Rooftop bars for high living in Los Angeles

Los Angeles’ rooftop bars mix jaw-dropping views over the Hollywood Hills, well-crafted cocktails and the city’s trademark creative energy. LA is renowned for its year-round warm weather, and its rooftops provide the perfect spot to catch a cool breeze. Many sit atop the city’s crop of beautiful hotels, while others crown retail complexes and landmarks.

These are undoubtedly the best places to catch an eyeful of the sprawling southern California city, both day and night.

Rooftop bars in Hollywood

Desert 5 Spot

Best for: Desert cool with nightly rock and country music
Location: 6516 Selma Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Price: $$$

One of Los Angeles’ best rooftop bars for dancing, Desert 5 Spot brings live country and rock to the roof of Hollywood VOLUME hotel. The Desert 5 house band plays nightly, alongside weekend DJs. Channeling 1970s Palm Springs, Pioneertown and the surrounding desert, the space is furnished with shrub-studded corners, cacti, old-school jukeboxes, neon signs and vintage artwork.

Regular line dancing and themed events add to its convivial, inclusive atmosphere. A second outpost opened in Brooklyn, New York, in 2024.

Bar Lis at The Hollywood Grande

Best for: Riviera glamour with weekly live music
Location: 1541 Wilcox Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90028, United States
Price: $$$

Just off Sunset Boulevard on Wilcox Avenue, this rooftop crowns The Hollywood Grande hotel. The bar brings a slice of the Cote D’Azur to Hollywood, with art deco interiors and a menu of traditional bistro fare such as steak frites and spicy vodka rigatoni. Framed photographs of Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg, James Dean and Brigitte Bardot line the walls, offering a good indication of the dress code.

On the wraparound terrace, choose between bar-facing stools and flower-trimmed banquettes, with plenty of space for larger parties. Walk-ins are welcome, but reservations are recommended on Tuesdays, when the Jazz Eclectic LA series presents live performances from emerging and established artists. Wednesdays often bring wellness workshops, including sound baths.

Rooftop bars in West Hollywood

The Roof at The West Hollywood EDITION

Best for: Mezcal cocktails with unfettered views
Location: 9040 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Price: $$$$

One of the few spots in LA to offer uninterrupted views over the ocean and the city stretching from Santa Monica to downtown, The Roof at The West Hollywood Edition wins on setting alone. Tequila and smoky mezcal cocktails use inventive ingredients such as wasabi salt, prepared alongside a menu of vegetarian tacos and raw-bar bites such as a seafood tower piled with oysters, king crab and ceviche. Order the Penicillina, which mixes tequila with citrus and honey, topped with a float of hibiscus mezcal. Matched with a skyline view, it’s our favourite kind of cure-all.

Lemon Grove Restaurant at The Aster

Best for: Iconic LA views and a sunset happy hour
Address: 1717 Vine Street, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Price: $$$$

The Aster is a hotel and members’ club, so expect to find a good number of regulars at the rooftop bar and restaurant. Named for its garden-like setting, the space is open to non-members, with iconic LA views of the Capitol Records building and the Hollywood Hills. Join the action at the bar or find a cozy, cacti-framed nook and order a Slightly Impeared, made with agave vodka, pear, green tea and shiso epazote olive oil. The Californian food menu is classically LA, with vegan and keto options, but we recommend the cacio e pepe and signature meatballs. Happy hour runs from Wednesday through Saturday, 5 to 7pm, perfectly timed for sunset.

Rooftops in Culver City

Margot

Best for: Handmade pasta atop a creative retail complex
Location: 8820 Washington Boulevard Suite 301, Culver City, CA 90232
Price: $$

Platform in Culver City is an open-air retail complex that mixes high-end shops, restaurants and creative businesses. Locals will quickly tell you, however, that its rooftop bar, Margot, is the place to go. Bleached wooden tables, a copper tiled bar, braided seating and steel windows create a industrial-cool setting, with ambient fire pits.

The cocktail menu changes with the seasons, while a food menu draws inspiration from coastal Mediterranean cuisine, including handmade pastas and shareable dishes designed with rooftop dining in mind.

