The Los Angeles restaurant scene is constantly pushing the envelope with creative ingredient combinations and innovative techniques. Naturally, the bar culture follows suit, and there’s no better place to experience it than at the best cocktail bars in Los Angeles. Here we’ve pulled some of the most tried-and-and-true L.A. cocktail bars that locals swear by, revered for their characteristic ambiances, visionary cocktail menus, and pious dedication to the craft.
Whether you’re seeking a romantic lounge for your next date night, or a quick nightcap with friends after dinner, these venerated local cocktail institutions have some of the best specialty drinks in the city. What would you add to the list?
1. Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt ranked among Top 500 Bars’ national ranking of the best cocktail bars in the country for 2023. Their business model is dedicated to “accessible hospitality,” that is, combining the approachability of a neighborhood watering hole with the refinement of a technique-driven cocktail bar. Here you won’t find fussy glassware and garnishes, but you will enjoy an exciting spread that always has sustainability and efficiency in mind. Even if you aren’t the most cocktail-savvy, you’ll be able to make an educated drink selection thanks to the menu’s careful explanation of components like dilution, culinary origins, texture, and more.
📍Location: 1263 W Temple St, Los Angeles
2. The Normandie Club
The Normandie Club is a stylish community cocktail bar in Koreatown‘s historic Hotel Normandie, which dates back to 1926. They serve an exciting cocktail menu with traditional and modern options that always have a creative take. Sip on an Old Fashioned with coconut-washed bourbon and apple brandy, or try their take on a Gimlet with black plum and jasmine rice. It’s also worth visiting during their Social Hour from 6-8pm, where you’ll enjoy a smaller selection of cocktails at reduced prices, or “roll the dice” for a surprise pour corresponding to the number you roll.
📍Location: 3612 W 6th St, Los Angeles
3. The Varnish
Ensconced in Cole’s French Dip restaurant you’ll find The Varnish, a secretive speakeasy with a penchant for gorgeous classic cocktails. Behind the unassuming oak door, you’ll find a lavish bar with intricate tiling, low-lit leather booth seating, and vintage decor from a bygone era. The small seating area is first come, first served, and you can enjoy live jazz music from 9 pm Sunday through Tuesday. Despite the emphasis on tradition, you’ll find that the talented bartenders have plenty of off-menu items for anyone wanting to try something new.
📍Location: 118 E 6th St, Los Angeles
4. Mírate
Everything on the menu at Mírate is carefully curated to uplift Mexican ingredients and food culture, from the ample selection of imported distillates to the bold food menu with a Californian twist. Of course, you’ll want to start by eyeing their tequila-forward options, which range from the classic Tommy’s Margarita to El Guero with flavors like aguachile, nopales granita, and coconut. Other fun options include El Caminante with Mexican red bitters and a Mírate rum blend, and La Sonadora milk punch with absinthe and passionfruit. Settle into the bold and colorful dining room and enjoy the ambiance at one of the most memorable cocktail bars in Los Angeles.
📍Location: 1712 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles
5. Death & Co.
Sensational New York City cocktail veteran Death & Co. opened its Los Angeles location in 2019, quickly becoming one of the best cocktail bars in Downtown L.A. Upon arrival, you’ll wait in the “Standing Room” where you can choose from a more limited cocktail selection. When a bar seat or table opens up in Death & Co.’s main room, you’ll have access to the full 25-item cocktail menu divided into feelings like “Light & Playful,” “Boozy & Honest,” and “Elegant and Timeless.” The lavish space is lit by warm amber lighting and beautiful brass accents, and its subterranean location feels like stepping into a modern-day speakeasy.
📍Location: 818 E 3rd St, Los Angeles
6. Apotheke
Make sure you dress to impress at Apotheke, because this “cocktail apothecary” has been revered by Vogue, Conde Naste Traveler, and even the German Design Awards for its spellbinding interior design and unbelievable handcrafted cocktails. Bartenders donning pharmacist-style uniforms will prepare a delicately balanced elixir using house-made ingredients with produce, herbs, and botanicals, categorized by their respective treatments like “pain killers” and “stress relievers.” You’d do well to make a reservation on a weekend night, but walk-ins are also welcome.
📍Location: 1746 N Spring St, Los Angeles
7. Rendition Room
During a lively evening at Vitello’s Restaurant and upstairs piano bar, you’d be forgiven for disregarding a modest bookshelf on your way to the bathroom. This unassuming corner hides the entrance to The Rendition Room, a luxurious 1930s-style speakeasy where you can listen to an old jukebox crooning the classics while indulging in delicious specialty cocktails. The old-timey menu features more than just traditional favorites; you’ll also find appetizing house-infused spirits and barrel-aged liqueurs with plenty of options for even the most delicate of palates. Be advised that The Rendition Room enforces an upscale dress code in a “nod to the sophistication of the 1930s.”
📍Location: 4349 Tujunga Ave #2, Studio City
8. Bar Next Door
Bar Next Door is a new laidback bar on the Sunset Strip where you can enjoy all the refinement of a craft cocktail bar without the extra bells and whistles (perhaps except for its elusive back room… shhhhh). The casual neighborhood haunt invites you to come as you are and take a breather away from the street’s fancy-pants neighbors. The old-fashioned tiling, fluted glass partitions, and rich moody wood tones bring just the right amount of personality to accompany the high-quality cocktail menu. When it comes to well-made classics, this is where you’ll find some of the best cocktails in L.A., not to mention a robust spirit menu with everything from mezcal to grappa.
📍Location: 9159 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood
9. Capri Club
Capri Club is a retro aperitivo bar offering a cozy and intimate atmosphere with Italian-inspired drinks and food. Even though it’s only been around since 2022, the bar has retained its original timeless design with lived-in wood paneling, polished red leather booths, and coastal decor that feels straight out of southern Italy. Savor $15 cocktails like the traditional negroni or the mezcal-laced capri sour, or $13 aperitivos like the playful cherry spritz with maraschino or the piccolo sorso with vermouth and sherry.
📍Location: 4604 Eagle Rock Blvd, Los Angeles
10. The Wolves
When it comes to Downtown L.A. cocktail bars, you’ll want to pay a visit to The Wolves in the historic Alexandria Hotel building. The arched stained glass ceiling is easily the biggest focal point, but the entire space is decorated with period antiques evoking old Americana. They strive to create the most innovative drinks around to foster “an environment that will breed the next generation of creatives,” with eccentric specialty items like “Let Them Talk” with mushroom, lavender, celery, and cream sherry; or the “Skin Deep” with salmon skin, black garlic, olive brine, vermouth and absinthe. But not to worry, there are plenty of fantastic classic cocktails if you’re not feeling so adventurous.
📍Location: 519 S Spring St, Los Angeles