The Brick Yard Pub Welcomes Old Billiards Pros, Beer Enthusiasts and Newcomers Alike

The first thing I notice about the besides its revamped modern exterior is the woody, sawdust scent when I step in. There’s something fresh and inviting about the bar’s smell, and when I see the spacious bar’s interior for the first time I’m struck by its high, vaulted ceilings, exposed brick walls and the hanging Edison lights.

The Brick Yard Pub had just opened a few days prior, and at 10 o’clock on a Wednesday night my husband and I are two of six patrons in the bar at 10 p.m.  When we glance at the two giant overhead chalkboards that serve as the pub’s beer menus, the number of choices overwhelms us. The menu also lists the upcoming food trucks that will be stationed in front of the bar, and I see The Grilled Cheese Truck, one of my favorite mobile food vendors, written in for next Tuesday.

It’s a beer connoisseur’s dream: I counted at least 80 different beers on the menu ranging from the usual lagers (think sports bar faves Bud, Miller, Corona, PBR) and the entire spectrum of ales (from Blue Moon, Fat Tire, Boddingtons, Chimay and everything in between) to ciders, IPAs, California craft, and my personal favorite, stouts and bocks.

After ordering a $5 pint of Magic Hat #9 to share, we wander behind a wood wall that separates the bar area from the pool room. In addition to the shuffleboards and dartboards in the front room, there are eight billiard tables and a couple of cups & balls tables (read: beer pong) in the back. One might miss the back room entirely if it weren’t for the neon “Pool Tables” signs at the rear doorways.

Though I’d never been to the space’s predecessor, , which had , the bar’s feel appeared to be a far cry from the old pool hall. I never truly made time to visit the pool hall when I still lived in the Arts District, and part of me feels guilty that I didn't give the old neighborhood hangout a chance. I’m one who can always find something to love underneath the dirt and grime of a place, but I couldn't see past its seemingly-dingy charm and wary-looking patrons when I passed by on my evening dog walks.

In a story about the new pub, North Hollywood-Toluca Lake Patch editor Craig Clough wrote “so much has sprung up and changed around the billiards room in four decades, most notably a smoking ban…and a gigantic demographics shift that no longer made it a tough-guy neighborhood where pool sharks would feel comfortable.” 

It’s true with the closing of NoHo Billiards, its sometimes-shady-seeming clientele may have left with it. The Arts District is changing, and new businesses like the theatres, , and a handful of recent openings are seeing the area morph into a younger, hipper version of itself. 

But “out with the old, in with the new” doesn't quite seem like the Brick Yard Pub’s style. Rather, the bar appears ready to welcome back the old billiards regulars with open arms alongside their younger neighbors. After all, someone needs to teach the young-ins how to drink and shoot pool like a pro.

The bar is having its grand opening party Friday, March 9 from 8 p.m. to midnight. The event will feature beer tastings, complimentary hors d'ouvres, pool and darts.

Brick Yard Pub is located at 11130 Magnolia Boulevard and is open from 6 p.m. to 2 p.m. daily.