Half Step

You’ll find Half Step in a small renovated house like many other Rainey Street bars, but the concept and bar talent sets it far apart from its neighbors. The previously run-down, sketchy structure was gutted and restored, and is now decked out in tea-stained wallpaper and church pew-like booths. Founder Chris Bostick has used his experience in the beverage industry—he was formerly the general manager of Los Angeles’s covert cocktail den the Varnish—to create a stunning bar program with meticulously crafted offerings, including a cult-favorite, the Ginger Paloma. The easiest way to find Half Step is to look for the baby blue house emblazoned with the motto, “You earned it.”