21 Rooftop Bars in Los Angeles with Jaw-Dropping Views

Take in towering skyscrapers, the Hollywood hills, and the sparkling Pacific Ocean from LA’s best rooftops.

LA’s rooftop bars are up there with some of the best in the world. And they offer so many varying skyline views that you can visit a different hangout every night of the week and enjoy the city from a new vantage point. Take in the sparkling shores of Santa Monica, the towering buildings in Downtown LA, signature palm trees and Beverly Hills mansions, or the iconic Hollywood sign framed by steep hillsides. Find the right location and you just might get treated to all of the above from a single perch. And thanks to their open-air nature, rooftop bars have been a godsend during these unpredictable pandemic times.

From luxurious poolside lounges to exciting eats by renowned chefs, LA has a bounty of rooftops with sparkling city views for any occasion.

Bar Lis

Hollywood
$$$$

Escape to the French Riviera on the rooftop of the Thompson Hollywood. The chic terrace lounge offers indoor and outdoor seating with 360-degree views of Hollywood. On Tuesday nights listen to live jazz, while Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays bring live DJs that attract dancing crowds under the disco ball. Craft cocktails and snacks are on offer, including the La Vie En Rose, with Avion Silver, Kettle One peach and orange blossom, Cointreau, lime, hibiscus, and of course, sparkling rosé.
How to book: Make sure you have a reservation. On weekends there’s typically a crowd waiting to catch the elevator to the party.

Cara Cara
Photo by The Ingalls

Cara Cara

Downtown
$$$$

Award-winning duo, chef Suzanne Goin and restaurateur and sommelier Caroline Styne (AOC), recently expanded their LA empire with two restaurants within the Downtown LA Proper Hotel. The rooftop destination features all-day, Portuguese-inspired fare featuring California produce, ranging from salads, starters, and tacos to seasonal focaccias and grilled favorites such as Arroz de Mariscos and Hanger Steak Frites, all served in a lounge-like setting. Take a seat around a fire pit and enjoy the sweeping LA skyline alongside elevated fare and inventive cocktails.

Available for Reservations

Located in Hollywood’s Vinyl District, this recording studio turned modern Italian restaurant opened with a 4,000-square-foot rooftop deck. Grab a seat and enjoy stunning views of the Hollywood Hills while enjoying rooftop-exclusive menu items such as a Chicken Parma Roll, Cheesy Stuffed Olives, Mini Mortadella Paninis, and cocktails on tap. Established by The Botanical Group (Melrose Rooftop Theatre, EP & LP, Strings of Life), the rooftop is open every day until 2 am, and features an Aperitivo Party every Sunday from 4 pm–6 pm, with different chefs taking over the menu.
How to book: Rooftop is walk-ins only.

Available for Reservations
Cabra
Photo by Stan Lee

Cabra

Downtown
$$$$

Chef Stephanie Izard (Girl & the Goat) doubles down on her LA ventures with the opening of Cabra, a new rooftop restaurant at The Hoxton that features an al fresco patio with umbrellas as well as an enclosed area with window views of Downtown and a peek into the chef’s kitchen. Must-tries at this Peruvian-inspired restaurant include Tuna Tiradito that’s dashed with an herbaceous serrano-cilantro sauce and refreshing crunches of jicama and passion fruit flowers, and a fun take on Lomo Saltado that features house-made tater tots. The Peruvian spirit pisco is featured in an array of cocktails, including the classic Pisco Sour, as well as inventive creations like Pisco Fever, with pisco, mango, and frozen aji panca.

Available for Reservations
Desert 5 Spot
Photo courtesy of Desert 5 Spot

Desert 5 Spot

Hollywood
$$$$

Dust off your cowboy boots and head to the rooftop of the new tommie Hollywood hotel. The Western-themed sister to nearby Bar Lis at the Thompson, this 1970s Palm Springs-meets-Pioneertown bar brings a unique Americana vibe to Hollywood. Expect live rock and country music performances, vintage furniture, neon signs, a jukebox, and even line dancing. The 5,000-square-foot, indoor-outdoor bar puts an emphasis on mezcal and tequila cocktails, named in honor of country-rock hits like Achy Breaky Heart and Jolene, while offering 360-degrees views of the nearby Hollywood Hills. There’s even a mechanical bull on select Saturdays.
How to book: Walk-ins only.

Celestina
Photo courtesy of Celestina

Celestina

Culver City
$$$$

Open daily from 11 am to 9 pm, this new rooftop spot at The Shay hotel within the Ivy Station development, is a great place to sip cocktails poolside and grab a bite to eat. The lush restaurant features a crystal fireplace and Mexican fare (taco towers, nachos, and spiked paletas), paired with boozy slushies and aguas frescas. Sister restaurant to Italian hotspot, Etta that’s located downstairs, Michelin-starred chef Danny Grant and executive sous chef Nino Chavez helm the kitchen at this relaxing lounge, which marks Culver City’s first rooftop poolside bar.
How to book: Reservations are available on the restaurant’s website, but walk-ins are also welcomed. Book a poolside daybed or cabana through ResortPass.

