This little gem is located at *16153 Victory Blvd Van Nuys, CA 91406.  Springbok is a really chill bar to have a solid evening of drinks and grub.  Personally, I’ve never had the food there, but my friends who have eaten there all say it is delicious.  The theme of the bar is more on the sports bar side of things, coming from South African owners, but it’s far from a straight-up sports bar.

On a typical weekend night, they will have some shitty live band play some shitty cover songs…but after a few drinks in, you are singing along, and don’t even notice the quality (or lack thereof).  As to be expected with a joint in the Valley, the drink prices are reasonable, and they are decently potent.  I think the last time I went, I picked up 4 mixed drinks, and 3 Irish Car Bombs for around 50 bucks.  Not too bad.

The bar is pretty well-lit, so while it has some dive bar features, expect to see everywhere you are going.  Some men (and probably women), employ the “oops, sorry for bumping into  you” tactic to pick up on people, which comes off considerably more obvious without dim lighting.  Springbok also features a nice pool table (free-of-charge), and a juke box.  Both times I’ve been to the bar I have never seen the pool table vacant, but that is not to say you won’t be able to get a game in if you wait.  When the shitty live band isn’t playing, the juke box fills the void, and there’s always good music playing – whether it be older hip hop or alternative, or modern rock.

One of my favorite features it the outdoor smoking patio.  It is the length of the bar, and pretty wide, so there’s always a decent amount of people out there.  If you are like me, and don’t like to be: a.) drowned in music, b.) other people’s conversations, or c.) crowded, then the outdoor patio is for you.  Waitresses are there to serve you drinks, and if you get there before 10:30 p.m., you can order from the kitchen as well.  The staff is pretty young, and always friendly.

The best part of the bar is the crowd.  On any given night, you will find sports guys into rugby, trendsters, Hollywood-types from the Valley, various geeks (i.e.: me), cougars hunting for young cock, frat/sorority types, the down-to-Earth types, and everything in between.  Expect friendly people, good conversations, good times, and some occasional ass to hit on.  If you have never been to Springbok, and you like drinking in a relaxed environment, it is definitely worth your time.

*There is also a Long Beach, CA location.