Cat & Fiddle Is a Pub’s Pub With a Kicked-Back Feel

Kim and Paula Gardner met in a bar on Bourbon Street in New Orleans 23 years ago.

“It was a really good bar,” Paula says. She must have taken a few notes because she and Kim--a London bassist who rode into L.A. during the British Invasion--have been running one of Hollywood’s most delightful pubs, the Cat & Fiddle, for the past 14 years. So delightful, in fact, that the Rolling Stones’ Ron Wood--the guitarist in Gardner’s first band, the Birds--pops in with his family when he’s in town. Rod Stewart brings his entire soccer team on occasion, and the guys from Motorhead have a house account.

The Cat & Fiddle is a pub’s pub, with a comfortable vibe that belies its Sunset Boulevard location. It’s not a sit-in-the-corner-by-yourself kind of joint--people actually come to the spacious venue to socialize. Everything about the Cat & Fiddle is friendly, including its key feature--a patio with chairs and tables scattered loosely around a fountain.

When the weather’s nice, a kick-back night at the Cat & Fiddle is hard to beat. Entertainment on the patio includes a Sunday night jazz series, Monday night blues and an open mike night on Tuesday that often features surprise guests. Also in the works for summer is a night of Brazilian music and an evening celebrating cigars. During winter, the entertainment is located in the Casablanca Room, a cozy performance area adjacent to the main bar.

Experts already have their calendars marked for the Cat & Fiddle’s biggest upcoming date: On May 11, the club is scheduled to treat soccer fans to a telecast of the F.A. Cup final from Wembley Stadium in London. But the true sign that the Cat & Fiddle is a bona fide “pub” is that it has the only authentic nine-hole snooker (usually known here as bar billiards) table in Hollywood. Rack ‘em up.

* Cat & Fiddle, 6530 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood. All ages before 11:30 p.m., 21 and over after 11:30 p.m. (213) 468-3800.

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Club Buzz: The Fetish Club has left the Aftershock in Studio City for Hollywood-adjacent terra firma. The erotic Monday night dance club moved this week to the Love Lounge (657 N. Robertson Blvd.), the home of Friday’s happening glam scene, Cherry. . . . Meanwhile, back on the other side of the hill, CityWalk’s Hollywood Athletic Club is offering “Deep House” Sundays, with no cover before 10 p.m.

* Fetish Club hotline, (818) 828-2257. “Deep House” hotline, (818) 712-3986.