Los Angeles looks different from each of its rooftops. In Downtown, glass towers crowd the horizon and the streets become a grid of lights. In Hollywood, an evening can revolve around a live country band. Over in Venice, palm trees give way to the Pacific. Choosing between rooftop bars in Los Angeles starts with deciding which of those evenings you want.
These five addresses cover that range, from the 73rd-floor Spire 73 to the seaside terrace at Kassi Venice Beach. Three are in Downtown, one is in Hollywood and one is on the coast. Treat them as a choice of destinations rather than a single-night checklist. A well-placed reservation leaves more time for the view and less time crossing the city.
1. Spire 73 for a night above Downtown
Height is the reason to choose Spire 73. The open-air bar occupies the 73rd floor of the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown, giving an evening drink a very different perspective from a terrace closer to street level. This is the address for travellers who want the high-rise version of Los Angeles, with the city stretching away beyond the hotel.
The setting suits a deliberately planned night out. Long bar counters, low seating and fire features frame the terrace. Arrive while some daylight remains if seeing the shape of the city matters to you; stay into darkness for a different scene. Neither a sunset nor an unobstructed seat can be guaranteed by choosing a time alone, so specify your seating preference when arranging a visit.
The drinks selection includes cocktails, spirit-free cocktails, wine and sparkling wine. That makes it a useful option for a group whose plans do not all revolve around alcohol. You can make the height and the changing light the main event without committing to a full restaurant meal.
Pay attention to the venue name when booking. The InterContinental also has a Lobby Lounge and La Boucherie on other floors; a reservation at either is a different experience. Check the terms attached to your Spire 73 booking, including the seating area and any spend requirement, before confirming.
Find it at InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown, 900 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90017. Choose it for a special-occasion drink where elevation is the main attraction.
2. Broken Shaker for colourful poolside cocktails
A rooftop does not need to sit above every surrounding building to feel removed from the street. At Broken Shaker, on the roof of Freehand Los Angeles, the appeal is the combination of a pool deck, colourful furniture, plants and towers rising around the terrace. It offers a more playful backdrop than a conventional hotel cocktail lounge.
Handcrafted cocktails and small bites give the visit its shape. This is a good match for an afternoon that drifts into evening, especially if your plans already keep you around Downtown. The rooftop’s bright chairs, umbrellas and strings of lights are part of the experience; you are spending time in an outdoor social space, rather than simply stopping at a viewpoint.
For non-hotel guests, pool-area seating at Freehand carries a $65 minimum spend per person and a two-hour limit. Hotel guests have no minimum spend, while pool lounge chairs still have a two-hour limit. The $65 is a spending requirement for that seating area, rather than an admission charge for every bar visitor.
If you want cocktails without a pool afternoon, ask which seating your reservation covers and check its current terms. A hotel rooftop, a bar table and a pool lounger can come with different arrangements. Sorting that out in advance is more useful than arriving with a swimsuit and assuming everything is included.
Find it at Freehand Los Angeles, 416 West 8th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014. Choose it for a colourful Downtown setting and a visit centred on cocktails and small bites.
3. Cara Cara for rooftop dining and skyline views
Make Cara Cara your choice when the food matters as much as the first drink. On the 15th floor of Downtown L.A. Proper, this rooftop restaurant and bar combines seasonal California cooking with a terrace looking towards the Downtown skyline. It works particularly well as the evening’s dinner destination, rather than a drink squeezed between other reservations.
The surroundings give it a softer feel than its urban position might suggest. Planting breaks up the seating areas, while a fire pit and low lounge furniture make parts of the terrace feel like an outdoor living room. The towers remain in view, but they share the scene with greenery rather than dominating every detail.
Cocktails sit alongside wine and beer, so the useful question is how you want to spend your time. If dinner is the priority, reserve a dining table and explore the current menu. If you mainly want a drink, make that clear when booking instead of assuming that every terrace seat is available on the same basis.
A sunset reservation is an appealing choice, though the restaurant also serves through the day. An earlier visit lets you appreciate the planting and the skyline in daylight; an evening booking brings the illuminated city into the picture. For popular sunset periods and weekends, booking ahead is the sensible approach recommended by the venue.
Find it at Downtown L.A. Proper, 1100 South Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90015. Choose it for a meal with a rooftop setting, especially when you would rather stay at one table than move between dinner and drinks.
4. Desert 5 Spot for country music in Hollywood
The mood changes at Desert 5 Spot. This Hollywood rooftop takes its cues from 1970s Palm Springs and Pioneertown, bringing desert colours, a Western theme and country music to Selma Avenue. The attraction is as much what is happening on the roof as what you can see from it.
