The 38 Best Restaurants in Los Angeles | Eater LA

"From a cameo on Mad Men to a roster of celebrity clientele, including Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, HMS Bounty is the stuff of legends. But it’s not just the decades of stories that make this nautical-themed Koreatown bar great. Some type of bar has stood on the ground-level space of the Gaylord apartment building that the HMS Bounty has occupied since 1924; first, it was the Fountain Room, before moving through iterations as the Gay Room, the Secret Harbor, and the Golden Anchor. The bar opened as the HMS Bounty in 1962, drawing its name from a British merchant ship that gained notoriety for being the site of a mutiny in 1789. The naval motif extends throughout the interior of the bar, with portholes on the walls, illustrations of vessels at sea, and a ship’s wheel hanging above the bar. HMS Bounty doesn’t look like it’s changed much since its opening: Red leather banquettes comprise most of the seating in the main space and back room, accompanied by a steadfast wood bar with tall stools and a few smaller tables. The prices also feel of another decade, with plenty of cocktails coming in at under $10, and a baseball steak, served with vegetables and mashed potatoes, clocking in at $18.99. The cocktails are strong, like a whiskey sour that’s heavy on the whiskey, but that’s just part of the charm here. Weekend evenings tend to get busy, but head over with a group on a weeknight, start with a round of boilermakers and French fries, before ordering steak dinners, one of the best Caesars in LA, and a round of martinis. Always end with dessert, especially the bread pudding, which is served warm with a scoop of ice cream. — Rebecca Roland, editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest Know before you go: The bathrooms at the HMS Bounty are in the adjoining Gaylord apartment building; head out the side door of the bar and ask the apartment doorman for directions. There’s also a jukebox guests can control from their phones, download the AMI Music app for access." - Mona Holmes