The 11 Best New Bars in Los Angeles: Fall 2017

There’s no mistaking this small downtown craft beer bar as pretentious, especially when it inexplicably touts itself as “the dumbest bar in L.A.” A working Garfield the cat phone, wood panel walls and a Tapper arcade game make up the décor for a chill 1970s neighborhood bar vibe. A rotating selection of rare and interesting craft beer, wine and cider—follow them on social media for an updated tap list—are served along with simple bar bites like sandwiches and charcuterie.

The Drink to Drink: Even though it’s more about beer here than cocktails, the warmer weather calls for the Frosé O'Donnell, the bar’s take on the frozen rosé. Available all summer, it’s made with rosé, fresh watermelon and white grapefruit juices, and orange blossom water, topped with Peychaud's bitters and served frozen.

Know Before You Go: Ask the bartenders, “What’s good here?” and they’ll key you into which beers they’re most excited about on the short draft list. Occasionally, they pick up kegs from breweries that don’t even have distribution yet, like Topa Topa Brewing Company up in Ventura, about 70 miles outside of Los Angeles.

After a show at one of the nearby theaters, duck into The BoardRoom, a sleek and intimate cocktail lounge located in the back of upscale French bistro Kendall’s Brasserie. Drinks pay homage to authors and artists from the 1920s, allowing you to toast to your night of culture with creations like the Gertrude Stein Pimm’s and Tuaca cocktail or the Frida Kahlo with mezcal and Aperol.

The Drink To Drink: The William Faulkner is an Old Fashioned with an exotic twist. Comprised of coconut-fat-washed bourbon and Miracle Mile Toasted Pecan bitters, the coconut rounds out the whiskey making for an easy and pleasant sipper.

Know Before You Go: Indecisive but adventurous drinkers will want to order The Triple Tipple, a three-course flight made up of cocktails not available on the menu. Updated every month, the offerings are inspired by shows playing at the Music Center next door. Think: a George Gershwin “Rhapsody in Blue” with Singani 63 brandy and violet liqueur or a “Summertime” with mezcal and jalapeño tincture.

The refined but casual Hollywood bar, located upstairs from new restaurant Jane Q in the Kimpton Everly Hotel, takes its cocktail inspiration from the iconic Capitol Records building, which looms nearby. The cocktail menu is a throwback to the vinyl era with its three categories: Basement Tapes (forgotten classics), Reissues/B Sides (reimagined variations on “bad” cocktails) and Riffs (culinary modern cocktails). Grab a seat at the bar or in the lounge, and sip on cocktails such as the Sex on the Beach, which has been updated with peach-cranberry Lamill tea, honey vinegar and peach jam.

The Drink To Drink: The Bone Thighs & Harmony, inspired by the bone broth health trend, is an update of the Prohibition cocktail, the Millionaire, but with savory duck stock and the earthy backbone of St. George California shochu.

Know Before You Go: Become a bar regular, and you’ll get a branded guitar pick that scores you booze-infused caviar accompanied by a half glass of bubbly. You’ll also get to order from an exclusive secret food and drinks menu, which promises a thrilling presentation or technique.

If mezcal was a bar, it would be this one. The owners of Laurel Hardware’s Mezcal Bar in West Hollywood actually created the space to be “as artfully crafted as the spirit itself." Every detail, from the wood floor to the plush seats, was custom-built, creating a warm, sexy venue perfect for lounging in while enjoying nearly 100 mezcals either neat or in seasonal craft cocktails.

The Drink To Drink: The sweet and complex Maria Sabina, named after a legendary Oaxacan healer who used psychedelic mushrooms. This approachable concoction is a great intro to mezcal newbies, mixing Los Nahuales reposado mezcal, Japanese whisky, blood orange juice, basil and lavender vanilla espuma and topped with coffee and Mexican chocolate.

Know Before You Go: Not only does the bar offer a mezcal flight, but there’s one personally curated by the bartenders spotlighting varietals from the best mezcaleros in the business. The selection is composed of extremely small-batch and rare agave sips with vastly different flavor profiles.

The team behind hot spot cocktail bars Melrose Umbrella Co. and the recently redone Corner Door built a chic tropical oasis on Hollywood Boulevard. Don’t mistake it for a Tiki bar, however, as it’s more reminiscent of Old Hollywood Cocoanut Grove. Although you will find some Tiki touches, like a classic Mai Tai made with four rums and house-made orgeat. But you’ll also find fun sippers like the Ring of Fire mezcal cocktail.

The Drink To Drink: The A'ole Pilikia (pronounced “Ah-oh-lay Pee-lee-kee-ya”), which is Hawaiian for "No Troubles." It’s a concoction of Jamaican rums, Masala-chai-infused pisco, banana, citrus and coconut.

Know Before You Go: Show up on Saturday (aka “Yachterday” at the bar) dressed in yacht attire and you’ll get a “special surprise with your Mai Tai.”