The venue’s programme includes its house band, The Desert 5, country DJs and line-dancing events. Pick the night to suit your interest. A lesson-led visit offers a different way into the place from turning up for a live band, and the current calendar is more useful than assuming every evening follows the same format.
Margaritas, canned beer and food from Outlaw Tacos fit the setting. The pool and boldly painted backdrop give it a distinct visual identity, but this is the selection for readers who want music and movement. If your ideal rooftop evening is a quiet, extended conversation over dinner, Cara Cara is the more natural starting point.
Check the dress code as well as the programme. Desert 5 Spot explicitly excludes athletic shorts, athletic tops, sweatpants and flip-flops. You do not need to invent a cowboy costume to plan around that rule, but arriving straight from a workout or the beach could create an avoidable problem.
Find it at 6516 Selma Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90028. Choose it for a Hollywood night organised around country music, a live performance or line dancing.
5. Kassi Venice Beach for cocktails by the Pacific
At Kassi Venice Beach, the horizon opens out. The rooftop at Hotel Erwin looks towards the ocean, with palms and the Venice coastline replacing Downtown’s wall of towers. It is the coastal choice in this selection, particularly if your day has already taken you to the beach.
Older guides may call this address High Rooftop Lounge. The current venue is Kassi Venice Beach, with a Greek-inspired food and drinks offering and a redesigned setting. Use the current name when looking up menus or arranging a reservation so that you are planning around the experience now on offer.
Soft seating, parasols and the sea beyond the terrace lend themselves to an unhurried meal or a round of cocktails. Sharing food gives a group a reason to linger, while the view provides the main backdrop. For sunset, reserve with enough time to arrive and settle in before the light begins to change; check the sunset time for your actual date rather than using the same hour year-round.
DJ nights give the coastal setting a livelier rhythm, so choose your evening according to the atmosphere you enjoy. Bring an extra layer for time outside and leave room to linger by the ocean rather than immediately heading across town.
Find it at Hotel Erwin, 1697 Pacific Avenue, Venice, CA 90291. Choose it for an ocean-facing rooftop meal or cocktails after a day on the Westside.
How to choose your Los Angeles rooftop evening
Start with your base. If you are still deciding where to stay, our guide to newer hotels in Los Angeles can help you compare options before building an evening around a particular neighbourhood. A view is more enjoyable when getting back to your accommodation does not become the night’s biggest undertaking.
Downtown offers the closest cluster in this selection. Spire 73 is the height-led choice, Broken Shaker puts cocktails in a colourful poolside setting, and Cara Cara makes dinner the centre of the visit. Choose one as your anchor. Adding a second stop can work, but overlapping reservations turn a relaxed evening into a timetable.
Keep Desert 5 Spot for a Hollywood night and Kassi for time around Venice. They are distinct destinations, not adjacent additions to a Downtown crawl. If you prefer a separate restaurant before your rooftop drink, our selection of French restaurants in Los Angeles offers another dining direction; check the restaurant’s location before pairing the two.
Budget for the booking you actually make. A bar visit, a dinner table and pool-area seating are different purchases. Read any deposit, cancellation, minimum-spend and seating conditions shown at checkout, and allow for applicable tax and gratuity when comparing costs. Confirm current hours on the venue’s own site, especially around special events.
For a longer trip, the rooftop evening can be a pause between travel days. Our one-week California itinerary puts Los Angeles into a wider journey. Keep the arrival evening relatively simple and save your most time-sensitive reservation for a day when you are already in the city.
Questions about rooftop bars in Los Angeles
Which rooftop should I choose for an ocean view?
Kassi Venice Beach is the ocean-facing choice among these five. The other four offer urban settings in Downtown or Hollywood. Reserve according to your preferred seating, since a venue’s overall view does not guarantee the same outlook from every table.
Can I use a rooftop pool with a bar reservation?
Do not assume so. Check the reservation’s specific access and seating conditions. Broken Shaker publishes a separate pool-area policy. Confirm whether you are booking a table, a lounger or a specific pool arrangement; rooftop dining alone does not establish swimming access.
Is sunset always the best time to visit?
It depends on the evening you want. Sunset suits a changing skyline or ocean view, while a band or line-dancing event should determine your timing at Desert 5 Spot. The most rewarding rooftop bars in Los Angeles are the ones that fit your plans, whether that means a long dinner, a music-led night or one drink above the city.