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 Downtown Los Angeles to Hollywood and Long Beach. 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.
Jim and James
4.6(8)Los Feliz / Griffith Park · $
Mitsi
4.6(8)Downtown Los Angeles · $$
Night on Earth
4.6(7)Hollywood · $$
Good Neighbor Bar
4.5(19)Pasadena · $$$$
The Bungalow
4.5(19)Santa Monica · $$$
Force of Nature
4.5(18)Venice · $$
The Rosegold Saloon
4.5(14)West LA / Brentwood · $
Las Perlas Mezcal Bar
4.5(14)Downtown Los Angeles · $$
Or Bar
4.5(13)West Hollywood · $$
The Palm & The Pine
4.5(8)Hollywood · $$
The Wicked Wolf
4.5(8)Long Beach · $$
Dahlia
4.4(19)Downtown Los Angeles · $$$
The Exhibition Room
4.4(19)Long Beach · $$
Kuduowl
4.4(18)$$
Tiki Ti
4.4(14)Los Feliz / Griffith Park · $$
Tokyo Noir
4.4(9)Long Beach · $$
Descanso Beach Club
4.4(5)Catalina Island (Avalon) · $$$$
Bar Chloe
4.4(5)Santa Monica · $$$
The Green Room
4.3(21)Burbank / Studio City · $$$
Uncle Ollie's Penthouse
4.3(21)Downtown Los Angeles · $$
Spring St. Bar
4.3(17)Downtown Los Angeles · $$
Juniper
4.3(15)West Hollywood · $$$
Gold Line Bar
4.3(12)
LP Vinyl Bar
4.3(12)Hollywood · $$
Showing 25–48 of 142 spots
Good to know
- What's the best cocktail bar in Los Angeles for a date?
- Our top pick is Jim and James in Los Feliz / Griffith Park, rated 4.6 out of 5. Mitsi and Night on Earth round out the top 3.
- Which Los Angeles neighborhoods have the best cocktail bars?
- Downtown Los Angeles (5), Hollywood (3) and Long Beach (3) have the most spots in the top 24.
- Are there affordable cocktail bars in Los Angeles?
- Yes — Jim and James, Mitsi and Night on Earth are all $$ or under.
- Do I need a reservation?
- It depends on the spot. Book ahead for Dahlia, The Exhibition Room and Descanso Beach Club, while Tiki Ti 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.