LAGuide
Where To Drink Outside In Los Angeles
24 great spots for drinks, fresh air, and more drinks.
Written byBrant Cox
As LA fully emerges from quarantine this summer, we’re all probably asking ourselves the same two questions: “Why does nothing feel real?” and, “Where can I drink outside right now?” We’re not even going to attempt to answer the first one, but when it comes to drinking outside, we have some ideas. From a West Hollywood drag bar to craft breweries to late-night tented spots in Koreatown, here are 24 great spots to be drinking al fresco right now.
The Spots
All Season Brewing
Bar Food in Mid-Wilshire
- Perfect for
- Big Groups
- Birthdays
- Day Drinking
- Outdoor/Patio Situation
After almost four years of buildout, All Season Brewing officially opened its doors in February 2021 and gave LA something it’s never really had before - a brewery smack in the middle of the city. Located inside a former car service station on La Brea, All Season’s cavernous space has both indoor and outdoor seating, a row of skee-ball machines in the back, and a Chica’s Taco window for when you need to soak up some of the alcohol. Most people here are drinking beer (we love tropical Figure 8 Hazy DIPA), but there are tasty cocktails (including some on draft), and $5 well shots as well. It definitely gets crowded on weekends, but if you come after work for a few rounds, you’ll walk right now.
We frankly could put any bar in Boystown on this list (Rocco’s, Beaches, Hi, Tops, and Trunks, we see you), but for now, we’re going with The Abbey. This sprawling drinking metropolis is one of the most popular bars in all of LA, and that fact hasn’t changed as things have reopened. Expect lines down Robertson all weekend, and though the dance floor is still closed, that doesn’t mean there’s any lack of revelry. Come on Sundays for their surprisingly delicious drag brunch with everything from chorizo-filled breakfast burritos to potstickers and plenty of espresso martinis.
In pre-pandemic times, this ultra-popular Malibu wine garden was frankly a bit of a sh*t show. The mayhem has come to an end with appropriately distanced tables and a six-person maximum per group. Now, you can actually enjoy your wine and their peaceful, ocean-adjacent backyard without having to worry about a stiletto going through the roof of your foot.
Spirit House Echo Park
When Spirit House opened in 2019, it was a tiny speakeasy, hidden behind a red curtain inside the Echo Park location of Sticky Rice. Fast forward today, and this cocktail bar has moved entirely outside to the back beer garden with music blasting, delicious tiki-style cocktails, and a Sunday fish fry courtesy of Lazy J’s. In other words, it’s the ideal day drinking spot. If you miss the fish fry though, you can always order from Sticky Rice’s tremendous Thai menu, and in particular, our favorite panang curry in town.
The Mermaid has long been one of our favorite dives Downtown, but now this tiny Little Tokyo spot has taken things outside with a front parking lot patio that’s quadrupled its footprint. All the more room to get a little sloshed on tremendous tiki cocktails. Open weekdays until 1:30am and until 2am on the weekends, The Mermaid is a perfect spot to hit after a dinner out when nobody wants to go home. They also have a rotating bar food menu with tots and queso, chicken tacos, and loaded nachos.
Come weekends, this North Hollywood spot’s front patio can get pretty wild. With a full outdoor bar and everything from cornhole to life-sized Connect Four, if your group of friends can’t find fun here, you need new friends. Plus, drinks are served in gigantic plastic goblets, and there’s a 2 for $2 more drink special (buy one drink and the next one is $2) that runs all day, every day.
Margot
Spanish in Culver City
- Perfect for
- Big Groups
- Birthdays
- First/Early in the Game Dates
- Outdoor/Patio Situation
Located on top of the Platform development, Margot is just as much of a restaurant as it is a bar. And while the food is solid, we love it most as a place to lounge, sip some incredibly strong gin and tonics, and watch trains roll by towards the sunset. Yes, it’s as oddly romantic as it sounds. Open nightly for dinner, as well as brunch on the weekends. Reservations encouraged.
