Where to drink in LA now: Hotel bar edition

Hotel bars, those storied lounges where strangers are met, bets are won, sorrows are drowned and vacations (or staycations) are made. And Los Angeles’ fine offerings never fail to deliver—with the prettiest Californian backdrops, of course.

Suite 700 at Hotel Shangri-La, Santa Monica

Suite 700 at Hotel Shangri-La, Santa Monica

The historic 1939 Shangri-La Hotel impresses all on its own, with its sleek Art Deco architecture. But Suite 700, the hotel’s rooftop bar and patio, takes this oceanside gem to another level. Home to one of the most popular railings during sunset, the bar’s known for its Berry Apropos cocktail, which pairs perfectly with dissipating clouds: The fruity concoction is poured over dry ice to create some spirited smoke on the water.

SPiN Standard at The Standard, Downtown LA

SPiN Standard at The Standard Hotel, Downtown LA

This modern rooftop palace made up of three bars serves up pretty people, 11 custom-designed psychedelic Ping Pong tables, a pool and a killer view. Yup, pretty standard LA experience here. While you soak up what the hotel modestly calls an “unusual mixture of sport, design and entertainment,” be sure to sample liberally from the SPiN Standard‘s impressive cocktail selections and from the dining menu inspired by food-truck fare.

The Library at The Redbury Hollywood

The Library at the Redbury Hotel, Hollywood
The indoor-outdoor courtyard lounge at the Redbury Hotel might make you smarter. Along with the in-between-buildings peek at Hollywood and fire pits, The Library serves up an actual book with your boozy order, so expect Russian philosophy or masculinity crisis arguments to offer some appetizing food for thought. And you’ll be smart to order this: the silky mojito-like Vinebury cocktail, the mouth-melty lamb shawarma, and the Brussels sprouts—a perfectly roasted and oiled kale-chip-textured dish, complete with sliced almonds and capers.

Gallery Bar & Cognac Room, Millennium Biltmore Hotel, LA

Gallery Bar & Cognac Room at the Millennium Biltmore, Downtown LA

Can’t make it to Vegas? Downtown’s Millennium Biltmore (better known simply as “the Biltmore”) has all the glitz for your glamor-studded eyes. Get the show experience by the Gallery Bar‘s piano and lounge singer, and huddle with top-dollar dogs as they follow their sports picks on the flat-screens. Oh, and did we mention the Biltmore is one of the early homes of the Academy Awards? The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded there, and legend has it that MGM art director Cedric Gibbons sketched a design for the Oscar statue on a napkin in the Crystal Ballroom.

Tagged: California, Hotels