Where to Drink Right Now in Los Angeles

Reached through the alley back behind Melrose, this indoor space is filled with antique scales, umbrellas, an occasional stuffed grouse, and castoff portraits along the walls. The patio is equally as charming — and covered, for those nights when it’s needed. The cocktail menus change seasonally featuring classics with clever twists like an old fashioned made with mezcal and crème de cacao.

Drinking status: Open for outdoor seating only.

There may be no better place in California to explore artisanal mezcal. And, realistically, in the other 49 states, too. A poppin’ fresh, fashionable Oaxacan restaurant with no shortage of buzz, Madre’s bar stocks over 400 labels of mezcal, including rarities seldom seen anywhere else. But for the true experience, take a seat, order a flight based on your preferences, and start a chat about all things agave with the man behind the mezcal, owner Ivan Vasquez.

Dining status: Indoor and outdoor seating all day; happy hour Monday through Friday, 3-6 p.m.

Housed in a gargantuan whiskey barrel, whose every last slat of wood was faithfully restored by 1933 Group — stewards of L.A.’s most whimsical craft cocktail bars — this Vineland Ave. watering hole has a loose, after-work feel that fits the Valley. There are killer drinks, a tree-shaded patio, and a large bulldog-shaped building that’s currently reservable for a six-person gathering. Food isn’t an afterthought with things like sloppy Joe-smothered tater tots, smoked meatloaf sandwiches, and even donuts for dessert.

Drinking status: Limited indoor and outdoor seating; happy hour and brunch offerings abound.

The Sherman Oaks wine bar resembles the charmingly tousled flat of some Parisian virtuoso who abandoned his piano to hoard the kinds of vintage bottles collectors would kill for. Few places exist where you can order a 1964 Giordano Barolo or 1958 Château Haut Brion by the glass. Yes, birth year wines! (Even for Gen X.) Beyond prized rarities, you’ll find a globally comprehensive chalkboard menu where Lebanese, Portuguese, Napan, and even Texan wines mingle together seamlessly.

Drinking status: Limited indoor and outdoor dining.

This glowing boîte perched on the edge of Chinatown functions like a hidden speakeasy. The push here is for cocktails as medicine — in categories including Aphrodisiacs, Stimulants, and Pain Killers; we suggest you go for things like the Kale in Comparison, a concoction made with quinoa vodka, kale, ginger and pineapple; or the Greenseer, an agave-forward drink made with spirulina. So, sure, it’s healthy. Apotheke is also the kind of place you would assume has a dedicated absinthe program, and it does; that plus healthy, house made tonics, a dress code, and breezy patio, bartenders in pharmacist’s jackets, and equipment that wouldn’t look out of a place in an alchemist’s workshop … or Walter White’s RV.

Drinking status: Outdoor seating with limited capacity on Thursday through Sunday; reservation only.

Under the exposed, bowed-and-trussed beams of this Arts District tap room, you’ll find the full roster of hard kombuchas; seltzers with far-out flavors like watermelon-chili and guava-jalapeño; and ales made with antioxidants like lion’s mane mushrooms and live probiotics. There are “booch-tails” and booze-free shrubs for those that abstain. Sit for a flight in the expansive indoor-outdoor space — there are even big screens for shows and sports — or take home a crowler. 

Drinking status: The taproom opens Thursday through Monday evenings.

The pandemic pushed the streamlined interior of this New York transplant outdoors, for a boozy oasis dubbed the Summer Social Club. Blanketed with turf, picnic tables, and creative eats from an ever-changing roster of pop-up chefs, Employees Only supplies corresponding cocktails to compliment the cooking. Think: Bridgetown Roti and a kiwi cooler made with Tequila; Filipino street food and mango, curry-dusted, coconut cream floated spiced rum sipper; and pizza with a gin and cucumber number.

Drinking status: Outdoor seating only.