There are plenty of incredible places to drink outside in Koreatown, but the outdoor patio at Ddong Ggo might be our favorite. Walking into this massive beer garden at 11pm on a Saturday feels like you’ve stepped into the best party in town. Everyone is drinking pitchers of beer and smoking cigarettes (a lot of cigarettes), and the only time they take a break from either is when a gigantic kimchi pancake hits the table. They’re currently open from 5pm-2am daily, walk-ins encouraged.
Santa Monica Brew Works
- Perfect for
- Big Groups
- Day Drinking
- Drinks & A Light Bite
Open since 2014, Santa Monica Brew Works is the Westside’s only craft brewery, and it’s a good one too. They’ve recently reopened their massive outdoor space complete with picnic tables, string lights, and of course, an abundance of cute local dogs. They’re only operating on weekends right now, but keep an eye on their Instagram for their most updated hours, food truck schedules, and can releases.
Hamburger Mary's
American in West Hollywood
- Perfect for
- Big Groups
- Birthdays
- Brunch
The classic West Hollywood drag bar has pivoted in a big way in quarantine, taking over an entire adjacent parking lot with astroturf, tables, and yes, plenty of drag queens. They’re open Wednesday through Sunday with nightly bingo (except on Friday and Saturdays), plus their famous drag queen brunch on the weekends. There are two separate brunch seatings (11am and 1pm), and reservations are a must.
Melody
American in Virgil Village
- Perfect for
- Big Groups
- Date Night
- Drinks & A Light Bite
- First/Early in the Game Dates
- Literally Everyone
- Walk-Ins
Located in a converted Virgil Village bungalow, Melody is a tiny natural wine bar that still feels like a secret - and that’s exactly why we like it so much. This isn’t a raucous day-drinking spot, where one mimosa leads to ten mimosas and suddenly can’t find your phone or the bathroom. Instead, this is where you go on a first date to drink orange wine, or meet up with your best friend to try out whatever pop-up Melody has scheduled that night. The patio is open daily from 5-10pm.
If you’ve ever driven down Lankershim in North Hollywood and wondered what’s up with the giant wooden barrel, that’s Idle Hour, one of our favorite places to drink and hang in The Valley. Though we’ll have to wait a bit longer to actually drink inside the barrel, the good news is their excellent back patio is open Tuesday through Sunday with a daily Happy Hour and brunch on the weekends.
La Cabaña Restaurant
Mexican in Venice
- Perfect for
- Big Groups
- Birthdays
- Late Night Eats
- Outdoor/Patio Situation
- Walk-Ins
Open since 1963, La Cabaña is an LA institution. It’s not the most inventive Mexican food in town, but you’re not at this Venice landmark for a thoughtful take on the sope. You’re here for tableside guacamole and pitchers of margaritas on their back patio while trying to figure out how you’re going to finish the culinary monstrosity that is the “El Verde Burrito” (a coop’s-worth of chicken, beans, lettuce, avocado, and tomato, all topped with salsa verde and cheese). Open daily from 11am-11pm, reservations encouraged.
Spoke Bicycle is part cafe, part bicycle repair shop, and the most Eastside place that’s ever existed. Nobody should come here expecting to rip shots and day dance with yourself. You come to Spoke to sit around with your friends and discuss the outline for your fracking documentary, eat a fantastic veggie burger, and drink lots of wine and beer. Afterwards, rent a bike and head down the bike path. Currently open Wednesday through Sunday, 10am-4pm (9am on the weekends).
LA Guide
14 LA Rooftop Bars & Restaurants Open For Outdoor Dining
Big Dean's Ocean Front Cafe
Bar Food in Santa Monica
- Perfect for
- Sports!
The classic dive bar is located right on the Santa Monica boardwalk, and despite its highly trafficked location, always manages to keep the crowd local. Don’t expect anything fancy here, just cheap beer, solid bar food (their burger is one of our favorites in town), and a great front patio that’s actually on the beach. Bonus: Due to LA County’s restrictions on TVs in bars right now, you won’t have to wait as long to get a table.
