Ebanos Crossing

I wish I could say I had a mediocre night at best. I’m not one to usually go out, but I’m okay with that. I dressed up in appropriate nightwear, took a drive, and came to this place to support a friend of mine on her birthday.
My experience was nothing less than horrendous. When I learned there was a cover, no worries (!), I went to the atm across the street. When I came back, however, they had doubled their cover. It would have been nice to have known that before I handed them $ 40 expecting change… And received none whatsoever, with no explanation.
I did not receive change. Instead, I had three bouncers surrounding me telling me I ‘aint getting shit’ because I had ‘entered the club’. I hadn”t left the attendant booth inside. All of them, which I had juuust not moments before shot the shit with, had seen me walk in.
Look, I started my own taxed, legal business at age 20 running real estate. The service I was suddenly dealing with was absolutely not okay! So I asked to speak with the club owner. ‘he busy’. ‘He wouldn’t like to hear about a rare, easily-​solved mishap?’ Refusal. I’m sorry sir, but hell. no.
I spent thirty-​five minutes on edge with three burly bouncers arguing about nonsense. I’m 5’4″. This is not the night I had envisioned. After threatening with the BBB, bluffing about knowing Who Actually Cares, and holding my own… I received back $ 20. Half. For two minutes at a card table.
I didn’t get to see my friend on her birthday. I drove all the way from Anaheim, to Hermosa Beach, and then to this place just to buy her a drink. Still, I felt the need to uphold at least some sort of professionalism since these people weren’t going to. I’m not going to put any repercussions on a girl having fun on her birthday, right? Unfortunate, to say the least.
⁰⁄₅

This review has been saved as a draft two years ago, forgotten, and now finally decided to post it: p
There comes a time in your life when you meet Mr. Fucking Fantastic. I will forever love Ebanos because I met him here. He will be so incredibly hot that it literally hurts to look at him, and he will crack jokes left and right like he’s like king of fucking comedy. He’s ambitious and has his shit together, and did I mention he is super tall? *dies*
When he offers to buy you a drink and two hours have flown by because you are having a great conversation, you are keeping it cool but inside you are really thinking, «OMG HELL YES!» It’s the perfect brief encounter.
And uhh. about Ebanos, it’s cool. I think. I wasn’t really paying attention. The bathrooms are nice.

THE CROSSING DTLA
200 S. Hill ST LA CA 90 012
213.935.8829
info@thecrossingLA

I’ve been a hug fan of this place ever since it opened. The vibe suits me right and the people are like family. I did ask for a spicy drink and got my mouth burned off by the bartender so I definitely learned what the «crossing» meant. I wish the place was smaller cuz I’m old school like that. Parking is wacko just like the rest of downtown.

Stopped by for happy hour and some food… I was pleasantly surprised! The brisket was excellent and the décor is fantastic. Wonderful service from Anthony! I’m looking forward to stopping in again.

Their new partnership with Baby Blues BBQ for lunch makes this place worth visiting. And they still have one of my boyfriend’s favorite gins on offer: New York Distilling Company’s Perry Tot Navy Strength. Nice to have some a slew of quality places in the neighborhood.

Parking: Über’ed here so I don’t know the parking situation.
Drinks: They actually came out pretty quick, even if the bar is packed. It’s good to see there are some places in LA that don’t have craft cocktails that take 20 minutes each to make.
Other than that, Ebanos is just… a lounge. It occupies that space where it’s not posh enough to be a trendy/​classy spot, not geared for hipsters, nor is it dumpy enough to be a dive bar. I think they need to pick an identity and stick with it. Until then, it’s kind of just a room for people to drink in with loud music.

I came here for a Halloween event a few days ago. I purchased presale tickets online. Upon arrival, I waited in line for over an hour and a half only to be denied entrance. Why? I have no clue. Everyone in line was there for so long that people started to leave. I stayed because I figured if those people left, they’d eventually let me in? Nope.
I still have yet to receive an email regarding my refund. Con artists, scammers.

First time here, and I really liked it.
The doormen were polite, funny and courteous. The bartenders were the best I’ve seen in a while — attentive, quick, friendly and accommodating.
The vibe here is very chill, intimate and just downright fun if you want to go to a place that doesn’t get overly packed and obnoxious. Good vibe and good crowd to be in.
Live music (bands) was great

You could fool me and tell me this place serves food. I’d have to take your word for it, because I seem to only come here after 10:30pm, where the tables disappear, and the DJ starts spinning.
Had my birthday here this past weekend, and we worked with the promoter to get bottles. I was quoted 2 Bottles (Hen and Ciroc) for $ 500 including tax and gratuity. Not bad at all. They did do a small hustle on me at the end for $ 45. But at this point, its a nickel and dime game, I was going to put about $ 40 extra tip anyway, but since that happened, we’ll just call it even.
The service for bottles for this type of place is NOT like other places. We only saw our hostess once, for the first round, then never again. Our Mixers weren’t swapped as often as usual, but again, not a big deal, we weren’t expecting Vegas type of treatment, because we weren’t paying Vegas prices.
The DJ spun hip hop, the crowd was diverse, and the girls were ratchet. Promoter was awesome, (pouring shots for everyone) and security was cool. Overall, it doesn’t get much better than that in DTLA.
You wan’t the star treatment, go to a bigger club, and pay the $ 400/​bottle… and then if you still don’t feel like a star, write your scathing review.
But Ebanos crossing? Definitely a place worth partying.

