LA’s Top New Bars
By Dan Harper
We’d like to propose a toast: To our recent abundance of proper cocktails. To local beers and grand patios on which to imbibe them. To girls dancing on bar tops, to champagne sipped by firelight, and to nightspots that care less about who’s getting in and more about making sure those who do have fun. To L.A.’S best new bars – listed here in no particular order. May they pour stiff and prosper!
1.Darabar Secret Thai Cuisine – Hollywood
This is one of our best finds. Our editor was not only very impressed, but also pleasantly surprised with the quaint but hopping bar-lounge-eatery. Darabar serves up a great array of cocktails and stands out for it’s new, chic modern bar, restaurant, and lounge areas in the heart of Hollywood. A very popular and exciting place with a live band that plays upbeat music. Its Thai female servers are sexy, beautiful, and very helpful with the menu. The food is superior in quality and some of the delicious Darabar Thai cuisine that are a must are the steamed fish, fish cakes, the crispy Chicken, chicken pad thai and the Darabar curry. It is always freshly made to order and comes to your lounge table with such a nice presentation. • 5112 Hollywood Blvd Unit 108-109, darabarsecretthaicuisine.com
2.The Vault – Downtown
A downtown water hole that turns into a nightclub and lounge by night on the weekends. A great downtown full service bar that serves up some killer drinks with all top shelf liquor and bottle service. The bottle service is pretty affordable which helps when we hit the club with a group of friends. The staff is very inviting and friendly, with after only two visits the hostess remembered my name and that won huge brownie points in my book. The Vault is one of our best 10 this month and its nightclubs hands down one of the top spots. Always a cool crowd of people and it’s always popping on any given night, I never feel like it’s unmanageable. The music is ALWAYS good and I highly suggest this place to hang out, see some beautiful downtown girls, and if you like to get your dance on. • 801 S Hill St., 323-491-4148
3.Cities – East Los Angeles
Spice up your life with Cities, the perfect bar and restaurant that serves up some mean drinks and great eats. A real crowd-pleaser with plenty of pretty women, cool ambiance, and a lively lounge and dance atmosphere that will have you moving all night long. They have two full bars and serve a variety of Latin flavored concoctions like the Strawberry Champagne and Tequila drink that will get you ready for the night. Cities offers great music and performances, like Trio + Plus and Steel Rod. So gents grab a friend and escape to Cities and get you some dose of Latin flair with a little twist of Americana. Dress code is smart casual and this fantastic East LA hot spot is not stuffy or pretentions so step out of your surroundings and go check it out! • 4512 E. Cesar E. Chavez Ave., citiesflavor.com
4.Black Market Liquor Bar – Studio City
Is it a stylish cocktail haunt, and earnest gastro pub, or a neighborhood bar? Let’s say all three. Marble – top tables and an arched brick ceiling give Black Market a rustic, romantic air. The menu leans toward premium snacks like deviled quail eggs and house-made dill potato chips. You don’t need to be a mixology expert to decipher the cocktails, which are inventive and carefully prepared. Good tip: For a gluttonous adult riff on a childhood favorite, try the gooey, deep-fried Fluffer-nutter sandwich. • 11915 Ventura Blvd., blackmarketliquorbar.com
5. Tid Lom – Los Angeles
Tid Lom (TL) is a Thai food haven. A hidden secret nestled on Melrose Avenue in Thai Town. TL was a hit and a splash with great service and a dining experience with our Associate Editor. “The food was delicious,” she exclaims, as she tried the Tom Yum Soup, Pad Thai, Barbecue Beef, and the Pineapple Fried Rice, “all were splendid.” Every dish comes with a great presentation and can feed at least three people. TL is an authentic Thai restaurant and bar, with their lounge area, is a must. Gentlemen, your date will love this charming find, plus this place offers a variety of music for any taste and great beer and wine selection. • 4809 Melrose Ave., 323 464-8885
6.The Sayers Club – Hollywood
A lot of hype surrounded the SBE bar’s secret entrance through hot dog favorite Papaya King. Now there’s no mistaking the way in: Just look for the bouncer and the lady with a list. Inside you’ll find an old warehouse-like room with brick walls, red leather couches, and twenty something crowd. Live music starts at midnight; till then a DJ spins bands like LCD Sound system. The no-gimmick drinks are $18 a pop. Good tip: Avoid lines by going on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and before 10 p.m. on the weekends. • 1645 Wilcox Ave., sbe.com/thesayerclub
7.La Cuevita – Highland Park
Your Manhattan tastes like a Oaxacan mole thanks to chocolate and chili bitters. The bartender strikes up a conversation – in Spanish – with locals who remember the place as the Little Cave. With a trendy south-of-the-border makeover by the 1933 Group (Bigfoot Lodge, Thirsty Crow), the chillaxed bar lures the area’s gentrifying population and Occidental coeds who file in for Latin cocktails and a DJ mix as vintage as the aged mescal. Good tip: Tacos are free on Tuesdays with a drink purchase. • 5992 N. Figueroa St., lacuevitabar.com
8.Golden Road Brewing – Water Village
This is the place for thirsty parent to grab a craft beer with kids in tow. The tots running around the front patio on Sunday afternoons don’t seem too harsh the bars mellow vibe, which feels worlds away from LA. Stuck near a strip club and smack against the railroad tracks (we’re not sure which is less kid friendly), the full-service brewery from local beermeister Tony Yanow (Mohawk Bend, Tony’s Darts Away) pour its own top-notch suds as well as primo selections from across the country. Whenever a train roars past, raise your glass and scream to look like a regular. Don’t forget to fill up a growler to go. • 5430 W. San Fernando Rd., goldenroad.la
9. Neat – Glendale
Aidan Demarest (the Edison, the Spare Room) understands some finer spirits should fly solo. His angle here is “deconstructed cocktails”: liquors served neat (get it?) with a “sidecar” crafted to complement your unadulterated booze. Think Sazerac rye beside a mixture of hibiscus-cinnamon syrup, lemon juice, and Perrier. The midcentury décor is short on frills but maintains a retro flavor. Good tip: Even in summer the back fireplace inspires single-malt sipping. • 1114 N. Pacific Ave., neatbarglendale.com
10. Beer Belly – Koreatown
The bites from chef Wes Lieberher are such a draw that Beer Belly skirts the line between drinking establishment and restaurant. Beer lovers-turned-entrepreneurs Jimmy and Yume Han focus on quality, not quantity, with their frequently rotating selection of rare and specialty kegs. The “bar” has just a few stools, but the tables are open to drinkers as well – if you can land a seat. Log into the bar’s wireless system and control the music from your smart phone. • 532 S. Western Ave., beerbellyla.com