Dan Sung Sa
Korean in Koreatown
- Perfect for
- Big Groups
- Birthdays
- Late Night Eats
Few places have our late-night heart quite like Dan Sung Sa, the seminal Ktown drinking tavern. While we dream of the day we can once again be inside eating cheese corn, pounding soju, and writing love notes on the wall, their new outdoor patio will certainly hold us over. Open 7 days a week from 4pm-2am, walk-ins are welcome or call (213) 487-9100 to reserve a table.
Hollywood’s Mama Shelter is one of the most consistently fun rooftops in the city - they’ve got great cocktails, a solid wine list, and a surprisingly bearable weekend brunch crowd. Keep in mind that capacity is limited, and they don’t take reservations. Open every day from 11:30am until midnight.
Esters Wine Shop & Bar
American in Santa Monica
- Perfect for
- Eating At The Bar
- First/Early in the Game Dates
- Outdoor/Patio Situation
- Walk-Ins
If you’ve missed wine bars as much as we have (which is to say, without every fiber of your being), Esters’ newly reopened patio is a great way to scratch that itch. The casual Santa Monica wine shop/bar opens every day for seating at 4pm, followed immediately by a two-hour-long Happy Hour with $5 beer, $9 glasses of wine, and cheese and charcuterie. And if you’re in the mood for something a little stronger, they also do batched negronis and Old Fashioneds. Make a reservation here.
Red Lion Tavern
German in Silver Lake
- Perfect for
- Big Groups
- Birthdays
- Day Drinking
- Happy Hour
- Outdoor/Patio Situation
- Sports!
Red Lion is an LA classic, and one of the only true German beer gardens in the city. This isn’t where you come to sample sours and discuss how many notes of apricot you’re getting. This is where you come to drink gigantic steins of cheap beer, nod along as your one friend tries to explain Australian rugby, and stumble out four hours later than you intended. Their menu of German sausages and other giant plates of meat will help you feel much better in the morning. Open until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Do you really need to go to the tasting room of a beer brand you can find in any local Ralph’s? When that tasting room is Ballast Point in Long Beach, the answer is yes. That’s because this massive, two-story beer emporium has a sprawling rooftop patio with unparalleled views of the Long Beach harbor and the ocean off in the distance. Be sure to make a reservation beforehand and come hungry - their bar food menu is way better than it needs to be.
The Ace Hotel in DTLA has one of biggest rooftops in the city - and they’re back open with an all-day menu including tacos, charcuterie, and other small plates. There’s also a pool up there, though it’s unclear if anyone will be taking a dip anytime soon. Reservation only.
With an entrance that’s nothing more than a door frame on Sunset Blvd., El Cid is unknown to a lot of people and that’s what makes it so special. Walk through that door frame and down a steep staircase, and you’ll pop out on a patio you’ll never want to leave. With two separate levels, plenty of seating, and old black-and-white movies projected on the walls, this is the ideal spot to take a table over with friends for brunch or stop in for a quick nightcap and snacks after a date. They’re currently open Wednesday through Sunday.
Open Wednesday through Sunday until midnight, Verdugo Bar is one of the most underrated places to drink outside on the Eastside. It’s the kind of place you wind up at after being turned away from five other spots in Silver Lake and you kick yourself for not coming here first. The crowd is calm and casual, the craft beer selection is excellent, and there’s always a good food truck hiding out back.
For years, La Boheme was a quiet, neighborhood standby in West Hollywood, but thanks to a massive new patio in their adjacent parking lot, this French spot has transformed into a boozy brunch powerhouse. Brunch runs Saturday and Sundays from 11:30am-4pm with $23 bottomless mimosas, but they also have specials through the week like daily Happy Hour with $7 glasses of wine and “Community Night” on Mondays, where locals get one round of drinks on the house.
