After a long night of partying at Playhouse Nightclub the perfect hangover cure is conveniently located right next door. Sweet Love Hangover is the name of the old-school diner with a modern twist appropriately located in the heart of Hollywood, ready to greet you with a full menu of comfort food options combined with a quirky futuristic atmosphere.
Inside the creatively decorated restaurant, walls stacked with framed pictures of animated characters and shelves of eclectic decorations including plastic toys such as Mr. Potato Head offer hints of childhood nostalgia. I was suddenly transported from the dimmed lights of a club to a high energy, brightly lit atmosphere.
Once seated I was delightfully greeted by a simple, no-nonsense waitress with a stapled menu on neon colored artsy paper purposely attached to a clipboard to allow for the convenience of writing on a hard surface. Adult Mad Libs littered the reverse side of each page of the menu.
Even after a long night, a number of creatively-titled cocktails are offered to help ease or significantly contribute to the burden of a hangover. Shots, classic cocktails and even a recommended alcoholic hangover cure, named: “Hair of the Dog” are listed on the menu. For me, while dining in with friends after a late night out, the Jungle Juice proved to be the necessary fix to top the night off. It is a fruity combination with a number of different splashes of alcohol making it the perfect cocktail to end a long night.
After ordering a cocktail and full-fledged meal, I was immediately captivated by the retro music remix and the two televisions ““ one tuned into a basketball game on ESPN and the other switching between old animated cartoon favorites such as the “Jetsons” and the “Powerpuff Girls”. The mirrored ceilings, brightly-colored circle-patterned design occupying the backdrop of the bar, and clear glass windows allowed a complete view out to Hollywood Boulevard. These decorative touches solidified the feeling of being in a fantasy-influenced setting.
The menu is creatively divided, beginning with all-day long breakfast specials, sandwiches and burgers, their specialties referred to as “Yummy Stuff” and “Sweet, Sweet Love,” featuring three unique desserts guaranteed to cure any sweet tooth.
My friends and I shared three different meals assured to combat our late night cravings. We ordered the “Early Bird Special,” which included 2 eggs, home fries and toast; the “Orange Vanilla FrenchÂ-Toast” paired with citrus butter and syrup; and the “Roasted Pepper BLT.”
The food is served promptly and fresh ”“ impressively displayed to match the description on the menu. For dessert I ordered the “Pop Tart Tower,” a specialty made with two deep fried pop tarts layered with vanilla ice cream and topped with homemade chocolate and caramel sauces. All the food was satisfying and more than qualified to be named as the ideal comfort food.
The only pitfall of this restaurant may be its emphasis on heavy, high calorie foods. If you are looking for a light snack, you won’t find it at Sweet Love Hangover. This restaurant is an outing and an experience in itself, and not a laid-back kind of joint.
If you are on the town, however, the reasonable menu pricing is impossible to pass up. A filling meal that will top off the night won’t break the bank. From the least expensive “Two Eggs and Toast” at $5.50 to the most expensive meal on the menu, “Straight Up Meat and Potatoes” at $22, the hungry diner is guaranteed to find something suitable for all budgets.
Sweet Love Hangover is just as practical for an afternoon lunch as it is for a late night delight.
E-mail Scofield at cscofield@media.ucla.edu.