It’s Official, Downtown LA is on Top! The only thing higher is you, especially after a few signature cocktails high above the city. Check out these 10 Great Places for Rooftop Cocktails in DTLA.
71 Above
OUE’s 72-floor office building located nearly 1,000 feet above Downtown reigns supreme for having the bar at the highest altitude in DTLA. At 950 feet above ground level, 71Above also has the highest restaurant west of the Mississippi. Chef Vartan Abgarya offers views of the open kitchen, yet there is a transition into a semi-private dining area, and accommodations for guests who prefer an ultimate in privacy inside one large or two small private dining rooms overlooking Dodger Stadium. 71 Above offers a full bar with a handcrafted cocktail menu featuring both traditional and signature varieties. For a traditional cocktail, try the Cosmopolitan, so fitting for the sophisticated, with a delicate mix of Ultimate Vodka, Cointreau Cranberry and lime. Or if you prefer, make the city more memorable with the Downtown, a mixologist dream of toasted hazelnut, Old Forester Bourbon, cognac, and Apricot Demerara. 633 W 5th Street. 90071. www.71above.com
Takami Sushi and Robata’s
The Financial District has no shortage of skyscrapers. If you really want to have a blast, consider taking the elevator 21 floors up to one of Downtown’s most unique restaurant concepts. Serving the highest quality sushi, robata, and Japanese-influenced entrees, Takami Sushi and Robata’s uncompromising good service, coupled with atmosphere, and tastefully done cuisine is hard to top. Takami has one of the most elegant wine list in Downtown beginning with their Bordeaux-style wine, Opus Meritage, One ’07, ’09, ’11 from Napa Valley at $385, ending with classic metallic bottles of Armand De Brignac “Ace of Spade” Champaign from Reims, France, B at $550. 811 Wilshire Blvd, 90071. www.takamisushi.com
LA Prime @Westin Bonaventure
Inspired by local traditions and seasonal tastes, each Crafted at Westin cocktail is a reflection of its surroundings. All ingredients are carefully selected for flavor and freshness and expertly mixed. The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites has got to be one of the most adored landmarks in all of Los Angeles. Built in 1974, the 35-story hotel features award-winning restaurant restaurant/bar on the 35th floor with a relaxed atmosphere and refined service. “LA Prime is known for its innovative and edgy cuisine and provides the ultimate in dining. Executive Chef Andreas Nieto has created a masterful menu utilizing only fresh ingredients in combination with an artist eye to please your palate. As you dine a million lights will stretch out at your feet or wink at you from the sky as you sit back, relax and enjoy all that downtown Los Angeles has to offer.” 404 S Figueroa Street, 90071. www.thebonaventure.com
The Standard
At the Standard Rooftop bar you may find it harder to look up than plain looking around thanks to the sunbathers and heated pool party participants that offer some breathtaking views. The Standard is a virtual epicenter of youthful travelers mostly under 35, who don’t yet suffer from the effects of age, including gravity, wrinkles, balding or shyness. Known more for its tapas that help the youngsters soak up alchohol, the crowd is wet and wild, and the drinks are plenty with specialty cocktails, dance floor, outdoor fireplace, waterbed lounging pods, and a classic German Biergarten with sculptured topiary unicorns leading the way. 550 S. Flower Street. standardhotels.com
Club Elevate
Don’t try to speak when you’re partying at Club Elevate. Words will do you no justice. Just allow its splendor to overwhelm you and communicate with your ability to have fun. Elevate’s bottle service is unmatched, starting with Grey Goose, CIROC, and Moet, with up to 50 VIP comps. Elevate is not just a dance club with an amazing lounge. It’s a chance to experience the freedom of altitude inside an Ultra-Lounge where indoor and outdoor become one. It’s a 21-story penthouse that bathes you in the outside air and shelters you inside enormous, neighboring, architectural structures, leaving you with a feeling of omnipresence, knowing that whatever your private experience with Club Elevate may be, it will be kept secret by the surrounding buildings and by the night. 811 Wilshire Blvd, 90071. www.elevatelounge.com
Perch
Undoubtedly one of Downtown’s most romantic restaurant locations, think bird’s nest with live jazz and French cuisine on a roof top deck that offers unobstructed views of Downtown Los Angeles’s Historic Core. Is it the nest or LOVE that makes you feel you are floating high above the City? Perch with its beautiful antique inspired furniture, plush lounge couches and incredibly detailed woodwork, quite enjoyable. The inside dining area is virtually surrounded by outdoor patio seating areas with ornate fireplaces and incredible romantic views of the Downtown L.A. Consider their signature cocktails with great delight with a sip of Midnight in Paris mixed of Park VS Cognac, Green Mark Vodka, crème de peche, lemon, and orange, or get frisky with a French Maid consisting of Park VS Cognac, lemon juice, cucumber, and fresh mint. 448 S Hill Street, 90013. perchla.com
The Nest at WP24/ Ritz Carlton
Located on the 24th floor of The Ritz-Carlton, it’s no wonder they name some of their signature coctails after mystical beast of flight. Take the Dragon’s Fire with Patron Añejo Tequila, Grapefruit and Jalapeño (now that’s fire) or the Aviation, the perfect fuel of Oaxley Gin, Luxardo Maraschino, and Crème de Violette – you’ll never want to come down. Nest at WP24 is a modern lounge experience serving a dedicated menu of Asian-inspired snacks, appetizers, sushi and large plates. Culinary offerings include items exclusive to Nest, as well as signature favorites from the WP24 restaurant’s modern Chinese menu, accompanied by a refined wine list and extended menu of craft cocktails. 900 W Olympic Blvd, 90015. www.ritzcarlton.com
The niXon at Luxe
Be the envy of LA Live, as passerby’s look up to you in wonder at this stylish, sleek, and comfortable, niXon global kitchen + patio lounge is an urban eatery featuring light bites, specialty cocktails, and extreme ambience. Two words…BOTTOMLESS MIMOSAS…Located on the second floor patio of the Luxe City Center Hotel, the elegant patio dining and premium cocktails accompany some of the finest views of South Park. Looking to make a good impression with a youthful yet sophisticated crowd, enjoying the game or great cigar, or winding down during happy hour, the niXon at Luxe is the best choice for class that’s not overly pretentious. luxecitycenter.com
ION Rooftop Patio at J.W. Marriot
Guests, and friends of, may refresh in the fourth floor rooftop pool with a couple of cocktails before escaping to one of the many chaise lounges along the pool deck. Amazing views of the southern skyline, L.A. LIVE and a great chance for exhibitionist who don’t mind guests of the rooms above peering down at them as they take a quick dip. Family atmosphere and much more fun in the warmer months a the bar is open seasonally; weather permitting. www.marriott.com
Upstairs Bar at The Ace Hotel
Inspired by Hollywood’s famous Les Deux Cafe, Upstairs is the sky-high urban oasis at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles. With a concrete pool and city lights stretched out in all directions, Upstairs’ bunker-like rooftop bar hosts a smattering of events every night of the week — DJs, live bands, book release parties, pop-up shops and creative collaborations — with bright, world-traveled twists on California desert fare and traditional cocktails with a menu lovingly curated by the wizards at L.A. Chapter.www.acehotel.com
