There’s a pickle bento-a nod to the traditional deli pickle tray-but here it’s served in a bento box with various house-fermented vegetables and two different types of sauerkraut. Take the “Jeff’s Special” quesadilla: a gooey, over-the-top masterpiece filled with smoked pastrami, sauerkraut, and covered with a crispy gruyere-jalapeno crust on the outside. And perhaps more crucially, they are also the kinds of foods you want to consume while drinking. Oy Bar’s elevated bar menu is made up of what can best be described as Jewish comfort classics that did a semester abroad. It makes for an eclectic mix-the scene is one of the charms that draws people in-but it's the food coming out of the kitchen that keeps drinkers in their seats. The crowd is a mix of people in their 30s drinking $9 Old Fashioneds and dissecting script pitches, long-time Valley residents reminiscing about The Bar At Oyster House (the previous tenant, hence the name), and college kids home on summer break ripping shots because it’s somebody’s birthday. In other words, it’s exactly how a dive bar should look. Dated wood paneling lines the walls, old chipped-up swivel stools dot the bar area, and 1980s-era dropped ceiling tiles hover above everything. Nothing about Oy Bar’s dimly lit interior feels particularly remarkable. And that alone is worth breaking out of your dive bar bubble to experience. The Studio City spot, run by the owners behind Jeff’s Table, isn’t just a great place to snag a solid cocktail and decompress, it’s also home to inventive and delicious bar food. Going out of your way for such an experience dilutes the point.
The whole allure of them is the convenience of dropping in at a moment’s notice for a stiff drink and grumbling along with the crusty bartender who served you. As with breakfast burritos and Spirit Halloween stores, the best dive bar is usually the one that’s closest to you.
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