12 Oct Geezer’s Public House in Woodland Hills, CA
When I was first invited to check out Geezer’s Public House in Woodland Hills, being an American, I thought it was odd that a bar was the name of a cranky old man. But the word Geezer has a different meaning in British culture. Geezer’s is a public house, or a pub, which is a popular social drinking establishment in Britain.
As posted outside the restrooms at Geezer’s, a geezer is a “descriptive word in the UK used to define a man’s characteristics. A geezer will be found usually outside a pub with a pint in his hand on match day. They commonly like football, scrapping, beer, tea, tits, and Barry White.” Basically, a geezer in British terms is a “guy” or a “bloke” or a “dude”.
Geezer’s Public House is a welcome addition to the West Valley. Located on Ventura Blvd, just west of Canoga Blvd, Geezer’s is part of the Welcome Back Hospitality group which also owns The Woodman in Sherman Oaks and The Nickel Mine in West LA. Like The Nickel Mine, Geezer’s is a large space filled with flat screen plasma TV’s, a long bar that wraps around the perimeter of half the restaurant and an outdoor patio (with more TV screens).
Geezer’s offers affordable casual elevated pub food. There is everything from fried chicken to burgers and fries. But, if you look closer, there are some very creative takes on classic bar food.
Farmers Market Grilled Vegetable Plate – The last thing I would expect to see at a bar is a vegetable dish but here is a plate of fresh, well-seasoned zucchini, yellow squash, red onion, asparagus, yellow peppers, rainbow carrots, broccolini, roasted garlic, reggiano cheese tomato and toasted quinoa.
Poke Nachos – Unlike your typical nachos coated in cheese, these nachos are crispy wonton chips topped with marinated ahi tuna, sesame sweet chili soy, pickled ginger, scallions and Japanese wasabi tobika.
Short Rib Plaintain Sliders – Short rib sliders are pretty typical for high-end bar food but these sliders have plantain buns and are topped with sweet Spanish onions and melted provolone.
Asian Avocado Toast – A play on one of the most popular dishes right now, the avocado is atop crispy sushi rice and sweet eel glaze and fresno chili pepper are drizzled on top.
Seven Flavor Fried Chicken – Mary’s free range chicken is coated in cajun spices and served with fresh lavender honey.
Garlic Fries – These are dangerous! The garlic is pungent and the fries are addictive!
To cocktails are as creative and fun as the food menu. Beverage Director Andrew Munro has curated a selection of fresh cocktails with bold flavors with a twist at an affordable price of $12 each.
Downtown LA Fruit Cart – Served in a large salsa de chile fresca can, this drink is made with Casamigos tequila, mezcal, pineapple, watermelon, lime juice and agave with a spicy chili powder. On first sip, the smokiness of the mezcal is apparent but after a few sips, the tartness of the pineapple and the sweetness of the watermelon are more visible.
Lavender Honey Bee – A simple and elegant yet beautiful drink, it is made with Hendricks, honey/lavender infused syrup and lemon juice with a yellow chartreuse rinse.
A Rose by Any Other Name – A refreshing but bitter drink, it is made with Tito’s vodka, Campari, lime juice, grapefruit bitters, rose water and topped with Prosecco.
It was a busy night when I went to Geezer’s with a Dodgers playoff game and a pay-per-view UFC fight on the screens. Every seat was filled and cheering erupted regularly. But despite the noise and the crowd, the service was exceptional. Our server was Adam, a friendly young man who was very knowledgeable about the menu and regularly checked on us. Good service is always appreciated but good service in a busy bar is applauded!
One more fun element is the games that can be found on the tables, like at The Nikel Mine. We did not have room on our table to play Jenga but we did have a good time playing Simon Says!
Geezer’s Public House
21733 Ventura Blvd.
Woodland Hills, CA