We came to The Obscure for a friend's birthday and had such a fantastic night. This is definitely…read moremore of an experience than just going out for drinks. The atmosphere is immersive, theatrical, moody, and every nook and cranny of this place is beautifully detailed. Our group embraced the requested all-black dress code, and I was a little disappointed that some other guests didn't play along. When a place puts this much effort into creating a particular world, dressing the part really does make the experience more fun. The spirits themselves were excellent. We tasted vodka, whiskey, and rum, and all three were remarkably smooth, interesting, and clearly very high quality. I loved that the tasting was guided rather than just having drinks dropped in front of us. The storytelling and presentation made us pay attention to what we were actually tasting and gave the evening a nice sense of progression. We also happened to be there while comic artist Matt Harley of Marvel fame was sketching, which felt perfectly suited to the setting and made an already unusual night even more memorable. The space is gorgeous: candlelight, artwork, strange little details everywhere, dramatic lighting, beautiful glassware, and even the outdoor fire element. There's so much to look at that you feel like you're discovering something new every time you turn around. Our whole group LOVES Halloween, so this felt like the absolute perfect way to kick off spooky season. It has exactly the kind of dark, mysterious, slightly magical atmosphere we were hoping for without feeling cheesy or gimmicky. We loved the rum so much that we ended up buying a bottle, which also granted us Level 1 membership, so this definitely won't be our only visit. Such a fun choice for a birthday celebration, date night, or a night out with friends when you want something completely different from the usual bar experience. We're already looking forward to going back and seeing what our new membership unlocks.

Went here for date night and had a wonderful time! We will definitely be back…read more If you can dress in black, it adds to the experience. Also the tastings were fantastic we even had a nice buzz.

Cute little bar in the corner of a plaza. Tried their elixir flight and it was a fun and…read moreinteresting experience. They all have some sort of health benefit so expect some strong and herbal flavors. Some were better than others but although some elixirs weren't our faves it was fun to try them. The best tasting one was the ume plum and surprisingly the garlic one was 2nd best. It is super pungent and aromatic. Smells like a garlic olive oil. Pretty interesting to drink. Besides these interesting elixirs, the strawberry fields cocktail was good.

Upon entering it seems like just a basic dive-y bar with colorful lights. They had a drink that was…read moretotally my taste which is the strawberry fields. It had calpico and yakult in it. It was pretty good and low alcohol content. I really wanted to do karaoke and at $40 an hour, it was def a deal. Each person does however have to also order a drink which ranges from $13-$15. Service was below average but I would definitely return just for the karaoke. It's nothing fancy and it's booth seating but I had fun nonetheless and would 100% return based on pricing. The downside is that there's only two rooms and I'm not sure if you can reserve in advance.

Excellent food and experience! The staff was super nice and we felt like it was a true hidden gem…read more They knew it was my friend's birthday so made a special effort to wish her a happy birthday and include a candle on top of one of the pastries. The food is really good and the tea choices are excellent. The mocktail was a nice add to help refresh ourselves on a hot day. Overall a nice place to celebrate any special occasion or gather with friends. The parking lot next to the hotel is super easy to park at. All day parking around $10, self park.

The DTLA Proper Hotel is beautifully designed by Kelly Wearstler, a former athletic faciliity…read more Although I've done several staycations here, tea at Dahlia remained on my bucket list of experiences, since it's only offered on weekends. I finally was able to check it off, thanks to a hotel offer with a dining credit. Dahlia is the gorgeous petite space behind the larger ground floor restaurant space now called Cabrillo (formerly Caldo Verde). Dahlia opened as a bespoke cocktail lounge, then began to offer tea. Now it's just tea. There are five 2-tops and two 4-top tables. All food and beverage venues at the Proper used to be under the auspices of famed chef Suzanne Goin and her business partner/sommelier Caroline Styne. They are no longer affiliated with the Proper, but many of their dishes/contributions remain. The last named vestige of them is on the tea menu, "Suzanne's Deviled-Egg Sandwich". The tea menu has several options: Classic, with a seasonal mocktail, or with different champagnes. I opted for the Classic experience, because the mocktail had mocha, not my fave. Server Lluvia was clearly a Dahlia veteran; she offered a tea-smelling of all the teas that interested me as well as crowd favourites. I ultimately chose one of these faves, Mad Hatter's Tea Party, which had passionfruit and vanilla. I declined milk/cream, but did get lemon. There were rock sugar sticks on the table. It seems the selection of tea sandwiches and sweet treats changes every so often, although the vanilla bean scone, dried currant scone, Devonshire cream and apricot orange jam seem like constants. The sandwich selection at my visit were: cucumber, crab/creme fraiche, beet hummus on pita, smoked salmon and Suzanne's deviled egg. All were delish, the beet, crab and deviled egg especially. The sweet treats were: orange fig butter cookie, spiced apple brown butter crumble, cranberry frangipane hand pie, chocolate mocha macaron, pumpkin madeleine, plus the 2 scones. All were excellent. There were no leftovers. A bit pricey, but a relaxing and lovely experience. The room was not crowded when I visited, adding to the calmness of my visit.

