Dipping Into the Well

The Well is swell, plain and simple.

The new watering hole in the ground level of a Sunset Boulevard office building is a nice addition to the thriving bar scene in surrounding Hollywood. Following in the footsteps of Daddy’s, the joint that made it cool to be part of the proletariat again, the Well is the place to go to when you can’t take another star-frenzied scene.

It’s also long way from the previous tenant on the ground floor of the House of Blues corporate building: the People Tree, an old-school karaoke bar that long overstayed its welcome.

The Well’s got doors opening into the lobby as well as outside, all the better to attract a happy-hour crowd from HOB or other tenants.

The simple happy-hour menu, served from 5 to 8 p.m., includes mini cheeseburgers and tempura squash, and it complements the Well’s equally simple design. The rectangular island bar in the middle of the room is surrounded by a raised area that seats about 100, where people have an easy time spying on one another over the bar. A small back room is set aside for parties of 20 or 30 people who can peer out through the giant keyhole-shaped doorways. The effect is oh-so-subtle “Alice in Wonderland.”

The colors and textures are deep and warm. The bar top is two-tone wood, Indonesian mahogany butted up against honey maple. Faux crocodile-skin booths are accented by violet walls, and everything’s cranked up a notch by the choice music. It’s always L.A. pride week here: The jukebox stocks such local faves as Ozomatli, Guns N’ Roses, Macy Gray, Weezer and N.W.A, a classic collection if ever there was one. You’ll also find AC/DC and some Sinatra for good measure.

Co-owner Craig Trager (who also co-owns Daddy’s) tried to score the spot for years and finally got his hands on it this year. Fresh off the success of Daddy’s, located on Hollywood Boulevard near Vine Street, Trager wanted to try something a little different and take advantage of the brisk built-in happy-hour crowd.

Teaming up with his longtime pal, Michael Gans, who also owns Rebecca’s in Santa Monica and the Brentwood Inn in Brentwood, Trager went for comfort over flash, and that’s been enough to attract a nice crowd.

And like Daddy’s, there’s no attitude at the door and the bartenders make a big effort to recognize you the second time around. In today’s competitive Hollywood climate, such little things count. If you can show up unannounced, don’t have to endure any fanfare at the door and the bartender knows your name, that’s a winning combination for repeat business.

Top it off by the fact that you’re surrounded by people who are looking for the same thing-namely, easy access to cool new digs-and you might even make a friend.

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The Well, 6255 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 467-WELL. 21 and older. No cover.