Barbara West Catering

Well look who’s all grown up now. It’s been 7 years since my first review of this place and things have changed… for the better.
Where else in LA can you find a hidden gem in the middle of an artist community where ER doctors rub shoulders with artists, ups drivers, and hop heads?
This is the only gastropub worth a damn for miles with the best and hardest to get beers in town. The setting, the patrons, the updated menu, the service, everything is spot on.
Don’t expect: Coors light or Corona
Do expect: Something new and delicious
They have a brilliant craft cocktail program as well.

So, having been back many times since (a friend lives in the complex), my opinion has shifted.
Not that I take back anything — I still don’t get service industry employees that seem to hate dealing with people — but the place has grown on me a bit.
They’re kinda like that D&D, slightly asperger-​y friend — has good taste, super knowledgable, but completely socially incompetent. Yet once they get to know you a little better, they relax and can even be fun to be around. Still, no one I’ve ever brought there has enjoyed their first experience, so take it for what it’s worth.

So the service sucks, the food completely makes up for it! Chile verde burrito was delicious!

This is my first review on Unilocal.I called ten minutes in advanced because I was running work errands and lunch was well past due. I ordered a garden burger and paid a dollar extra for zucchini fries. This place is actually inside the Brewery and could very well be described as the heart of it. My food was ready when I arrived and I was very pleased! The burger could have been pre made but I was too hungry to even tell. The fries were spot on though! ¹⁰⁄₁₀ will be back again

Just discovered this place with my coworker and fell in love with the atmosphere of the place and the FOOD! It’s a cozy and hidden bar/​restaurant/​lounge in the middle of nowhere in the industrial part past downtown LA. The food is delicious and it’s an excellent getaway, whether you want to come here for lunch, dinner or drinks.

If anyone deserves one star, it’s Barbara’s.
I have developed a strict No-Barbara’s Policy when visiting the Brewery, due to (as I just explained to a group of friends who are now suffering there) their low quality food, high prices, and rude staff.
Emphasis on the rude staff. Sidelong glances and unapologetic sarcasm inflection will get you far in art, perhaps, but not so much in serving. Just because you fancy yourself a hipster doesn’t require you to be a douche. Really, man, you don’t HAVE to be a dick. You know that; perhaps you simply want to be, or simpler still, are one.
Anywho, this place can, as they say, suck it.

Amazing rotating selection of craft beers on tap. Good food, I recommend the chicken tacos and the nachos. I’ve never seen it tremendously crowded, usually a mix of two kinds of people, hipsters from the lofts and health care people from the hospital. Great place to unwind with friends. It’s a little tough to locate on your first trip, but Unilocal’s pin is in the right place.

I’m a fan! Came here with my bf and his class after midterms. It was friday evening and pretty freakin crowded. There was nowhere to sit for a while.
Finding it is a bit of a pain, it’s a little windy road, but oh well at least they have parking and it’s free. I totally think that this bar is hipster, there were a bunch of them in the beginning, and a few older people eating in small groups. The barkeep was pretty attentive, and getting a drink wasn’t tough at all. I tried the dry cider which was decent, and another beer that I can’t remember now but it was good! Also tried their nachos which was good.
I’ll be back.

This is our favorite place to have a drink and a bite in LA — super beer on tap and a veggie burger with fries that is great! Bring on Pliny the Elder beer!
We’d love a couple of additional vegan options, but hey, this is because we eat there a lot.
The atmosphere is wonderful — it is in the midst of the Brewery Arts Complex, which is home to 500 – 700 artists — check out
to read about their public Art Walk event held twice a year. This basically guarrantees an interesting crowd, though at lunch you’ll also often see people from the nearby USC Medical Center.
Highly recommended!

I can’t make up my mind about the staff — sometimes I go in and they completely ignore me, even when the bar is not busy and I start talking to them, they walk away and wash glasses or something. But other times they have been perfectly friendly and approached me to take me order straight away.
It does take a while for food to come out of the kitchen when they are busy, but most of the food is good — personal favs are the pizzas, nachos, burgers and generous portions of chocolate cake. The ‘healthier’ options are more limited but the chicken salad and salmon with veggies are good too.
The selection of draft beer is great, they change it around quite often so there’s always something new to try.
I live at The Brewery (the complex of artists lofts in which Barbara’s is located) and go here for food very often because of that. I don’t feel like I would go out of my way to visit here if I didn’t live on site though.

