LAGuide
9 Black-Owned Bars In LA
In a city as vast as LA, there are a lot of drinking spots to sort through. Whether you’re looking for a quiet wine bar, a place to drink craft beer, or a rowdy den where you can watch sports, this guide has you covered. It’s a list of all the Black-owned bars in LA we could track down.
THE SPOTS
Pips has been a staple in LA’s live music scene for over a decade, and you can still find this cozy spot next to a massive Sprouts on La Brea Avenue. Inside the restaurant is the best place to be if you want to be front and center for all the action on stage. They have live music every night, and the menu is full of Italian classics like pizza, pasta, and grilled fish. But the patio out back is where you should be if you’re looking for mojitos under a massive tree and lots of green vines.
This Leimert Park/Crenshaw spot is the kind of place where you go wild and order a couple rounds of fruity cocktails called things like “Summertime” and “Pear Of Tits.” It’s a great place to come with a group of friends before or after a show at The Forum. Or you can spend the whole night here, drinking sneaky-strong hibiscus margaritas while taking down crab cakes, fried broccoli, or cajun shrimp fettuccine. It’s technically a restaurant during the day, but after the sun goes down, it feels much more like one massive lounge with 9-foot LED trees and an extensive R&B playlist.
When Inglewood needed a wine bar, sisters Leslie and LeAnn Jones delivered. Tired of leaving their neighborhood for a night out, the two combined their experience in luxury wedding planning and wine respectively to create the first and only wine bar in the City of Champions. 1010Wine is an upscale experience, a communal place where you’ll dine on charcuterie boards and peach cobbler panna cotta, and choose from the city’s largest selection of wines and beers from Black-owned wineries and breweries. You’ll find options like a sparkling rosé from Ebony Wine and Spirits, aromatic Riesling from Black Girl Magic Wines, and canned wines from Sipwell Wien Co.
Three Weavers in Inglewood makes some of the best beer in LA, and is a great low-key place to stop in for a weeknight beer or to spend your Saturday day drinking. The taproom has huge picnic tables where you can bring in your own food, post up all day, play some board games, and see how many of the limited release taps you can sample before you lose your Scrabble winning streak.
Welcome to The Nile Bar, a sports bar in Inglewood within walking distance from SoFi Stadium and The Forum. They have everything needed for a night spent screaming at the TV, praying to a higher power for your team to win. Screens are stacked up, next to, and diagonally across from each other. There are also multiple floors, a stage for DJs, and Happy Hour specials Monday through Saturday from 3-7pm. Bar snacks include garlic truffle fries, beef sliders, and buffalo shrimp, plus plenty of beers and specialty cocktails.
If you’re looking for something more substantial than bar snacks, The Wood spot is an ideal place to catch a game. This Inglewood sports bar doubles as a BBQ joint that serves enough brisket, spare ribs, and rib tips to get you for lunch, a post-lunch snack, or dinner. They’ve got tables set up along the sidewalk in front of their restaurant for outdoor dining. And on game days, they even offer a $10 shuttle directly to Sofi Stadium if you’re planning on seeing the action in person.
If you're over 35, a night out doesn't have to involve lining up behind a bunch of people who are at least ten years younger than you —that is, if you head to Bottom Line in Inglewood. This popular, cash-only club has a sign out front that says "35 and over." So you can expect a more mature crowd to dominate the dancefloor and the tiny bar counter inside. If you're not looking to dance, you can always hang around the pool table or spend the night people-watching as the crowd gets increasingly rowdier throughout the night.
When you think of the great LA dive bars, The Living Room doesn’t always come to mind. But this dime-sized drinking spot located right around the corner from Johnny’s Pastrami in West Adams is a must-visit. There’s a doorbell you have to ring to get into this tiny place, and there’s usually a full crowd listening to the blues on a jukebox inside. It’s the kind of laid-back spot where you can actually have a conversation—unless you’re here on a Friday or Saturday night when the small stage is dominated by karaoke performances.
This spot is Permanently Closed.
The best thing about The Parlor on Melrose is simply how many TVs there are inside. Turn your head in any direction and you’re bound to catch whatever game is most interesting at the moment. Saturdays get pretty rowdy here during college football season (especially if you’re a Michigan fan), but there’s a big courtyard separating the two bar areas in case you need some fresh air. When it comes time to soak up all those early morning beers, there’s a brunch menu filled with solid dishes like chilaquiles, breakfast tacos, and biscuits and gravy.
