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Lists · Los Angeles

Downtown LA, in ten bars

Ten bars across the Historic Core, the Financial District and South Park, in the order a long day tends to go: pool decks first, high rooms at dusk, a nightcap on Main Street.

Saunter Los Angeles · 5 November 2026

Downtown Los Angeles still gets treated as somewhere you drive through on the way to somewhere else. It deserves better. A New York cocktail institution has opened a bar here, a James Beard finalist pours on a hotel roof, and the old towers have been fitted out with rooms worth the lift ride.

So here is a day downtown, in order. Pool decks and hotel lounges for the afternoon, the high rooms at dusk when the skyline does the talking, and three bars that stay open until 2am at the weekend. They sit across the Historic Core, the Financial District and South Park, with Death & Co a little east on East 3rd Street.

South Park · South Broadway

Cara Cara

Start early and start high. Cara Cara, up on the roof of Downtown L.A. Proper Hotel, opens at noon and keeps going all day, so there is no pressure to arrive on the dot. Fire pits and a lot of greenery take the edge off the concrete, and the kitchen leans on California produce. Lunch turns into a drink fairly naturally.

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The rooftop deck at duskThe rooftop barThe red-awning bar above the skylineThe rooftop deckPhotographs: courtesy of Freehand Los Angeles
Historic Core · West 8th Street

Broken Shaker

A pool, a roof and a serious bar list, which is a rarer combination than it sounds. Broken Shaker sits on the deck at Freehand Los Angeles on West 8th Street and pours from noon until midnight, with food on hand throughout. The trophy cabinet backs it up: a James Beard Award finalist, and a Tales of the Cocktail winner for best American hotel bar.

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The lobby loungeA cocktail being madePhotographs: courtesy of Hotel Figueroa
South Park · South Figueroa Street

Bar Magnolia

Time to come down a floor or two. Bar Magnolia, at Hotel Figueroa, borrows the mood of Europe's grand lobby lounges and keeps the drinks classic, with small plates from Cafe Fig. The bar menu runs from 3pm to 10pm every night, so it works as the stop between the afternoon and whatever dinner comes next.

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The rooftop pool deckDishes poolsidePhotographs: courtesy of Hotel Per La
Financial District · South Olive Street

Bar Clara

Hotel Per La's rooftop is another pool deck, but a more thoughtful one. Bar Clara, on South Olive Street, builds both the kitchen and the bar around California native ingredients, and the food comes out poolside. It is a good place to watch the skyline change colour while the afternoon lasts.

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Financial District · South Flower Street

ÜCA Terraza

This is where dusk starts doing its work. ÜCA Terraza tops The Delphi, a Moderne building at 550 South Flower Street designed by Claud Beelman, and pairs seasonal craft cocktails with Latin American-inspired cooking. The hotel has a pool on the same roof, which tells you how the evening is meant to go.

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The rooftop terrace from aboveA rooftop tablePhotographs: courtesy of Perch
Historic Core · South Hill Street

Perch

Perch is Paris with a view. There is a French bistro on the 15th floor, a lounge above it on the 16th, and fireplaces and fire pits on the terrace to keep the evening comfortable. Live jazz-inspired music and DJs fill the week, and Gerardo Benitez runs the kitchen.

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Financial District · West 5th Street

71Above

For a proper sense of altitude, there is 71Above. At almost 1,000 feet, it calls itself the highest restaurant west of the Mississippi, and the 360-degree view runs from Malibu to Laguna Hills. Sit in the bar, the bistro-style lounge or the main dining room, and expect seasonal modern American cooking from chef Javier Lopez.

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Shelves of books behind the barPhotographs: courtesy of Library Bar
Financial District · West 6th Street

Library Bar

Back at street level, Library Bar on West 6th Street is lined with books and describes itself as a quiet escape in the city. Weekday happy hour runs from 3pm to 7pm, Sundays stretch to 9pm, and the kitchen serves until 11pm. From Thursday to Saturday a DJ arrives at 10pm with no cover, and on Friday and Saturday the bar stays open until 2am.

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Behind the barCocktails and small platesThe bar at nightPhotographs: courtesy of Death & Co
Downtown · East 3rd Street

Death & Co

The New York original opened in the East Village on New Year's Eve 2006, and the Los Angeles bar on East 3rd Street is where the night gets serious. The menu is written for the room, with drinks such as the Ghost Machine and the Sunseeker. Doors open at 6pm, and on Friday and Saturday the bar keeps pouring until 2am.

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Historic Core · South Main Street

Bar Franca

Save the smallest room for last. Bar Franca on South Main Street calls itself a Euro-cocktail sound bar, and the golden-lit space gives drinks, design and music equal billing. It opens at 7pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, and from 9pm until 2am on Friday and Saturday.

Visit Bar Franca

That is the case for Downtown, one room at a time. The roofs show off the city, the hotel bars slow the hours down, and the late rooms finish the night properly. That is one way to spend a day downtown.

Hours, menus and booking policies change, so check directly with each venue before going. Several of the rooftops belong to hotels and keep their own opening times.

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