THE WYMAN BAR AT THE BRADBURY
‘BLADE RUNNER’ BAR OPENS IN DTLA

I was very excited to hear about the opening of The Wyman Bar at the Bradbury Building in Downtown L.A. A new drinking spot in a cool setting, come on!  What’s not to love? Sadly, the bar at the Bradbury NeueHouse didn’t meet my expectations.

The “bar” is really more like a room on the second floor of the NeueHouse—a private workspace for creators, innovators and thought leaders. The lobby courtyard at the Bradbury Building is legendary as it was featured in the sci-fi classic Blade Runner. That’s where the bar should be and not in some overly lit room that comes off as more afterthought than inspired watering hole.

By day, the space offers coffees, teas and light bites and after 5pm it shifts into bar mode with craft cocktails and a meager menu of Trader Joe’s style veggie chips, and mixed nuts.

NeueHouse is a members-only workspace but for now it is allowing the public a day-pass in order to experience The Wyman Bar. Reservations are required and they can be made by emailing thewymanbar@neuehouse.com in advance.

The cocktail menu is small (six drinks) and pricey but the drinks are decent, enough so to tolerate the bar’s missteps.

The House of the New Negroni with mezcal, sweet vermouth and Campari is a pleasing mezcal Negroni but hardly daring nor innovative.

The Añejo Manhattan made with añejo tequila, sweet vermouth, Liquor 43, Angostura and orange bitters is a nice take on a tequila Manhattan.

The Suavecito with tequila, fresh watermelon juice, pepper-infused agave, lime citrus with a Tajin rim is nice and refreshing. It’s not too spicy and, personally, I’m a huge fan of the combination of tequila and watermelon.

The Vaquero with bourbon, Ancho Reyes, Pedro Ximenez sherry, and orange bitters is too sweet and falls short of even being a decent Old Fashioned.

My expectations were high and the space and cocktails failed to wow. While entry to the bar includes a day-pass, we were yelled out for wandering around so our experience was basically prisoned in a so-so bright room. There are definitely better drinking options nearby. I’m glad I went but I’m in no rush to return.

The Wyman Bar is located at the Bradbury Building at 304 S. Broadway. Open Mondays 8am to 4pm, and Tuesday through Saturday from 8am to 10pm. Proof of vaccination is required.

Story By: Jose Martinez

Photography Courtesy Of: The Wyman Bar