Haute Top 5: Best Outdoor Bars in Los Angeles

Although you need a membership to chill out at this glorious Malibu Soho House property (and we're talking a SERIOUS membership—even existing members aren't 100% guaranteed entrance...they have to sit before a review panel and get a secondary membership!) there truly is no better spot. Soak up the sun, gaze at the beautiful (and famous) people sitting beside you and indulge in one of the best places to enjoy a cocktail any day, any time of the week. There's nibbles here as well, but the adjacent Nobu Malibu is also a draw.

Brent Bolthouse's outdoor funhouse is one of the best—and still coolest if the round the block lines can attest—places to grab an outdoor drink in the City of Angels. Sit by a firepit, play pingpong, play pool, meet a model...hey, it's all in a day's drinking. The door is a little more manageable on a weekday before the sun goes down, so if you have a hard time getting past the VIP powers that be, our recommendation would be to go early and wait it out.

The hipsters of L.A. gravitate to this rooftop hangout, which provides epic views of the city, a pool (for toe-dipping purposes only, we hasten to add) and a bunker-like rooftop bar that hosts a smattering of events every night of the week — including DJs, live bands, book release parties, pop-up shops and creative collaborations. With its bright, world-traveled twists on California desert fare and a traditional cocktail menu, how can you go wrong?

Luxe Good Time at Dave Wayne's isn't, but we had to add this outdoor spot to the list for its sheer fun factor and fabulously kitschy aesthetic. The Houston Brothers’ homage to the 70s has everything from an RV trailer pop-up bar, rollerskating dancers sale, an RV trailer pop-up bar, rollerskating dancers, an astroturf patio lined with brightly colored lawn chairs and a menu chock full of 70s-inspired drinks like Purple Polyester—lemongrass-infused vodka with coconut, ube, vanilla and egg white—and the Fat Elvis, peanut-infused rye whiskey, blackberry shrub and creme de cacao. There are also the alcohol-spiked snowcones and dad's BBQ out back.

The phrase "L.P." means "longterm play," which is accurate in terms of the rooftop L.P., the bar component to Louis Tikaram's Asian eating house on La. Cienega, E.P.—this place is in it to win it for the long haul. This WeHo hot spot not only offers up spectacular views of the Hills and the Hollywood Basin, serves Asian-inspired street food for those who need to soak up their craft cocktails with some food AND even has a firepit.