Los Angeles - April 18, 2008

A Change Is Gonna Come

El Prado Now Open

El Prado. Your new favorite bar. A hole-in-the-wall ranchero dive-turned-rustic coastal modern hideaway serving snacks, beer, and eventually wine to the tunes of real records on an actual record player. What’s not to love?

Well, don’t get too used to it. Everything — drinks, food, music, and even the tableau set with bags of apples and a vintage bike — is subject to change. There’s no telling when. That’s just part of the charm.

Grab a stool and let the keep tell you what’s on tap at the moment. Currently, there’s a heavy Belgian brew vibe going on complementing the plates of radishes, bread, and butter, or maybe apples, pretzels, and chocolate or perhaps cheese and charcuterie plates. You never know.

This curatorial approach means that even when you show up night after night (or at least after 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday for now), you’ll never get the same bar twice.

But it will always be fun while it lasts.

El Prado, 1805 West Sunset Boulevard, between Glendale Boulevard and Lemoyne Street, Echo Park (elpradobar.com).