I got sloshed at the University Club

In a neighborhood with a crippling shortage of bars, the University Club is a welcome anomaly.

The restaurant, run by USC, is tucked along the northern edge of campus next to the Trousdale Entrance and caters to its adult clientele so effectively that many students don’t know it exists.

But now you do. And if you’re looking for a reason to get buzzed on campus in broad daylight, consider trying the club’s 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. happy hour.

Contrary to what you might infer from its name, the club does not require a membership to dine. Walk in past the grand double doors and ask for a seat at the bar. The dress code is business casual, but you could probably wear jeans and a T-shirt.

Yes, they’ll card you.

The cocktails are middling and there’s no beer on tap. The only brews subject to happy hour prices are Samuel Adams, Coors Light, and Guinness. You’ll have to shell out $17.50 for a so-so cheese board, but you’ll get free potato chips to munch on between your $19 cocktails.

Unless your drinking buddies of choice are emeritus faculty, it isn’t exactly the place to get shithoused. But that’s half the fun of it: You’re not really supposed to be there.

The Trojan Sangria — $12.50 at happy hour — is quite yummy and reasonably priced, and will appeal to drinkers who don’t love beer and don’t care for whiskey- and gin-based cocktails (i.e. most students).

It’s hard to recommend the University Club as a spot in your regular rotation. But if you’re a graduating senior looking for a novel addition to your USC bar crawls, you’ll be well-served by an early sangria at the club before wandering to Rock’s and the Nine O for an end-of-year celebration.

On a recent Wednesday visit with friends, we downed three drinks each in the span of an hour while several older couples politely dined nearby. The only people having more fun than us were a group of middle-aged folks taking birthday shots in the adjoining lounge. We paid the exorbitant check, spilled out onto Trousdale Parkway, then had another round at Rock’s.

The evening ended with a queasy dinner at Yoshinoya after bailing out of line at the Nine O. We headed home and all agreed that we were glad we checked the University Club off our bucket list.

Tomo Chien can be reached at [email protected].