In a vibrant food city like Los Angeles, the drinking culture goes hand in hand with the extraordinary restaurant scene. Think of these 10 most popular restaurants as the gateway to a unique way of serving wine, cocktails, beer, coffee and tea in our city.
It's easy to stay in Augustine's scruffy and handsome Sherman Oaks wine bar and ask for a $15 glass of smoked red wine from the Rías Baixas region of Spain. Enjoy it with charred octopus, fennel and Asian pear. Alcoholics flocked to choose another unique dimension: daily-changing specialties listed on the blackboard, partly from the personal collection of co-owner Dave Gibbs. Wine can be traced back decades. The price of a bottle of 1989 Joseph Drouhin Chassagne-Montrachet is reasonable for a well-stored white Burgundy wine, which is creamy and complex. Ageing options for glass and bottles are offered at a range of prices, not all prices are too high. — Bachelor of Arts
13456 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, (818) 990-0938, augustinewinebar.com
This is where the bartenders work hard to understand your name-this is a suitable community bar that serves cocktails that fit the rooftops of the luxurious downtown. In fact, all the drinks are very fancy; they are marked as "high-end drinks" and "very high-end drinks" on the menu. The drinks at this Studio City hotel are made by consultant Pablo Moix, the award-winning bartender behind Old Lightning Bar, Harvard & Stone and many other famous bars in town. Under "Fancy Drinks", you will find well-made classics and adjusted classics, such as the Son of Beesting, made with Bombay gin, honey, lemon, ginger and rose water with a pleasant floral aftertaste. If you want a drink, that is the base camp. Orphan Barrel Rhetoric and Ardbeg Scotch used cocoa butter and allspice to make a glass of spirits. It is smooth and warm, like a fashionable holiday pajama party. Order a snack or two, such as Chef Antonia Lofaso’s instant lemon pepper shrimp and thick-cut dill chips. — JH
11915 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, (818) 446-2533, blackmarketliquorbar.com
The Santa Ana Brewery opened on October 1, 2020, and was immediately hit by all pandemic restrictions, Silverado and Blue Ridge fires, holidays, presidential elections, and a surge in COVID cases in the winter. But from the beginning, Taproom felt like it was back to a simpler era. Thursday is trivia night. There are board games. Food trucks and food pop-up shops are open in front. Brewer Kevin Buckley is making a beer that is highly swallowable and perfect for micheladas. There are spicy lemons, trendy pepino, and vegetarian mango micheladas; the house mix is made with Flying Embers' tamarind micheladas and a beer of your choice. The light and crisp Firme Twist is seasoned with lime and salt, and it goes well with the salty and sour mixture. No matter which beer you choose, you can taste the rich aromas of cabbage and Tajín, as well as the sweet smoked tamarind straw and Rebanaditas. The brewery, like the House of Michelada, always feels like a party. — JH
309 W. 4th St. Santa Ana, (714) 852-3529, cervezacito.com
In the historic Philippines City, this female-run bar has close ties with the Filipino community. Owners Roselma Samara, Patricia Perez, and Christine Samiller established a friendship through the Philippine Cultural Organization of the University of California, Los Angeles. They raised funds for the bar on Kickstarter in 2018 Genever was opened. It is named after genever, which is a gin-like spirit that is distilled from barley, corn and rye and is produced in the Netherlands, Belgium, and parts of Germany and France. There are some on the bottle list, and there are more than 20 kinds of gin, but it is the cocktails of Kelso Norris, the beverage director, that really make the bar shine. Happy Happy Joy Joy is a new product that combines gin, Minghe liquor, passion fruit, basil vanilla, citrus, Droplet Pretty Happy sparkling beverage and homemade bitters with sampaguita and mango (the national flower and fruit of the Philippines) Featured. The fruity flavour is in perfect balance with the spice of the liquor-happy, happy indeed. — JH
3123 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 908-5693,geneverla.com
Since opening in 2018, Andres Jinhan “AJ” Kim and Scott Sohn's Highland Park store has become one of the important destinations for caffeine lovers in Southern California. Shelves surround the store, displaying bags of coffee beans from well-known coffee roasters at home and abroad. The barista makes single-source dumping drinks for purists, but also likes drinks like Cloudy (a chance peanut), an espresso finished with cold milk and peanut butter foam. Tea lovers can choose from three levels of ceremonial matcha. A hot food is a breakfast burrito—a compact egg, cheese, and potato wrap (sausage or bacon is optional), with the aroma of garlic oil, but it is not overwhelmed by it. The number of customers allowed in a small space is still limited; don't be intimidated by the morning queues that can extend into the street. — Bachelor of Arts
