J. Fergus

The days of smuggling bathtub gin in tunnels under City Hall or rum-runners playing 20th-century pirates off the coast of San Diego are long behind us, but Los Angeles still can’t resist a secret bar. In a city under siege in recent years, with many regular bars shuttering for good, it’s harder for speakeasies to resist the siren call of social media or the urge for a more practical entrance. Even in these trying times, L.A. continues to reward those willing to venture into dark basements or visit barber shops in the dead of night.  With spaces like K-town’s R bar ditching passwords and Melrose Station adding a neon sign to the hookah lounge it was once hidden inside, it’s more important than ever to define a true speakeasy. Every bar we’ve included has a hidden or unmarked entrance just for those in the know (or with a reservation). Inside these standout bars, you’ll find DJs spinning vinyls, dazzling burlesque dancers, live jazz, and even fiery cocktails. Step into another time or another world in Los Angeles’s best speakeasies.  June 2026: Adults Only has closed and been replaced by the vibrant nightclub Detour. Though Detour has a dramatic tunnel entrance, it’s decidedly not shy about what or where it is, making it ineligible for this list. We’ve added the laidback Pasadena speakeasy 10 1/4 and updated everyone’s hours for summer, for when you need a dimly lit break from rooftops and patios. How we review at Time Out.

Los Angeles continues to show off its resilience as bars from Long Beach to Mar Vista bring their A game to its embattled residents. Dimly lit lounges and raucous beer halls alike are bringing communities together over great drinks, showing off their creativity as they attempt to keep prices as approachable as possible. Best Los Angeles bars at a glance: For impeccably made cocktails: Vandell – a buzzy cocktail lounge geared toward local walk-ins with destination-worthy bites and drinks (Los Feliz) For standout martinis with a sunset view: Dante Beverly Hills – the ritzy 90210 outpost of an award-winning NYC cocktail bar (Beverly Hills) For drinks on the Westside before midnight: Accomplice – a standout restaurant bar program with killer non-alcoholic options (Mar Vista) For a classic night out in Koreatown: Dan Sung Sa – a divey, always bustling classic known for its sprawling food menu and soju selection For when you can’t choose between a Negroni and a boilermaker: Shim Sham – a cocktail dive where everyone knows your name (Historic Filipinotown) The happy-hour programming across town remains strong, even at newer bars facing rising rents. The L.A. dive is far from dead—though you’re more likely than ever to find a great martini at one—and a skyline view with a Spritz is always an elevator ride away. In fact, there are so many great options, we knew we had to narrow them down for you to highlight the best bars in Los Angeles.   Updated June 2026: As the nights get shorte

The tiki craze took hold in America sometime in the late '40s and early '50s, but its origins lie in California. Nearly a century ago, on McFadden in Hollywood, Donn Beach opened the world’s first tiki bar in 1933. Though his last California location closed in 2018, his legacy lives on in the hearts and tiki mugs of Southern Californians. Tiki never truly dies in this town, with new bars and old brands rising from the grave like a well-balanced Zombie every few years. The best L.A. tiki bars cut through the fog with their kitschy interiors, dedication to tradition, and their ability to deftly break from it. RECOMMENDED: The best bars in Los Angeles If you’re looking to get three sheets to the wind with a Three Dots and a Dash, we’ve found the best L.A. County has to offer tiki sticklers, scorpion bowl guzzlers, and craft cocktail sippers alike. Whether you crave a bright red maraschino cherry garnish or housemade orgeats that cut through the high-proof vapors, there’s probably a bamboo-covered hut not too far away from you. We left out Orange County bars for this list, but we have a lot of love for the ship-like Strong Water in Anaheim and the group-friendly Stowaway in Tustin. Whatever floats your boat, pull up a wicker chair and an oar as we navigate the boozy, choosey, and even sober-friendly tiki spots.  May 2026: We’ve added Lucky Tiki’s new Highland Park location, which brings some theatrics to Northeast L.A. Sadly, Kahuna Tiki has closed, and Kahuna Tiki Tu doesn’t qui

With the massive sprawl of Los Angeles and its diverse culinary offerings at every price point, it can be tough to find the perfect place to slink into a martini and a Caesar, or a boilermaker and some nachos, after a long day. Some happy hours are for snagging a deal on an otherwise luxurious experience, while others are simply a way to meet up with friends after work without losing that day’s pay.  RECOMMENDED: The best bars in Los Angeles We’ve taken the gas-work out of finding the best happy hour deals around L.A., so all you have to bring is the gossip and a good attitude.  Updated May 2026: The Morrison, The Misfit, and Esters Wine Shop have closed, replaced here by Highland Park’s Hippo and The High Low in Atwater Village. Redbird leaves this list as the Lounge moves to a permanently more budget-friendly menu all night long with $12–14 cocktails, most bar bites under $20, and a Waygyu burger for $22.

