Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [154]
West Hollywood & Mid-City
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Stone Rose Lounge (Map; 310-228-6677; 8555 Beverly Blvd, Mid-City; 4pm-2am; ) With the glow of his Sky Bar slowly fading, bar baron Rande Gerber has dreamed up this glamour vixen at the hip-again Hotel Sofitel. Dressed in warm crimson and passionfruit, the lounge lures chatty sophisticates huddled in intense tête-à-têtes and grateful for the mellow lighting and low sound levels.
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FREE BOOZE!
If you’d like to get knackered for cheap or free (and who doesn’t?), check out http://la.myopenbar.com for a neat day-by-day list of wallet-friendly liquoring-up opportunities during booze promotions at clubs and bars, or during gallery openings (if you’re actually interested in the art!). You can even sign up for their weekly ‘boozeletter’. Cheers! (Oh yeah, and don’t do a ‘Paris Hilton’; that drinkin’ and drivin’ thing just ain’t cool no more.)
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El Coyote (Map; 323-939-2255; 7312 Beverly Blvd, Mid-City; 11am-10pm Sun-Thu, 11am-11pm Fri & Sat; ) It’s always fiesta time at this red-boothed, been-there-forever cantina where the stiff margaritas pretty much guarantee a cheap buzz. Service is swift and sweet but the food plays only a supporting role. Celebrity trivia: Sharon Tate ate her last meal here before getting wacked by Charles Manson’s mad posse.
El Carmen (Map; 323-852-1552; 8138 W 3rd St, Mid-City; 5pm-2am Mon-Fri, 7pm-2am Sat & Sun; ) A pair of mounted bull heads and Lucha Libre (Mexican wrestling) masks create an over-the-top ‘Tijuana North’ look and pull in an Industry-heavy crowd at LA’s ultimate tequila tavern (over a hundred to choose from).
Elixir Tonic & Teas (Map; 310-657-9300; 8612 Melrose Ave; 8am-10pm Sun-Thu, 8am-midnight Fri & Sat) Get your Zen on sipping a blissful tonic (an ancient-Chinese-medicine-inspired fruit-and-herbal drink) at this roaringly peaceful bamboo garden sanctuary. For DIY recharging at home, pick up a bottle-to-go at the storefront that also hawks precious teas, fat Buddhas and astrology books.
Santa Monica & Venice
Hideout (Map; 310-429-1851; 112 W Channel Rd, Santa Monica; 7pm-2am; ) Will Rogers’ favorite speakeasy turned gay bar turned Westside hotspot, the postage-stamp-sized Hideout has seen a lot in the past 80 years. It’s still a comfy hangout for locals happy to trade their flip-flops for heels and spend $10 for cocktails in a plastic cup.
Otherroom (Map; 310-396-6230; 1201 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice; 5pm-2am) Dark, loud and industrial, this loftlike lounge screams ‘Soho transplant’ but is actually a laid-back lair for local lovelies, artists and professionals. Only beer and wine are served, but the selection is tops and handpicked. Hungry? Simply ask for take-out menus from nearby restaurants. Locals gets to skip the line, everyone else should expect a wait until after 10pm for entry to the bar.
Circle Bar (Map; 310-450-0508; 2926 Main St, Santa Monica; 9pm-2am) This former dive bar has been reincarnated as a sizzling ‘meet’ market packed with wrinkle-free hotties. Strong drinks, loud music and a seductive red-on-black decor further loosen inhibitions, but waiting in line to get past the bouncers can be a turnoff.
Brig (Map; 310-399-7537; 1515 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice; 6pm-2am; ) Old-timers remember this place as a divey pool hall owned by ex-boxer Babe Brandelli (that’s him and his wife smiling down from the outside mural). Now it’s an up-to-the-minute-design den where a trendy mix of grown-up beach bums, arty professionals and professional artists come to carouse and sip apple martinis.
Big Dean’s (Map; 310-393-2666; 1615 Ocean Front Walk, Santa Monica; 11am-9pm Mon-Thu, 10am-10pm Fri-Sun) On a hot Santa Monica afternoon, drag your flip-flops to this cheap and groovy beach patio bar where Muscle Beach beefcakes used to hang out back in the ’50s. These days you’re more likely to