Highland Park’s Groovy New Vinyl Bar Hits All the Right Notes

The bar scene is bright in Highland Park, especially with the new opening of Gold Line Bar. The Figueroa corridor project features cocktails, mellow vibes, and perhaps the city’s best sound setup.

Music at Gold Line Bar is an understandable focus, given the place’s connection to Stones Throw Records and founder Peanut Butter Wolf. The record label has sat just upstairs for some 15 years, but now with all the bustle happening in Highland Park the team felt it was time to expand. The new venture focuses on highballs and simple three-ingredient cocktail classics, plus rare whiskey, mezcal, and natural wine, much like a Japanese hifi bar but given a California lens.

Gold Line Bar will feature close to 8,000 personal records from Wolf’s private stash, with tons of limited or out-of-print stuff filling custom wood shelves and a vintage Rock-Ola jukebox. On weeknights the bartenders will act as curators of the bar’s tunes as well, while weekend DJ’s and one-off events will also pull exclusively from the in-house pile.

There’s room to lounge in the back of the long room, while up front the space feels more airy and open, with a heavy walnut bar and all the vinyl on display. Partner Tyler Bell (L&E Oyster Bar, El Condor), his wife Sara Philpott, and JeffreyKurt Inc. designed the space.

Wolf (real name Chris Manak), Bell, and Jason McGuire opened the Gold Line Bar last night, and plan on keeping daily hours from 5p.m. until late. The bar joins the suddenly cocktail-heavy neighborhood alongside the likes of ETA, Hippo, Cafe Birdie, and even casual Tex-Mex spot Homestate next door. Meanwhile, similar hifi bars are cropping up all over town, including at the new In Sheep’s Clothing in the Arts District.

Gold Line Bar. 5607 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA.

• The 13 Hottest Cocktail Spots in Los Angeles [ELA]