Long Hours for Kitchen 24's $5 Specials

Kitchen 24 offers up organic ingredients, fresh food made in-house daily, delicious cocktails and late night dining. Tack on a happy hour menu that just happens to be the lengthiest in town and what more could you possibly ask for?

Located at 1608 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Kitchen 24 combines a vibrant nightlife scene with a modern 24-hour dining atmosphere. The interior resembles a cutting-edge diner with its cozy booths and white brick walls. Tables and chairs offer plenty of seating and stools at the bar provide views of the television screens playing the big game.

At the front of the restaurant is a hostess stand that doubles as a baked goods display case. A plethora of fresh desserts, cupcakes and candy sit inside a glass case patiently waiting to be eaten.

Artsy light fixtures hang from the ceiling, including lamps decorated with silverware. The back wall of the restaurant has a square bar fully stocked with bottles that sit on shelves in the background.

A long chalkboard announces the drink specials of the day and lists the extensive selection of beer and wine.

Happy hour at Kitchen 24 is the longest in town, according to manager Gene Lee. It runs from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

There's $7 specialty cocktails, a glass of red or white wine of the day for $6, well drinks for $5, as well as Pabst Blue Ribbon, Tecate and Bud Light 12-ouncers for $3.

In addition to drinks, appetizers for $5 are available if you sit at the bar.

The menu includes roasted yellow beet green bean and leaf salad (goat cheese, blood orange vinaigrette), chili cheese fries (herb fries, veggie chili, and cheddar cheese), citrus pineapple chicken wings (sweet chili orange and pineapple glaze with carrots and blue cheese), and build your own smac and cheese (elbow macaroni and a three cheese blend of cheddar, mascarpone and gruyere with peas and a basil herb crust).

Kitchen 24 serves soups, salads, cold and hot sandwiches, burgers, entrees and desserts. Breakfast is served 24 hours a day and bottomless mimosas and Bloody Marys are offered on Saturdays from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Dishes include chocolate chip pancakes ($8.25); disco fries ($5.95— seasoned fries, melted provolone cheese and gravy); the big baller ($8.95— jumbo meatballs cooked in marinara, served open faced on focaccia with provolone cheese and fresh basil); buttermilk battered fried chicken ($13.95—served with vegetables, mashed potatoes and gravy); and chocolate chip cookie in a skillet with ice cream ($6—fresh baked with a scoop of homemade vanilla bean ice cream drizzled in caramel and Hershey’s chocolate sauce).

Kitchen 24 has 35 off-the-wall beers, including Raging Bitch IPA, a coconut porter from Maui, Trout Slayer Ale from Montana and Hollywood Blonde from the LA Brewing Company. Beers run from $5 to $7 for a 12-ounce and $12 to $15 for a 22 to 32-ounce. A beer called The Tokyo is $25 for 12 ounces, and its alcohol content is 18.2 percent.

“It’s like a super crazy beer from Scotland," said Kitchen 24’s bar manager, Ian Walling. "The drink is popular.. One of these is like drinking four beers!”

In addition to liquor and wine, the bar also serves some of the finest specialty cocktails in town, all made with fresh juice and superior ingredients.

Kitchen 24 prides itself on using the freshest ingredients prepared with everything organic that the chefs can get their hands on. They have a reverse osmosis filtration system, which provides crystal clean water for coffee, cocktails and food. Dishes are made daily and prepared with extreme precision.

The crowd is a mix of those seeking a great happy hour deal, health-loving restaurant seekers and those out for an evening with friends. In addition to Kitchen 24 being a great place to eat, the bar’s specialty cocktails and unique beers on draft make it a regular stop on a night of bar hopping.

Live DJs spin on Friday and Saturdays from a raised platform that overlooks the bar. Food is served 24 hours a day and the place is always packed, especially after bars close at 2 a.m.

When I popped into Kitchen 24, I sat down at a barstool and picked the brains of those inside. They may have had different reasons why, but they all love Kitchen 24:

• “I love the ‘After School Special!’ It's the only thing I get there anymore.” – Amanda Nix

• “I’m usually here for happy hour, but it’s pretty cool that this place is open 24 hours a day. It’s way cooler than a normal diner and way better food too.” – Josh Thompson

• “The food here is good and it’s pretty healthy. The $5 appetizers at happy hour are a great deal. You have to be sitting at the bar, but I’m usually found sitting at a bar.” – Todd Webber

• “ The mixed drinks are good, but I am kind of all about the cheap PBR.” AJ Smith

• “This is where I always go when bars close. I hate that L.A. nightlife ends at 2 a.m. I’m never ready to go home. This is where my friends and I go.” – Samantha Lee

Hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week, except closed Tuesday from 3:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. for maintenance.

Cover Charge: No

Dress code: Casual

Features: Take out, reservations welcome, delivery, catering, full menu of breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks and coffee 

Payments Accepted: Major credit cards

Parking: Street, paid lots nearby, valet ($10 at night only)

Music: DJs on Friday & Saturday nights

Happy Hour: 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday  and Saturday

Happy Hour Drink Specials: Specialty cocktails $7, glass of red and white wine of the day $6, well liquor $5, PBR, Tecate, and Bud Light $3

Happy Hour Food Specials: All appetizers $5 (at bar only)

Signature Drinks: Jalapeño margarita ($7—el Jimador Blanco, fresh juices, muddled jalapeños) Strawberry Fields ($7—strawberry puree, Three Olives citrus vodka, St. Germain, homemade lemonade)

More Information: www.kitchen24.info