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L.A.'s best hotel bars
Promoters David Schneider and David Heath's selective Friday-night throwdown at Teddy's attracts the most eclectic hipster crowd in town. The dimly lit and beloved bar, of course, remains one of the toughest spots in town to gain entry into thanks to A-list regulars like Leo and Paris.
Sipping gin while watching the sun set over the ocean is proving to be a tonic among Santa Monica's beautiful set. Expect lines some weekend nights; get there early, grab a seat and a mojito, and get comfy on one of the white leather banquettes. Restaurant included.
The once-packed WeHo Standard may be old news, but the hotel's "secret" bar off of Sweetzer Avenue is quietly making a comeback.
The stylish, post-Deco companion bar to the famed Polo Lounge looks to remain packed with the moneyed set for some time, thanks to inspired design (including a backlit, white onyx bar), dangerously inventive spirit options (cherry martini popsicles, anyone?) and palm-tree studded views from the terrace. Former Four Seasons bar manager Philip Spee is running Nineteen 12 with genteel professionalism.
Comfortable modern couches and distinctly L.A. urban views overlooking the 405 (a lot prettier when you're not on it) make the buzzing hotel's sleek, circular bar/restaurant the perfect romantic antidote to the area's more pedestrian bars.
Gordon Ramsay of "Hell's Kitchen" fame will be in charge of all food and beverage at the newly redesigned Bel Age Hotel (renamed the London), and British interior designer David Collins' firm (responsible for Claridge's Hotel and the Blue Bar at the Berkeley in London) will be making its L.A. debut with the still-unnamed bar. Projected opening: May.
If you like your Sidecar with a side of jumbo jet, then Avi Brosh's Hopscotch Bar at the Custom Hotel near LAX is for you. DJs playing house music poolside should help drown out the noise.
Designed by Cheryl Rowley's Beverly Hills-based firm, the yet-to-be-named bar within Westwood's anticipated Palomar will have a "hip, bustling vibe," according to a San Francisco- based representative for Kimpton hotels. That remains to be seen. But you can expect wood floors, light colors and the oversized lamps everyone seems to love so much. Projected opening: May.
This downtown L.A. hotel's bar has been entertaining wannabe starlets and the businessmen who love them for over 50 years. Happy hour brings free nuts (not the cheap kind) and reasonably priced martinis. In fact, the prices here are always fair, compared with trendier Hollywood options. An all around L.A. classic.
