Los Angeles
Los Angeles sprawls across 1,300 square miles, which means "hidden" is relative. A bar can be genuinely unknown to half the city while beloved by its neighbourhood. That's the distinction we make here. These bars aren't difficult to find if you know where to look. They simply don't make the headlines.
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Navigating LA's hidden bar scene without a local guide means understanding the city's neighbourhoods first. Koreatown hosts intimate cocktail bars with serious mezcal programmes — none more acclaimed than The Walker Inn, a 12-seat reservation-only experience inside The Normandie Club. East Hollywood conceals honky-tonk rooms above dive bar facades. Silver Lake remains genuinely bohemian despite gentrification. These scenes shift quickly in Los Angeles, which is why we update this list regularly.
Hidden inside the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, The Spare Room is a gaming parlour and cocktail bar in one. Vintage bowling lanes, board games, and one of the most thoughtfully composed cocktail menus in the city. Most tourists stay at the poolside bar downstairs and never find it.
Finding Lock and Key requires knowing where to look on Wilshire Boulevard. No sign, just a frosted glass door. Inside: intimate booths, creative cocktails, and the best bar snacks in Koreatown. The mezcal programme is exceptional and rarely discussed in the wider press.
Independent editorial — 3,600+ bars across 72 cities, rigorously tested.
Looking beyond Los Angeles? See our guide to the best hidden gem bars worldwide, or compare hidden gem bars city by city.