Spotlight on: ESPN Zone

(Credit: Josh Reiss)

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If a bar’s character is determined by the crowd that populates it, then the ESPN Zone, recently opened in the fluorescent Babylon of Downtown’s L.A. Live complex, is likely to have multiple sports-obsessed personalities.

Expect Lakers lovers who couldn’t afford tickets to see Kobe, Kings fans getting rowdy pre-game, significant others dragged along by playoff-obsessed mates, barely legal USC kids and Downtown workers shedding nine-to-five sobriety. Throw in arena-rock enthusiasts, kindly parents waiting out a Nokia show for their kids and sightseeing tourists, and you’ve got thebasic demographic.

Inside, the newest addition to the ESPN Zone chain is a melange of neon lights and ESPN-related memorabilia that does little to distinguish the place from similar emporiums. The 90-seat bar area, the largest of three in the 32,000-square-foot venue, features a granite countertop and 11 booths, each equipped with a TV. A glass partition behind the bar opens the space to the dining area and its monolithic wall of televisions, which are tuned to what could conceivably be every sporting event being played on Earth at a given moment.

Upstairs, there’s a balcony attached to the 19th Hole, a more intimate bar area that provides an all-star perch from which to take in the perpetual glow of Nokia Plaza. The rest of the second floor houses VIP digs and a massive arcade featuring basketball, racing, air hockey, Golden Tee, and other games likely to dazzle children and buzzed adults. All playing aside, ESPN Zone’s focus is on sports coverage. It’s nearly impossible to get out of eyeshot of a TV, and even the bathroom has play-by-play piped in via speaker.

The Zone is front and center at L.A. Live (on Figueroa between the Nokia Theatre and Staples Center), so it's no matter the place is light on ambiance. The venue might not offer anything innovative, but it’s simply impossible to miss it. The location makes it ripe for every breed of fan to swarm in and infuse it with personality, whether it be highfalutin (Lakers), hopeful (Kings), or desperate for a place to drown win-loss sorrows (Clippers).

Love or loathe the undeniable chain vibe of ESPN Zone, its primo locale and relative affordability will likely triumph over atmosphere and keep fans coming back for seasons to come, whether their teams prevail or not.

Eat: Standard upscale bar food, including sliders, wings, ribs, pasta, steak and burgers.

Drink: The Zone serves 12 draft beers, including Guinness, Sierra Nevada and Hoegaarden, as well as a variety of bottled options like Stone Mill pale ale.

The competition: Unlike the nearby Fox Sports Sky Box, which only opens during events, ESPN Zone is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. That means Downtown sports fans have a place to catch their game even if it’s not being played next door.

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