Large, padded bar stools, chairs really, surround the bar oasis in the center of the room, string lights over head playing against a dark wood-paneled ceiling that makes a windowless dive bar feel even darker. There are few things as social as a u-shaped bar rail in a dive bar, the kind of visual flow that almost forces conversation. And that’s the vibe inside Ernie’s Interlude, a neighborhood spot, a place for regulars, an easy trigger to a conversation.
Liquor bottles surround an island within the bar’s footprint, illuminated shelving providing another glimmer of light in the otherwise dim environment. High top tables surround the bar area beneath a few framed photos and a stylized piece of martini-themed artwork here and there. Along the back wall, a popcorn machine adds to the ambiance, building on the neighborhood vibe.
Ernie’s Interlude Cocktail Lounge is timeless in every sense of the word, a holdover from 1959 with some updates but a clear link to its past and a place that feels like time ceases to affect thanks to the lack of windows and perpetual low lighting. While some dive bars use the word ‘lounge’ as an ironic twist on an otherwise rustic interior, Ernie’s lives up to the title, all tied together through a theme-perfect mural above the door out front.