The Far Bar

A night at the Far Bar feels like time traveling into the heyday of noir Los Angeles. Head to First Street in Little Tokyo and find the Chop Suey Cafe (hint: before a remodel it was known as the Far East Cafe). Resist the urge to set up shop at one of the café’s well-lit tables and proceed to the red light district-worthy entrance at the far right of the building. Step through the doorway and follow a dark alleyway until it opens up into an enclosed courtyard strung with tiny white lights. Grab a drink from the horseshoe-shaped bar, light up a smoke, and start working on that crime novel. Reportedly, that’s what novelist Raymond Chandler did in this same space years ago.