L.A.’S BEST HIDDEN BARS

The best-kept secret bars in the City of Angels.

£10

Photo Credit: £10

Tucked discreetly on the second floor of the hotel, £10 welcomes true connoisseurs to the lounge specializing in the world’s most precious whisky, The Macallan Single Malt, from a globally celebrated distiller based in Speyside, Scotland. Here, in an intimate but convivial social atmosphere, guests gather to sample and savor The Macallan’s rarest and most prized expressions—some aged as long as 64 years—which is served in Lalique glassware. Best of all, you’ll feel like you’re experiencing something beyond cool given that you have to access the bar through a secret staircase in Georgie restaurant.

225 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills

The Del Monte

Photo Credit: Townhouse Venice

For a swinging blast to the best, head to Venice Beach, where you’ll find the Del Monte—a former speakeasy that operated during Prohibition, a secret cellar basement that’s part of the Townhouse lounge. You’ll actually enter through Menotti’s grocery store, but no brown bags are required.

52 Windward Ave, Venice

The Edison

Photo Credit: The Edison

Head down a not un-creepy alley and down a staircase to arrive at The Edison, a speakeasy-style bar housed in an old power plant. Come on a Thursday—there’s burlesque.

108 W 2nd St #101, Los Angeles

Good Times at Davey Wayne’s

Photo Credit: Good Time at Davey Wayne’s/Facebook

A hipster, fun-loving paradise awaits you at Good Time At Davey Wayne’s… after you go through a garage and enter through a refrigerator, that is. The drinks, the games, the 70s decor and the bar menu is all reminiscent of something you’d find at your grandmother’s house, and that’s a good thing.

1611 N El Centro Ave, Los Angeles

Bar Jackalope

Photo Credit: Bar Jackalope

Bar Jackalope is located within downtown boite Seven Grand’s sipping library, and it’s all about the whiskey. With seating for 12 inside and 12 on its outdoor Cigar Patio, it offers a relaxing respite for those looking for a place to unwind with friends, both old and new, while a Coltrane record spins on the turntable and oil lamps color the night.

515 W. 7th St., Los Angeles 

La Descarga

Photo Credit: La Descarga/Facebook

There’s a strict dress code at this Western Avenue bar, and an even tighter entrance. You’ll actually enter through an office, and then a closet. Yes, you read that right. But once inside, paradise awaits in the form of nightly floor shows, live bands, drinks and dancing.

1159 N. Western Ave, Hollywood

The Varnish

Photo Credit: The Varnish

Housed inside a refurbished storage room in Los Angeles’ oldest public house — Cole’s The Originators of the French Dip Sandwich restaurant in downtown L.A. — The Varnish pays tribute to both classic and updated cocktails with a focus on thoughtful service and hospitality.  In 2012, The Varnish won the prestigious title of Best American Cocktail Bar at the Tales of the Cocktail 2012 Spirited Awards in New Orleans, recognizing it as the bar with the most prominent influence on cocktail trends within the United States. Visit on Sinful Sundays, where bawdy 1920s tunes are played all night long.

118 E 6th St, Los Angeles

Der Wolfskopf

Photo Credit: Der Wolfskopf/Facebook

72 N Fair Oaks Ave, Pasadena