#1 Hermanito
2024 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025
Sawtelle cocktail bar with Japanese refinement and Mexican heart—drinks-forward evening destination.
Photo · Official website
Experiences · Worth Fighting Traffic For
Cocktails Worth the Drive
Sawtelle Japanese-Mexican pours, East Hollywood live-music cocktails, Ktown soju, revolving Bonaventure views, Venice izakaya drinks, Strip fire pits, Hotel Per La bar, Hollywood Gardner, Downtown Brazilian night—LA County drink rooms that justify the miles.
Live-music rooms and late cocktail bars
Harvard & Stone is the live-music pick: a cocktail bar and band room on Hollywood Boulevard. For a Strip night, The Den on Sunset has fire pits and a drinks-forward lounge; in Koreatown, DwitGolMok pours soju late. Planning a Downtown night? See DTLA / Arts District Night Out.
Questions
Where are the best cocktail bars in Los Angeles worth the drive?
Our nine picks run from Hermanito, a Japanese-Mexican cocktail bar on Sawtelle, to Harvard & Stone in East Hollywood, BonaVista Lounge on the 34th floor of the Westin Bonaventure, and Gran Blanco in Venice.
Is there a cocktail bar in LA with live music?
Yes. Harvard & Stone on Hollywood Boulevard in East Hollywood is a cocktail bar and live-music room, with bands most of the draw.
What about Sunset Strip and West Hollywood bars?
On the Strip, our pick is The Den on Sunset, a lounge with fire pits and American plates.
The 9 picks, in order
#2 Harvard & Stone
5221 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027
East Hollywood cocktail bar and live-music room on Hollywood Boulevard—bands, drinks, and late energy.
Photo · Official website
#3 BonaVista Lounge
404 S Figueroa St, 34th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90071
Westin Bonaventure revolving lounge on the 34th floor—panoramic Downtown views and specialty pours at sundown.
Photo · Marriott / Westin Bonaventure official
#4 DwitGolMok
3275 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010
Koreatown soju-bar institution via Berendo courtyard—anju and late pours more than early dinner.
#5 Gran Blanco
80 Windward Ave, Venice, CA 90291
Venice restaurant-bar under the Windward sign—Japanese bar food and cocktails with Boardwalk adjacency.
Photo · Official site
#6 Bar Clara
649 S Olive St, Los Angeles, CA 90014
Downtown cocktail bar at Hotel Per La—confirm Olive Street address before routing.
Photo · Official website
#7 Casa Ipanema
501 S Olive St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Downtown Brazilian night out—tropical cocktails, DJs, and Rio energy on Olive that turns dinner into a scene.
Photo · Official site
#8 Electric Owl
1451 N Gardner St, Los Angeles, CA 90046
Hollywood American restaurant and cocktail bar on Gardner—dinner plates with a bar-forward register.
Photo · Official website
#9 The Den on Sunset
8226 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046
Sunset Strip lounge with fire pits and American plates—drinks-forward Strip stop when the marine layer drops.