Melrose Umbrella Company | Tasting Table Los Angeles
Out with the new, in with the old at Melrose Umbrella Company
If you like your cocktails and grilled cheese sandwiches with a side of history, you're going to love this place.
Stepping into Melrose Umbrella Company–a new cocktail hangout along Melrose's boutique corridor–can feel like stepping back in time: Subway tiles line the arched ceiling, old apothecary cabinets line the back bar and wrought-iron chandeliers hang overhead.
The bar's vintage look isn't just a veneer. The space, which formerly housed The Foundry, dates back to 1936. Co-owners Austin Melrose and Zach Patterson stocked the room with antique touches, including a wall of old umbrellas–a post-Prohibition symbol signifying "many wet days to come."
The bar's concoctions are bright and boisterous. The Soda Jerk ($12)–a draft cocktail made from Zaya rum, ginger beer, orgeat and a lashing of Angostura bitters–might remind you of a cherry cream soda with a sneaky kick. The Patterson's Nap ($12) combines bourbon, tangerine juice and Campari in a citrusy beverage that drinks like punch.
Hungry? Chef Eric Greenspan's soon-to-open Greenspan's Grilled Cheese is delivering food from the next store over. Sandwiches range from the classic white bread and American cheese combo ($4) to the Buffalo Blue ($9), stuffed with fried chicken tenders, carrot-celery slaw and a thick layer of melted blue cheese.
We doubt bargoers had it this good in the 1930s.