Westside Whiskey lovers rejoice! You don’t have to drive all the way to downtown to get some brown spirit lovin’. The brand new Bigfoot Lodge West has brought them to you. Whether your poison is rye, bourbon, Canadian, Irish or Scotch, there’s a little something for everyone, particularly if you like yours neat or on the rocks.

You may already know Bigfoot Lodge in Atwater Village. Well, this one is just down the street from its sister bar Saints & Sinners, in the Mar Vista / Culver City area. And, it brings a bit of character to the slowly evolving stretch of strip malls leading from the beach to the 405 onramp. (How many log cabin themed patios do you see spilling onto the sidewalk along Venice Boulevard?)

Once inside, take a tour around the nooks and crannies to observe the thoughtful attention paid to the décor. Wild West themed artifacts are on display in cases built into the walls; a stuffed white fox sits above the fireplace; a mounted deer’s head peers around the corner from where the DJ will spin on weekends. The bar itself is constructed from a few impressive slabs of timber, and the booths are perfect for canoodling with a date or cozying up with friends.

The whiskey selection isn't quite as extensive as Seven Grand in downtown but its still quite admirable. There are only a few cocktails on the list, and unfortunately, they fall short of doing classic whiskey cocktails any justice. However, the saving grace for cocktail lovers is a bartender named Ian, who makes a mean “Sasquatch Sidecar,” which of course is cognac based, and he swaps out a Navan (vanilla) for the usual orange liqueur. He also brings friendly guidance to the whiskey list, maneuvering novices through the menu with a smile. Now that Westsiders have an urban escape to the back woods right in our own back yard, there’s no need to wander far for a stiff drink that’ll ‘put hair on your chest.’