4936 York Blvd., Los Angeles, kumquatcoffee.com
Ivan Vasquez is one of the most important Mezcal evangelists in the United States. His three restaurants-in Torrance, Palm Trees, and the newest location in West Hollywood-are windows to learn about Mezcal culture. "Smoky" is only beginning to cover the range of spirits. Please note that the drink list only mentions a small part of the options available; ask the waiter for style and price, and the bartender will be happy to take you on an eye-opening journey outside the menu. Eat next to: memelas (thick tortillas covered with black bean paste, queso fresco and chopped sausage) and a mole. — Bachelor of Arts
1261 Cabrillo Ave., Torrance, (310) 974-8005; 10426 National Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 559-4732; 801 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 850-8518; madrerestaurants.com
Natural wine has been integrated into the sky of Los Angeles culture. Over the past ten years, Kris Yenbamroong has led the way, and he has listed his natural wine list as an integral part of his heyday, only Thai restaurants in Los Angeles. He and his wife Sarah Yenbamroong maintain the advantage and fun of their list. A rosé Zweig wine described as "passion fruit and white pepper-electric pizza" is paired with spicy pork neck and hot pot version of Tom Kagu, and it tastes so good. Visit the outposts of Venice and West Hollywood Night Market + Market, while we wait for the beloved Silver Lake location to reopen after the August fire. — Bachelor of Arts
9043 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, (310) 275-9724; 2533 Lincoln Blvd., Venice, (310) 301-0333; Song of the Night Market
All the elegant golden trim, palm leaf inlaid wallpaper and backlit Tetris tiles behind the Los Feliz bar make you feel like you are in a lush tropical jewelry box. The new beverage director, Aly Iwamoto, has worked as a bartender in some of the city's most acclaimed meeting places, including Varnish and Bavel. Her current menu is a tribute to the beach culture of the 1980s, and includes cocktails of bourbon, pineapple and banana, as well as conchic acid made from tequila, white peach, lemon and grapefruit. But perhaps the most striking thing is Iwamoto's view of the espresso martini, aptly named Midnight Jolt. Vodka, espresso, nuts, citrus and anise flirt in the glass to create a familiar but fresh and inviting drink, just like reunion with old love at a high school reunion. — JH
1816 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 763-0351, pinkyslosfeliz.com
When you find Spumoni Negroni among the many choices of Fountain Valley bars, you may hesitate. Turning classic cocktails into sweet Italian desserts usually stuffed with candied fruit is sacrilegious, right? Not gin, but gin infused with strawberries. Campari was replaced by Campari washed with coconut fat. Sweet vermouth is infused with cocoa beans. But it's like drinking the best Negroni in a strawberry field, with the aroma of fresh fruit in every bite. And the taste of this drink is almost creamy. Another most popular is Passion Bird, which is made from jalapeno, Thai Chilean aperitif, passion fruit, pineapple, lime and black belt bitters. These are thoughtful and unexpected mixtures that will make you forget that you are in the Orange County Mall next to the State Farm Office. — JH
18380 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley, (714) 377-0398, therecessroom.com
Yimenshan specializes in the production of Dancong Oolong tea, a tea grown around Phoenix Mountain in Guangdong Province, China. Through the miracle of oxidation and roasting, it has the taste of stone fruit or floral or spice; multiple soaking reveals the ever-changing flavor. Recently, she has also expanded her collection with top black tea and fermented Pu'er tea. Similar to wine and coffee, tea can be appreciated on many levels. Come to Shan's small Alhambra store (by appointment only) to experience some of the best examples in the world. -BA
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Bill Addison is a James Beard award-winning restaurant critic. He was previously a national critic for Eater and served as a critic in the San Francisco Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, and Atlanta Magazine.
Jenn Harris is a columnist for the food section and the host of the "bucket list" fried chicken show. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of California, Irvine and a master's degree in journalism from the University of Southern California. Follow her @Jenn_Harris_.