Best cocktail bars for a date in Los Angeles
A proper drink between dinner and dessert.
140 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 140 cocktail bars in Los Angeles, from Downtown Los Angeles to Long Beach and Glendale. Editors' picks come first, then the rest by rating, and the plans below build a whole evening around the best of them.
The list
Editors' picks first, then by rating.
Black Rabbit Rose
4.6(16)Hollywood · $$
The Tap Room
4.6(14)Pasadena · $$$
LP Vinyl Bar
4.6(12)Hollywood · $$
Death & Company
4.6(7)Downtown Los Angeles · $$
Vandell
4.5(26)Los Feliz / Griffith Park · $$$
The Washington
4.5(25)Playa Vista / Marina del Rey · $$
Apotheke
4.5(22)Downtown Los Angeles · $$$$
Cafe Bleu in Koreatown
4.5(17)Koreatown / Mid-City · $
Orla Bar
4.5(16)Santa Monica · $$
Bar Benjamin
4.5(15)West Hollywood · $$$
Oldfield's Liquor Room
4.5(14)Culver City · $$
Caña Rum Bar
4.5(14)Downtown Los Angeles · $$
Accomplice Bar
4.5(13)Playa Vista / Marina del Rey · $$$$
Foxy's Restaurant
4.5(10)Glendale · $$
Shim Sham
4.5(8)Silver Lake / Echo Park · $$
Apothéke
4.5(8)Downtown Los Angeles · $$
APOTHEKE LOS ANGELES
4.5(8)Downtown Los Angeles · $$
Steep After Dark
4.5(6)Downtown Los Angeles · $$
HALO Rooftop Bar
4.4(26)Long Beach · $$
The Famous
4.4(20)Glendale · $$
The Breakfast Bar
4.4(19)Long Beach · $$
Angel's Share Whiskey Lounge
4.4(13)Long Beach · $$$
Luau Larry’s
4.4(12)Catalina Island (Avalon) · $$
The Del Monte
4.4(10)Venice · $$
Showing 25–48 of 140 spots
Good to know
- What's the best cocktail bar in Los Angeles for a date?
- Our top pick is Black Rabbit Rose in Hollywood, rated 4.6 out of 5. The Tap Room and LP Vinyl Bar round out the top 3.
- Which Los Angeles neighborhoods have the best cocktail bars?
- Downtown Los Angeles (6), Long Beach (3) and Glendale (2) have the most spots in the top 24.
- Are there affordable cocktail bars in Los Angeles?
- Yes — Black Rabbit Rose, LP Vinyl Bar and Death & Company are all $$ or under.
- Do I need a reservation?
- It depends on the spot. Book ahead for Apotheke, while Luau Larry’s takes 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.