Top 20 Bars in Los Angeles California

Top 20 Bars in Los Angeles California

Los Angeles is one of the most famous cities in the United States and the World, both to live in and visit, in part because of its robust entertainment reputation as explained at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. While it is known for its Hollywood film industry, beaches, shopping, theme parks, museums, and more, it also has a bar scene that will reel you in. There are countless of bars across this sprawling city, with various themes, vibes, drink specialties, and clientele. Therefore, deciding which one you want to visit can be challenging. This article is here to help as it features a list of the top 20 bars in Los Angeles, California.

1. Melody

As per RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, this breezy spot with one of our favorite patios is a wine bar, yes, but it’s also a hub for some of L.A.’s best food pop-ups, an occasional DJ and event space, and perhaps, above all, a nexus for wine-and-food loving aesthetes from all over the city. Some nights, it’s a full-on scene, but the egalitarian ethos and excellent wines keep the conversation flowing, and the vibes are generally still quite good.

2. Tonga Hut

Tonga Hut, LA’s oldest tiki bar, has been around since Trader Vic and Don the Beachcomber were still fighting over who made the first mai tai. Fifty-eight years later, the drinks are still sweet and potent. Drinkers who want to get their name on the wall need to drink 78 cocktails off the bar’s Grog Log within a year.

3. Esters Wine Shop & Bar

Esters is the wine bar of your dreams: ample seating, beautiful light, and a library ladder to swing through the floor-to-ceiling shelves stocked with bottles from around the globe according to RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. There’s a lovely cocktail menu, but the focus here is wine, including some cool selections from up-and-coming wine regions around Southern California, like Stolpman (Ballard Canyon) and Hocus Bolus (Lompoc). 

4. Genever

Genever is an intimate, Filipina-run Art Deco den specializing in gin-based drinks. Inside, you’ll find delicate, feminine touches in the gold-accented decor, creating a scene that practically glows. Menu-wise, mezcal, and rum may make a brief appearance, but even the most gin-averse should try one of the infused juniper libations here, which incorporate green tea and tropical fruits for light, herbaceous and complex notes in your cocktails.

5. The Cigar and Whiskey Bar

For the ultimate splurge, reserve a spot at the Maybourne Hotel’s cigar and whiskey lounge in the former Ten Pound space. The elegant mezzanine bar, which features a 1,000-cigar humidor and Lalique light features, serves a $100 Sazerac made with Whistle Pig 15-year-old rye to sip on with that premium cigar.

6. Gracias Madre

At Gracias Madre, you’ll find some of the tastiest vegan food in a town that does vegan better than most as articulated at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. The best strategy for maximum satisfaction is to order food that’s already primarily vegan without much re-engineering—think guacamole, sopes, and enchiladas Verde. Sure, the “cheese” is cashew crema, but it’s properly rich and deep in flavor. Even better? Mezcal, too, is vegan. Once you realize that, it somehow feels virtuous to order from the extensive, agave-heavy cocktail list.

7. Big Bar

This charming spot is the Los Feliz equivalent of Cheers, where everybody knows your name, but it gets even better: This repurposed Craftsman home also sports a café, a bakery, and one of the best patios in the city. The bar team whips up house-made syrups, oft-rotating concoctions and some of the most cheeky, fun-loving menus L.A. has ever seen.

8. Umbrella Club at SIXTY Beverly Hills

Staycation vibes abound at this Beverly Hills rooftop bar by the team behind Melrose Umbrella Club as captured at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. Order a Mai Tai or commit to an Extended Stay Piña Colada served in a pineapple. There are many sitting options to choose from, such as chaises and hanging wicker chairs, while taking in the gorgeous views from Beverly Hills to Downtown. 

9. Dama

Located in the City Market South development in a multi-level space that used to be a banana-distribution hub of Southern California, Dama is drop-dead gorgeous, with rattan patio chairs, neon banana-leaf wallpaper, and charming Spanish tilework. The focus is Latin-inspired cocktails that range from breezy and tropical to boozy and spirits-driven; all are beautifully presented and great fun to drink.

