Los Angeles

The 10 Best Late-Night Bars in Los Angeles

Los Angeles after midnight is a different city. These ten bars are where it actually lives. The late-night bars on this list span every neighbourhood worth a trip — the central districts all show up — and every price tier from a $5 local pour to a $25 hotel-bar tasting. Each bar earns its spot for a different reason. We have visited every one.

  1. 01

    Bar Bandini

    ECHO PARK · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Bar Bandini draws a steady local crowd in Echo Park. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

  2. 02

    Bar Jackalope

    DOWNTOWN LA · $$$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Bar Jackalope draws a steady local crowd in Downtown LA. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

  3. 03

    Bar Marmont

    WEST HOLLYWOOD · $$$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Bar Marmont draws a steady local crowd in West Hollywood. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.

  4. 04

    Stella

    HOLLYWOOD · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Stella draws a steady local crowd in Hollywood. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.

  5. 05

    Big Bar Los Angeles

    THE CENTRE · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Big Bar is the Los Feliz neighbourhood cocktail bar inside the Alcove Café — a long covered patio plus an inside cocktail room with one of the city's most-loved. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

  6. 06

    Birds and Bees

    THE CENTRE · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Join our newsletter for monthly recommendations, stories from bartenders, and invitations to exclusive events. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

  7. 07

    Blue Palms Brewhouse

    HOLLYWOOD · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Blue Palms Brewhouse draws a steady local crowd in Hollywood. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.

  8. 08

    The Blue Whale Jazz Club

    LITTLE TOKYO · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    The Blue Whale Jazz Club draws a steady local crowd in Little Tokyo. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.

  9. 09

    Clifton's Republic

    DOWNTOWN LA · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Clifton's Republic draws a steady local crowd in Downtown LA. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

  10. 10

    Clifton's Republic

    THE CENTRE · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Clifton's Republic is not a bar so much as an event. The 1935 building on Broadway has been transformed into a five-floor entertainment complex that manages to . Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

Use this guide either as a single curated route through Los Angeles or as a checklist to revisit over a long weekend. Reservations are flagged where they matter. Otherwise, walk in. Below: the ten late-night bars that any serious drinker in Los Angeles would tell you to put on the list.

Bar Bandini draws a steady local crowd in Echo Park. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

Bar Jackalope draws a steady local crowd in Downtown LA. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

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