Tonga Hut, LA’s oldest tiki bar, has been around since Trader Vic and Don the Beachcomber were still fighting over who made the first mai tai. Fifty-eight years later, the drinks are still sweet and potent. Drinkers who want to get their name on the wall need to drink 78 cocktails off the bar’s Grog Log within a year.

Back in the ‘90s, this WeHo bar gained popularity as a cool coffeehouse. Today it’s an iconic and beloved gay bar where Lady Gaga shows up to kick off the city’s new “Born This Way” Day and the bar’s 30th anniversary. Here, you come for the patio scene, stay for the dancing, and have some Appletinis, mango mojitos, and watermelon margaritas along the way.

When on La Cienega Boulevard in West Hollywood and one desires a drink without any of the fussiness of dress codes and velvet ropes, come here. A dark circus-themed bar with craft cocktails that go down way too easy, it's the ideal venue for hanging out with the crew or solo drinking.

Don’t be fooled by the raucous scene of live bands and burlesque dancing up front. Tucked in the way back of this Houston Brothers’s Thai Town bar is a research and development space that regularly features guest bartenders, as well as creative (and sometimes way out there) one-off cocktails. Follow the bar’s Instagram to see what’s in store for the evening.

This Koreatown bar by Pouring With Heart is a favorite bartenders’ hang. The cocktail menu not only offers new favorite versions of classic cocktails but a handpicked spirits list and drinks using whatever ingredient the bar staff is currently obsessed with.

Big Bar has long been a favorite hang for local bartenders, thanks to guest bartenders and cocktail community events. For fun, tasty, and well-crafted cocktails, this is the spot. One of the more popular cocktails, the O.B.B., a Bolivian brandy champagne cocktail, comes with a dude-in-speedo cocktail garnish.

Any tiki fan owes it to themselves to drop by this Los Feliz bar. After all, its founder Ray Buhen was one of the original Filipino bartenders who worked for tiki legend Don the Beachcomber, keeping all his cocktail ingredient secrets. The bar is now run by Buhen’s son and grandsons who carry on Tiki Ti’s cocktails, as well as some traditions — just order a Blood and Sand or a Ray’s Mistake to find out.

Owned by three Filipino women who raised money via a Kickstarter campaign to build it, Genever is a gin joint where women can feel comfortable grabbing a drink. Order up cocktails with Filipino-forward ingredients such as calamansi cordial and toasted coconut vermouth. Genever reopens July 17.

The downtown LA Freehand Hotel bar is sister to the James Beard-nominated Broken Shaker Miami. This rooftop party offers everything Angelenos want to show off to out-of-towners: gorgeous sunset views, swimming pool action, and fun craft cocktails.

This Historic Filipinotown/Echo Park cocktail bar didn’t just serve to-go cocktails during the pandemic, bartender and co-owner Mike Capoferri created innovative canned/bottled/bagged options, such as a HiFi-inspired Old Fashioned with coconut-washed rye packaged alongside a block of pristine ice. And now that the bar is open both indoors and out, cocktail lovers can hang out on the leather couches or pick up the “Highball of the Month” or espresso martini to take home and enjoy later.

For a bar hidden in the back of Cole’s and not even marked with a sign, the Varnish is well known. The collaboration of the late legendary barman Sasha Petraske, Eric Alperin, and Cedd Moses won Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award for Best American Bar, as well the title of one of the 50 best bars in the world. Duck in here for a classic cocktail and find out why.

The arrival of Death & Co’s downtown LA outpost felt like a long time coming. After all, the team behind the bar had already established themselves in LA with Honeycut and Walker Inn. Now this drinking den is where you want to go to meet friends, a date, or solo, and appreciate a finely made cocktail with quality spirits and fresh ingredients. The bar also offers cocktails to-go, making it easy to take home new favorites.

1886 may be far off the beaten Lyft path, but it’s been luring cocktail enthusiasts to Pasadena with its creative and well-crafted cocktails since 2010. Enjoy a cocktail or a whiskey straight fireside on the patio or in the quaint and cozy bar, which was part of the historic Raymond Hotel.