Getting a reservation at Los Angeles hotspots such as Bavel and All Day Baby might be a wait, but here’s a little-known secret: you can easily snag a reservation at the bar.
Bar dining at these popular restaurants includes ocean views from a Santa Monica hotel rooftop, a seat next to the bustling kitchen at an Italian favorite where you can feel the warmth from the pizza oven, and a perch at a Koreatown restaurant where bartenders are stirring inventive cocktails. With dishes such as slow-cooked lamb shawarma and truffle arancini, bar food has never looked this good in LA.
Whether you’re looking for a solo meal or just want to snuggle up next to your dinner companion, read on for eight buzzy restaurants with seats available at the bar or counter.
For Neighborhood Restaurant Vibes
Farmhouse Thai (West Adams)
When this Bay Area mini-chain landed in West Adams late last year it filled two voids in the neighborhood’s dining scene: a full bar and Thai food. A white horse sculpture at the door, cascades of plastic flowers, and stunning dishes might scream Instagram gold, but the food here goes beyond that. Diners can post up at the sleek white bar that peeks into the kitchen and order menu favorites such as fried chicken with roti, rich yellow curry, blue pea flower-dyed rice, and slip-off-the-bone tender short rib in panang curry. The whimsical cocktails served in Star Wars-themed tiki mugs and magic genie lamps are not to be missed, either.
Hermanito (Sawtelle)
This restaurant is a rare LA gem: A Mexican spot that takes inspiration from Sawtelle’s Japanese heritage. It also has two bars that have plenty of seats when the restaurant is slammed. Diners can order the full menu at the bar with highlights including hamachi sashimi brightened with ponzu and a sprinkling of furikake and blue corn tortillas filled with Oaxacan cheese and Japanese mushrooms. There’s also an extensive drinks menu with agave spirits, Japanese whiskies, and lagers from both nations.
For an Escape
Palma Lounge & Calabra (Santa Monica)
Staycation vibes await diners at Palma Lounge, which has been done up by interior designer Kelly Wearstler to feel like a lush retreat in Morocco or Tulum. The lobby, filled with eclectic earth-toned furniture and indoor palms, gives way to a bar where menu highlights include truffle arancini and 600-day aged prosciutto with melon. There’s a second bar upstairs (the Westside’s only rooftop pool bar) that’s one of the city’s best-kept brunch secrets, offering Mediterranean dishes such as eggplant flatbread topped with feta and olives and a sushi selection Thursday through Sunday.
For Kitchen Views
Bestia (DTLA)
It may seem impossible to get into this LA restaurant world darling, but here’s a hot tip: look for a 5 pm reservation at the counter. The Italian restaurant from culinary power couple Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis doesn’t have a bad seat in the house. Cocktails such as Sardinian orange spritz await at the bar, which offers a quieter refuge from the raucous dining room. What’s more, this prime spot offers a bird’s eye view of chefs preparing scallop crudo and pulling out restaurant favorites such as spicy lamb sausage pizza from the oven.
Cento (West Adams)
The U-shaped bar surrounding the open-air kitchen at pasta hit Cento lets diners order the full dinner menu, beers, and wines, all while getting a close-up view of the carb-y magic happening in the kitchen. Bestia alum Avner Levi makes dishes such as magenta-hued beet spaghetti with brown butter and whipped ricotta and sea urchin topped with burrata. Cento has given Levi a permanent home to showcase his repertoire of housemade pasta dishes alongside seasonal starters and desserts, and a bar seat here is an ideal way to get in on that action at the last minute.
Bavel (Arts District)
Bavel’s open-air setting, Arts District location, and Middle Eastern menu from the Bestia team makes reservations in the dining room hard to come by. But the counter wrapping around the kitchen with front row seats to the action is just as worthy of your time. The scent of blistered pita levitates off the grill as cooks plate the restaurant’s beloved duck ‘nduja hummus and slow roasted lamb neck shawarma. Cocktails including an old fashioned with lamb fat bourbon and the selection of Mediterranean and California wines make the bar seats an unforgettable experience.
For Inventive Cocktails
Here’s Looking at You (Koreatown)
The pandemic made it seem like this Koreatown favorite would close forever, but it’s back stronger than ever as of last summer. If snagging a reservation in the dining room feels intimidating, HLAY’s intimate bar is a worthy alternative. The James Beard Award-nominated team prepares exciting drinks such as Mr. Chin’s Wild Ride featuring makrut lime leaf-infused rum and fresh blood orange juice alongside restaurant favorites uni panna cotta with tobiko and frog legs with salsa negra—the cozy vibes will tempt you to make eating at the bar a part of your weekly routine.
All Day Baby (Silverlake)
The long bar at this popular Silverlake bakery fuses modern diner vibes with old-school comfort. During the day the kitchen slays the Eastside breakfast game with biscuit sandwiches sweetened with strawberry jam, key lime pie, and boozy milkshakes. At night, the restaurant transforms into Tet-A-Tet, showcasing Vietnamese food with a Latin American touch. The cocktail menu turns out two- or four-person mezcal cocktails with lemongrass vodka, watermelon, and coconut cream that make dining at the bar feel like a party.
Ferron Salniker is a freelance food and culture writer with a focus on identity, origins and systems. She also curates and produces food and spirit events across the country.
