Join the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles for no-host cocktails at Tom Bergin's, located at 840 S. Fairfax Ave. in a Tudor Revival building, since 1949. Then continue on to two other neighborhood bars, Blue Collar and Cold Shoulder just north of Tom Bergin’s for a Fairfax “crawl.” The Fairfax district was once home to many casual lounges and entertainment venues!
Boasting the second-oldest liquor license in Los Angeles, Tom Bergin’s Irish pub offers a full bar as well as a dinner menu. This Los Angeles institution is known for its Irish Coffee and the British delicacies on the menu. Outdoor dining is available.
North of Tom Bergin’s are two side-by-side bars (on the west side of Fairfax) not far from Tom Bergin’s, that will welcome us when they open at 7:00 PM. Blue Collar at 361 S. Fairfax Avenue and Cold Shoulder at 359 S. Fairfax Avenue. The two bars are joined by a secret door in a bookshelf that is accessed through a secret password!
The concept is to start at Tom Bergin’s for dinner and a drink and then proceed on at 7:00 PM to two craft cocktail locations that are also on Fairfax.
No need to RSVP, just show up and join us for no-host cocktails or dinner.
Cocktails in Historic Places® are no-host bar events, meet ups for members of the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles and those wishing to learn more about the organization.
Vintage attire admired, but not required.
Cocktails in Historic Places is a registered trademark of the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles.
ABOUT TOM BERGIN’S
The beginnings of this beloved pub were with a lawyer named Tom Bergin who opened The Old Horseshoe Tavern on Wilshire Blvd. in 1936. Eventually the business became Tom Bergin’s. It is one of Los Angeles’ oldest continuously running restaurant/bars.
Tom Bergin’s was threatened with closure. Through the efforts of the Miracle Mile Residential Association and the Los Angeles Conservancy, Tom Bergin's was successfully designated as an Historic Cultural Monument in June 2019. Let’s celebrate this monument by supporting the legacy business within!
Read more about Tom Bergin's and the fight to preserve it.
See the Tom Bergin's menu.
ABOUT BLUE COLLAR:
At Blue Collar they take pride in making custom cocktails that are special to only your palate. Therefore, they do not have a menu.
“All of our coctails are made with daily fresh squeezed locally sourced fruit, homemade syrups and fresh garnishes by our master bartenders.” (Blue Collar’s website)
ABOUT COLD SHOULDER:
Entry into Cold Shoulder is through a secret passage via a bookcase from actor Vincent Laresca’s first Fairfax bar, Blue Collar, so you could call it a speakeasy.
Drinks are as unique as the “upside down” decor. The Benjamin cocktail’s s’mores garnish is set afire, while the Bananas Foster is presented on a marble platter and uses real bananas, black walnut liqueur, Koloa Rum, chocolate bitters, and vanilla ice cream before it’s topped with bacon bits, dried bananas, mixed nuts, and caramel. There are plenty of detailed touches throughout Cold Shoulder, right down to the hand-drawn menu.