by Marina R. on The atmosphere here is cool...the people, not so much. This is the place you bring people from out of town when you're trying to prove that downtown LA really does have places with personality. When you get there and the line is hours long you say OopS, try again. If you're going, I suggest getting there early and on a non-weekend night. It's a cool spot to lounge but not for very long. It's vintage, the light fixtures are pretty cool to look at, the waitresses are dressed in retro attire, and the drinks are about $10 too expensive for what they are. This isn't a repeat place of mine but if I feel like going back in time and want architectural eye candy this is the place to go.
by Linda W. on I was excited when I first heard about Primal and it seemed like there would be something for everyone (6 different rooms), but when I got there, I was kinda disappointed. Music was alright, but the different rooms definitely split the crowd up so not one room was really full, which was kinda a bummer because I like places where everyone's partying together. And the crowd was kinda weird when I went, definitely a lot of old guys and not that many girls. Beware of all the stairs, lol. The only bright spot is we didn't have to pay cover.
by Kymberly Torn on This is nothing more than a high-dollar Hooters. The food was actually pretty good. The service was less than adequate. I sat on the patio while the worst cover musician ever played classics I barely recognized---I think I heard the theme song from Ski School repeated more than once. Kenny Loggins covers would have been a welcome addition. Waitress sightings were rare, except when a table next to me was buying shots for the young lady, in an effort to get her to stretch wide over the table. So if you just finished an 18-hole round of golf and you need a place to unwind & view hot, half-naked women, this is the place. By extension, this is also not a bad selection if you need to bring a client to a strip club, but can't get away with it on your expense report. (I'll probably go back here, for this exact reason.) In summary, the Tavern has good food, horrible service, and an atmosphere that wants to be a meat-market, but actually only comes off as a sausage-fest that is overly sexed on the model/actress/waitress staff.