*This review is for the bartender working at 11pm on Thursday June 11^th, 2015 (the shorter white one)*
The location of the bar was convenient being that there is ample affordable parking all within short walking distance… a plus.
The atmosphere was fine. Typical bar stuff, smallish, intimate, with a cool vibe… a plus.
The door guys were hella cool, funny, nonjudgemental, and not there to be on any undeserved power trip… a plus.
THE DRINKS HOWEVER!!! (shall we get into the negatives for a moment?)
My fellow Unilocalers, why is this establishment rated so high? I trust you, I follow your advise, but I feel I have been lead astray :[
I walked up to an empty bar and stood there patiently for more than five minutes while the bar tender on my side (right side when facing the bar, again, shorter white guy) mad himself look busy stacking glasses. When I finally was offered service I ordered a Hennessy on the rocks (A DRINK! NOT A SHOT) and a vodka cranberry (don’t judge me I wasn’t in the drinking mood, just appeasing my company *sigh*).
I watched him pour the vodka cranberry… weak as fuck (excuse my language). It was DARK red and all cranberry juice. Fine. It’s a wanna be swanky LA bar, I get it, Im from here right? So I let it be.
The he goes to pour my friend’s drink (Hennessy on the rocks) and he takes out his trust shot measurer thing. First question, why wasn’t that used on my drink? Normally I like my drinks better when they don’t use it because you get more alcohol, assuming the bar tender knows what a good drinks tastes like and has a heavy hand. But in this case specifically, my weak ass drink would have actually have MORE alcohol in it had the bar tender used his measuring devise… anyways, I digress…
He pours what looks to be A HALF OF A SHOT from his measuring contraption into a rocks glass that is overflowing with ice! It was so ridiculous looking that a patron next to me turned around, rolled his eyes and literally commented «Why did he put so much ice? Is that a drink? Are you paying for that?»…Yeah, ridiculous.
I mentioned the excessive ice and he responded with some slick comment about how I guess I can have the drink «any way I want it» and he threw some ice out… great. That doesn’t fix my LACK OF ALCOHOL PROBLEM!!! smh
Then he hands me the bill…$ 30!!! For two miniature weak ass drinks?! Granted, I don’t pay for drinks… shoot I hardly pay for anything when Im out, but I wanted to treat my friend who always takes care of me. So maybe my understanding of drink prices in LA is skewed. idk…regardless, that’s ridiculous.
I sign the slip and of course tipped him generously (because I was a server when I was younger and always tip more than 20%, sue me) all the while I was explaining to him that my henny on the rocks was not made correctly. I asked for a drink, not a shot on ice.
He was more than confused, saying that «the drink and the shot are the same thing»!!! ugh! ok. WRONG! but ok.
So he pours another shot in there. ok great, thanks… AND THEN TAKES MY CARD OFF THE PAPER THAT I WAS SIGNING AND RUNS IT AGAIN!!! What???
Another $ 15!!! For a single shot! At this point I am beyond frustrated and just sign the slip, chug our drinks, and leave. Upon leaving the door guys asked about my night and I told him to GET HIS BAR TENDER! He laughed, such a nice guy.
Oh, the bar back was cool as hell too. He laughed at my comment, almost as though he’s heard similar complaints before.
Regardless, I won’t ever be back. I paid $ 45 for two drinks and bad service. Im almost more mad at myself.
To the owner/​manager, teach your employees about customer service… it’s truly everything these days, especially in a post Unilocal era.
Good luck everyone else

Cheap Happy Hour! Beers are only $ 4. You get to choose between a Lager or IPA.
Bartenders keep forgetting that it’s happy hour though, so watch your bill. Twice they over charged me, and I had to tell them. First bartender couldn’t even do math correctly. He didn’t know how much change to give back to me even though I told him like 3 times. Either he was drunk already too or he’s just a complete idiot. Luckily I am honest.
If it wasn’t for the bartenders messing up, I would give this place 4 stars.

