LAGuide
The Best Late Night Happy Hours In LA
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Life is full of surprises - birthday parties, holiday bonuses, CSI still airing on television. But few compare to the feeling of being at a restaurant late at night when suddenly everything becomes significantly cheaper. Late night Happy Hour might not be as popular as its after-work sibling, but it’s just as exhilarating. Here are the 16 best in Los Angeles.
The Spots
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Jones is an Italian restaurant on Santa Monica Blvd. that’s one of the most reliable late-night spots in West Hollywood. Sure, it’s loud and crowded, but the food is exactly what you want to be eating at 11pm (get the skillet spaghetti) and you just fell in love with a CW actor standing at the bar. The martinis are some of our favorite in town.
The Deal: $4.50 beer, $5.50 call drinks, $7.50 pizzas, and more.
When: Sunday-Thursday 10pm-2am.
This classic Mexican restaurant in Venice has been around since 1963 and is our favorite spot on the Westside for giant burritos, meat platters, and margarita pitchers - three items that taste just as good at 1:30am on their rowdy back patio.
The Deal: Discounts on everything from quesadillas to barbacoa plates.
When: Weeknights 10pm-3am.
One of the best-known restaurants in LA, Pizzeria Mozza is the casual offshoot of Osteria Mozza and Chi Spacca. But while it’s more relaxed than those places, you still have to work hard to get a table here. Unless you come late-night for the discounted menu and a seat at the first-come, first-served bar.
The Deal: An entire late-night menu featuring discounts on everything from the Nancy’s chopped salad to margherita pizza. Bar only.
When: Sunday-Thursday 10pm-midnight.
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This downtown Tex-Mex spot isn’t as popular as it was a few years ago, but in our analysis, that’s a good thing. Bar Ama has become one of the Historic Core’s most reliable neighborhood spots with a queso dip we’ve told our therapist about.
The Deal: Super Nacho Hour. $8 margaritas and nachos, $5 tacos and queso, and more.
When: Monday-Thursday 10-11pm, Friday 11pm-midnight, Saturday-Sunday 9-10pm.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
If you’re looking for a good jumping off point before a night out in Koreatown, it doesn’t get much better than EMC. This modern raw bar and restaurant on the ground floor of a mall has a big menu of seafood-leaning dishes (the uni pasta is a must) and a crowd that won’t judge if you end up getting drunker than you had originally planned.
The Deal: $1.50 oysters, $6 beer, wine, well drinks, and sake. $4-6 bar snacks.
When: Sunday-Thursday 10pm-close, Friday-Saturday 11pm-close.
Bodega is a massive wine bar in Santa Monica with a good wine list, a food menu that isn’t going to offend anyone, and a lively atmosphere that makes drinking Chardonnay at 12:15am on a Tuesday feel completely normal.
The Deal: $4 beer, $7 glasses of wine and appetizers.
When: Sunday-Thursday 10pm-close.
This spot is Permanently Closed.
Better known for its gigantic selection of craft beer (70 taps) than its food, Mohawk Bend is where you go when you want to drink beer on Eastside that you can’t buy at Ralph’s. If you do get hungry though, you’ll definitely be able to find something off of their enormous vegan-friendly menu. The big space used to be a vaudeville theater and can handle any size group you roll in with at 10:45pm.
The Deal: $5.50 select beer, $2 off any glass of wine, discounted food items.
When: Sunday-Thursday 10pm-close. Weekends 11pm-close.
Most people come to Barbrix for their bottomless brunch, but this neighborhood wine bar in Silver Lake serves a solid dinner with everything from charcuterie to salads to giant plates of meats. Plus, you won’t have to endure any of the screaming daytime crowds at night.
The Deal: $4-6 snacks and half-off listed glasses of wine. Bar only.
When: Sunday-Thursday 10-11pm.
Filled primarily with parents visiting their children at UCLA, Napa Valley Grille doesn’t exactly have the most groundbreaking food in the world (get ready for scallops). That said, you’ll also have a completely fine meal here. Considering the limited late-night specials of any kind in Westwood, that’s a win whether you’re with your parents or not.
The Deal: $5 beer, $8 seasonal cocktail, wine bottle specials, and $4-13 bar snacks.
When: Daily 9pm-close.
If you’re vegan or vegetarian, Crossroads needs little introduction. This upscale restaurant in West Hollywood is one of the most popular vegan/vegetarian restaurants in LA - and that’s saying something in a city where Impossible Burgers are an accepted form of currency. When you’re looking for late-night sustenance that you won’t give you a food hangover in the morning, remember Crossroads.
The Deal: Small food menu with prices ranging from $3-12. Bar only.
When: Daily 10pm-close.
Freedman’s is an all-day comfort food spot in Silver Lake that looks like an upscale diner along the Jersey turnpike. In other words - it’s the kind of place you come into for a quick dinner on Tuesday and end up hanging out in all night, eating everything from reubens to trout roe popovers.
Deal: Pastrami crunch wrap supremes and hot dogs.
When: Thursday nights from 10pm-2am. Check their Instagram for weekly updates.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Many of Manhattan Beach’s restaurants are overrun with tourists and exhausted families. One exception is Fishbar - the neighborhood sports bar with our favorite fish tacos on the Westside. This place can get rowdy almost any night of the week.
The Deal: Tiki Thursdays. $10 tiki cocktails and discounted bar snacks.
When: Thursdays 10pm-close.
Far Bar is one of our favorite places to grab a late-night drink downtown and not have to deal with lines and a bouncer. This sports bar/restaurant in Little Tokyo has a huge craft beer list, a hidden back patio, and a burger that’s way better than it needs to be.
The Deal: $5 bar snacks, $7 cocktails, $5 wine and beer of the day, 20% off bottles of sake.
When: Sunday-Monday 9pm - close.
If you’ve ever taken a class at UCB or been forced to go see a friend’s Improv 101 show, you’ve been to this chicken-focused restaurant/bar quite a bit. It’s always crowded and everyone is complaining about their reels. But if you ignore all that, this place is a great spot for late-night drinking and the roasted chicken is pretty good.
Deal: $4 draft beer, wine, and well drinks.
When: Wednesday-Thursday 10pm-close. Friday 11pm-close.
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Playa Del Rey has no shortage of places where you can drink excessively by the beach, but Bacari PDR is our favorite. The casual wine bar has drink specials pretty much every minute of every day, but not in a way that makes it feel like some ridiculous college bar.
The Deal: Every glass of wine is $1 cheaper than your previous one, down to a free glass.
When: Wednesdays 5pm-close.
photo credit: Matt Gendal
Alibi Room in Culver City is one of the only places you can get kogi tacos outside of the actual Kogi Taqueria. This neighborhood bar can get crowded on the weekends, but during the week, it’s a great spot for a nightcap after a date.
The Deal: Featured beer and cocktail specials.
When: Sunday-Wednesday 11pm-2am.
