The best new bars in Los Angeles to try right now

All flavor, no frills—that’s the name of the game at Night on Earth, the newest project from the team behind Thunderbolt. Located in the no man’s land between Hollywood and Studio City (a.k.a. the Cahuenga Pass), this futuristic-looking Valley cocktail bar serves an all-star lineup of over a dozen signature drinks ($13–19). Each one deftly riffs on a classic. While my personal favorite was the Bad Influencer (a clarified, carbonated take on a porn star martini), I was most impressed by the Blockbuster, the bar’s take on an old fashioned. The drink comes infused with actual movie theater butter flavoring. You can’t go wrong with anything on the menu, though, including three tasty booze-free options. Paired with the mood lighting, ample lounge seating and DJs on the weekends, plus a soon-to-debut happy hour menu, Night on Earth is the kind of drinking destination that’s worth building a night out around. Just be sure to eat beforehand—the bar doesn’t serve any food, though you can bring in outside food (there’s a pizzeria next door, FYI) or opt for one of the eclectic snacks from the vending machine inside. Non-alcoholic cocktails available. On-site parking.

Yes, I know: Canto VI is all the way out in Chatsworth, but this sophisticated drinking den is worth the trek for serious wine lovers. Run by Mélisse’s former sommelier, Brian Kalliel, Canto VI’s premium by-the-glass selections punch well above their weight class. (Kalliel is a total wine snob, which means the bottles open on any given night are rarer, more interesting and usually more expensive than those at most L.A. wine bars, which translates into more bang for your buck.) Paired with reasonably priced, rustic cuisine from Joan’s on Third alum Chester Hastings, the overall experience is an epicure’s delight. Next to the U-shaped counter, a cocktail bar offers top-shelf liquor and excellent renditions of classics for those in the mood for something stiffer. Upscale touches like complimentary valet, a killer playlist and live music on select evenings round out a surprisingly classy night out in the Valley. Street and valet parking.

Housed inside Suehiro DTLA, this intimate Japanese cocktail bar draws inspiration from Tokyo’s famous whiskey bars and American-style speakeasies. Run by Seven Grand and Steep After Dark alum Huy Nang Pham, the first-rate drinks here run the gamut from affordable to upscale, including a $32 Rob Roy that uses Yoichi whiskey and thoughtfully constructed non-alcoholic options made with Seedlip. Pham’s house drinks are equally interesting: Take the Peach Kid, a refreshing gin-and-soda-based creation that mixes creme de peche, Aperol, yuzu and sakura bitters. Those feeling peckish can also order food from next door. Given the recent closure of the Varnish, Bar Suehiro is a welcome addition to the Downtown bar scene—and a worthy destination for anyone who enjoys a well-balanced drink. Non-alcoholic cocktails available. Street parking.

In the muraled alley of Long Beach’s El Barrio Cantina, one can find their way into this intimate speakeasy by turning on a neon Godzilla sign. Kevin Lee (formerly of the Wolves in Downtown L.A.) has created an enticing bar program featuring drinks like Juice Theory for the tomato-loving crowd and a Moscow Mule riff for gin lovers called Stay With Me. Classic highballs and a robust Japanese whisky selection round out the menu of drinks crafted with Japanese-style flair; the izakaya-style food menu includes standouts like salmon crudo and wasabi fries. The kakigori-inspired First Love cocktail might leave locals with a little sticker shock, but the shochu-laden shaved ice comes in a supersized cocktail glass, so you can share the delicious brain freeze with your friend or date. Street parking.

The classic Clifton’s Republic, though not new, recently reopened its doors once again (for real this time!). You shouldn’t come here solely for the cocktails—it’s more for the whimsy and novelty—but luckily the new drink program is solid. The three bars (with a fourth still to come) all have distinct menus. The first you’ll encounter is the Monarch Lounge, where themed cocktails like the Grizzly and Painted Fern complement the woodsy decor and 40-foot-tall replica redwood. At the Gothic Lounge, bartenders mix drinks on either side of a 4.6-billion-year-old meteorite. The jet-black Event Horizon (gin, dry curaçao, Cocchi Americano, a black umami solution and a spritz of absinthe) is a suitably moody option here. Of all the bars, fourth-floor tiki bar Pacific Seas—accessible through a secret mirror door—has the most extensive menu, with over 100 bottles of rum. I recommend the Message in a Bottle (made with three kinds of rum, pineapple, lime, banana-walnut syrup, cinnamon and clarified coconut milk) or the Krakatoa, a guava-heavy, rum-based scorpion bowl that can quench the thirst of anywhere from two to six people. Street and nearby private lot parking.