The rare beachside destination with extraordinary drinks, Brooke Williamson and Nick Roberts’ South Bay spot houses several distinct concepts, which sort of blended together during the pandemic but are finding their place again. The sunny daytime King’s Café features breakfast and brunch fare, plus canned cocktails like Shot in the Arm with tequila, pineapple, ginger, and chai spices. For dinner, it switches to the seafood-centric Dockside with ales on tap, eponymous wines, and cocktails. There’s also a daytime ice cream bar. Can’t be mad at that.

Drinking status: Reservations available for daytime and evening patio seating.

A legendary beachside chophouse since 1949, it’s hard to imagine the Bull seeing better days than it does now. Gloriously restored back to relevance, the bar and dining room are still the place for mighty Manhattans, legit daiquiris, and cool pulp-fiction vibes. For summer sippers, the tented outdoor space, including a living room lounge, is an essential Will Rogers Beach-adjacent destination.

Drinking status: Limited bar seating; outdoor seating for brunch, dinner and drinks.

Perfect for celebratory dinners and high-energy nights on the town, this family-run restaurant is committed to serving excellent versions of Mexican dishes from a wide menu covering the coasts, ranchos, and multiple cities in between. Having Tequila in its title is an encouraging sign for drinkers, confirmed by the solid list of fine agave spirits served to sip (not shoot) and more than a dozen creative margaritas.

Drinking status: Outdoor seating available.

A wonder team — including chef Antonia Lofaso and L.A. bar royalty Pablo Moix — serves Latin-inspired food and drinks here. Expect things like plates of kampachi aguachile, oxtail tostada, and hearty pinwheels of linguica sausage, plus tropical-tinged juleps and superb strawberry daiquiris. The interiors are mesmerizing, suggesting a golden age Havana hotel. But the patio is where you’ll really want to while away a few hours under the night sky.

Drinking status: Indoor and outdoor dining are both available.

Mostly patio, this kicked-back cantina is a magnet for Venice and MDR neighbors hankering for smoky Caesar salads, wood-grilled whole branzino with mole rojo, and a mighty list of tacos, including a falafel version nodding to chef Vartan Abgaryan’s Armenian roots. Drinks whole-heartedly embrace agave, from clarified palomas and mezcal-laced tepache mules, to cocktails utilizing lesser-seen raicilla, bacanora, and sotol. Brunch is a big event here; booking ahead is a definite must.

Drinking status: Patio and limited indoor seating are both available; the latter is for walk-ins only.

It’s just like L.A. to feature some of the city’s best northern Mexican cuisine and agave cocktails in a low-key, industrial strip, landscaped to resemble a German beer garden by way of Texas crossed with a Sonoran desert. Here you’re sharing char-grilled ribeye in handmade flour tortillas and asada fries, along with just about anything from the astute cocktail program. Hot pink prickly pear margaritas and spiked aguas frescas are a great place to start. Bonus: This is a perfect pre- and post-Dodgers game stop. (Go Blue!)

Drinking status: Patio seating only.

A buzzing, glass-clad atrium sits atop the Platform rooftop, a perfect backdrop for the trendy set to snap pics of their food and friends while cradling colorful cocktails topped with plump berries and edible pansies. The massive open-air patio is even more enticing with its firepits, mountain views, and tables close enough to the Expo Line that it feels like you could touch it.

Drinking status: Indoor and outdoor dining are both available.

One of L.A.’s (and the world’s, for that matter) favorite bars. While the original bowling alley-gaming room is currently only available for private shindigs, you’ll find the same spirit, staff, and genre-defining cocktails now lounging by the Hotel Roosevelt’s legendary David Hockney-illustrated pool. Alongside the perpetually present, bathing suit-clad Instagram influencers who gather here, you’ll find organic wines, Italian small plates, and Fino sherry-laced “Finocoladas,” with coconut, pineapple, lemongrass, and lime.

Drinking status: Outdoor seating only; eight people max per table with two-hour time slots.