A cocktail night in Downtown Los Angeles →
2 stops, all within a short walk
1
0.4 mi
5:30 PMDinner
2
7:00 PMCocktails
← Los AngelesDate night guide · Los Angeles
Best cocktail bars for a date in Los Angeles
A proper drink between dinner and dessert.
142 spots · Jump to the list
These are bars you go to for the drinks themselves — a considered menu, careful technique, a bartender who can make you something that isn't on it. They sit best in the middle of a night: after dinner, before dessert, or as the nightcap. Restaurants with a strong bar are on the restaurant lists instead.
This guide ranks 142 cocktail bars in Los Angeles, from Long Beach to Pasadena and Hollywood. Editors' picks come first, then the rest by rating, and the plans below build a whole evening around the best of them.
Nights people planned here
Published date nights with a stop on this list.
cozy
Make a night of it
Routes around the top spots on the list, with the best-rated places nearby for the rest of the evening.
A cocktail night in Pasadena →
2 stops, all within a short walk
1
0.5 mi
5:30 PMDinner
2
7:00 PMCocktails
The list
Editors' picks first, then by rating.
Bike Shed Moto Co
5.0(15)Downtown Los Angeles · $$
10 1/4 Pasadena
4.9(21)Pasadena · $$
The Edmon
4.9(18)Hollywood · $$
Black Rabbit Rose
4.9(16)Hollywood · $$
The Tap Room
4.9(14)Pasadena · $$$
Vandell
4.8(26)Los Feliz / Griffith Park · $$$
Orla Bar
4.8(16)Santa Monica · $$
Oldfield's Liquor Room
4.8(14)Culver City · $$
Accomplice Bar
4.8(13)Playa Vista / Marina del Rey · $$$$
The Stache
4.8(9)Long Beach · $$
The Hula Hula Room
4.8(9)Torrance · $$
Old Man Bar
4.8(8)Playa Vista / Marina del Rey · $$
The Dungeon
4.8(5)Pasadena · $$
Ladies and Gentlemen
4.8(5)Pasadena · $$
HALO Rooftop Bar
4.7(26)Long Beach · $$
The Breakfast Bar
4.7(19)Long Beach · $$
Capri Club
4.7(14)Glendale · $$$
Secret Island
4.7(12)Long Beach · $$
R Bar
4.7(9)Koreatown / Mid-City · $$
Baby Gee
4.7(6)Long Beach · $$
Remix Room Hollywood
4.6(26)Hollywood · $$
Bonsai Coffee & Bar
4.6(21)West LA / Brentwood · $
Ladies and Gentlemen - A Cocktail Experience
4.6(20)Pasadena · $$
Bar Jubilee
4.6(15)West Hollywood · $$
Showing 1–24 of 142 spots
Good to know
- What's the best cocktail bar in Los Angeles for a date?
- Our top pick is Bike Shed Moto Co in Downtown Los Angeles, rated 5.0 out of 5. 10 1/4 Pasadena and The Edmon round out the top 3.
- Which Los Angeles neighborhoods have the best cocktail bars?
- Long Beach (5), Pasadena (5) and Hollywood (3) have the most spots in the top 24.
- Are there affordable cocktail bars in Los Angeles?
- Yes — Bike Shed Moto Co, 10 1/4 Pasadena and The Edmon are all $$ or under.
- Do I need a reservation?
- It depends on the spot. 10 1/4 Pasadena, The Hula Hula Room and Capri Club take walk-ins.
- What should we do before or after?
- Make it a cocktail night: dinner, then cocktails, then something sweet. The plans on this page pair each top spot with the best-rated places within about a 20-minute walk.