Alibi Room

Drinks are good. Atmosphere is good. Service is what’s getting 3 stars. We were treated like two red headed step children. The bartender kicked us out early (at 0130) even though his friends were still around. Then he asked us to exit via the back door.

Great little trendy neighborhood spot. Tacos were so good that one order became two real quick. Drinks are good as well not to mention the ambiance. Stop in check it out you won’t be disappointed!

Well, never checked in or reviewed despite coming here AT LEAST once a month, if not every week. This is me and my babe’s go to place when we want to get some bite while sipping some alcohol. Our once a month designated date spot besides the Brig and other random locations. We always order: Pacman Bowl & Old Fashion. Every time we go, I would take a while to decide what to get. But it always come down to those two. The Pacman Bowl gives you a mouthful of savory flavors. Not for the faint of heart cause there’s so much oil. But delish! Though there are times when the quality changes. Sometimes you get more meat, and sometimes less. Sometimes more oily, and sometimes just perfect. Sometimes more veggies, and sometimes not. Sometimes the rice is cooked to perfection, with that nice light chewiness and crunchy, crispy rice at the bottom; sometimes the rice is ridiculously soggy… But most of the time it’s just perfect. We know, cause we ate it like so many times. Their Old Fashion is one of the best in town that we’ve tried so far… considering the volume and taste.
We have also tried their Trio Taco Combo. They were great. And in fact, the Calamari Tacos is amazing. But the Pacman is just seemed more worth the price since you get so much food. The wings are actually very very very delicious as well. The one time we tried them, we were licking the sauce off the plate. The Tofu Citrus Salad is a pass… We got still covered in ice lettuce. The flavor is good, but we not want eating no frozen, icy, shriveled lettuce. Finally, about their fries, it was good the first time, then somehow it just didn’t seem worth ordering. It is crisp and nicely seasoned. The housemade tomato sauce is lovely, and the same goes for the aioli. And the portion size is ridiculously huge. But it’s not something that makes us want to keep munching on. We’ve also tried their Blackjack Quesadilla and their Sour Cream Hen House. The first one wasn’t particularly memorable. The second one is just not as good as the Pacman Bowl.
Seriously, give the Pacman Bowl a try if you haven’t. Well worth the price.
Now down to ambiance. Dark. Most of the time hard to find seating. But the vibe is great. Very cozy and friendly. It might seem like a snobby place, but it really isn’t. We love to seat out on the smoking deck, even when we don’t have cig to smoke, cause it’s much more quiet, we can carry out a convo, it has a nice air circulation, and we can plot down on the seating/​bench quite nicely. Again, not for those afraid of some chilly air that is.
P. S. The bathroom is nice and clean enough if you are scared of public bathrooms like us. :)

Food and drinks are pretty good. Prices are average and service just fine. Ambiance and thematic décor are probably the most attractive features of this joint. Alibi won’t exceed many peoples expectation but won’t disappoint a multitude either. Music could be a tad lower.
I’d recommend

Holy kimchee, these drinks are good!
I came here for on a Sunday evening for birthday drinks during my LAX layover from HND. I had a few hours before heading back to Chicago on a redeye, and wanted to make the most of my time in LA. Luckily, my friend recommended we check out Alibi Room since it combined my love for Korean spots and booze, and was close to the airport.
Unfortunately, we found out that Sunday evenings were when the kitchen would be closed, so I was unable to try any of the Korean kogi food I had in mind. However, there were other food trucks in the back to offer some bites. Instead, I went for the drinks.
I started with an Air Mail– Atlantico rum, champagne, lime, honey. It was tasty and STRONG. Following this, my friend ordered me a Blue Smoke Old Fashion. I don’t know what they did with it, but it was much stronger than what I am used to. It was smoky with its bitters, and definitely one of the best I’ve had!
The lounge area inside is small, but on a Sunday, was virtually empty. So we took over and made it our home for a few hours.
I really enjoyed my time at Alibi Room, and am looking forward to returning one day to try out the food itself.

The Alibi Room is quite dark and noisy at night. it was rather tough to get the attention of any of the bartenders at the triangularly shaped bar to place my take-​out order.
. Calamari Tacos $ 7 corn tortillas, onions, sesame, sweet chili salsa
. Burrito $ 8 hashbrowns, eggs, cheese, slaw, onions, cilantro, roja, short rib
The calamari was nothing exciting, The tacos were two. The burrito was quite filling and acceptably tasty.
3.5 stars?

