Establishment Replaces Blue 32 and Union Cattle Changes to Abigaile; Ocean Bar Remains Unchanged
Hermosa Beach’s vibrant nightlife is undergoing a bit of a change in 2012 with the re-opening of Blue 32 and a re-design of Union Cattle.
Blue 32 has been upgraded with a new sound system, tables, menu and tap system. It’s now called Establishment and its main goal of bringing a bit of Hollywood and Vegas lounge look to the beach city remains the same.
While the design remains similar to Blue 32, elements have been upgraded throughout the, well, establishment.
Like its predecessor, Establishment has to adhere to a midnight closing, even on weekends. Blue 32 was unmercifully hammered by the City Council for various supposed infractions, few of which were of its own making.
At Union Cattle, the downstairs bar is being transformed and will be more of a higher-end restaurant. Now called Abigaile, the bar is being extended with more seating but this will be, first and foremost, a restaurant. Top chefs are being brought in to transform the menu and the mechanical bull is being replaced by dining tables.
The design and decor will give a nod to the building’s interesting history. It was once a church yet also a rehearsal place for the punk band Black Flag.
Upstairs, the gorgeous Ocean Bar remains the same, at least for the short term. This will be the facility’s primary bar area, and as any local knows it’s a cool place to park it for drinks and Happy Hour. The two patios offer views of the Pacific Ocean and the inside bar is posh with comfort, while also maintaining a casual beach attitude. There are TVs for watching sports, a must in bars these days.
No word yet on whether or not local promoter Berry Bly will be holding his pumping Sunday parties there this summer.
Abigaile is doing a quick turnaround; Union Cattle closed mid-January and the new restaurant will be open the first of February.
And just up the coast, Sharkeez Manhattan Beach has make a significant upgrade by adding big TVs around the bar. This was my biggest complaint about the move into the Upper Manhattan location, that there were far too many small TVs and you couldn’t get a good view of the ones at the bar. Now, however, there are bigger screens front and back of the street side of the bar and also at the back on the other side.
That’s just in time for the NFL Playoffs, the Super Bowl, March Madness and, of course, all those Laker games.
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