Joshua Boyd, Adam Kirsch and Jeff Laub took their NYC barbershop/cocktail show to Culver City. In a space double the size of the original Blind Barber, the front room is stark white with rows of barber stations—call ahead for availability. If a cut, shave or trim aren't in the cards, you'll be steered through a nondescript door revealing a relatively spacious speakeasy bathed in dim lighting and adorned with old wood paneling and yellow fading wall-paper. Leather booths line the back walls with ample tables and chairs, but regulars like to congregate at the bar sampling seasonal cocktails. Posters in the bathroom may sway you into getting that 80's crew cut you've always wanted—remember the fade?—and there’s a vintage cigarette dispenser offering the shop's proprietary barber-shop products.
Vitals
Drink this: If you’re into something spicy, try the Smoke & Dagger—a mix of Jack Daniels, jalepeño-infused Cointreau, cucumber, ginger and lemon. Or go for the Sweeney Ted—a nod to the Demon Barber of Fleet Street—mixed with Jameson, lemon, honey, pomegranate liqueur, egg white and Creole bitters.
Good for: Haircuts, dancing and well-made craft cocktails. Happy hour is from 6-8pm, Monday to Friday. Also, if you keep missing the Grilled Cheese truck, fret-no-more, because they've got a massive selection of grilled cheese options on the menu that come with house made chips–go for the Buffalo Mozzarella with Truffle Aioli.
The scene: The clandestine atmosphere here breeds on its speakeasy á la Raymond Chandler setting, but with a younger, hipper group of characters held up at the bar, laying eyes all around the room rather than retailing tells of car chases and girls that got away. The girls that got away are, in fact, here. With the DJ spinning, there's no need to cry in your beer—get up and dance.