Rooftop By JG

Beverly Hills
$$$$

Head to the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills for stunning 360-degree views of the city. Decked out in emerald and sage hues with a blooming garden that borders the edge of the roof (providing a perfect photo backdrop), plus plenty of plant life throughout, the covered rooftop feels like you’ve landed in a perfectly temperate jungle. The JG restaurant, a more casual spot than chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s namesake restaurant on the lobby level, serves up breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, with most dishes leaning towards market fresh American-Italian. On weekends, brunch is served from 10 am–3 pm, providing a tempting invitation to indulge with french fries and caviar while sitting 12 stories above Beverly Hills.

Available for Reservations
Calabra
Photo courtesy of The Ingalls

Calabra

Santa Monica
$$$$

From the moment you walk into the lobby of the Proper Hotel you’re greeted with the signature relaxed and boho vibe that you’d expect from Santa Monica. The lobby bar itself is a hangout, with spillage from the rooftop Calabra bar lingering around, but the real party is upstairs. Settle into the inviting lounge seating and be transported with lush greenery and quirky furniture. Delicious Mediterranean-inspired plates—lobster and prawn puttanesca, and lamb chops with green garbanzo and tzatziki—are served alongside specialty cocktails and prime people watching. The wine and spirit lists are also sizable for those who prefer their drinks with less fuss.
How to book: Walk-ins are welcome.

Available for Reservations
Merois
Photo courtesy of Merois

Merois

West Hollywood
$$$$

Take in panoramic views from high above the Sunset Strip while enjoying a Wolfgang Puck-crafted menu that pull flavors from Japanese, Southeast Asian, and French-California cuisines, resulting in dishes like Crab Fried Rice with country ham and Squid Noodles in a ginger-garlic clam broth with Thai basil. Located on the rooftop of West Hollywood’s Pendry Hotel, you’d be wise to ask for a table on the restaurant’s loungey patio, but generous floor-to-ceiling windows throughout mean that rooftop views can also be enjoyed from their elegant dining on those cooler nights.

Available for Reservations

Margot

Culver City

Cap off your trip to the Platform dining and shopping complex with a visit to the rooftop, where you’ll find the airy and spacious Margot restaurant. With decor that takes inspiration from the white sand beaches and stunning ruins of the Mediterranean, Margot will make you forget that you’re actually in the bustling center of downtown Culver City. Enjoy views that stretch from the beach to inland valleys, while munching on small tapas plates in a boho-chic setting.

Available for Reservations
Élephante
Photo by Bella Marie Adams, courtesy of Elephante

Elephante

Santa Monica
$$$$

Escape the hustle and bustle of Santa Monica, well really the 3rd Street Promenade, with this hidden gem. Serving up a menu of coastal Mediterranean favorites, this rooftop restaurant is everything you want a SaMo hot spot to be: good vibes, good music, and good drinks, with the Pacific Ocean as your backdrop. You also have the option of making any cocktail a small or large punchbowl, which sounds like the perfect way to celebrate with friends. The restaurant even bottles their own rosė. Yes, it’s that kind of scene.

The Roof at EDITION
Photo courtesy of The Roof at The West Hollywood EDITION

The Roof at EDITION

West Hollywood
$$$$

Atop the EDITION hotel, this sleek modern restaurant and lounge merges indoor with outdoor via oversized glass windows that open up to a patio where poolside, candlelit dinner is served. Mexican-influenced plates like Crab Nachos and Sweet Potato Taquitos are served alongside a cocktail list that favors mezcal and tequila spirits, with notes of citrus and tropical ingredients. Topping off your experience are glittering 360-views of the city, making this the perfect spot to grab a cocktail (and a tostada) during sunset.

Available for Reservations
Harriet's Rooftop
Photo by Wonho Frank Lee

Harriet's Rooftop

West Hollywood
$$$$

Enter this cocktail lounge by the H.Wood Group, located at the 1 Hotel West Hollywood and snag one of the tables under the stars. And if you take a gander around, you just might spot a Hollywood starlet at this celeb favorite that has a designated nook for comedian Dave Chappelle, complete with photos of the entertainer and aptly named “Dave’s Corner.” The music here is always bumpin’ and sets the mood for this lounge space that’s also open for weekend brunch. 
How to book: H.Wood Group is notorious for having a selective door policy, so unless you’re friends with a promoter, make a reservation on their website.