Favored by bicoastal elites and influencers (both wannabe and bonafide), this oh-so-trendy Silver Lake wine bar spills out onto the sidewalk nightly with people who want to LARP a night out in New York City. I’m not joking in the slightest—and honestly, I’d love to hate Barr Seco if the food and wine offerings weren’t actually good. Fortunately, they are. The 25-seat space, which recently debuted its daytime café menu, serves a series of flavorful small plates alongside natural wines by the glass that don’t taste like vinegar (for once). Culinary highlights include the bluefin tuna tostada and endive Caesar salad, but the reason you should come to Seco is the scene and the scene alone. Expect to be jostled and packed in like a sardine for your glass of vino—the price of being cool these days, I suppose. Non-alcoholic cocktails available. Street parking.

Taking over the former Bolita space, Real Charmer in Virgil Village comes from the same folks behind Capri Club and Bar Covell, among others. The intimate bar is now backlit by moody red-and-blue lighting and there’s a new pair of wooden booths along the wall. A bubbling fountain and handful of art pieces nod to a tropical-slash-nautical theme, but the handsome cocktail booklet wanders all over the map with under $20 drinks like the gin-based Midsommar Sour, a Japanese-inspired sesame highball and a vaguely Mediterranean martini flavored with kalamata olives, dill and rosemary. A menu of light bar bites includes spam musubi and Fishwife smoked salmon with crackers. Not every drink hits the mark, but most generally get the job done. Throw in the free self-serve popcorn and cozy date-friendly atmosphere, however, and Real Charmer ultimately lives up to its name—it’s the kind of neighborhood bar I wish I could walk to. Non-alcoholic cocktails available. Street parking.

One of L.A.’s hottest reservations at the moment isn’t even a restaurant—it’s the Lucky Tiki, a speakeasy-style tiki bar hidden away behind West Hollywood’s Tail o’ the Pup. Enter by buzzing the intercom within the pickle barrel on the patio, push through the beaded curtain and you’ll find an intimate space decorated with blowfish lanterns, one-of-a-kind tiki mugs and plenty of memorabilia from the original Lucky Tiki, which the 1933 Group’s Bobby Green first opened in the San Fernando Valley back in the early aughts. The second-floor space is also where the Doors recorded L.A. Woman in 1970, and the bar pays homage with a drink called the Ghost of Jim Morrison, which pairs Copalli rum with blackberry shrub and burnt rosemary. All of the drinks here are kitschy, strong and delicious—everything we’re looking for in a tiki drink. The only kicker? Reservations, released on a 30-day rolling basis on Resy, are hard to come by, and walk-ins aren’t guaranteed.

You could almost miss Sam’s Place in passing, but once this tiny, ultra-buzzy Highland Park wine bar catches your eye, you’ll be hooked. A wood-paneled interior invites you into a few alcoves offering hints of privacy. A passthrough window between the bar and the simple, dog-friendly patio makes you feel more like a houseguest than a patron. A blend of New and Old World bottles along with a diverse skin-contact selection are served by a savvy staff eager to make recommendations. Whether you’re popping in for a snack or steak dinner, the Japanese sweet potatoes steal the spotlight on a small but well-executed food menu. Depending on availability, whether a wine is only served by the bottle is a suggestion rather than a hard rule at this cozy neighborhood spot.

When Kevin De Nicolo took the former Noir space from Moulin Rouge! to vaporwave oasis, he committed to the bit. “We take what we do seriously, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously,” he says, lit by a vibrant display striped across the ceiling that will remind you of Windows 98 file transfers and later haunt drunk-you with floating Furbies. Both the house spirit-free drinks and cocktails aren’t reinventing the wheel, but they’re reliably tasty at lower-than-average Hollywood prices with nostalgic names like Limewire and Nokia Nectar. Stussies line the bathroom wall while DJs spin Y2K tunes in a mini bedroom set just off the intergalactic hydroponic lounge area. Non-alcoholic cocktails available. Street parking.

This casual French Quarter-inspired Chinatown cocktail bar from the folks behind Little Jewel of New Orleans serves stiff, straightforward takes on Crescent City classics, including a well-executed French 75, a generously poured Sazerac and a bubbly, frothy Ramos Gin Gizz. Relatively affordable prices ($12–18) and a TV hung behind the bar translate into a fun, accessible neighborhood hangout and alluring pit stop for Dodger fans during baseball season. On my visit, I enjoyed the Cajun (a.k.a. spicy Bloody) Mary, which the Evangeline Swamp Room tops with a pickled okra and grilled shrimp. There’s also a menu of delicious, deep-fried bar bites that includes charbroiled oysters, frog legs and crawfish macaroni and cheese—all the better to soak up all that booze. Street parking.

