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Yard House (Map; 562-628-0455; 401 Shoreline Dr; 11am-midnight Sun-Thu, 11am-2am Fri & Sat) The jukebox plays Steeley Dan and other classic rock as rivers of suds flow freely at this spaceship helm of a pub. A mind-boggling 250 beers on tap are pumped up via miles of beer lines. Slap-happy frat brats guzzle their fill from ‘beer bongs’ – yard-long glasses. It’s the original branch of a growing chain.

Mai Tai (Map; 562-435-1200; 97 Aquarium Way; 4pm-1:30am Sun-Thu, noon-1:30am Fri & Sat) With two happy hours (4pm to 7pm and 8pm to 11pm), getting a cheap buzz is a no-brainer at this Hawaiian-themed bar next to the Aquarium of the Pacific. The crowd is cool and the signature drink just $4.

Downtown Los Angeles

Edison (Map; 213-613-0000; 108 W 2nd St, off Harlem Alley; 5pm-2am Wed-Fri, 6pm-2am Sat; ) Metropolis meets Blade Runner at this industrial-chic basement boîte where you’ll be sipping mojitos surrounded by turbines and other machinery back from its days as a boiler room. Don’t worry, it’s all tarted up nicely with cocoa leather couches and three cavernous bars. No athletic wear, flip-flops or baggy jeans.

Rooftop Bar @ Standard Downtown LA (Map; 213-892-8080; 550 S Flower St; cover after 7pm Fri & Sat $20; noon-1:30am; ) Lawyers and execs mix it up with sorority sisters and cubicle hotties at this libidinous outdoor lounge swimming in a sea of twinkling skyscrapers. Once you find your way to the top, you too can mark your turf among the space-pod cabanas, lounges, fireplace and pool for cooling off if it all gets too steamy.

Seven Grand (Map; 213-614-0736; 515 W 7th St; 4pm-2am Mon-Fri, 8pm-2am Sat) For a glamour vibe without the velvet rope, beat a trail to this dusky whiskey bar with tongue-in-cheek hunting decor. There are 175 varieties of the amber stuff, so this is not a place for the indecisive. For non-whiskey-philes a slate of a dozen tap beers awaits. DJs and smoking patio, too.

Mountain Bar (Map; 213-625-7500; 473 Gin Ling Way; 6pm-2am Tue-Sun) Loft dwellers and Eastside hipsters knock back beers at this high-ceilinged Chinatown bar after gallery-hopping on nearby Chung King Rd. After a few pints, the Kool-Aid-orange decor might make you feel like you’re sitting inside a volcano.

Lost Souls Café (Map; 213-617-7006; 124 W 4th St; 7am-10pm Sun-Thu, 7am-6pm Fri & Sat; wi-fi) A keen java radar is required to track down this coffeehouse-cum-community-lab down a dark alley off 4th St (don’t worry, it only looks scary). Inside, it’s a cool spot where local latterati hang out for a chat, to check their email or to listen to poets or bands.

Golden Gopher (Map; 213-614-8001; 417 W 8th St; 5pm-2am Tue-Fri, 8pm-2am Sat-Mon) Campy gopher lamps give even pasty-faced hipsters a healthy glow at this dark drinking den with a smoking patio and in-store liquor store for postclosing revelries.

Gallery Bar (Map; 213-624-1011; 506 S Grand Ave; 4pm-2am) Nostalgia lovers will love the five-star ambience at this classic noir bar in the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. The signature drink is the Black Dahlia, named for the infamous 1947 murder victim, aspiring actress Elizabeth Short, last spotted alive in the hotel lobby. Her death remains a mystery.

Koreatown

Prince (off Map; 213-389-2007; 3198 W 7th St, Koreatown; 4pm-midnight; ) In the movie Chinatown, Faye Dunaway meets with Jack Nicholson at this campy joint that defies any categorization. It’s a former hotel lounge with colonial-era British-pub looks (check out the wacky soldier lamps) and soju and Hite beer on the menu. The crowd is a potpourri of ethnicities united by a penchant for stiff drinks at civilized prices.

Brass Monkey (off Map; 213-381-7047; 3440 Wilshire Blvd; 2-drink minimum or cover $15; 10am-2am) You might need to knock back a couple of brewskis to loosen your nerves before belting out your best J Lo, Justin or Jackson Five at this 1930s bank vault turned kooky karaoke joint. All you American Idol wannabes can pick from 60,000 songs in six languages. Those in the know usually come early to stake out a good spot before