Every single one of you is wonderful and I will remember the Rustic for years to come.Īt about 11, as I normally do, I got hungry again. This is the real magic of the place, the people that work there, people from all over the country, who just happen to be where you are, and to make you feel like you grew up with them, we shared stories, we shared laughs, I finally ordered a proper drink and when I knocked it over they replaced it in a heart beat. So as I sat and drank (admittedly only water or sprite) I started to get to know the bar staff and started to have a laugh with them and this is a testament to what really makes this place feel like home, they were run off their feet, the bar and the back booths were busy as hell, it was a Sat night after all, but they didn’t ever rush me, or make me wait, I felt as if I’d known them all years. The choice of dessert was a little limited, but they made up for it later (more on that in a bit). It melted in my mouth, the sauce was delicious, and I as full as a fat kid in a chocolate shop afterwards.

My god, I don’t know what culinary god they keep in the kitchen, but god bless his/her soul, because that Chicken Fried Steak was amazing. It was about an hour in that I got hungry…I’d tried Chicken Fried Steak in Vegas, and was hungry for some more and this place was much cheaper than the last place I’d tried it, so I ordered up some steak. We we’re like two peas in a pod as we questioned each other about obscure comedies from our respective home countries. I managed to get a stool at the bar and sat next to a guy that it turns out I’d spend the next 4 hours talking to, weirdly in the middle of LA, I found an American who had a love for all things English on TV, in the same way I have a love of all things American. The second thing you notice is it’s tiny, the main bar was full when I walked in, with maybe 50 people in there (rough guess). So I followed my instincts and I wandered the 15 mins from my hotel to the bar, and from the outside it doesn’t look inviting, but I’d read the website and they said they were friendly so in I went, and it was like stepping through the looking glass.įirstly the place is dark, as dark as my soul some would say, when natural light does penetrate from outside, it’s a bit like your a vampire as you shy away from it.

Travelling alone is great but it really gets old quickly if you haven’t had that human connection for a while. I was missing home, I needed somewhere cheap, dark and with pretty bar staff (ok the last one was pure luck), mostly what I needed was friendship and someone to talk to.

“We’re the dark and cozy place that reminds you of your local dive back home.”Īnd with that sentence they had me. I was starting to get a little home sick and I had a quick browse on my phone for bars. I was about 2 weeks into my trip by the time I found this place, a short walk away from my hotel in Los Feliz.

Ye rustic inn