Review in #Haiku:
Not into clubs now
But still, had a good time here
No need to return

So unexpectedly great! I’ve been to a lot of the speak easies in DTLA, and Ebanos Crossing certainly holds its own.
We came with a pretty big group on a Thursday night and had absolutely no problem getting in. Both the bouncers and bartenders were friendly — the bartender made my friend and I one of the most delicious whiskey cocktails I’ve ever had. For a reasonable price, it felt fancyyy!
Major shout out to the band they had going, which was a mix of jazz funk and pop covers — whatever they were, they certainly had us dancing all night. Overall a really fun vibe with plenty of space for lots of friends!

This was my first time ever at a club/​lounge in downtown LA and i loved it here! the music was great i had so much fun! we came to Ebanos with the Latino Graduate Student Association; a group from USC and we all had a wonderful time! the DJ was awesome (that is a big deal for me!) it was full of people, but it was not so crowded that people were bumping into you. it was nice inside and the drinks were good too (a little pricey)
all in all, we had a wonderful time and will definitely be coming back!

This place was fun last night, and It’s my 100^th review on here, YEAY!
So, let’s start with the good stuff:
— the bouncer at the door was cool, and took care of us.
— the drinks were reasonably priced
— the space /​ambiance had a good vibe
— there was a mixed crowd, reflective of LA’s
— you actually had plenty of space on the dance floor to get your moves on
The downside of that last note is that on a Saturday night I would have expected a few more folks there.
Also, the DJ kept mixing up the styles, so just as you got into one type of music. he would switch it up… so you could never get in the «zone». (and some folks would just step away from the dance floor.)

I attended a book release party here about 3 weeks ago. It’s quaint and I like the décor — red and black. The bartenders are nice and the drinks are awesome. The live band was pretty good too. I liked the cover songs they did. Pretty cool spot in downtown LA.

Only heard of this place because of Paint Nite. I normally don’t go to bars especially in DTLA because there too many one way streets its a pain in the butt getting to where you need to go.
There’s a stretch along 2^nd street right now that’s under construction so I had do a big circle to get to this place. Parking is $ 5. Not bad. I also noticed they had a security guard standing at the corner which was 5 feet away from the door. Good to know they look out for their patrons.
The décor is pretty cool. Dark with lots of red walls and hug mirrors leaning against the walls. Words that come to mind about the décor are goth and Vampire Lestat.
I had 2 margaritas and I was already buzzed after the first one. Lightweight!
Bathrooms looked clean, waiters were nice making sure we had our drinks while painting, and it was a pretty safe looking establishment. The only thing is for the ladies, if you’re already a bit tipsy be careful when going to the bathroom especially when you’re wearing heels. The floor isn’t slippery but you never know what’s gonna happen when everything looks blurry.
Paint Nite was a success!

Came here Friday night after the guys we were with couldn’t get in to Edison. Not a bad find. Around the corner on Hill street and not too packed for a Friday night. Great hip hop music and nice décor. It’s spacious and dark. Great chandeliers and plenty of seating area.
Bartenders didn’t have the right mix for a Washington Apple, Scooby Snack, or a Chocolate Cake shot! They don’t even have Coronas. The bartender created an ad-​hoc drink that was super gingery but refreshing. Drinks could have been colder instead of us taking warm shots. Drinks were charged $ 40 but it seemed like the bartender was coming up with the prices on the spot. And he tried to play us by saying we didn’t pay when we laid out the money for him.
Music was good. Dress code is not strict. Parking on the street or in a $ 5 garage a couple blocks down. I like places that aren’t too crowded, so I’d come here again.

Ebanos Crossing is named after a border crossing in TX: It might as well be in TX, because it is a hike from the Financial District in DTLA. BTW, ebanos means ebony, and this place is pretty dark inside. However, it is nicely decorated too.
The menu is tapas style and we ordered off the HH Menu (until 8 pm), and the regular menu: Pork sliders; jerk wings; catfish tacos; goat tacos; short rib; roasted figs and paella. The best dishes to me were the goat tacos and roasted figs. Both had good flavor and were really tasty: 4 Stars. Although, I wouldn’t have been happy with the regular prices vs the portions on the tapas items.
Unfortunately, the other items we ordered didn’t stand out at all, especially the paella. Paella should be pungent w/​saffron and stocked with meat and seafood. This version didn’t have much saffron flavor and there wasn’t any meat. In addition, we were also displeased at the portion on the short rib and paella for the price. Lastly, there was limited options on the regular menu items. We ordered the short rib and paella because we didn’t see anything else we liked: 2 Stars on the regular menu items. P. S. — The chef should re-​visit the regular menu, add a burger and fries, and re-​price the items: JUST SAYING!!!
Karina, our server was really nice and attentive. She used to work at the Far Bar and she is in tune with the DTLA scene: 4 Stars. The ambiance is swanky, and lounge/​club like: 4 Stars. I could see coming here late night, but it is kinda far from the action. Don’t come here if you are looking for good food at a fair price. But do come here if you are looking for a not too busy, swanky place to take a date.