The Airliner
Bar · Lincoln Heights
2419 N Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90031
"A 100-year-old Lincoln Heights dive bar reborn under chef Vinh Nguyen and Gary Wang that preserves the iconic wood bar and vintage feeling while injecting contemporary energy. Legend traces the space back to a lounge attached to a 1923 steakhouse and several later iterations, including an underground venue; the current program offers a menu of bar bites such as Chinese cucumber salad, Chongqing chicken wings, and salmon tataki crispy rice. The cocktail menu features playful drinks like the Szechuan City (whiskey, peppercorn, lemon, and soda), alongside natural wines, sake, and beer. Note that the kitchen closes at 10 p.m." - Mona Holmes
"Airliner is one of our favorite dive bars on the Eastside, and this Saturday, August 7th, they’re hosting a “Swingtronic Speakeasy.” The event starts at 8pm with professional swinging dancing lessons, followed by live music throughout the evening. Admission is $20 per person and proof of vaccination is required. No refunds will be given if proof is not presented." - brant cox
"The 100-year-old bar reopened in August 2023 with chef Vinh Nguyen and Gary Wang at the helm. The interior got a refresh inspired by Shanghai nightlife, and the new menu features Chinese, Indonesian, Thai, and Vietnamese dishes at an accessible price point. Try the chicken liver pate, or the Chongqing chicken wings, which are both paired best with one of the excellent cocktails from the bar." - Eater Staff
"The classic Lincoln Heights bar is back with a refreshed, tighter menu that now includes onion-y noodles, lemongrass chicken banh mi, and cocktails from Avery Millard, pairing retro interiors with affordable, approachable eats." - Eater Staff
"Reborn thanks to a plucky team who first met in Shanghai, this nearly century-old Lincoln Heights bar—now run by chef Vinh Nguyen and Gary Wang—has been given a careful, sympathetic refresh rather than a full remodel. I found the dim, dive-bar styling largely intact, with new circular mirrors that make the space feel like the inside of a plane, an 80-year-old curved wooden bar that's been cleaned and shined (with new leather padding under the stools), and tasteful pale-blue patterned wallpaper that covers tacky paint while leaving weathered edges intact. The kitchen leans into snack-worthy Chinese, Indonesian, Thai, and Vietnamese influences at very attainable prices: a $10 chicken liver pâté worth scraping the bowl for with crunchy seasonal pickles; a fresh citrus salad with herbs and nuoc cham; Hunan barbecue pork with a juicy interior and lightly fried exterior coated in chile oil; a Japanese potato salad of al dente cubes seasoned with konbu broth, wakame, mustard, pickled garlic stems, and a mound of feathery bonito flakes; Shanghai triple onion noodles inspired by a late-night Shanghai vendor; and Chongqing chicken wings that outlevel typical wings. Handhelds include a lemongrass chicken bánh mì and a beef rendang kept in split hot-dog rolls (beefy, tender, shredded stewed meat cut by thin cabbage and pickled red onions), while desserts like hojicha tres leches cake and black-sesame brown-butter rice-crispy treats feel refined. On drinks, Avery Millard has put together a cocktail list beyond dive-bar expectations—shiso highball, the vegetal, Tiki-esque Missed Connections, the Fly Mamacita (a less-sweet Paloma with Thai chile–rambutan shrub), and In the Same Breath (Old Fashioned–like with yerba mate–infused vermouth and dill oil)—and Randy Mariani offers easy-drinking, party-style natural wines. The Airliner reopened after closing in February 2023, plans to open an upstairs Japanese-style hi‑fi listening bar with space for DJs and bands around mid-2024, and is currently open daily from 5 p.m. to midnight." - Matthew Kang
