Located in the heart of the Historic Core, Downtown’s most fanciful drinking den dates back to the 1930s, and I can’t think of anywhere else where you can drink among a taxidermied lion, bison and bear (oh my) and dance under the boughs of a three-story tall (faux) redwood. Since you’ve last stepped inside, the venue has introduced a new food menu and a projection system that brings some of its decor to life.
In the 1930s, Clifford Clinton opened a local chain of cafeterias beloved for their escapism and “Golden Rule” model that never turned away Angelenos during the Great Depression, even if they couldn’t afford a meal. It welcomed the likes of Charles Bukowski, Walt Disney, Ray Bradbury and many more luminaries back in the day. At one point, it was even the original terminus of Route 66.
In 2010, nightlife impresario Andrew Meieran purchased the Broadway spot in the heart of Downtown, hoping to revitalize the L.A. icon. He unveiled his vision for Clifton’s in 2015 but eventually closed the cafeteria concept in 2018 and rebranded as a bar—Clifton’s Republic—before closing for the pandemic. Then, after reopening in 2022, another stroke of bad luck hit: A water pipe burst, flooding the kitchen and ceilings. The team took the rest of the year to renovate and has rolled out a phased reopening in 2024.
You’re likely coming to Clifton’s largely for the whimsy and novelty, but luckily the new drink program is solid too. The three main bars all have distinct menus. The first you’ll encounter is the Monarch Lounge, where themed cocktails like the Grizzly and Painted Fern complement the woodsy decor and aforementioned redwood. At the Gothic Lounge, bartenders mix drinks on either side of a 4.6-billion-year-old meteorite. The Lighthouse (at the End of the World), made with cognac, apple brandy, spiced pear liqueur, cinnamon and an absinthe rinse, is a suitably moody option here.
Of all the bars, fourth-floor tiki bar Pacific Seas—accessible through a secret mirror door—has the most extensive menu, with over 100 bottles of rum. I recommend the Message in a Bottle (made with three kinds of rum, pineapple, lime, banana-walnut syrup, cinnamon and clarified coconut milk) or the Krakatoa, a guava-heavy, rum-based scorpion bowl that can quench the thirst of anywhere from two to six people.
The vibe: A fanciful, forest-themed destination that feels like you’re stepping into a theme park—in fact, the original Clifton’s was said to inspire Disney’s vision for Disneyland.
The food: Fun bar food including a “cigar box” consisting of five hand-rolled flautas; skewers of satay beef and lemon-pepper chicken; three different variations on fries; and, in a nod to the original cafeteria’s beloved treat, “stained glass Jell-o” topped with whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles.
The drink: Woodsy, moody or tiki-themed cocktails, depending on which of the multilevel space’s bars you visit.
Time Out tip: For the full Clifton’s experience, it’s worth coming for one of its special events to catch live music in the Brookdale Ballroom, where burlesque performers and swing dancing transport you to another era. Clifton’s has also started previewing Shadowbox, a speakeasy in an underground space never before open to the public.