Tom Bergin’s recent remodel has me a bit baffled.

It kind of looks exactly the same.

Maybe they just took everything down, gave it a good scrubbing and then put everything back?

Either way, I was thankful for that familiarity when I stepped foot into the place that still felt like an old friend.

An old, drunk (slightly stale smelling) friend that is.

I came here to blog about the food (and I’m doing just that) but it also became a fun place to day drink at.

Clearly, we were the only ones with that on their minds.

Maybe a dark, old Irish pub is not where the average Angelino spends their sunny afternoons? Screw that, some of us have to work the next morning and still need a (sorta) good night’s sleep.

Day drinking it is!

But first, to fill the bellys.

I was shocked how good the corned beef was. Crazy tender, huge portions, really flavorful.

The mashed potatoes which topped the Cottage Pie were insanely buttery.

I enjoyed the Reuben balls but could have used 1 or 2 more of them.

I was flat out disappointed with the pretzel. Dry as a bone. But the super horseradishy sauce was fun…to flick in Chesty Morgan’s eye!

We widdled away the afternoon, taking tastes of the foreign booze on the shelf and doing Irish Car Bombs.

Try to come at night and all bets are off. That’s when they break out the valet and the vibe completely changes. At least, it was like that 10 years ago when I used to come here.

Now, I’m just a day drinking old timer trying not to fall off my stool.

840 S Fairfax
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 936-7151
www.tombergins.com