Spotlight: Elvie’s Inn, a Covina Neighborhood Bar Since 1958

Updated October 19, 2026 with history, the current weekly lineup and new details shared by co-owner Usha Cervantes.

Elvie’s Inn is Covina’s oldest bar, and it does not need to pretend to be anything else. Tucked into Shoppers Lane, it has a full bar, a pool table, darts, a jukebox, something happening every night of the week, and the kind of familiar atmosphere that turns first-time visitors into regulars.

“Elvie’s has never just been about the drinks. It’s about the people, the friendships, and the memories made here. We’re simply the current caretakers of a little piece of Covina history. We want to honor the people who came before us while making sure there’s an Elvie’s for the generations who come after us.”

Usha Cervantes, co-owner

How Elvie’s Began

The story starts in 1957, when Elvie’s opened as a liquor store. The original owner named the business after his wife, Elvie. About a year later he turned the liquor store into a bar, and in 1958 Elvie’s Inn was born. Nearly seven decades later, it is still here.

The bar has had several owners along the way. Before the current family, it was owned by Tony, and Usha believes someone named Bobby D owned it before him, though the earlier ownership timeline is not fully certain. By her count, she and her husband Albert are probably the fifth or sixth owners.

From Regulars to Owners

Usha’s family were Elvie’s customers for years before they ever imagined owning it. They knew Tony, and when he mentioned to Usha’s dad, Aaron Sharma, that he was planning to retire, her dad saw a chance to keep a place they already loved going strong. On June 12, 2012, Aaron Sharma officially bought Elvie’s.

None of them came from the bar industry. Her dad kept his tax and accounting practice, her mom was a registered nurse, and Usha and her sisters helped run Elvie’s alongside their own careers. Usha is a financial advisor; Albert comes from the technology industry. In 2023, when her dad decided it was time to sell, Usha and Albert bought Elvie’s to keep it in the family.

As Usha puts it, they have come full circle: customers, then helping their parents run the bar, and now the owners responsible for carrying its legacy forward. “Whether it’s financial advising or operating Elvie’s,” she says, “I’ve always believed that the most important part of any business is the relationships you build and the people you take care of.”

Why Elvie’s Has Lasted Since 1958

Ask Usha what has kept Elvie’s going while so many neighborhood bars disappeared, and the answer is simple: the people.

“Elvie’s isn’t fancy, and we’ve never pretended to be,” she says. “It’s a place where you can walk in by yourself and end up having a conversation with someone you’ve never met.” Friendships are made there, birthdays are celebrated, and longtime regulars give the bar its personality. The bartenders are familiar faces and part of the community, not just people pouring drinks.

And yes, it is a dive bar. To the owners, that is a compliment. “We’re not trying to be a trendy cocktail lounge or reinvent something that has worked for generations.”

The Drinks Are Better Than the Price Suggests

One of the things I notice most about Elvie’s is the value. The drinks are very reasonably priced, but they do not feel like bargain drinks. In my experience they are consistently well made, and public reviews say much the same thing: strong pours, good cocktails, and bartenders who take care of the people sitting in front of them. Throwback Thursdays lean into that, with classic drinks at classic neighborhood-bar prices.

Something Every Night of the Week

Usha and Albert have been building new reasons for people to gather while keeping the traditions that make Elvie’s feel like Elvie’s: the pool table, the darts, and putting a favorite song on the jukebox. Here is the current weekly rhythm:

• Monday: Karaoke with Steven Williamson of A Mobile Party, 8 PM to midnight.
• Tuesday: Free pool.
• Wednesday: Bingo with Bloss at 7:30 PM, new as of October 21, with cash prizes.
• Thursday: Throwback Thursday drink specials.
• Friday: Happy hour from noon to 5 PM, then DJ Killah Noez at 9 PM.
• Sunday: NFL all day, then DJ Rek-1 at 8 PM.
• Monday to Friday: Happy hour from noon to 5 PM and $20 beer buckets from 9 AM to 6 PM.
• All season: Dodgers and NFL games on the TVs.

Halloween weekend gets two parties: Friday, October 23 with DJ Killah Noez and Sunday, October 25 with DJ Rek-1. Bring a costume.

“To us, the activities are about more than entertainment,” Usha says. “They’re about building friendships and community.”

Monday Karaoke

I have personally been to Elvie’s on Monday nights as DJ Wonder Sean, and it is one of Usha’s favorite nights too. “There’s something wonderful about watching a room full of people cheer each other on,” she says, “whether someone is an amazing singer or just having the time of their life on stage.”

Steven Williamson of A Mobile Party brings a polished karaoke setup and a huge song library. Elvie’s supplies the part that cannot be carried in through the door: an actual neighborhood crowd.

Bingo with Bloss

The newest night on the calendar is Bingo with Bloss, every Wednesday at 7:30 PM starting October 21. There are cash prizes, and the bar is having fun with the idea that this isn’t your grandma’s bingo night. If it is, Usha says, bring her along.

DJs on Fridays and Sundays

Friday nights now belong to DJ Killah Noez, starting at 9 PM. On Sundays, after a day of football, Southern California hip-hop veteran DJ Rek-1 takes over at 8 PM.

Bring Your Own Food, or Grab a Burger

Elvie’s does not have a kitchen, and it does not need one. Customers are always welcome to bring in outside food, and Shoppers Lane puts the bar steps away from some excellent Covina dining, including Fonda Don Chon a few doors down. Grab dinner nearby and bring it over to enjoy with a cold beer or a cocktail.

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, Good F’N Burger brings the food to the bar. “We believe supporting other local businesses is important,” Usha says. “The more vibrant downtown Covina becomes, the better it is for everyone.”

Elvie’s Comes to Your Party: Full-Bar Catering

Here is something most people do not know. Elvie’s offers off-site, full-service bar catering, and it is not a dry-bar service. Elvie’s holds a California liquor license with catering privileges, so it can provide a fully stocked bar at qualifying off-site events, subject to applicable licensing requirements.

That means Elvie’s can bring the alcohol, professional bartenders, a portable bar setup and the service itself to weddings, birthday parties, corporate events and private celebrations. You do not have to buy and haul all the alcohol yourself or hire a separate bartender. To talk about an event, call the bar at (626) 332-2110 or use the catering button on the Elvie’s Inn page.

Pool and Darts

The pool table and dartboard are part of the identity of the place, not decorative afterthoughts, and Elvie’s has supported pool-league activity over the years.

What’s Next for Elvie’s

Usha and Albert’s goal is to keep growing without losing the character that has made Elvie’s special for nearly 70 years: new events, more entertainment, a growing catering business, and a new generation of customers in a bar that has served generations before them.

“Our biggest goal isn’t to become the trendiest bar in town,” Usha says. “It’s to make sure Elvie’s is still here for the next generation.”

If you have never been, her advice is simple: “You don’t have to be a regular to feel welcome at Elvie’s.” Come in for one drink, shoot some pool, throw darts, sing, watch the game, or just relax.

Elvie’s Inn · 610 Shoppers Lane, Covina · (626) 332-2110 · Open 9 AM to 2 AM every day · Instagram · Facebook

See every upcoming night at Elvie’s Inn, with directions, calendar links and the people behind each night. Also see our Covina nightlife guide.