Rooftop bars in DTLA

Inanna Bar at The Hoxton

Best for: Mezze plates and Broadway views
Location: 1060 South Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90015, United States
Price: $$$

At Inanna, rattan chairs, ocean-blue parasols and plants furnish the rooftop. The menu draws on Middle Eastern flavours, with mezze-style dishes including flatbreads, grilled prawns and sumac dishes, all served with Broadway views. Make it your choice for a warm-up before an evening at nearby Grand Central Market.

Broken Shaker at Freehand Los Angeles

Best for: Pool parties and inventive libations
Location: 416 West 8th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014
Price: $$$

At this relaxed downtown rooftop, groups gather by the pool deck for cocktails and swimming dips. Come evening, the vibe shifts and the music turns up, with live DJ sets beneath the night sky. The hardcore stay 12 to 12. The bar has earned accolades for its mixology prowess, so expect impressive libations, shaken with house-made elixirs, such as hibiscus kombucha with rosemary essence or charred Meyer lemon juice with grated nutmeg.

Rooftops in Santa Monica

Calabra Restaurant and Bar at Santa Monica Proper

Best for: Sunset drinks with Pacific panorama
Location: 700 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Price: $$$

Perched within walking distance of the beach, Calabra is primed for looking out over the ocean. It packs out at sunset, with a well-heeled local crowd. Pick between biodynamic wines from California, South Africa and Argentina and Old World vintages from Portugal and France. There is also a range of small-batch spirits and rare sake selections, with flavours of cantaloupe, mandarin orange and umami. The all-day menu is served mezze-style, with herb-packed dips alongside warm grilled breads, fresh fruit and salads, and other Mediterranean light bites.

Élephante

Best for: A coastal address for brunch and ocean vistas
Location: 1332 2nd Street Rooftop, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Price: $$$$

With Santa Monica Beach’s golden sands on the doorstep, Italian restaurant and bar Élephante draws crowds for its ocean views, handmade pasta and easy glamour. Sweeping vistas are dotted with staggering palm trees, with live DJs on weekends.

If you’re visiting with a group, cocktails can be made into a punchbowl, and the brunch menu is served until 3pm daily. The breakfast pizza with egg, ham, parmesan, provolone cheese and cream is the standout. Dress the part and be sure to make a reservation in advance.

Rooftop bars in Beverley Hills

Dante at The Maybourne Beverly Hills

Best for: Smart Italian with a live pianist
Address: 225 N Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Price: $$$$

Dante sits atop The Maybourne Beverly Hills hotel and is every bit as luxurious as you would expect. The restaurant hails from New York, where it opened in Greenwich Village in 1915, with LA marking its first West Coast location.

Ocean blue, horseshoe-shaped booths sit beneath a ceiling fresco by local artist Abel Macias, while outdoor sage green couches overlook 90210. A live pianist sets the rhythm, with a menu of wood-fired pizzas, Italian small plates and seafood. Martini Hour runs daily from 3 to 5pm with 10 USD drinks, while an extensive negroni list includes tequila and chocolate variations. The weekend brunch is also a draw, with family-style dishes for groups including huevos rancheros verdes with homemade corn tortillas, with flowing garibaldi and bellini cocktails.

Bar Funke

Best for: A rose quartz bar and handmade pasta
Address: 9388 S Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Price: $$$$

Bar Funke hovers near Rodeo Drive, the lights of Beverly Hills illuminating the skyline. A verdant trellis archway leads to the rooftop, where a Cristallo Rosa quartz bar forms the centrepiece. Each named after a region in Italy, cocktails place a bellisimo twist on the classics with the help of their extensive amaro selection. The food menu by Chef Evan Funke – also behind Felix and Mother Wolf – brings sfincione (focaccia-style Sicilian pizza), handmade pasta, crudos and Petrossian caviar for a luxe spread on the terrace. Plan ahead to score a reservation.

Still thirsty? Check out or LA city guide for hotel recommendations and the city’s greatest art galleries.