Bartenders are beyond fabulous and they make the experience a lot more memorable! Barbara’s not only has an eclectic selection on craft and bottled brews, they also have amazing food that is very inexpensive!
This has definitely become one of our favorite local spots due to the impeccable service and great quality of beer and food :)

Love this place! My friends and I were comparing it to Joe’s bar on greys anatomy because it seems like where all the doctors from USC go during their time off! I wish they weren’t wearing their germy scrubs though. There is plenty of parking and the place is super chill.
No happy hour on food and kitchen doesn’t open until 5 though :[ The nachos were delicious and the zucchini fries were some of the best we ever had. The waitresses were a little overeager with clearing away glasses and they would try and take stuff away before we were done.
I almost wish I didn’t know about this place because they don’t really have that many healthy options and I can tell we’re going to be here all the time.

always known this place to be here, but lincoln heights and bar seem to reek bad news. especially when its hidden away and you’re not exactly sure where it’s at. came here on a whim one nite with a friend and now i gotta say i am going to be a regular. definitely a place i would like to come back and just chill with a beer after work.
pros: very very nice rotation beer selection. they carried one of my fav brews. the craftsmen hefeweissen on tap. big bonus points to that. had a pineapple wheat from kona brewing company that was fun too. thought you could only get that in hawaii but its nice to know they carry that here. they had a ton of other darker beers too.
food: food is a moderate menu, its nothing to particulary go crazy and rave about, but it’s better than average bar food. great price for what it’s worth and probably the only place in this area to get that type of food without venturing to dt la.
crowd: came here twice. once was mostly locals at the artist lofts all around, and during late afternoon it was a mix of artist loft guys, usc med/​pharm students, and the ups guys down the the street, and maybe a few locals.
to summarize, don’t take this four star and think you should drive all the way out from the valley to try this place, but you know what. if you are in the area, definitely keep it in mind. and if you live around here. definitely a good go-​to local spot!

Barbara’s is great. Always bump into friends there and love the food. Their website is wrong. They are open Sundays until 5pm.

I just love that one of the bartenders always remembers what drink i like and makes it perfectly. The idea place to realease my stress in a martini glass.

There aren’t many restaurants around USC health science area so I was disappointed at the thought of eating Jack-​in-​the-​Box day after day. However, this place, which is in the middle of nowhere, is awesome. Their brew selection is impressive with stronger belgium beers as well as their craft brewskies. The architecture and art are kind of soho and warehouse/​industrialish. The tables are large and spread out. There’s a lounge area with a projector screen as well. I love the outdoor feel of the indoors and food was good.
I got their special chipotle meatball sandwich ($ 10). Meatballs were tender but everything else was typical. Oh the salad looked amazing! I would love to come back for happy hour or for an evening drink. When I went there for lunch, it was dead. The place has a lot of potential but I guess location kind of sucks.

Where everybody knows your name.
Barbara’s is great. The bartenders make it great. It’s nice that a lot of Brewery residents are regulars. It feels like home, well somebody else’s home — loft. Ok it feels like your friends loft :p
Great place to drink. Awesome happy hour. There’s a patio if you want to get away from everyone.
I love to drink Pabst Blue Ribbon here because the Brewery used to be a PBR brewery. History, nice.
They also make great cocktails here.

*** Lunch ends @ 3pm, so get there earlier. ***
It’s hidden in an older industrial area, gentrified with
artist lofts and a myriad of craftsmen type businesses.
It’s spacious, it’s rustic, it’s indoor/​outdoor, it’s just right
to knock back & chill. Several microbrews on tap (local
and imported). Several sandwich choices available too.
I had the pesto chicken and seasoned fries. Pesto was
fresh & tasty. Chicken was plump & juicy. Bread grilled.
The fries were warmly seasoned to a medium rectangular
perfection, well paired with a Drake IPA to finish the meal.
*** It’s relaxed, lazy and unassuming in a way that I like. ***

One of my friends had been telling me about this place for years since he works in the area. This place has lots of different types of people given its location, by default it’s located in an artist community however since it’s close to county USC you see lots of people in scrubs too.
As I drank my beer I got hungry, the blackboard had a few different items on it. Kobe burger it was. I’d never had a Kobe burger before and although it seemed like an unusual place to try it I did. Burger was great along with the fires. Lots of places to sit and even has some outdoor seating. Had the burger a couple of beer it was less than $ 20. I’ll be back. I also saw lots of people coming in having a beer and getting food to go which is always a good sign.
When you’re looking for it and are about to give up trying to find it, keep going it’s in the back part of the parking area. If you’re looking for a new place to try and don’t want to go all the way to downtown check this place out.

Babs, you done good.
This is a great spot to go to when in the area or visiting one of the studios at the Brewery.
I have to say that the best stuff here are the fish tacos (holy shit, they’re good). They also have Shiner Bock. That is classic, since most bars don’t carry this fine Texas beer. Here’s the full-​on Texas hookup on drinking Shiner: have the bartender/​waiter put 3 olives in the bottom of the beer. No kidding. Good stuff.
Don’t half step. Hit this place during the Brewery Art Walk for some good grub and good vibes.