Los Angeles Bars & Nightlife

In a lofty warehouse with games and high-top seating, Arts District Brewing has a ton of taps and a solid food menu. They have a speakeasy-style cocktail bar behind the brewery, too. It's a good option for big groups without much fuss.

Sit at the bar or on the patio, and order one of an encyclopedia’s worth of craft beers. (Skip the cocktails.) Order the Office Burger, complete with bacon, caramelized onions, gruyere, and blue cheese (no substitutions allowed), with just about any sides—everything’s good. There's another Father's Office location in Santa Monica; the menus are the same but the vibes are completely different.

Stanley’s is half wine shop, half bar. It’s a chill spot to grab an afternoon glass of pinot, and the scene gets lively as the evening rolls on—mostly small groups gathered around tables, never too crowded. If you taste something you like, take a bottle home. And if you’re just stopping into the shop for a hostess gift, the staff is a huge help for picking out something great.

LA's first new lesbian bar in a decade is a natural wine bar that spills into the parking lot when they hit capacity, which is most nights. By day, they serve a full lunch. It’s mostly diner food: loaded cheese fries, grilled chicken sandwiches, tuna melts. At night, you’ll see a lot of hot dogs and spritzes.

This brewery is low-key and has some of the best craft beer in the city. It’s a relatively small operation—more tasting room than the sprawling warehouse vibe that’s become so common for LA breweries.

This hot-pink Italian disco, situated just behind De La Nonna, is a great place to go out. If you come early in the evening, the groovy, mirrorballed space is a chill spot to have a drink and listen to music. The dancing really picks up at around 9 p.m.

The vibe at Bar Bohemien is very low-key—good for not-so-wild nights where you’re catching up with a friend or meeting a date. They have a very limited food menu, but you’re welcome to bring food up from the stalls downstairs in Citizen Public Market.

Stir Crazy feels like the European bistro we fantasize about when we really need a vacation: the kind of buzzy, intimate space that reminds you how good it is to dine out. In lieu of silver buckets, wine is chilled tableside in six-quart Cambro plastic tubs, which feels casual and cool. And don’t be surprised if your tablescape starts to resemble a Dutch still-life: a bounty of tear-as-you-go loaf of bread, marinated tomatoes, olive and Hamachi crudo, and whatever you ordered off the seasonal menu.

Zebulon was really having a moment a few years ago, and we still like it: They have a big patio, an upbeat vibe, and a separate space for their ticketed concerts.

Capri Club’s drinks are great, but it’s the frozen negroni machine we’re particularly fond of. Order one while you hover for a table, grab a snack of olives and almonds, and spend your night people watching—it’s a scene.