Automatic Slims

Hipster local bar. Descent drinks. Friendly crowd.

I like this place a lot. They have been around forever, probably since the seventies, and the place has a good retro vibe. The decor is nice, with old motown and local rock band posters. There is usually a good dj, and some nights it's a dance party. Of course there's the food, kind of standard fare for a bar in the west village. Full bar, wines spirits cocktails and four beers on tap. Come check out our neighborhood bar. My only complaint is that it's a late night place, and they aren't open earlier in the afternoon. So when I get off work at five, I need to go to some other bar if I want Happy Hour specials.

Called in by the happy hour on a Saturday, at a little past 6 it was empty, but the music was up loud. Nonetheless, I sat down for a $5 beer and looked at the food menu. Basic bar food. I took a gamble and ordered the house salad and fried catfish. By the time my food arrived I had been joined by a crew of past-their-prime frat boys with a gaggle of like aged (and pitched) ladies. They significantly raised the sound level and lowered the appeal. With each song that came on, one or two of them had to scream the beginning lyrics (approximately) and had accompanying dance moves that also afforded them the ability to take over much of the floor space. Eventually this display of... nostalgia? was abandoned for just extremely loud conversation and laughter. Thankfully my food arrived and the house salad was surprisingly sized and nicely laid on the plate. The catfish were in nuggets, but were quite good. I would order these again and applaud this bar for that. I would certainly stop in again for happy hour, but if noise is a deterrent I would avoid. Food is not advertised but a pleasant plus. While the crowd, I suppose, is appropriate for the dive bar scene, be prepared.

This is a no frills West Villa dive bar that has some class to it.

Great service. Excellent happy hour (almost all drinks are $5). Food is decent, very cheap bar fare, but it did take some time to come out (and the place was not packed to warrant the delay on that). Music playing was a great mix of 90s hits, with more of a focus on mid-90s hip hop.