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 Hollywood and West Hollywood. 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.
I|O Rooftop
4.1(11)Hollywood · $$
Cold Shoulder
4.1(10)Mid-Wilshire / Miracle Mile · $$$
Tokyo Noir
4.1(9)Long Beach · $$
Juniper
4.0(15)West Hollywood · $$$
Bar Stella
4.0(4)Silver Lake / Echo Park · $$$
Club ChaCha
3.8(21)Torrance · $$$$
The Let’s Go! Disco & Cocktail Club
3.7(23)Downtown Los Angeles · $$
White Rabbit Sky Lounge
3.6(12)West Hollywood · $$
F&Bar
Glendale · $$$$
No Rose
West Hollywood · $$
Mary
Downtown Los Angeles · $$
Marie’s Tek Tec
Long Beach · $$
Franklin Lounge
Hollywood · $$$
The Hoodoo Hut
Redondo / Hermosa Beach · $$
SpareRoom – Hollywood
Hollywood · $$$
Lodge Room
4.8(5)
Old Man Bar
4.7(10)Playa Vista / Marina del Rey · $$
The Wolves
4.7(6)Downtown Los Angeles · $$$
The Bellwether
4.6(26)Downtown Los Angeles
Harvelle's
4.6(23)Santa Monica · $$
The Semi-Tropic
4.6(22)Silver Lake / Echo Park · $$
Tramp Stamp Granny's
4.6(17)Hollywood
The Slipper Clutch
4.6(16)Downtown Los Angeles · $$
Florentín Rooftop Bar
4.6(14)Downtown Los Angeles · $$$$
Showing 73–96 of 140 spots
Good to know
- What's the best cocktail bar in Los Angeles for a date?
- Our top pick is I|O Rooftop in Hollywood, rated 4.1 out of 5. Cold Shoulder and Tokyo Noir round out the top 3.
- Which Los Angeles neighborhoods have the best cocktail bars?
- Downtown Los Angeles (6), Hollywood (4) and West Hollywood (3) have the most spots in the top 24.
- Are there affordable cocktail bars in Los Angeles?
- Yes — I|O Rooftop, Tokyo Noir and The Let’s Go! Disco & Cocktail Club are all $$ or under.
- Do I need a reservation?
- It depends on the spot. Book ahead for F&Bar, while Cold Shoulder, Old Man Bar and The Wolves 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.