I love and hate this place. I must admit the good food there is SO good and I go back often despite myself because of this fact. The trouble is that they go out of their way to make it uncomfortable – its a big empty room with hardly any seating. They don’t take phone to-​go orders. They have a back patio they could use for seating but instead they keep it pitch black with no heating and there are no tables. Also, the bad food is BAD.
Here’s the good:
–chicken sliders to die for
–korean spiced fries have the perfect crunch: mush ratio
–pacman sandwhich is so tender and juicy
the bad:
beef tacos are dry and hard to chew
kimchi bowl is bitter and flavorless.
The way around all this is to hunt down the Kogi foodtruck, run by the same people, same delicious food but none of the hassle of the alibi room itself.

This place is definitely a hidden gem.
:Venue:
There is a very small parking lot; however, finding street parking is not too bad.
My one gripe is that there are no booths here. There are, I think 3 tables, and the rest is bar seating. This is the place you go to in order to grab a bite and then you head over to your next location for the rest of the night. Despite how small it is, it is extremely noisy.
:Food:
This is my favorite part of this venue. The food is amazing. The last time we were here, 3 of us split the Korean Spiced Fries and we still had leftovers! I have tried the tofu tacos, which were packed with flavor, but not very filling. The Kimchi Quesadilla and New York Pizza Quesadilla or insane ! That is definitely my recommendation to newbies.
Lasty, check out their drink menu. There are some delicious cocktails on there.
:Service:
The service here has never been bad and never been outstanding. It’s a fast paced venue and it’s super loud inside, so chatting it up with the staff would be very difficult.

I always have high hopes for Chef Roy’s joints but I always end up leaving a bit disappointed
A random lounge/​bar in Culver City. Service was whatever and the food was mediocre at best. They do have some cool stouts and friends enjoyed some of the cocktails they had ordered. As for the food, I recommend the kimchi quesadilla and the korean spiced fries.
It’s a cool concept of Mexican-​Korean fusion street food and I’m all for it but I wasn’t too impressed.

Strolled in on a Saturday night, sat right at the bar.
Definitely has a ‘hip’ feeling to the restaurant. VERY small, very limited seating.
Service was decent, and I liked the food. Good music, not too loud.
The fries are freakin’ amazing. I swear, those fries are bottomless. Share them. If you try to eat the fries by yourself, you will lose. But it’s a good defeat.

LOVE. THIS. SPOT.
Bartenders are super friendly. They make really great cocktails here. Their choice of cocktails on their menu are great but they also know the staple drinks like a daquiri or a negroni and even a whiskey sour. They don’t always have egg whites but it still tastes great.
And the food. Who doesn’t love kogi? Those kimchi spiced fries are to die for as well as the rest of the menu. Their kitchen closes at midnight which is awesome for you night owls.

My girlfriends and I decided to meet at this place for dinner, not realizing that it is literally a bar with only a few areas for seating. It was also extremely DARK. Not the best place to sit-​down, eat, and talk (because it got super loud as soon as it got to prime dinner hour — we were practically shouting over each other)… but ultimately, the food and drinks were delicious.
We ordered the Kogi burrito, a rice bowl with 3 different types of meat, and the pork belly tacos. Everything was delicious — lots of complex flavors and a variety of textures really make the food here a stand-​out. The Moscow mule was also one of the best I’ve ever tried. They also have a ginger beer here that was really good! Fun place to just hangout and feel hip, but don’t come looking for your standard restaurant vibe.

If you are looking for a nice sit down dining experience, this is NOT the place to go. They have lounge tables to the side that look like coloring tables but for adults, and an oddly shaped bar area. Along one the walls is a stretch of small counter space, just enough to hold your food and booze. I recommend coming here when it opens, if not you’ll be standing around waiting for people to leave to grab their seats.
I think this is the kind of place you go to enjoy some drinking with delicious finger food. They have a nice selection of beer, the bartenders are pretty on point, and the food comes out in a blink of an eye.
It’s awkward to watch people maneuver around, and even more awkward to watch them watch you to gauge when you’ll be leaving, but I came here for the food and I thoroughly enjoyed it so I had a pleasant experience overall.

Absolutely one of my favorite bars in LA.
The drinks are made well, especially the Sidecar and the Old Fashioned cocktails.
Most importantly, it’s all about the Kogi tacos. I always have the one with galbi (spare ribs). It’s great not having to chase down a food truck and enjoy street tacos inside a chill bar with dim lighting and a generally vibrant crowd.
Street parking could get crowded on the weekend but generally not too bad during the weeknights.

