My Favorite Bar ...For Pre-Movie Drinks

Ever since the 72-year-old Garland Theater underwent a major renovation in 2013 and started serving a full menu of food and drinks (beer and wine), going there has become a favorite and frequent date night for my partner and I. We always get there early to grab beers or cocktails in the Garland's tiny bar, Bon Bon, as we wait for our food (he always gets the basic hot dog, I always get the black bean sliders). With Happy Hour times (Mon-Thu, 4-7 pm; Fri-Sat 10 pm-close; Sun all day) and specials that are hard to beat, we often sample one of the rotating craft beers on tap, or a selection from the $5 Happy Hour cocktail menu. Bon Bon's free popcorn is another pre-movie perk as we perch on the stools around the diminutive, Art Deco-styled space's curving wooden bar. For all its charm and a staff of friendly bartenders who are beginning to know our names, we try to swing by Bon Bon often — even when we're not catching a movie.