Talk about a sweet place to get a drink in Hollywood! Some friends and I discovered this place while en route to get a drink at Bar Marmont (well known for having outrageously priced beverages but a good chance at rubbing elbows with the rich and famous). The enticing tabletop signs at the Trocadero easily seen from the sidewalk read, "Happy Hour 6:00 - 8:00pm All drinks half price." ALL drinks half price?!! Half suspecting this to be some kind of scheme to get you in the door I was ready to pay $7 for a $14 beer but it turns out that a domestic beer runs about $6 and a martini runs about $10, so, during happy hour you can easily get loaded for $20 (or at least I can).
The bar wasn't crowded so we easily got a seat on their nice patio where we could politely tell all the homeless walking by that we would prefer not to give them any money.
On our exit we decided to hit the bathroom before our journey out of Hollywood and discovered on the walls of the bathroom many photos of the biggest celebrities of yesteryear sitting in the very same bar (although the decor was slightly different). To me at least, the present day celebrity hang outs are far too hip and overpriced (like the aforementioned Bar Marmont) and I'd rather get a bit of that Hollywood nostalgia from a picture on a wall (like the Trocadero) or a plaque above the booth (like the Hamburger Hamlet) to let me know that I'm sitting in the very place Frank Sinatra or Humphrey Bogart once sat.
I give the Trocadero Lounge two thumbs up.
if you are looking for a cool bar in the West Hollywood area, check out Bar Lubitsch on Santa Monica. Also on Santa Monica is Jones Cafe (they serve the best apple pie you will ever have!) and the Formosa Cafe (I've seen Tarantino there before!).
Love the blog, by the way. Cool idea.