The closure of Culver City’s arts-driven Mandrake Bar marks ‘the end of an era’

On a busy section of La Cienega Boulevard at the edge of Culver City, bordering Pico-Robertson and Mid-City, Mandrake can be easy to miss. After 18 years of service, Mandrake Bar announced on Monday via Instagram its plans to close to make way for a new bar concept that’s set to open in April. Everything has a time and place and Mandrake will be remembered fondly for occupying her time and place perfectly.” The bar’s past patrons echoed the sentiment in the comments section, celebrating Mandrake as “one of the least pretentious bars with the best drinks” and reminiscing on “core memories of lifetimes gone by.” Wiegmann, who spoke to The Times by phone, cited major life changes as the driving decision behind closing the bar. Wiegmann describes 2019 as the bar’s “best year ever,” with crowds that lasted from postwork happy hour until late night. She references the bar’s legacy as a former gay leather joint and Irish pub, saying, “There’s this history of this building being passed forward, and it was time for us to realize that someone else can take it on and someone else can make something new.” Shin Irvin, owner of Shin’s Pizza in Cypress Park, and Ben Rojo, who managed several bars in New York City, are taking over the building’s lease.