10. Employees Only

Employees Only first made waves in New York City, but its WeHo location has become a full-blown upscale neighborhood spot and citywide cocktail destination. The Prohibition-inspired bar’s artful cocktails pair beautifully with its extended dinner menu, where you might find seasonal arancini, wood-fired chicken in lacto-blueberry barbecue sauce, and fresh oysters with rose petal mignonette.

11. The Roger Room

As covered at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com, when on La Cienega Boulevard in West Hollywood and one desires a drink without any of the fussiness of dress codes and velvet ropes, come here. A dark circus-themed bar with craft cocktails that go down way too easily, it’s the ideal venue for hanging out with the crew or solo drinking.

12. Accomplice

Though the drinks are serious at Accomplice, the vibe is far from buttoned up. The cocktails play with lesser-known Asian ingredients, adding them to familiar cocktails like the “whiskey (sweet and) sour,” made with ginger, sesame, aquafaba, amaretto, and whiskey. And if you’re hungry, you can order from Little Fatty, the associated Taiwanese-inspired spot next door, and the food will promptly be brought to your table.

13. Apothéke

If the name looks familiar, the extremely stylish apothecary-themed bar at the edge of Chinatown’s warehouse district is the sibling to New York City’s Apothéke, which racked up acclaim through detail-driven, botanical-toned drinks in a dimly-lit setting as described at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. Here in L.A., the vibe, atmosphere, and menu are all similar, with a few unique drinks for good measure.

14. The Normandie Club

This Koreatown bar by Pouring With Heart is a favorite bartender’s hang. The cocktail menu not only offers new favorite versions of classic cocktails but a handpicked spirits list and drinks using whatever ingredient the bar staff is currently obsessed with.

15. The Broken Shaker Los Angeles

Los Angeles is a city obsessed with rooftops. This one has a sizable pool with neon floaties, two tiki-inspired bars, DJs on the weekends, and killer views of downtown. The drink menu features riffs on tiki classics with Angeleno-friendly spirits like mezcal and tequila, but bartenders will deftly whip up drinks based on personal tastes, too.

16. Dan Sung Sa

The best place to flick soju bottle caps and chat over Anju (Korean bar bites) with friends in L.A., Dan Sung Sa is a quintessential Koreatown drinking spot with wood panel interiors, dim lighting, and no-nonsense service as discussed at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. Stepping through its doors can make you feel like you’ve been transported back to a late-20th-century Seoul pojangmacha as owner Caroline Cho constructed the bar based on her own memories of South Korea’s tented street pubs when she first opened it in 1997.

17. The Dresden Restaurant & Lounge

For nearly 40 years, the main draw of this 68-year-old Los Feliz bar was long-time bar lounge act, Marty and Elayne. Sadly, Marty passed away in early 2022. But the beautiful old-school lounge continues to host live music acts every week and with no cover. The cocktail menu, updated a couple of years ago from ‘70s saccharine to craft cocktail standards, features seasonal drinks as well as the classics such as the Vespers and the Dresden’s Blood & Sand, which has been on the menu since around the time the bar first opened.

18. Everson Royce Bar

This is the corner bar you wish your neighborhood had. The interior bar is long, with banquettes for seating, but you’d be smart to head outside to the bocce court on the Edison light-lit patio as revealed at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com. There’s a great selection of beer and wines, but the focus is squarely on spirits, like barrel-aged cocktails and rare Japanese whiskeys.

19. Walt’s Bar

The mood at Walt’s Bar is casual and the vibe is immaculate, and there’s almost nowhere in Northeast Los Angeles we’d rather haunt. Giant pretzels, hot dogs, vegan dogs, and chips are all on offer, too, with appearances by Café Wednesday and other pop-ups for more gourmet bites. Stop by at 8 pm on Wednesdays for $5 tournament nights—and don’t forget to bring some cash; while there’s a change machine, it only takes $1s and $5s.

20. Big Bar

Big Bar has long been a favorite spot to hang out for local bartenders, thanks to guest bartenders and cocktail community events. But for anyone in the mood for intriguing, tasty, and well-crafted cocktails, such as a red onion margarita, this is the spot. Grab a bar stool at the intimate bar or on the expansive brick-lined patio.

These are some of the best bars in Los Angeles, California, with more on this topic, and much more, to be revealed over at RunRex.com, guttulus.com, and mtglion.com.