LA is a cocktail town with a celebrity problem. From hotel bars to tiki taverns, it can be tough to decide where to quench your thirst or drown your sorrows. Lucky for you, we’ve rounded up the best bars in LA for any occasion. After you’ve hiked all the good spots in LA, treat yourself with drinks at one (or some) of these 5 bars.
Big Bar
This hip Los Feliz haunt serves up creative, whimsical, and tasty hand-crafted cocktails prepared with top-shelf spirits, fresh juices, and house-made syrups. We’re suckers for a house-turned-bar like this charming Craftsman, which is also home to a cafe and bakery. Bar manager Cari Hah brings her creative and ambitious personality to the rotating cocktail menu of concoctions with funny, imaginative names. You know it’s a good bar when you see the bartenders imbibing. Enjoy a seasonal beverage or classic cocktail, like the exquisite AF martini, inside or out on one of the best patios in LA.
Address: 1927 Hillhurst Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Broken Shaker at The Freehand Hotel
Located on The Freehand Hotel’s rooftop pool deck in the heart of Downtown LA, Broken Shaker offers an eclectic menu of delicious and inventive handcrafted cocktails infused with homemade elixirs and exotic ingredients. Its Miami location was a James Beard Award finalist and won the Tales of the Cocktail’s Best American Hotel Bar award. With one of the best tiki lists in Downtown, Broken Shaker’s LA outpost is one of the best bars to go to for cocktails, especially of the tropical variety.
In addition to a variety of tiki drinks, bar director Christine Wiseman’s ever-evolving cocktail menu includes Cali-influenced originals, classics, and punch. Beer and wine are also available, but you don’t want to miss out on flavorful drinks like the Pebble Rebel, which combines Fruity Pebble-infused Ketel One with berry sunflower seed milk and espresso grounds cordial. They also offer a menu of small plates, including fish tostadas and veggie egg rolls.
The bar is atop the Commercial Exchange building and offers spectacular views of the city. If it’s a sunny day, skip bottomless brunch and head here for your daily dose of Vitamin D instead.
Address: 416 W 8th St, Los Angeles, CA 90014
Genever
Images via Genever
Hidden in historic Filipinotown, Genever’s gold door is marked by a lit-up coupe glass sign. This women-owned and -operated bar has made everyone’s best bar lists since longtime Filipina friends Christine Sumiller, Patricia Perez, and Roselma Samala raised money via a Kickstarter to open the friendly and intimate lounge in 2018.
Genever is the Dutch predecessor of gin, and both spirits are highlighted on the menu. Fresh, infused libations are both Filipino-influenced, incorporating ingredients like calamansi, pandan, and datu puti, and driven by the local bounty, featuring house-made syrups and shrubs. Play musical chairs on the music-themed cocktail menu, with names like Thyme After Time and Heard It Through The Grapevine, which is made with mulholland gin, chartreuse, calamansi, honey, lavender, and grapes. There is no food menu, but complimentary Filipino style corn nuts tossed with fried garlic ensure the gin-focused beverages won’t go straight to your head.
This moody gin joint is both intimate and sleek. The Art Deco den is decked out with gold accents, comfy gray couches, chandeliers made of recycled glass, and a mural of Lady Genever.
Address: 3123 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90057
The Varnish
Tucked behind a back door in Cole’s bar, this dark, moody speakeasy has been around for over a decade. That’s a century in Downtown LA years—quite a feat considering it doesn’t even have a sign. The secret to the award-winning bar’s long-lasting success is rooted in its hand-crafted cocktails and the fact that late bar legend Sasha Petraske had a hand in crafting the simple but excellent classic cocktails. The Varnish has taken home titles such as Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award for Best American Bar and was named one of the 50 Best Bars In The World.
This tiny bar is also known for its free live jazz music, which starts at 9pm Sunday-Wednesday nights. Settle into the industrial space, lit with vintage fixtures to enjoy live jazz tunes while sipping on classic cocktails, garnished with upstanding service.
Address: 118 E 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90014
Tiki-Ti
Speaking of bars that have been around a long time, Tiki Ti has been a Los Feliz landmark since the early 60s. There’s no beer or wine on the menu, just 94 potent Tiki cocktails—many of which can’t be found anywhere else, like the Blood and Sand and the popular Ray’s Mistake. A video menu in the back of the bar illustrates the drink descriptions of 40 of the tropical libations, but if you still can’t decide, spin the “Wheel of Tiki-Ti Drinks” and leave your order up to the Tiki gods.
The family-run bar was founded Ray Buhen, one of the original Filipino bartenders at Don the Beachcomber. Now Ray’s son and grandsons carry on Ray’s recipes and traditions, including leading the bar in an “uga booga” chant whilst pouring the rum-loaded beverage of the same name. Head there on a Wednesday to join a toast to the founder at 8:30pm sharp.
The incredibly tiny bar only has 12 stools and a handful of tables along the walls, so there’s usually a line out the door unless you get there early. The ceiling is covered with names of decades-long regulars, while the rest of the bar is covered in Hawaiian decor and tiki tchotchkes. Heads up: This hole-in-the-wall only accepts cash, so prepare accordingly.
Address: 4427 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Make one of these legendary spots your new favorite neighborhood bar. Not a local yet? Find your next apartment on Zumper and you’ll be sipping on cocktails at Tiki-Ti or The Broken Shaker in no time.
Contenu associé