While many other cities tend to have a rooftop bar season, Angelenos crave cold drinks with a scenic view year-round. Why settle for a street-level patio when you can take in sea breezes, towering skyscrapers, or a squinting glimpse of the Hollywood sign? L.A. rooftop bars are so beloved that the best ones usually stay here for both a good long time, and their closures are felt for years (we're still mourning Mama Shelter and the DTLA Standard). But don't worry, there are still plenty of poolside cabanas for your day drinking and glittering vistas for your nightcaps. RECOMMENDED: The best bars in Los Angeles We narrowed down the best of the best, focusing on bar-forward establishments because the rooftop restaurants this town has to offer needed their own stage. So pull up a stool or a lounge chair to sip your way through Los Angeles’ best rooftop bars. Updated April 2026: For this seasonal update, we've removed Bar Bohemien and E.P. & L.P., which have closed permanently, and moved up relative newcomer Bar Florentín, in part to reward its consistency and frequently packed dance floor—which we love. To learn more about our process, check out How we review at Time Out.

As some of our best bar programs end up inside of restaurants, new bars are becoming far and few between in Los Angeles. Some are still trying to make it on their own while other newcomers embrace the siren call of the bar bite. Some of the bars on this list serve food, but we try to highlight places where you can simply drink without feeling out of place or melting under the glare of staff desperate to turn over your seat in favor of a hungrier customer. We also prefer it when our drinking establishments stay open past 10pm on the weekends, but we make exceptions for the exceptional. Above all else, we aim to show you true hot spots with drinks you'll talk about for months or an ambiance you'll never want to leave, and we love it when a venue nails both. These fledgling bars and lounges have only been on the block for the past nine months—any longer and they're removed from the list. We always visit each bar to ensure they're worth the pricelessness of your time and energy as well as the rising cost of a stiff drink. Updated March 2026: This quarterly update welcomes Sid's Bar in South Pasadena, Vandell in Los Feliz, Yi Cha in Highland Park, and the revamped Bar Franca in Downtown L.A. Most of the list has aged out: Bar Benjamin, Damn, I Miss Paris, Daisy Margarita Bar, Untamed Spirits, Bar Avoja, Force of Nature, and Florentín Rooftop Bar are seasoned veterans now. You can find Florentín in our best rooftop bars list, while Vandell and Bar Benjamin have already made it onto

When it comes to queer nightlife options in Los Angeles, there’s lots to choose from—and not just in rainbow-dipped West Hollywood, home to countless gay bars. To help you pick the best spots for dancing, boozing, flirting and cruising in Hollywood, Silver Lake and beyond, check out this list of our favorite queer bars and clubs in L.A.—there are even Pasadena, Venice and Valley options, for those sick of the party-hearty WeHo scene. Now get out there, tiger. May 2025: Just in time for WeHo Pride, I’ve updated our guide to the city’s best gay bars. This list removes St. Felix, Stache and Redline, all of which have unfortunately closed, as well as the Ruby Fruit (which has recently been revamped to a neighborhood grill) and Revolver Video Bar. The newest addition is Kiso, a welcome entrant to Downtown’s queer nightlife scene. Time Out has also instituted a sitewide change in review policies. All food and drink venues included in guides now have star ratings, with five stars corresponding to “amazing,” four to “great” and three to “good,” and we’ve also standardized how most listings are structured. For more on our new policies, feel free to check out How we review at Time Out.

Dive bars in Los Angeles are as varied as the city’s neighborhoods. Even the definition of a dive bar varies, from somewhere with low lighting and cheap beers to a place for locals to meet up, week after week, year after year. From tiki drinks in El Segundo to a storied biker bar in Hollywood, we’ve got your guide to the city’s diviest dives, where you can sing your heart out with karaoke, drown your sorrows with a couple stiff drinks and, quite possibly, kick off one of the best nights of your life.  RECOMMENDED: The best bars in Los Angeles

In our eyes, a truly great L.A. wine bar has to have three out of four of these things: A thoughtfully curated bottle list, delicious food to go along with it and a stylishly low-key  ambience that pointedly doesn’t turn into an absolute madhouse on the weekends. (We’re looking at you, Voodoo Vin and El Prado.) Part of the appeal of wine bars is the ability to strike up a conversation with a knowledgeable bartender, so our list excludes fairly crowded wine bars that are better known as places to see and be seen rather than destinations for those who appreciate (or perhaps want to learn more about) wine.  Though the atmosphere at these spots run the gamut from relaxed to slightly pretentious, the complex varietals you’ll sip on will more than make up for whatever’s missing. Whenever you’re not in the mood for yet another upscale cocktail den or a rowdy brewery, these amazing wine bars will be more than happy to pour you a glass. RECOMMENDED: Where to go wine tasting in Los Angeles 

