After a year-long closure—and some 90 years after it first opened as Clifton’s Cafeteria—Downtown’s most fanciful drinking den, Clifton’s Republic, has officially reopened its doors.
And as a fan of classic L.A spots, I was thrilled to hear the news—I can’t think of anywhere else where you can drink among a taxidermied lion, bison and bear (oh my) and dance under the boughs of a three-story tall (faux) redwood.
During my recent visit, four of Clifton’s themed “lands” were open to the public—including the much-loved Pacific Seas—and more are on the way. Since you’ve last stepped inside, the venue has introduced a new food menu and a projection system that brings some of its decor to life.
In the 1930s, Clifford Clinton opened a local chain of cafeterias beloved for their escapism and “Golden Rule” model that never turned away Angelenos during the Great Depression, even if they couldn’t afford a meal—Charles Bukowski even mentions that fact in Ham on Rye. The current Broadway location was actually the second spot Clinton opened, modeling it after his memories of Brookdale Lodge in Santa Cruz. At one point, it was even the original terminus of Route 66 (today, that honor goes to the Santa Monica Pier).
In 2010, nightlife impresario Andrew Meieran purchased the Broadway spot in the heart of Downtown, hoping to revitalize the L.A. icon. He unveiled his vision for Clifton’s in 2015 but eventually closed the cafeteria concept in 2018 and rebranded as a bar—Clifton’s Republic—before closing for the pandemic. Then, after reopening in 2022, another stroke of bad luck hit last year: A water pipe burst, flooding the kitchen and ceilings. The team took the rest of the year to renovate and has rolled out a phased reopening this year.
One of the best things about Clifton’s—besides the kitsch and rich history—is the number of different experiences it offers, ensuring you’ll never be bored during a visit. A handful of these themed “lands” are currently open Fridays and Saturdays. Here’s what you can expect from a weekend visit.
Once you enter off Broadway, you’ll find yourself in the split-level Brookdale Dining Hall. (The classic cafeteria, much to the dismay of some Clifton’s devotees, is not operational at the time being, but promises to be open for all-ages brunches soon.) You’ll enter through the first-floor Forest Glen area, where faux greenery and rocks, petrified wood, a mural of trees and mahogany leather seating instantly transport you to a woodsy wonderland. Look behind you and you’ll see a cross-section of a redwood; look up, and don’t be startled by the stuffed bear, captured mid-roar. Much of the decor is preserved from the 1930s iteration of the space.
Some beloved Clifton’s landmarks can also be found here, including the Old Tree Wishing Well, the Great Stone Fireplace and the Little Stone Chapel—a turret-like space that you can enter and find a hidden, charming diorama of trees. Anecdotally, this space was said to inspire Walt Disney’s vision for Disneyland—in particular Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. In fact, Brookdale Dining Hall was the first commercial project of modern architect Welton Becket, a close friend of Disney’s who later collaborated with him on some Disney World projects. (Becket was also the mastermind behind the Beverly Hilton, the Cinerama Dome and the Music Center and its venues, so he’s a pretty big deal in L.A. history.)
Head upstairs to the Monarch Lounge, where Clifton’s famous faux redwood is planted, both of which are an homage to California’s last wild Grizzly bear before the species went extinct here. But don’t think about that, because—oh, look!—there’s a disco ball beckoning guests onto a dance floor, right next to a bar serving cocktails with fitting names like the Grizzly, Painted Fern and Firefly. Although there’s a typical nightclub vibe in this space, there are also plenty of quirky touches throughout—artifacts from Clinton’s famed “Cabinet of Curiosities” and little alcoves you can duck into for a quiet conversation. There’s also a Photo Cave—a more spacious photo booth option great for group outings.
Above that, you’ll find the Gothic Lounge, where you can look down at the dance-floor action. Off to one end is the Brookdale Ballroom, which is used for special events—I saw some spectacular spooky swing music there for Halloween recently. The centerpiece of the floor is the two-story-tall gothic altar, where bartenders are mixing cocktails on either side of a 200-plus-pound meteorite that’s purportedly 4.6 billion years old. I recommend ordering the Event Horizon here, a jet-black concoction made with gin, dry curaçao, luxardo, Cocchi Americano and a spritz of Absinthe, then topped with an orchid. Try to snag the Bradbury Booth, where visionaries including Ray Bradbury and Ray Harryhausen used to host their Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society meetings.
The star of the show just might be Pacific Seas, the fourth-floor tiki lounge meant to evoke the golden age of travel that you access from a mirror-slash-secret door. You’ll walk up two sets of stairs then through a room wallpapered with maps to find yourself in a classic tiki bar. The original Pacific Seas, located in Clifford Clinton’s very first Downtown establishment in the ’30s, was a forerunner of the tiki bar concept; Meieran’s version of Pacific Seas first opened in 2016. A vintage 1935 Chris-Craft mahogany boat is “shipwrecked” in the middle of the bar, where you can choose from over 100 bottles of rum or order drinks like the Krakatoa, which is lit on fire and served in a bowl for two to three people.
A new food menu is also on offer since the reopening. While there isn’t sit-down dining service, at each bar, you can order dishes including a “cigar box” consisting of five hand-rolled flautas; skewers of grilled Tahitian pork, Petaluma chicken or crimini mushrooms; and three different variations on fries. In a nod to the original cafeteria’s beloved jello, there’s also “stained glass Jell-o” you can order from a cart, topped with whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles.
It’s a lot to take in, and there are still additional lands that have yet to open—they’re planned for early 2025. Tree Tops lounge will be an elevated fourth-floor space situated high within the forest canopy. And we might be most excited for Shadowbox, an underground cocktail lounge and cabaret accessible via a secret cave that’s never been open to the public.
At the moment, Clifton’s hours are quite limited: Fridays and Saturdays, from 6pm till late. While the spot does have a nightlife feel, it’s open to all ages until 9pm—it’s easy to imagine kids having a blast exploring the faux forest and all its hidden gems. Lots of programming is in the works, from parties to site-specific art installations—the different rooms, towering replica redwood and high ceilings are a prime stage for musicians, aerialists and acrobats. A cutting-edge projection mapping system will further bring the space to life.
One thing’s for sure: Clifton’s is back, and DTLA is all the better for it.