for a pour, or waiting it out by grabbing a table and ordering some brunch and booze.

The draft beer list features exclusively American beers, and with over 70 options, you couldn't lose with what you chose. I started my day with an Anchor Porter, the boys go with Pliny the Elder, and other options include Hangar 24 Altbier, Deception, Little Bo Pils, My Bloody Valentine, Day Drinker, MOngo, Blood Orange Wit, Rueuze, and many more. Different pieces of glassware were utilized, and in general the pours were healthy and fresh.

Just before Pliny the Younger was popped, we received our food. Most of the menu is vegetarian, however the pizza was good, but the Elvis French Toast (stuffed with banana and peanut butter, topped with bacon strips) took me to a whole new level of nirvana. It is certainly the best French toast I ever had, and it paired well with my Anchor Porter.

Mohawk Bend doesn't need Pliny the Younger to be a well made bar; it already has the makeup of being one of the best beer bars in the Southland. I would love to swing by again!

 

 

 

Great beer selection. Very good food. Fun place to have a beer by the fireplace, or entertain a large group of friends. Update 8/22/15-lots of handcraft/California on tap and big bottle selection. When I come to town, this is where everyone (my LA friends) wants to go for good food and beers!

 

Love mohawk bend. A little pricey but when mom wants to go out for lunch. Mohawk bend it is.

 

 

This is a very cool location in Echo Park, as the name suggests, at the bend on Sunset and Mohawk. From the exterior, it has a theater motif, perhaps it was a theater in its earlier life.

The minute you walk in, you totally don't feel like you're in the same environment as from the neighborhood outside. They have an open kitchen on the left and the bar with taps on the right. In between you have small group tables and even one large communal table. Towards the front, you have some booths, and even tables outside in the patio at the entrance with a small fireplace. In the back, they have more tables in an area with high ceilings with a nice large fireplace. I really dig the interior.

I had a pint of Faction IPA and nachos during happy hour. The nachos were great. The bartender was attentive and friendly. After some mediocre service at other places, it was a nice positive change I experienced today.

The tap list here is usually pretty good. They often have Russian River and Alpine on draft.

Two thumbs up. Great place to meet up with friends for beer and food.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mohawk Bend is one of the true must go places in all of Los Angeles. It's right on Sunset Blvd in Echo Park, between Downtown LA and Hollywood.

I moved to Echo Park around the same time as Mohawk Bend opened and my wife thinks it was a conspiracy. It's a three block walk and that is perfect because I'm not the type to have one beer and leave. They have what seems to be an endless selection of amazing beers all on tap. Tons of rare specialties. They usually have Pliny the Elder, Sculpin, Damnation ...

Big generous pours and the best prices in town are hard to miss because the place feels swanky and I would expect an $8 glass rather than $6 for an oversized pint. Nice!

Service has been spotty at times. The bathroom is upstairs which kind of sucks when you're a big guy full of beer and pizza.

Gorgeous space.

The menu is half vegetarian and half meat. My wife is a vegetairain so she loves going. The food is amazing for vegheads or regular eaters. I recommend the PBJ pizza, it's not peanut butter and jelly - it's pineapple bacon and jalepeno.

 

 

 

 

 

There is a wall of taps that seems to go on forever. One of the best beer selections I've ever seen. They concentrate on California beer which is means lots of IPAs which is fine by me and they have lots of good Belgian style ales. They also have some cask ales which were served very nicely.
The taps rotate a lot but they always seem to have Pliny The Elder and they had the Younger this year too.
I always find great stuff on tap and the bartenders usually know their stuff.
Owned by the same guys as my other favorites Tonys Darts Away and Golden Road but Mohawk Bend is a little classier and a little more restaurant than it is bar. Great food with some good vegetarian options.
I have had some service issues last time I was in, but the bartender took care of me - manager was disinterested.
The space is fun and looks great. Highly recommended. I'd give it A+ but I'm docking a few points for service for now. Might up the score if they get it together next time.

I gave them $ because the beer is very reasonably priced. Food and other drinks are $$ but this is a beer review.