Drinks in Koreatown

American-style karaoke at the back of a Wilshire strip mall, running seven nights a week since 1971. One stage, one list, everybody in the same space rather than a private booth, which is the opposite of how most of Koreatown does it. Parking behind the building on Mariposa is free after 5pm with validation.

Daily from 5pm to 2am, Monday from 8pm. Lunch weekdays 11am to 5pm

A Korean tent-bar done indoors, with wood-plank walls that customers have been writing on for years and a menu of skewers meant to be eaten with soju rather than instead of it. Orders go on a board rather than a printed list. It is loud, cash-friendly and built for sitting for three hours.

Daily 4pm to 2am

A windowless bar on Western with a jukebox, a pool table and drinks priced the way they were twenty years ago. It opened in 1933 and shows up in the opening sequence of Barfly. Beer and well drinks, no cocktail program, no food.

Daily 6pm to 2am

A dark bar on the ground floor of the 1924 Gaylord apartment building, fitted out with portholes and ship's wheels since 1962. The food is chops, steaks and shrimp cocktail on the same menu it has been running for decades. It sat directly across Wilshire from the Ambassador Hotel and picked up that crowd when the Cocoanut Grove was still working.

Daily noon to midnight, until 1am Friday through Sunday