September is SepTiki month at the Blind Rabbit. The interior has been decorated tiki style, and…read morethere is a new specialty cocktail menu with eight new tiki inspired drinks. We visited a few times in recent weeks to try out some of the new drinks. El Quetzal (Illegal Caribbean cask mezcal, yellow Chartreuse, Campari, lime, pineapple, cane, cardamom). This is a variation of a Junglebird, and has a nice smokiness with light bitterness. It's an easy drinker, and is served in a tiki mug with a lit sugar cube. 3 Rabbits & a Dash (Blind Rabbit Garrison Brothers single barrel bourbon, Kuleana Nanea rum, falernum, allspice, honey, orange, lime). It drinks a little boozy from the bourbon, and is complemented by nice spice notes. Let the Man'Go (Patron 100 tequila, bitter Bianca, mango, rice, lemon). I love drinks with a foam top, and even though it didn't say it on the menu, it was obvious after one sip that the foam was infused with toasted rice. Good balanced cocktail with light mango flavor and rice notes. Velvet Samba (guava, cachaca, Patron 100 tequila, lime, condensed milk). Unique milky looking cocktail. It's guava and lime forward, balanced, and has a little creamy mouthfeel from the condensed milk. Clarified Ango-Lada (Blind Rabbit single barrel Sagamore rye, Angostura bitters, coconut, pineapple, lime). It's served with a nutmeg sprinkle on top. The rye is toned way down from clarification, and it's a smooth drinker. The Cocktail of Week I believe was a type of zombie. I forgot to write down the ingredients but I believe some of them were rum, vodka, raspberry, and lemon. It is served in their zombie mug with a lit cinnamon stick and was good. Dreamwave (Empress gin, barrel aged Curacao, sherry lychee, lemon). I think this was my favorite. It has a nice tart flavor, not boozy at all and balanced. I was sitting at the bar where my drink was being made, and when the Li Hing Hui powder was sprinkled on top, it had a really nice sweet, almost vanilla-ish aroma. I asked bartender Adrian to make me a Captain's Reserve (bartenders own creation) using rum as the main spirit. He made an amazing cocktail with rum, scotch, passion fruit, and some other ingredients I forgot to jot down. It was lush and perfectly balanced with multiple layers of flavor. I hope he remembers that recipe, it was one of the best drinks I've ever had. Adrian, Ruben, and Sergio all provided great service and conversation, and they make some excellent drinks. Hosts Anna and Emma always give a warm welcome and were very friendly. There's only a few weeks left of SepTiki, so visit soon if you're interested in these drinks. Their Halloween theme will be starting in early October.

I think this is on everyone's speakeasy list!…read more Make sure you make a reservation It is very packed. They offer bar seating and booth / table Follow the wall from Randy's donuts and Look for a wall of Japanese sake/beer barrels and head towards the restaurant - the rolling boil. There will be a check in host and stand there and wait (it will be located up against the wall with a big secret door right next to the hostess station) It's very New York inside. When I first came in Spring with the amazing, Karen, the menu and everything was great Now, I took my friend who was in town from Nashville and it was a brand new theme. It's the great Gatsby. Even our waitress, Jasmine was dressed for the occasion. I would say this place is known for Absinthe. They have cocktails featuring it or you can get one of the huge apparatus (huge and glowing green) which, if you are into it? I highly recommend. Just one of the huge apparatus makes one regular drink. Or, what Karen and I did, was split it and make it into a shot for the both of us. The waitress comes out and shows you how it works and goes over everything. Karen, who I came with, was a pro and knew her way around it. She showed me the ropes lol. Honestly, if you are here? When in Rome. Go all out and try it, since it's where they shine here. They took off a few menu items and added some themed drinks. ( a couple new champagne themed drinks) They have big entree items but I suggest small bites and sharing and mostly coming for the drinks. There's no bathroom inside, so you do have to leave the bar and go to the closest one (over behind Randy's donuts) and then enter the speakeasy again Both times coming here I've never had an issue. It's a small, packed place. And yet they still have the cocktails flowing and the food coming out in a good time. So the food and drinks are good Atmosphere is lovely. Service is good. Especially for it usually being very busy in here This place is located inside the Anaheim packing district. So I suggest hitting up a couple other spots before or afterwards for some more food or drinks P.S. it is very dark In here. They never cared if we used our light to look at the menu. However, they do not want flash photography They also do not strictly enforce a dress code (my friend from Nashville asked) however, they suggest dressing business casual and not too underdressed