After hopping off a plane at LAX at night, the first thing I wanted to do was stuff my face because I hadn’t eaten dinner yet. While planning out our trip, my friend had talked about Alibi Room, so we drove here straight from the airport and found a parking spot immediately. The gods wanted me to have a fantastic time in LA!!!
Truthfully we came to Alibi Room pretty much for Kogi/​Chego, not really the bar itself; however, the atmosphere is perfect to grab a drink — which we did — it’s dimly lit with a lively crowd and attentive bartenders. Keep in mind Alibi Room is a bar, and there’s a bouncer who will check your ID.
I got the Pacman Bowl (a Chego dish): chicken, pork, short rib, cheese, herbs/​spices, rice. WOW.
Aside from the fact that this bowl is only $ 10 and absolutely gigantic (absurdly inexpensive, especially for LA), the bowl is packed full of flavor and, perhaps more importantly, doesn’t skimp on the meat. At all. Thinking back, I’m still amazed at how much I put away — it kind of hurts to think about, but heck, I’m on vacation!
We also ordered fries (addictively crisp with a tasty ketchup/​mayo dipping sauce) and got drinks (heavy-​handed with the liquor) to accompany — absolutely no regrets other than not having enough stomach capacity to try more things.
I hope Alibi Room never gets rid of their «outsourced» food options — they’re a big draw to the bar, but even then, it’s a really neat place to grab a drink. Eating is a priority for me, though, and Kogi/​Chego really push it to the top.

One of my new favorite spots to eat!
Everything I’ve tried on the menu has been delicious so far. The service is great!
Feels like you are at a nice bar/​lounge without any stress of looking dressed or spending lots of money.
You must be 21 and over to enter. There is seating at the bar and a few lounge couches and some outdoor patio seating.
I plan on trying everything on their menu! For now, I have tried the following:
–three tacos: very tasty and filling with different choices of meat.
–chilaquiles: I’m Mexican and I love chilaquiles. These are not your typical ones. They have this unique kick to them. Chicken, but I believe you can request a different meat. Also, I ate about ¹⁄₆ of it and was stuffed. The leftovers tasted just as delicious.
–Burrito: not the wet one, the regular burrito. I had it with chicken and it was really good. i asked for some green salsa on the side, which made it even better.
–Blackjack Quesadilla: ah-​maze-​balls! I loved it. Super cheesy and the pork meat was yummy. Comes with the delicious green salsa on top. Great share too!
That’s my fatty report for this place… for now. I haven’t had drinks here, yet. Also, the prices are unbeatable for the quality of the food! Some parking in the back and street parking. Don’t forget your ID!

I love food trucks but I hate chasing them. So this spot does the trick. I get my kogi & chego fix while having a brew. Sounds like a great Friday night if you ask me.
Bar is pretty cool. Lots of seating space but always packed. How we enough room to roam around. Beers come bottles which in not a big fan but oh well, not a deal breaker.
Parking was easy and smooth. Lots of street parking.
If you live in LA you know that Kogi is what’s up. Get a short rib quesadilla and one of those Dons. You won’t regret it!

Came here for reverse happy hour. Decently crowded but found enough room at the bar. You must request the reverse happy hour menu (which begins post 11pm) or else you will never know it exists. It’s not huge, but when you’re a college student– what more could you want?
Kitchen closes at midnight, so we had to order before then. We opted for the Korean spiced fries and the Kimchi Quesadilla. First of all, the food portions (especially for the two items mentioned) are HUGE. Oh my goodness, I was struggling to finish the food. Food alongside my already full beer belly was just not going so well. So be forewarned that some of these dishes are definitely on the shareable portion. Kudos to you, Alibi Room, for not skimping out on drunchies.
Chill place. Really darkly lit, couches and fireplace on the side. Crowd is probably late twenties to mid thirties. Folks pretty much keep to themselves. It is super loud in hear, so expect some trouble communicating here or there. However, I would come by again.

My friends and i thought this was the weirdest place. i understand it’s a lounge and bar but like super fancy quiet bar? it was strange.
but, on a sunday night we ate our howlin rays chicken and just hung out. after a while i think the atmosphere got to us because we were really kicking back having good conversations. i don’t think i’ll ever understand this place. and its suuuper dark!
i would go back though, great spot to distance yourself from your phone and spend quality time with friends!

Roy Choi is the king of LA dining. I literally will eat at all his restaurant locations before I die. Hooray for tangible goals! For those who don’t know yet, Roy started the whole Korean-​Mexican Fusion and food truck trend. Bless him and his Kogi BBQ Truck. *insert heart eyes here*
Alibi Room was nothing short of amazing. It’s basically a bar (so 21+ only!) and you can opt to order food along with your drink. Food menu consists of items from the Kogi truck and his other restaurant, Chego. Food was up-​to-​par in quality and taste in comparison to the original locations. My friend and I both ordered the Three Taco Combo and split the Korean Spiced Fries. If there were tacos I would want to die eating, it would be the Short Rib Tacos. I mean the pork was also good. but the short ribs were on another level LOL. Double tortillas, so it was very filling. Meat was topped with slaw and salsa roja, so there was a good balance between meat and veggies! And the seasoning that went with the slaw… so good I died.
Alibi room is more like a one-​time thing for me. I would rather come here for some happy hour drinks, but overall, if you want the food you’ll get more options and a better «foodie» experience at Chego or Kogi!