The best date night bars in Los Angeles aren't always the ones with the loudest reputation. LA rewards the curious — the Silver Lake wine bar that turns into a slow-jazz evening, the Downtown hideout where the bartender knows your name by the second round. We've spent time in all of them and narrowed it down to the nine that consistently deliver.
The Best Date Night Bars in Los Angeles
Los Angeles has a bar scene that's more nuanced than its reputation suggests. Yes, there are the Instagram rooftops. But beneath the surface, you'll find intimate neighborhood spots and serious cocktail programs that rival anything in New York. These are the places built for two.
01
Perch
Downtown LA$$$Rooftop / Views
Fifteen floors up in Downtown LA, Perch sits on a French-inspired rooftop that looks directly at the Millennium Biltmore and City Hall. The cocktail list leans classic with a few seasonal experiments, and the fireplace terraces work even on cooler evenings. Arrive early enough to watch the sky change — the hour before sunset is when this place is at its absolute best. Reservations are strongly recommended on weekends.
Order: French 75 — it suits the setting perfectly
02
Bar Jackalope
Silver Lake$$Intimate / Low-lit
A proper neighborhood cocktail bar in Silver Lake that never feels like it's trying too hard. The lighting is dim, the stools are close together, and the bartenders are knowledgeable without being theatrical. The back patio fills up fast on warm evenings, so arrive before 8pm if you want a table outside. This is where the east side regulars take dates they actually want to impress.
Order: Mezcal Negroni — made with real care here
03
Bibo Ergo Sum
Los Feliz$$Cozy / Wine-forward
The name translates roughly to "I drink, therefore I am," and the philosophy follows through. This Los Feliz wine bar is exactly what LA's eastside needed — small, focused, and genuinely passionate about the glass. The natural wine list rotates constantly and the owners will talk you through it without condescension. A candle-lit date here feels like a secret you stumbled into.
Order: Ask what's open by the glass — always something unusual
The full Los Angeles bar guide
Sports bars, cocktail lounges, rooftop terraces, hidden gems — every category covered across LA's neighbourhoods.
These are the bars where the drink matters as much as the setting. LA has developed a cocktail culture that no longer plays second fiddle to New York or San Francisco — and these spots are evidence of it.
04
The Varnish
Downtown LA$$Hidden / Speakeasy-style
Hidden behind Cole's French Dip on 6th Street, The Varnish is a genuinely wonderful speakeasy-style cocktail bar that dates back to the early craft cocktail movement and still holds its own. The bartenders know their classics cold — no bartender here will blink at a Last Word or a Corpse Reviver — and the low-slung room with its tin ceiling feels authentically worn-in rather than staged. One of Downtown LA's true originals.
Order: The Jack Rose — a classic well-executed
05
Cliff's Edge
Silver Lake$$$Garden / Romantic
The outdoor terrace at Cliff's Edge is one of the most genuinely romantic settings in Los Angeles — a string-lit garden with a creek running alongside it, tables set far enough apart that you can actually have a conversation. The cocktail program is solid and the food is good enough to turn this into a full evening. Book the patio table in the far corner if you can get it.
Order: Their seasonal house spritz — changes frequently, always good
06
Dear John
Culver City$$Neighbourhood / Unpretentious
Culver City's cocktail scene has grown up quickly, and Dear John is one of the best examples of that maturation. A neighborhood bar in the best sense — welcoming, well-stocked, and run by people who clearly love what they do. The seasonal menu is concise and thoughtful. No velvet ropes, no attitude. This is what drinking in LA looks like when it's not performing for social media.
Order: The paper plane variation — ask what's currently on menu
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The Late-Night Contenders
Los Angeles keeps later hours than it gets credit for. These three bars reward staying out past midnight — the crowds thin, the bartenders relax, and the city starts to feel like it actually belongs to you.
07
Harvard & Stone
Hollywood$$Industrial / Late-night
Harvard & Stone starts slow and builds into something. By 11pm the front bar is buzzing, the live acts are going in the back room, and the bourbon selection — one of the best in the city — is getting serious attention. The industrial space with exposed brick and low lighting hits a sweet spot between gritty and polished. Great for a date that might turn into a long night.
Order: Single barrel bourbon neat — explore the whisky list
08
Chez Jay
Santa Monica$$Old Hollywood / Historic
Open since 1959, Chez Jay is one of those LA institutions that has somehow resisted every wave of renovation and gentrification. The dining room is dark, the booths are tight, and the walls are plastered with signed celebrity photos dating back decades. Order the shrimp cocktail. Drink a martini. Pretend it's 1972. This is a date night bar that knows exactly what it is and has never apologised for it.
Order: Dry martini — in this room, nothing else makes sense
09
The Tasting Kitchen
Venice$$$Candlelit / Full-service
Venice's most elegant evening option. The bar at The Tasting Kitchen is serious — a long, dark wood counter staffed by bartenders who understand both the food menu and the drinks list, and treat them as inseparable. The wine program is exceptional, the cocktails are seasonal and inventive, and the candlelit dining room creates the kind of atmosphere that makes conversations easier. A full evening, not just a drink.
Order: Ask what they're excited about — the bartenders here actually have opinions
Date night bars across Los Angeles
The full category guide — every neighbourhood, every occasion, filtered by what you're looking for tonight.
For a first date, The Varnish or Bar Jackalope give you enough atmosphere without the pressure of a reservation-only room. For something more intentional, Cliff's Edge or The Tasting Kitchen are the picks. The Varnish and Harvard & Stone work for a late-night second drink that turns into three. Whatever you choose, book ahead — the best spots in LA fill faster than they used to.
The Best Date Night Bars in New York
Comparing notes? Our New York date night guide covers the city's most romantic bars, from the West Village to the Upper East Side.
