Thunderbolt

Thunderbolt is on Sunset overhanging the Freeway on a nondescript street with some interesting street art and graffiti. For my birthday we went to Echo Park Lake, then this hip bar gluten free restaurant before going to the Hollywood Bowl to see Khruangbin, a duo from Texas I knew nothing about. However, everything worked beautifully. Thunderbolt has a fascinating menu of cocktails and we each had one from the cocktail menu that provoked a lot of questions but offered mixes I had never experienced. Since I'm Celiac it is rare indeed when I can share every dish on the menu and I love to share plates whether I am supposed to or not. I try not to do this from other diners but my habit or vice was curtailed and y'all were safe when I was diagnosed 25 years ago with Celiac. For the first 15 or so years I was relegated to the proverbial sit in the corner and eat my gluten free nonsense behind those horrible partitions they put up in some offices.Now there are some all GF restaurants like 401k in Venice where I can graze once again. Excitedly in this low key cool environment with cool music and vibes where I definitely increased the age curve (which doesn't faze me a bit due to my immaturity), we ordered the following somewhat offbeat GF comfort food:MOMMA LEAH'S CHICKEN DRUMETTESTamari Glaze (gf, df)MAC 'N CHEESECheddar & Bleu Cheese, Bread Crumbs, Fried Shallot, Chives (gf, v)LITTLE GEM WEDGECherry Tomato, Breakfast Radish, Chive, Biscuit Crouton, Herbed Ranch (gf, v, vgo)FRIED CHICKEN BISCUITDuke's Mayo, Lettuce, Pickled Green Tomato, TB Hot Sauce, Buttermilk Biscuit (gf)Turns out I had to take the Mac N Cheese to the Bowl as the food was plentiful and delicious. You don't have to be a hipster to try this bar and food that is now recognized for its innovative bar that comes with some darn good eatings. The Chicken drumettes were super tangy, wedge salad was crispy and unique. I couldn't get my mouth on half of the fried chicken biscuit and the Mac had great flavor. You don't have to be hip to enjoy this interesting joint but don't blink or you will pass right by.

This review is only for drinks. All of the food smelled SO good though. WHAT A VIBE THIS PLACE! Absolutely awesome drinks. Koji Killer - Our friend usually doesn't like rum but this coconutty drink was awesome for her! Woodwide Web - It was so interesting because it smelled like the rehydrated shiitake mushroom I cooked last week but it's strong and buttery. Fu Gwa - I had to get this because growing up my mom would always cook Fu Gwa. It works! The bitterness then the sweetness at the end. 5/5Service is super fast and there's music BUMPIN. Unisex Bathrooms are very cool too as they're all individual and super clean. I loved all of the information in the menu as I'm a big reader. They have a huge selection of natural wines too! It's very cool they have vegan Overall, it was a fantastic experience and I'd love to come back to try the other carefully curated unique drinks they have. Music is gud. Drinks are gud. Vibes are gud. Life is gud. Parking might be a little tough though but worth it.

I was there on a Sunday night and 2 of us managed to get seats at the bar right away. The place has a low-key and casual vibe that I like a lot. We already had some drinks in another bar and weren't too hungry, but glad that we got the chicken drumettes which are really delicious and are some of the best food to go with drinks.I started with Liquid Picnic - I always love clarified tomato in cocktails and this one is one of the best, tastes just like a refreshing yet flavorful and concentrated salad. I next got the Fu Gwaa Falseto which is the first cocktail I ever have with bittermelon in it - love how the bitter comes out refreshing and go so well with the booze and the li hing plum powder on top. Extra point is that the head bartender speaks cantonese ;)

I will say this has become one of my favorite bars in all of Los Angeles. The vibes are fantastic, the ambiance, the MUSIC(!!!). And the staff is just incredibly sweet. Everyone was so kind but Nina especially was such a vibe and made the whole experience fun. We tried a few different cocktails which were all delicious particularly ptown boxing club and the fugwaa. The fried chicken was also so perfectly made (and I'm originally from Kentucky so I'd like to consider myself having some credit). I can't wait to be back!

Am in town for the weekend and this bar was on the list to check out. Hoping to try their normal menu cocktails. However last night they had a pop up special with new drinks. I thought the menu was fun and clever. The service was great, the ambience was fun casual with loud music and its spacious. This is a fun place to meet up friends and or go on a fun date. As for the drinks, they were just ok for me. The taste didn't blend well together, with so much strong flavors overpowering each other. I could see the intention of what the mixologist was going for but perhaps not executed properly. I definitely do want to go back and try their normal menu when I get back in town again.

This is a place I WISH I liked the drinks more, but maybe got the wrong thing. Vibe was vibin' (lol, I know)-- somehow they made the ambiance cozy and moody, yet good for a casual night. Went with a friend on a Sunday night and it was the perfect place.SEATING: they have a patio (5-6 tables), a bar area with 10-15 seats, a few standing tables for something more fluid, and then about 8 booth table seats (like 2-3 big booths then 2-4 tables in those "sections"), so plenty of roomMUSIC: somehow the music is loud but not penetrating into the conversation - makes for a great mood. Great sound system placement.DRINKS: got 3 different ones between the 2 of us - La Frutera, Pastelito, and the canned sarsaparilla drink.-- my friend did not like the La Frutera (my drink) and I did not like the sarsaparilla drink (probably just preference, for sure).-- I think they try to be super creative with their drinks, which is super fun... but the 3 we tried I felt lacked a punch to it.FOOD: we did share an order of chicken wings - I think it could have used more flavor/sauce. Felt air-fried, good crisp but lacked sauce flavoring.All that being said, 100% would come back and try this place again. Parking is a bit sketch - street parking, in a gentrifying area... so just be cautious when parking and walking to your car. Great spot - had to give it a 4 because I couldn't get behind the drinks we got and that's the reason we came. Maybe I would try the negroni spin next time.Service is great.

I came here because I heard it was ranked as the number 8 bar in North America, and I'm glad I did! The drink menu is diverse, offering a wide range of options. My group and I ordered several drinks to try different ones, and my personal favorite was the lychee daiquiri.The food was impressive too. We ordered the cheeseballs and chicken drumsticks, which were perfect late-night bites and paired well with our drinks.The service was excellent. The staff were attentive and super friendly. When I visited on a Thursday night, it was busy but not overly crowded, so I mainly focused on chatting with my friends.All in all, it's a great spot, and I'd definitely come back to try more drinks if I'm in the area.

Finally got to visit this #8 bar in North America! I love how extensive the cocktail menu is! So many different options for different styles of drinks. We ordered a bunch of different ones to try and really love the flavor they created. While they tend to not garnish the cocktails with fancy decorations, you can really taste the layers of flavors and the works they put in to make the drinks!!! Definitely some cool techniques involved! Their food options were rather limited but I do love their chicken sandwich and fries a lot! We already plan on bringing our friend visiting to this place to show off our wonderful bar in LA!

I really liked this place. Innovative menu and the koji killer was a must try. We also got the pimento poppers, the drumettes, and the fried green tomatoes. I really have nothing to say other than I really enjoyed my experience I went on a Saturday night and it was busy so maybe consider going a less busy day if you want to be able to grab a seat

Such interesting and unique drinks, we had a hard time picking just a few options! Definitely want to come back and try other drinks. Great music and friendly staff too. Love their values too!