LA Cha Cha Cha
Photo by Wonho Frank Lee

Mexico City’s favorite terrace restaurant recently launched its DTLA iteration, complete with an 11,600-square-foot-rooftop that features cacti, palm trees, and moody string lights that make the surrounding Arts District feel like a tropical beach destination. The food menu features Mexican favorites—tacos, tostadas, ceviche, carnitas, and more—while the cocktail list peppers classic drinks with mezcal and tequila, resulting in unique concoctions like the Oaxacan Zombie, with mezcal, aged and overproof tequila, falernum, grenadine, and mint.

Available for Reservations
Spire 73
Photo courtesy of Spire 73

Spire 73

DTLA
$$$$

There are rooftops, and then there’s Spire 73. This open-air hotspot is, you guessed it, 73 stories in the air, and an absolute titan of the DTLA scene. Clocking in at over 1,000 feet in altitude, the Wilshire Grand Center is the tallest building west of the Mississippi (seriously), and that makes Spire 73—part of the building's InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown hotel—the highest place to grab a drink in LA and the tallest open-air bar in the Western Hemisphere. The views are breathtaking (literally—you’re 73 stories up), and there isn’t a single piece of LA you can’t see. If you manage to take your eyes off the view, the global menu features market-fresh produce, with plenty of seafood and vegetarian options.

Available for Reservations
E.P & L.P.
Photo courtesy of David Higgs

E.P & L.P.

West Hollywood
$$$$

This rooftop that’s on top of EP Restaurant has great views, fire pits, amazing cocktails, and craveable small plates like Salt and Pepper Calamari and Seasoned Waffle Fries, plus a couple of sandwich and taco options. All craft cocktails are available by the glass or pitcher, with refreshing choices like Sexy Back with tequila, cantaloupe, lime, and ginger syrup, and several frozen options to cool you down on those balmy LA afternoons. Cut your work day short and stop by during weekday happy hour from 4–6 pm.
How to book: Walk-ins only.

Available for Reservations

Mama Shelter

Hollywood
$$$$

This hotel rooftop is right in the heart of Hollywood and completely open to the public, with great panoramic views of the city, dangerously strong craft cocktails, and an all-day restaurant serving elevated bar foods—the Boujee Fries and Sticky Wings are must-orders for the table, and wash down easy with cocktails like Endless Summer with Titos Vodka, raspberry, agave, fresh lime juice, and fresh watermelon juice. Chic, colorful chairs and lush landscaping make for a vibrant setting, with sweeping city views from Downtown to the Hollywood sign.
How to book: Walk-ins only.

Available for Reservations

Perch

DTLA
$$$$

One of our essential dining experiences in LA, this French-inspired restaurant has one of the best views in the city, but did you know that one floor above it is a bar with even better views? And the drinks, with titles that take inspiration from Hollywood films and literature, pair perfectly with the rapidly changing DTLA skyline (which we’ll take as an excuse to come back again and again). Stick with the rooftop theme and order All The Way Up, with Absolut Elyx, lemon, St Germaine, creme de mure, soda and sparkling wine. A live DJ plays on the weekends beginning at 9 pm.
How to book: Reservations are available on their website and walk-ins are welcome.

Available for Reservations

Venice Beach should be on everyone’s LA bucket list, as should a sunset cocktail, in particular, one called the LA Woman. Fun fact: Hotel Erwin’s rooftop bar’s cocktail menu is inspired by The Doors music anthology. Located in the heart of Venice Beach and overlooking the Pacific, you’ll find High Rooftop Lounge perched on top of this boutique hotel. The laid-back vibe pairs perfectly with curated cocktails, seasonal menu items, sweeping ocean views.

Available for Reservations

At the top of the Freehand Hotel sits Broken Shaker, the type of rooftop spot that LA desperately needs more of. Bright, colorful, and buzzy, Broken Shaker is rocking some of the best DTLA views of any rooftop in the area. The cocktail and bites menus are no joke either—think beachside fish shack vibes like Fried Fish Tacos and Carne Asada Fries. Cocktails lean into the chill, no-fuss vibes with titles like Cruise Control (Westward whiskey, cinnamon-infused lustau vermut, Lo-Fi dry vermouth, Rhinehall plum brandy, peach bitters, and saline solution) and Extreme Thirst (El Tesoro Blanco, grapefruit and jalapeno, Avua cachaca, charred meyer lemon juice, orgeat, and grated nutmeg).

Available for Reservations

Terra

Century City
$$$$

This expansive rooftop terrace restaurant on top of the Eataly marketplace at the Century City mall is the perfect way to end your shopping trip. Drinks are a no-brainer (and exploring the build-your-own G&T menu is a must), but if you’re hungry there’s also a full-service brunch & dinner restaurant centered around a wood-fired oven. Another bonus? You can stock your pantry full of Eataly goods while you’re there.

Available for Reservations
Ramona Saviss is an LA-native who has a finger on the pulse of everything going on in the city. She loves to have a packed social calendar and is always planning her next adventure; you can find her byline in publications like The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Time Out LA, Fodor’s Travel, Business Insider, Billboard, Los Angeles Confidential and Angeleno.