VUE Bar + Restaurant

On our lists of the best rooftop bars and restaurants with a view in Los Angeles.

On the penthouse level of the Holiday Inn near Long Beach Airport, this restaurant and bar keeps the mid-century modern decor from when the tower went up in 1968, paired with a panoramic sweep of the city skyline good for watching planes cross overhead. The kitchen turns out contemporary California plates: bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers, and a mac and cheese built around caramelized shallots and chunks of Maine lobster. Portions run generous rather than composed, and reservations are recommended for dinner.