The Normandie Club

There’s no bar in Koreatown that led the neighborhood’s cocktail revolution like the Normandie Club. Bestled on the ground floor of the Hotel Normandie, this sultry drinking den comes from the prolific hospitality group Pouring With Heart (Las Perlas, Seven Grand). The drinks are beautifully built, and the killer bar team makes this spot a shaken, stirred and straight-up temple to hospitality and versatility. You could order from the brief list of classics-inspired cocktails, but don’t let the bartenders’ skill go to waste: Give them a few parameters, then let them run wild. For the best time, make sure to get in early and keep an eye out for open banquettes; booths take up most of the room, but if you don’t snag one, you’re stuck huddled in a stiff crowd around the bar. Best to plant your flag at the start of the night.