Love this spot for drinks in Arts District! It has a dark and romantic ambiance. There's a wide…read moreselection of unique drinks and they have some food too. The bartenders were helpful with explaining the drinks and made some recommendations for us. They accept walk ins, but they usually come with a wait. Make a reservation to secure a spot!

Death & Co has built a reputation as one of the world's leading cocktail bars - with locations in…read moreNew York, Denver, Washington D.C. & Los Angeles. The establishment is known for its innovative & extensive craft cocktail menu as well as creating the Naked & Famous, Oaxaca Old-Fashioned, & The Conference. Having won numerous awards honoring its cocktail menu and talented mixologists - it's a must visit for cocktail enthusiasts. I had been to the New York location many years ago and the L.A. spot has been on my radar. I was excited when I had the opportunity to check it out for a private event featuring Adam Fournier - 2021 World Class U.S Bartender of the year. The gentleman at the front door was very friendly - greeting guests as they walked in. Upon entering, you proceed down the stairs. There are two bars - a larger section straight ahead and a smaller speak easy style lounge to the left. Our party was in the dimly lit lounge, which was quite charming. I was surprised to see the same floor tile that is in my bathroom at home because it has a unique pattern. Adam was mixing up two inventive tequila-based cocktails and one with scotch. The place was packed and watching Adam's skilled precision & grace under pressure was impressive. I tried the Rein Picante - an expertly crafted mixture of Casamigos Reposado, Sherry, Fresh Lime, Passion Fruit, Spices, & Tamarind. It was perfectly balanced, smooth, and delicious. During the event we enjoyed light bites from Death & Co's kitchen, which were also tasty. The magical evening ended with a toast of Don Julio 1942. Cuz that's how we roll. *Street parking or adjacent lots - price varies.

We had a lovely evening at The Green Room. Sofia was awesome in terms of accommodating us every…read morestep of the way. She always came around to see how we were doing and had no issues with guiding first-timers right to our seats. The thematic concepts of each dish and drink were so clever and exquisite. Filet Mignon Sammie and Uncrustables in a lunchbox had so much character. In perfect Castaway fashion, we got a lovely "dinner and a show" when ordering drinks such as Tiffany Prefers Cocktails. And...the view of the cityscape was definitely everything to write home about. This is what we came for. The Green Room highlights the character of LA in so many ways. Loved it!

The Green Room... I am not sure why service gets such a bad rating- never had any issues with that…read more I like their signature cocktails and food options... l am giving them 4 stars only because of the most recent experience that I had... I checked the hours, and it said this place closes at 11. My friend and I came at 9... and guess what... the place was closed. Why? I don't know. We were just told that they'd decided to close early that day. Mind you, Castaway was still open that night. Why would a bar close before its posted hours? ‍

Gumbo Brothers made the night…read more... Stumbled into this portion of level 8, after the vibes were mild near the carousel rooftop bar. Good size crowd, but it was easy enough to get a drink from the bar. Vibes were good and got better when the Gumbo Brothers came on. They are a cover band, but specific to hip hop and RnB, and they killed it. Jay on the sax was amazing, and Apollo on the mic was perfect. We will be back on Friday or Saturday, since I believe that's when the Gumbo Brothers are there.

Overpriced, excessive fees, and disappointing service…read more Honestly, I was shocked when the check arrived. A 20% tip was already included, plus they charged an additional 10% tax on the tip and another 3% credit card processing fee. At this point, it honestly feels like the restaurant is looking for every possible way to squeeze money out of customers. It comes across as a scammy way of doing business. To make matters worse, everything on the menu is already overpriced, and the tables are so small they can barely fit one plate comfortably. The food was just okay. The only thing I'll give them credit for is that the drinks were good. Unfortunately, the service wasn't impressive either. We had to wait quite a while before the server came around to take our order. Overall, the experience wasn't worth the price. Between the overpriced menu, excessive fees, tiny tables, and slow service, I wouldn't be rushing back.

