The Roost, Los Angeles

Roost, The - Roost lures drinkers off the beaten Hollywood path with the smell of fresh popcorn wafting from this dive bar’s doors. The bar’s sleepy mood and dim red lights compliments the mellow country jukebox selection. Empty liquor bottles line the shelves, which overlook the plastic red couches and faux wooden tables. The place is endearingly musty, a bit like Grandma’s house. Count on a mixed crowd of co-eds, policemen talking politics or gray-haired regulars looking for a sweet young thing to sit in their laps. If you want to fit in, call the bespectacled bartender by name – Betsy - and maybe she’ll empty a bottle into your glass before putting it up on the shelf.