Address: 11814 Ventura Blvd.Studio City, CA 91604
818.985.9222
The Basics: While the name of this lounge is pretty self-explanatory, tapas are not the only thing this lounge is known for. The “Next Door Tapas Lounge” in Studio City has slowly gathered a rather impressive amount of clientele since it opened its doors. Its location may not be the best for commuting partygoers, but for locals and people in surrounding areas is a hidden gem. Nightlife on “The Valley” can be rather dull and awfully pretentious that’s why it’s a nice surprise to come across places like “Next Door Tapas Lounge” where the ambiance and atmosphere is chill without compromising its chic status.
Although “Next Door Tapas Lounge” is very casual, it’s very stylish and it attracts a mostly older yet diverse crowd. The music is pretty eclectic and played strictly for background purposes, thus encouraging conversation- which makes it a great place to start (or finish) a date.
What to drink: Drinks are on the pricey side, so if you’re on a budget this is definitely not the place to get trashed. Again, the drinks seem overpriced, but fortunately for us starving students and struggling artists, the martinis are served in an oversized glass. The “Raspberry Lemon Drop Martini” is a must when visiting this venue.
Tapas and more
Of course you can’t go to “Next Door Tapas Lounge” and not try their tapas. My friends and I decided to go tapas crazy (yet once again), and ordered chicken skewers, pomme frite, avocado eggrolls, and a cheese and ham platter.
While the tapas where good, they were not memorable. If anything, the Manchego cheese and the Serrano ham were fresh, but other than that, their tapas are pretty standard. They’re ok, but not as great as you would expect coming from a place with “Tapas” as part of its name.
Now, if the tapas don’t do it for you, the mini kobe sliders will definitely do the trick for you. Although they are not on the menu, they are quite popular.
Only one word can describe the sliders at “Next Door Tapas Lounge”: de-li-cious. They seriously give the sliders from “Whiskey After Work” a run for their money.
They’re definitely a must; you might want to get 2-3 orders since they really honor their name and are literally “mini”.
Overall, “Next Door Tapas Lounge” is chill hangout place if you happen to be around the area, other than that, you might want to explore your other options.
