I’m used to driving to the Mandrake from the west, so making the trip from Burbank for the first time last weekend, I got completely turned around. I parked in the general vicinity, walked up a confused half block to the stoplight, and was repeatedly pushing the cross button when I looked behind me to see an open door, and over it, the familiar little neon sign: BAR.

The Mandrake is a low-key bar in the industrial-looking area that’s the Culver City arts district. It’s also home to It’s Five...