Heading down the stairs inside Pasadena dive The 35er, you’ll think you’re on your way to the bar’s storeroom only to find an old-timey phone booth at the bottom. Once you pick up the phone and give the bartender the size of your party, with luck, you’ll be buzzed into one of the smallest speakeasies in Los Angeles. Tiny slivers of tables line the walls with barely enough space for a couple of rounds of classic cocktails, while a few coveted four-tops sit beneath the glow of Edison bulbs with pewter monkeys hitching a ride on top of them. Here you can find drinks made the way they were intended to be enjoyed roughly a century ago, including less popular refreshments like the minty Queen’s Park Swizzle. With no dress code, only capacity can keep you out of this space that slowly turns into a rowdy watering hole as the night gets boozier. If you’re more into mid-century modern drinks that pack a punch and feel nostalgia for Xzibit’s “Pimp My Ride,” this bar in a bar also contains a tiki speakeasy pop-up on Friday and Saturday nights.

Steps away from the roaring hearth at Betsy, Bar Betsy is an all-day café and wine bar offering a leaner, reservation-free alternative to its sibling restaurant.  The vibe: The rustic-chic bistro offers patio tables, a few bar seats, a coveted large table for groups, and a long wooden booth. Despite being your standard rectangular wine bar, Bar Betsy creates pockets of privacy without completely disconnecting you from your neighbors. Ready for any mix of companions you can imagine, this space is a little less for creating a Canva deck at 1pm and more for grabbing a glass of well-curated wine at 11am.  The food: The daytime menu outshines its nighttime counterpart with a rotating menu that typically features decadent sticky buns, hearty egg-based dishes, and market-fresh salads. In the evening, you can start mixing and matching meat and cheese tapas or nibble on other light, vegetable-forward bites. For something more substantial, their house burger has a strong fajita effect—seeing one travel to a table inevitably invites several more orders. The drinks: In exchange for frills, you get well-executed espresso drinks in the waking hours. At any time of day, you can get glasses of mostly Western European wine and you can drop in on a winemaker takeover on occasional evenings. Time Out tip: The carrots. Whether they’re in a lunchtime sandwich or a starring side in the evening, these tahini-drenched marvels will stay in your memory, even after a bottle or two.

You’d never guess this cozy coffee shop and wine bar used to be a smoke shop. Reunion & Company maximizes its space without feeling cramped, from an eclectic mix of seating on the patio to the plush interior beyond the archways of the marbled bar. Serving the company’s own wines while also managing to keep lattes under $8 (even with milk alternatives) in Silver Lake, the all-day café works hard and plays harder. The Kalimoxto, a red wine and Mexican Coca-Cola cocktail, gets a lift from a pillow of vanilla oat milk foam floating on top, blending barista and bartender techniques. The food menu has grown from daytime pastries to more robust flatbreads and sandwiches for when your coworking day inevitably turns into a natural wine-soaked social call. If you need to keep the good vibes rolling, you can even grab a bottle for the after-party at a discount.

Practically hidden in a residential sea of apartment complexes, Noun Coffee gives a sleepy side street in Marina del Rey a dose of energy.  The vibe: Despite its austere design, the coffee shop and wine bar could hardly be described as soulless. Most of the day, you’ll find your standard mix of remote workers, friends catching up, and awkward first dates. Once happy hour starts at 5pm, the sake, gossip, and natural wines start flowing.  The food: Their popular “girl dinner” charcuterie platter struggles in its presentation. With nary a carb in sight, the grazing tray reaches for chic, silver servingware and lands on a human-sized dog bowl whose enormity draws attention to the portion sizes. Their cachapa is the actual cult favorite, offering a light and bright take on the gluten-free Venezuelan dish.  The drinks: The wine selection, currently skewing light and natural as summer approaches, is inoffensive, but café beverages stun in their balanced simplicity. The Short Stack finds the not-too-sweet spot for a salted maple cappuccino or you could choose your own adventure with a pourover ranging from “easy drinker” to a dealer’s choice “wildcard.” Time Out tip: For the liveliest evenings, Fridays, Saturdays, or special events featuring winemakers or local food pop-ups will draw people to a communal table or out on the patio. 

