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 Culver City and 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.
Far Bar
4.7(14)Downtown Los Angeles · $$
Tonga Hut
4.7(14)$$
The Count's Den
4.7(9)Downtown Los Angeles
Melrose Umbrella Co.
4.7(6)West Hollywood · $$
Library Bar
4.6(25)Downtown Los Angeles · $$
Lost and Found Cocktails
4.6(14)Culver City · $$
X Speakeasy
4.6(8)Manhattan Beach / El Segundo
Belles Beach House
4.6(7)Venice · $$
Desert 5 Spot
4.5(23)Hollywood · $$
Gold Diggers Bar
4.4(8)Los Feliz / Griffith Park
Lodge Room
4.4(5)
Mr. Wanderlust
4.3(25)Downtown Los Angeles · $$$
Harvelle's
4.3(23)Santa Monica · $$
The Semi-Tropic
4.3(22)Silver Lake / Echo Park · $$
The Slipper Clutch
4.3(16)Downtown Los Angeles · $$
Sam First - Jazz Club & Bar
4.3(14)$$
Beachwood Brewing & Distilling
4.3(4)Long Beach · $$
Verdugo Bar
4.2(25)Glendale · $$
Offhand Wine Bar
4.2(23)West LA / Brentwood · $$
The Obscure
4.2(15)Downtown Los Angeles · $$
The Hollywood Rooftop Restaurant & Bar by Madame Tussauds
4.1(22)Hollywood · $$
The Del Monte Speakeasy
4.1(19)Venice
Bigfoot Lodge West
4.0(18)Culver City · $$
The Thirsty Crow
4.0(6)Silver Lake / Echo Park · $$
Showing 97–120 of 142 spots
Good to know
- What's the best cocktail bar in Los Angeles for a date?
- Our top pick is Far Bar in Downtown Los Angeles, rated 4.7 out of 5. Tonga Hut and The Count's Den round out the top 3.
- Which Los Angeles neighborhoods have the best cocktail bars?
- Downtown Los Angeles (6), Culver City (2) and Hollywood (2) have the most spots in the top 24.
- Are there affordable cocktail bars in Los Angeles?
- Yes — Far Bar, Tonga Hut and Melrose Umbrella Co. are all $$ or under.
- 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.