Definitely speakeasy vibes. You will need to message ahead of time for the password. There will be…read morea bouncer outside that'll ask for it. Inside is a surprisingly large space. So much seating! I've never seen the venue overcrowded. Large menu so many drinks to try! Great spot whenever I have guests visiting

"The Speakeasy" is located in Old Pasadena. There is a large multi-story parking garage right…read morearound the corner. The place has some intrigue as you need to know a password to gain entry. I was pleasantly surprised when I sent an email to the address on the website and received a reply with the password in a little over thirty minutes. After parking, we didn't have any problems finding the entrance even though it is not marked. Look for the big wood double doors and doorman standing in front. After giving him the password, he opened the doors and we walked in. We were surprised in several ways. The place is way bigger than I would expect for a place named "The Speakeasy". And at 6:30pm on a Sunday, we were the only guests inside. Only one other couple came in during the 30 minutes we were there. I would assume they are a lot busier on Friday and Saturday night. It is dimly lit, and very red inside. The bar is large with many bottles of liquor on display and many seats. The rest of the space is one large area that must have at least 20 tables, and the ceiling is high. It gives off more of a nightclub vibe than a speakeasy vibe. I tried the Naked & Famous cocktail which has two of my favorite spirits (Vida mezcal, aperol, yellow Chartreuse, lime, $18). It was nicely balanced with a good mix of smoke and herbal flavor. She had the Pablo's Poison (Altos reposado tequila, strawberry, lime, jalapeno, elderflower, $17). The jalapeno flavor really stood out with strawberry and elderflower in the background. They have a good cocktail menu with almost twenty cocktails, as well as a food menu with ten items. Walk up to the bar to order your drinks. Jeremy, the manager, and the female bartender whose name who I didn't get were nice. We aren't in Pasadena very often, and while they have a good cocktail menu, I don't know if we would return. We were expecting more.

We've been coming to The Rendition Room for years, whether for work events or date nights, and…read morebecoming members nearly three years ago was one of the easiest decisions we've made. It's become so much more than just one of our favorite bars and every visit reminds us why we keep coming back. The biggest reason, though, is the people. Hospitality is something that's hard to fake, and the team here does it effortlessly. From the moment you walk through the door, you're greeted like an old friend. Over the years, the staff has created an environment that feels welcoming, comfortable, and genuinely personal, and that's something that's become increasingly rare. Matt, Sabrina, and the entire team are all such gems. Scott also deserves special recognition. He's a huge part of what makes The Rendition Room such a special place. Whether he's introducing a new cocktail, sharing the story behind a spirit, or simply taking the time to check in, his passion and care for every guest shine through. It's people like Scott who transform a great bar into a place you truly feel connected to. On our most recent visit, we tried the new Decade & Debauchery cocktail, celebrating The Rendition Room's 10 year anniversary, and it's phenomenal. Balanced, and beautifully executed. In a city full of great bars, they have managed to create something much harder to find, a sense of community. After all these years, it still feels just as special as the first time we walked in.

The food was excellent the best spaghetti and meatballs I've ever had the mushroom risotto was very…read morecreamy and if you like mushrooms it's the way to go. The Ambiance was very authentic quite enough to have a conversation. Scott are barkeep was very attentive funny awesome to talk with. he made one hell of a drink. Scott's Service was excellent and there was great crafted alcohol.

This is a secret LA experience not to be missed!! Tucked…read moreabove the Tail o'the Pup hot dog restaurant, this place is a treasure of a tiki hideaway waiting to be discovered. The secret entrance is a ton of fun and the ambience is dark and mysterious and transports you to a land far away, all while not leaving LA. The drinks are spectacularly delicious and innovative. There is a theme (and entire experience) to each drink. The food is likewise excellent. The hot dogs from Tail o'the Pup are some of the best in the city and you can order directly from the downstairs hot spot, or order from the tailored menu to fit the tiki theme. The wait staff was super attentive. This is a great date spot or somewhere to come with friends. Just remember to book your reservations on Resy and then check the website for knowledge on how to get into the secret entrance. This is a top experience in LA!

This has become one of our go to spots before going out to Pantages for our season tickets--enough…read morethat the bartenders called us regulars last time. I love a tiki bar (usually a wine drinker, but a dry martini or a good tiki drink, will speak to me at times!) and this place does not disappoint. Service is easy and the vibes are so fun. They have fun gimmicky drinks (Captain's Inner Circle!) and the old stand bys (exceptional Mai Thai.) The decor is also so fun (Jim Morrison's old studio) and you can order hot dogs from downstairs. Only reason they aren't 5 stars? They implement seating time limits, even when it's not super busy. I 100% understand they have to have turnover, but I would gladly pay a little extra, to hold a longer reservation! Street parking, but don't drive...get a driver or a Waymo!