Monty: A Mexican Pool Hall Remakes Itself At The Edge Of Echo Park

Taylor Hackford's Son Remakes A Latino Pool Hall

Proprietor Rio Hackford has ensured that only the name remains the same at the new bar just west of downtown on Seventh Street. The space dates back to 1913. It was once a strip club and--at some point--a Latino pool hall.

The massive bar, all Douglas fir, rising mirrors and a bottle for every day of the year, likewise comes from an earlier era--Chicago in 1905.

It's a monument to two-fisted drinking, and a time when that was the only entertainment to be had.

The owner is tall and lean, with a toothpick in his mouth and bags under his eyes. This is not his first bar. Neither, it could be argued, is this his first city.

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