For its first Los Angeles outpost, Danish brewery Mikkeller took a more-than-100-year-old auto repair shop and preserved its industrial feel, high ceilings and walls of windows. Beer lovers will find paradise in the 62 taps of the best beers in the world, including Mikkeller’s Belgium-brewed Spontan series. Still thirsty? There’s also a specialized bottle selection and a craft cocktail program.

The Drink To Drink: With an impressive draft list, you can’t go wrong. But definitely try any of Mikkeller’s award-winning Beer Geek coffee stouts.

Know Before You Go: The beer menu is categorized not by beer type but the temperature the beers are served at: 40, 45 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

If speakeasies and dark bars aren’t your thing, there’s L.A.’s first-ever walk-up bar, meaning one can just walk up to the bar off the street and order a drink. Its bar stools and a bar are mere steps from the sidewalk thanks to retractable glass walls. The only “downside” is, unlike in Las Vegas, you and your cocktail have to stay on the property. But with delicious craft cocktails and live music in this 2,800-square-foot space, you won’t want to go too far anyway.

The Drink To Drink: According to drink creator Dave Whitton, his Hilaria cocktail—a blend of Papalote mezcal, sherry, watermelon, honeyed apricot, citrus, limonene terpene, bitters and herbs—not only possesses a beautiful depth of flavors but provides anti-inflammatory benefits, which will keep you looking good.

Know Before You Go: The bar strongly encourages drinking while you dine. Each dish on its food menu is accompanied with a listing of beer, wine and cocktail suggestions. For instance, it recommends its burger be enjoyed with a Dark & Stormy, riesling or amber ale.

Tons of hotels have afternoon tea, but Rudolph’s Bar & Tea in downtown’s new, hip Freehand hotel, is doing up tea cocktail service. The midcentury Moroccan-esque lobby lounge, created by the bar group behind James Beard Award–nominated Broken Shaker, presents its large-format tea- and coffee-infused cocktails on a tray in vintage silver tea pots and matcha bowls. Offerings go beyond Earl Grey here and are crafted around, and made with, cold-brew mate, matcha and lapsang souchong tea.

The Drink to Drink: The Coquito Con Matcha is a simple and beautiful tropical tea cocktail of matcha, a house rum blend and coconut horchata poured over pebbled ice and dusted with matcha powder.

Know Before You Go: No need to order bottle service when you reserve a table for your party of six or more. Just make your reservation online through the bar’s site.

Located in the semi-industrial area of Glendale, across the street from the railroad tracks, The San Fernando whisks visitors back to a time when trains were the prefered method of travel. The throwback decor—repurposed old teak doors, Art Deco–inspired light fixtures and brushed metal accents—give the bar the feel of a train station watering hole. The drinks, however, showcase the latest trends and techniques and employ culinary elements with house-made shrubs and syrups.

The Drink To Drink: The best-selling cocktail, the Impostor, may be the perfect cure for the common cold with its cozy spiciness of jalapeño- and fennel-infused rye, house-made ginger-turmeric honey syrup and pressed lemon with a torched pepper garnish.

Know Before You Go: Smartphone running low on juice? No need to hand it over to the bartender for charging as there are discreet USB chargers under the bar.

Like its attached sister bar, Bar Clacson, The Slipper Clutch has a high cocktail pedigree, backed by The Varnish’s Eric Alperin and Richard Boccato of New York City’s Dutch Kills, but offers simple and straightforward drinks on tap. Think: quality variations of seven Highball classics, like Jack & Ginger and Vodka Cranberry. The bar itself is a throwback to the punk/rock ’n’ roll ’80s era in New York a la Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets. But if you must have an Old Fashioned, they have one batched and squirted out of a soda gun.

The Drink To Drink: The R(h)um & Coke, a mix of a coconut-washed rum blend and house-made cola, is a smoother and less sweet version of the dive bar staple on which it’s based.

Know Before You Go: It only serves the Highballs and spirits neat or with a mixer back there. However, if you want something a little more involved and with more ingredients, like a Manhattan, you can order it from Bar Clacson up front and enjoy it back in The Slipper Clutch.

For those who believe the best seat in the house is at the bar, Woodley Proper in Encino is for you. It was actually built around the idea of the hospitality industry’s favorite pastime of dining at the bar. But even those not in the biz can enjoy easy conversation, delicious bites and well-crafted cocktails in this “cocktail restaurant.” For easy consideration, cocktail offerings are categorized by aromatic, herbaceous, floral and fruit.

The Drink To Drink: The dreamy First Date, made with gin, Floc de Gascogne apéritif, fresh lemon juice, and orgeat and orange blossom syrups, is both a bit creamy and slightly tart with a subtle fragrance.

Know Before You Go: Come hungry. You’re going to want to dive into delicious offerings ranging from roasted bone marrow to dry-aged prime New York steak. Make sure to leave room for dessert, like the foie gras mousse stuffed churros.