The former Ace Hotel has a brand-new rooftop in the form of Sauced, an NYC transplant known in its hometown as an ultra-hip, menuless wine bar. While it remains to be seen if its L.A. counterpart can draw the same crowds, the beloved Downtown third space is thankfully mostly unchanged except for a bunch of new plants and a cringeworthy “Can’t Stop Drinking About You” neon sign. Head inside to the bar for a choose-your-own-adventure experience—guided by one of Sauced’s expert bartenders—and a small selection of light bites, then take your glass outside and take in the sweeping views of Downtown. Weekend evenings bring DJs and food pop-ups to the space (which are generally announced on the bar’s Instagram), so if you’d like to help resuscitate Downtown’s struggling nightlife scene, give Sauced the good old-fashioned college try. Outdoor patio and non-alcoholic cocktails available. Street parking.

Though Spring Street Bar has traded its industrial sports bar decor for a warmer, more refined look, this old-but-new Downtown spot isn’t trying to squeeze out former patrons. A well-rounded, largely sub-$8 beer list is matched with craft cocktails at prices nearby bars would only consider during happy hour. Even the Japanese highball selection offers options starting at just $11. The milk punch elevates and clarifies a banana piña colada while the surprising addition of mango to the white Negroni makes it one the best of its kind east of Hollywood. This marks Bar Flores and Lowboy alums Alex Vaughan-Ruiz and Brandon Richard’s first bar together, and they seem intent on keeping it a locals-first spot. Since they’ve kept the TV screens, you might even still be able to catch a game or two. Non-alcoholic cocktails available. Street parking.

Tucked away in sleepy Altadena, Good Neighbor Bar is an excellent cocktail spot run by the same talented team behind Downtown’s Everson Royce Bar and Santa Monica’s Vamos Vamos. The stylish, minimally appointed space features plenty of tables and ample seats at the bar, and while there’s no food menu, you’ll typically find a pop-up serving out of the parking lot next door on the weekends. As with ERB, which we’ve long considered one of the city’s best bars, all of the cocktails here are excellent. The specialty drink menu includes highballs, “booze-forward,” “modern classics,” “exotic/tiki,” and “shaken with citrus.” Order whatever your heart desires—whether that’s wine by the glass, some beer or one of Good Neighbor’s fancier house concoctions. Street parking.

The old Mandrake Bar space at the edge of Culver City has a new tenant: No Smoking, a stylish cocktail bar that’s a little too expensive to truly be considered a neighborhood dive. Lowbrow touches like bar chips and $12 well drinks combine with pricey works of art on the walls and wood paneling. Reasonably priced $15 house creations include frozen ube coladas and Toki highballs (though you can find the same exact drink for cheaper at Afuri Ramen down the street). Happy hour (4–7pm) brings $10 wells and glasses of wine, plus $5 beers. If No Smoking was in Silver Lake or Northeast L.A., this opening wouldn’t be noteworthy—but in a part of town lacking in interesting cocktail options, I’ll take any decent-enough casual bar I can get.

Taking over the old Onyx space, the Coco Club offers the same sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean that made the space’s former occupant one of the best rooftop bars in town. A new island-inspired cocktail menu by Dushan Zaric (best known for cofounding NYC’s Employees Only) adds intrigue with drinks like the passionfruit-tinged Coco Killer and a lychee-infused gin creation known as the White Lotus. A complete design overhaul has given the indoor-outdoor bar an all-new tropical-leaning look and feel, which includes artisan-crafted rattan stools lining the balcony railings—perfect for taking in the picture-perfect view—and a fire pit in the string-lit outdoor lounge. On the weekends, expect live DJ sets and heavier crowds to contribute to a dancefloor-like atmosphere inside. Outdoor patio available. Valet, street and 90 minutes' free parking at nearby public lots.

In a relatively quiet corner of the Arts District (for the late-night crowd, anyway), Flamingo Bar fills the area’s need for a cocktail dive. You can get better cocktails down the street at E.R.B., but that’s not why you go to Flamingo Bar. You’re there to watch the game, grab some strong drinks or a good beer, and groove under the dancefloor’s disco ball. By your second drink, the grease-forward menu will quell your drunchies with the likes of thick burgers and gooey, loaded fries. The pink-drenched decor evokes late ’80s, early ’90s Miami Beach, encouraging you to snap pics both in and outside the photo booth. Some prices feel a bit high, but the daily happy hour from 4pm to 7pm is well worth the trip. Street parking.