Nestled in the beating heart of Leimert Park, Harun Coffee offers the local community a chance to explore Afro-Arabian coffee techniques and traditions. The bright yellow space itself blends a coffee shop and a gallery, allowing guests to interact with the space rather than sip and dash. Whether it’s sweet or savory, the biscuits are not to be missed, from their breakfast sandwiches to their fruit-forward spreads. After procuring one of the excellent espresso drinks or layered matcha concoctions, you can push open a bookshelf to access a moody speakeasy lined with plush seating you can sink into. Many evenings find the speakeasy alive with music, whether from DJs or local artists, where you can sip and sway with less or non-caffeinated non-alcoholic drinks long after the standard 7pm closing time. The sober-friendly spot finds its buzz in the friends you make along the way as you experience something new.

This shapeshifting destination spends its waking hours as a coffee shop. After 5pm, the lights dim, tapas dishes start flying out, and the drinks get stiffer. The vibe: As if you were being dipped in terracotta clay, sitting in ¡Salud! manages to feel distinctly and vibrantly Latin without steering too hard into the Tulum Effect, taking over Los Angeles. During the day, the coffee shop bustles with locals working remotely, but in the evenings, it springs to life for events like a comedy show or their weekly loteria night. The food: No matter the time, executive chef Dario Pantoja has the cure for whatever ails you. The daytime menu features showstoppers like a churro waffle and a loaded breakfast sandwich. The Latin tapas strike a balance between portion sizes and affordability, so the flavor can be the star. The Albondiga Burger left me nostalgic for the equator-hugging burgers of my youth (though it was hardly wagyu beef when I was nine).  The drinks: The caffeinated drinks are presented with the same care as the evening’s cocktails, often served in stemware or other specialty glassware, such as the Nutty Mazapan Latte. The force carbonated Mami Chula, a Paloma-inspired cocktail, is popular with regulars, but the La Bruja is a drink that stays with you. The earthy, epazote-laden martini riff still feels like a martini while offering a depth of flavor typically avoided. Time Out tip: The empanada options rotate out, but if you get lucky, a rare spinach-and-cheese empanada wi

This Chinatown coffee shop flips from a plush, coworking lounge into a jazzy speakeasy during the evening. From the owner of Loop Espresso Club, Kissaten Corazon serves its best during the day, but the nighttime energy outpaces the actual menu. The vibe: Mismatched vintage furniture creates cozy pockets from the front room back to the bar area, where you can meet your deadline or play some chess. Generally, easy listening pours out of the speakers, but Friday nights typically let loose with live jazz. The food: With everything coming in at $12 or less, it’s hard to resist the suite of Cafe Tropical pastries or the more substantial dishes like their curry rice. Rotating food pop-ups in the evenings bolster their somewhat uneven offerings. The drinks: The strawberry sesame latte passes muster without being particularly memorable, and a mostly pleasant wine menu is offset by the pour's substantial size. Thankfully, the other espresso and matcha options raise the bar. A slate of affogatos, boosted by a collaboration with Servet ice cream, steals the show with classic vanilla along with fun flavors like toast, strawberry chamomile, and nurungi (scorched rice with a nutty profile).    Time Out tip: The sake list wins out on the boozy side of the aisle, from the approachable Shibata Black Junmai Ginjo to the bracingly dry Karakuchi 80 from Kirei. 

Steep is a Chinatown tea house that gets moody at night and is sober-friendly all day long. Well-balanced Asian-inspired dishes transition well from day to night, with a few more bar bites available after 5pm. You can also usually find one or two food pop-ups/ticketed experiences a week for a striking change of culinary pace. The tea menu covers a wide range of popular and specialty options, including their Wild Baimudan white tea. Knowledgeable staff can guide you toward the right cup or teapot for your visit, or even suggest teas to take home. Steep After Dark introduces a host of well-curated spirits to their various house teas, from a bright and buzzy Green Tea Yuzu Martini to a Shoumei tea that rounds out their Shuoguo Negroni, which plays more like a White Negroni. Their non-alcoholic options include an Oolong Cream Soda and a salted plum shandy with summer’s name written all over it. Snag a reservation for weekend evenings, but walk-ins are generally welcome.

