LAKEWOOD, Ohio - Lakewood's LBM, which is tucked away in the city's Birdtown district at 12301 Madison Ave., was recently lauded by Men's Journal as one of the "best hidden cocktail bars in American."

Not to worry, the June issue of the national mag isn't blowing the cover on any local secrets - we've known LBM was the best Viking-themed bar around since it opened late last year.

"What happens when a bunch of bartenders who like camping and Norwegian death metal decide to open their own place?" asks Men's Journal scribe St. John Frizell.

Though it's nestled along an increasingly bustling strip of Lakewood, "hidden" isn't an unfair descriptor. Blink and you might miss the snug bar, which opens into a gothic-meets-modern apothecary eatery where seasonal cocktails flow. (And they'll mix up some noteworthy non-alcoholic concoctions, too.)

Inside, metal pipes out of the speakers as you gather around the bar, high-tops and tables and nosh on dishes like empanadas, burgers and poutine.

In Beth Segal's Cleveland.com review, she cheered owner Eric Ho for assembling "a cracker-jack crew that has worked together before. They're charming and intuitive and the esprit de corps is contagious. It's not exactly 'Cheers,' but at LBM, you'll always have a warm Viking welcome, some mighty fine food and the unique opportunity to belly up to the bar and order an impeccably prepared, beautifully balanced Seaside Terror."

No surprise there - LBM's tagline is "Your friendly neighborhood Viking cocktail bar."

"There's no such thing as a pretentious Viking," Ho told Men's Journal.

In addition to the day-to-day, LBM has been spicing up its repertoire with pop-ups bringing in local chefs and themed nights.

Women chef takeover

It may be Men's Journal praising LBM this month, but the next pop-up we recommend is a takeover by some talented women chefs.

This Tuesday, June 19, LBM hosts Melissa Khoury and Penny Barend of Saucisson, Ange Lupica of Sweet Teeth and Annabelle Andricks of The Black Pig, along with their own bartenders, Merandia Adkins and Simone Perry. Expect dishes like squid ink pasta, chorizo burger and beef heart steak. Andricks and Lupica's desserts include "black metal forest" with chocolate and cherry flavors and coconut porter ice cream, among others. You can find more information here.

"From the bar point-of-view at LBM, we love doing pop-ups," Ho tells cleveland.com. "It gives us a chance to be very creative in trying different techniques and styles for cocktails and food we normally wouldn't on our everyday menu. Sometimes it really acts as a live test to see if what we're trying to accomplish is too crazy or not. Also with bringing in guest chefs or bartenders, it's just a great way to learn from each other because we all have had experiences cooking or bartending in different restaurants or even different regions. It also helps that we tend to do these events with our friends in the industry, so it's always a blast."