This Highland Park speakeasy will have you feeling the heat and the beat before the night is over. Buzz in at the Salty Sailor machine by the entrance to Highland Park Bowl and prepare to be transported into a high-end tiki experience. This tropical den has a ceiling draped with rigging, and nautical lanterns illuminate bamboo and rattan as far as the eye can see. Once your eyes adjust, you’ll find some drinks from their sister location’s menu, like the mai tai, piña colada, painkiller, and old fashioned, along with new, even more theatrical offerings. Whatever Floats Your Boat (or Canoe), their hazelnut passionfruit foam-covered Saturn, arrives in a ship, triggering a lightshow complete with thunder and animatronics of tiki statues braving a stormy sea above the bar. In addition to tableside fire shows and the Siren Song’s sing-along, you can also find non-alcoholic versions of classics like a dark and stormy or a Jungle Bird. Grab some on-theme light bites from the Highland Park Bowl kitchen, like crab rangoons and Szechuan pork soup dumplings, so you’re not stumbling back out to Figueroa. Though less busy than the WeHo location, walk-in availability is still unlikely on weekends. During the week? Well, you might just get lucky.

This viral all-day wine bar has injected some fresh energy into an increasingly buzzy Chinatown. Though it had big shoes to fill in the old Oriel digs, Café Tondo has become a destination in its own right thanks to its deft weekly programming including DJ sets, often complete with special celebrity guests, and bolero nights. The vibe: The Mexico City influence is unmistakable while sitting at a scalloped table under neon lights as the A line whizzes over your head. In the daytime, the tempo is a bit slower, yet it still draws in a decent crowd for coffee, pastries, and light bites. As more and more people get off from work, the space can swell quickly to capacity, even on a weeknight. The food: The overall menu slides between middling and good—nothing to be upset about, but also rarely memorable. It cracks the wine bar code of not overreaching on complexity, which allows for consistent service even on the busiest nights. The drink: During the day, it’s easily one of the best stops for an espresso drink in the neighborhood, but at night, this is a wine bar for groups. You can stand around a stack of milk crates topped with a bucket of Modelo or a bottle of New World wine. By the glass, the rotating (and increasingly more dialed-in) wine list manages to cover its bases with a surprising amount of finesse at this price point.  Time Out tip: Make your first visit on a weeknight to test your mettle against the electric pulse of the Tondo crowd.

Xuntos has split into two destinations in one: Bar Xuntos for casual pinxtos (lighter bites like butter-soaked brioche topped with melt-in-your-mouth anchovies) and the Xuntos restaurant for the upscale tapas Santa Monica has already grown to know and love. The new Bar Xuntos is walk-in only, offering access to more than 200 natural Spanish wines as well as a collection of Spanish vermouths and sherries. The gin-forward Xuntos cocktail menu is also available in the bar, but otherwise the menus do not crossover. The more casual atmosphere lends itself to winery takeovers and DJs, a place for locals and wine lovers to drop in for a good time. Despite the bodega-style environs, you can still expect knowledgeable guidance from sommeliers and even guest winemakers.

With a team that brought us Thunderbird, Verdugo Bar, and Surly Goat, it’s no surprise that The High Low is a bar of the people. Despite the grand feeling of the main room’s brick arches, there’s a casual approachability to the mid-century modern-styled space. From their spicy borracho chicken tacos to their nods to Thunderbird’s hot dogs, the Tex-Mex menu stays at $18 or less with even better deals during happy hour. Though they have a robust agave-based list, the surprising pillar of their spirits menu is a lengthy, thoughtful mix of whiskies begging to be enjoyed at the pool table. You can take their well-priced cocktails, including a frontrunner for the best Clover Club in town, into the cozy karaoke lounge to belt your heart out on Tuesdays and weekends. The lounge also hosts live music and can be rented out for private events.

Many have argued that Los Angeles is a morning city, full of cafés and smoothie shops, rather than a thrumming hub of nightlife. But increasingly, new proprietors don’t think people should have to choose. Various coffee shops and tea houses around L.A. are mastering a day-to-night hat trick that keeps guests buzzing on caffeine and often something a little stronger.  Some of these shapeshifting locales get quite raucous at night, some encourage a bit of day drinking, while others still keep the vibes lifted and the drinks spirit-free. Determining which spots to include involved threading a needle, shying away from all-day restaurants or bars that open a little early. This trek unearthed third spaces that transform, inviting community from near and far to gather around great drinks, music, and each other. RECOMMENDED: The best bars in Los Angeles The earliest example of this trend was Steep LA, which launched its Steep After Dark program as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the years, their bar program has expanded and become increasingly intertwined with their tea service. “Till this day, we are still one of the very few tea-focused cocktail bars in the United States,” says Samuel Wang, who co-owns the Chinatown tea house with Lydia Lin. Now with a wide range of intriguing tea-based craft cocktails, Steep has given itself a bit of a breather in between services to adjust to the pace: “The day is much more relaxing, like a cafe, with tea ceremonies happening throughout