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The 10 Best Rooftop Bars in Los Angeles

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So what’s the perfect venue to enjoy Los Angeles weather, take in chill vibes and imbibe potent potables all in one locale?

A rooftop bar, of course!

To that end we made it my mission to scout 10 of the coolest rooftop bars in Los Angeles just for you and yes they all come with incredible views, lush scenery, and delicious cocktails.

But whether or not you choose to enjoy them? Well, that’s totally optional.

List starts after the jump (in no particular order).

1. The Andaz Sundeck

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Having the highest rooftop swimming pool in Los Angeles is a nice title to have in this town. The Andaz in West Hollywood offers panoramic views of Hollywood and the Sunset Strip on the Sun deck year round. Lay out on a day bed or cozy up and watch the sunset across Los Angeles while enjoying hand crafted cocktails and snacks from the pool menu.

2. High Rooftop Lounge

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In Venice beach the Hotel Erwin’s rooftop bar appropriately named High is the prime spot to catch a beach sunset. This place has a laid back atmosphere, awesome munchies and nightly drink specials year round. On chilly nights they even pass out blankets and turn on the heat lamps, how thoughtful right?

3. Perch Los Angeles

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Unobstructed views of downtown and very clear view of the neighboring Central Library Perch has been claimed one of the most beautiful rooftop bars in Los Angeles. A talented team of mixologists, tasty food and a beautiful french inspired ambiance has caused this place to form lines every weekend. The vibe is upscale which also means it can get pricey. To avoid the line make a reservation. Looking to try Perch on a budget? They have a happy hour!

4. Upstairs At The Ace Hotel

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Upstairs at the Ace is a buzzing hot spot perfect for kicking back and watching all the cool kids socialize. The moroccan themed roof deck host events nightly with special DJ guests paired with a nicely curated drink menu and YES there is a pool. Do yourself a favor and check out their events calendar it’s filled with fun and free events seven days a week.

5. The Fonda

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Catching a show at the Fonda is fun but the added bonus is pretty cool as well… walk up to the second floor and take the mini stairs up into the rooftop. Astroturf, delicate strung up lights, tables, couches and even a open air hall sits right above the building. Guest take their smoke breaks, order drinks and take in the views. Don’t worry about missing the show, they have it projected on a screen with the sound on. Nice touch Fonda I approve!

6. The Standard Rooftop Bar

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A view like none other The Standard offers a 360 degree view right in the heart of DTLA. Engulfed by surrounding skyscrapers the hotel opens its rooftop to the public with free admission during the week and a nominal entrance fee (usually $20) during the weekends. Owned by the same hotelier as the Chateau Marmont this mod themed bar has water bed pods, a pool and a projector screening classic flicks. The addition of the Biergarten on the west end of the open air deck is a nice touch for those who want to kick back away from the crowd and dance floor.

7. The Redbury

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The SBE group is synonymous with Hollywoods most popular hotspots so it is no surprise when The Redbury opened it became a favorite for people looking for low key nights. The bar is set like a private library with two awesome and free pool tables! Sit outside and lounge on the comfy sofas, the streams of lights and candles create an intimate vibe tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood Boulevard.

8. Suite 700

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Perched atop the iconic Hotel Shangri-La is Santa Monica’s famous indoor/outdoor rooftop bar & lounge Suite 700. Once a penthouse suite in the landmark hotel, Suite 700 and it’s deco inspired digs captures an elusive sense of Hollywood glamour at the ocean. The rooftop bar provides beautiful views of the ocean and the Santa Monica Promenade making it a perfect place to catch the sunset.

9. The London Rooftop

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Perched on the 10th floor of the hotel, the rooftop offers guests a beautiful panoramic view of West Hollywood. Inspired by a traditional English garden this place has an intimate feel to it but things can get crazy over the summer here. Just an FYI the roof top is open to guests for those who want to visit a reservation must be made.

10. SkyBar At The Mondrian

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A Hollywood favorite from the time it opened, Sky Bar is situated in the heart of Sunset Boulevard. Pretty young things like to lounge by the pool with a drink and listen to guest DJs spin the latest top tunes. A bit pricey but like any prime hot spot they tend to factor the view in with the bill. Remember to get on the guest list for the weekends for no hassle entry.

Originally reported on We Like LA.

Monday Social Moves to Project LA

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If you haven’t already, get yourself down to Monday Social at least once in your Los Angeles life.

If ever there was a weekday time machine back to Saturday at midnight, its name is Monday Social. The loss of reality’s road markers — it’s a school night, and you’re surrounded by full-on party monsters — is disconcerting.

I’ve seen bottles of champagne palmed and guzzled like beer on the packed-like-a-festival-main-stage dance floor. I forgot it was a Monday until being deposited on the street after 3 a.m: What just happened? Do I still have my wallet? Why is there lipstick on my shoe?

Monday Social, celebrating its 20th year and by far the longest-running electronic dance music party in Los Angeles, is a point of pride for any Angeleno with out-of-town friends to show around. Yeah, this is how we do any old night in L.A.

The event’s popularity was hard-earned and much deserved. I’ve known the founders, Freddie Be and Mick Cole, since they started Monday Social as a laid-back soiree on the second floor of defunct French eatery Louis XIV 20 years ago.

Back then it really was a social, a gathering place for dance music industry insiders who could gossip, smoke on the patio, and listen to Scott Hardkiss drop Schooly D’s “P.S.K., What Does It Mean?” in the middle of a house set. That vibe has long since given way to sheer bacchanalia, a product of EDM’s explosion in the music festival world.

The duo is moving next week from Sound Nightclub to Project LA in part as an effort to try to tap into its original vibe. If plans pan out, there will be more depth (of the kind displayed by DJs like Danny Howells and Hernan Cattaneo) and fewer hand-raising drops.

Cole says he wants to bring the industry crowd back while making the night more laid-back, less “spring break with an expense account.”

“We’re definitely not about the VIP bottle-service crowd,” he says. “We got tired of that. The club [Sound] wanted these people because they drive money through the venue. We’re more about a beer and maybe a lil’ toke on the patio.”

Let’s stop the conversation here: All props must go to Sound for being the right size club at the right time. With 500 capacity and a Funktion-One sound system, it was the little venue that could. Monday Social’s move from the 800-plus Playhouse down the street also decreased marketing stress for the promoters and allowed the floor to be packed more of the time.

That’s a good thing.

But it presented a few issues for Monday Social. Sound replaced the Funktion-One rig (EDM people just fawn over these things) with a Pioneer system, which Cole says did not sound as good. It emphasized bottle service which, frankly, attracts douchebags who often could care less about good music. And it started booking the same DJs on weekends, which likely made it more difficult for Monday Social to stand out and get customers, even at a much-lower Monday cover price ($10 to $20).

The latest move will help Monday Social distinguish itself from a sameness that has pervaded Los Angeles nightlife. The formula of bottle service and familiar tunes is clearly wearing on the market.

At the same time, the EDM explosion has already forced Monday Social’s organizers to dig deeper for DJs they can afford. The days when the promoters could nab a superstar in town for a bigger Saturday night gig are mostly long gone. The result is that Monday Social will be more relaxed, more underground, and more real.

“We had to stretch out and get more A-list talent” at Sound, Cole said.  “But we specialize in more in up-and-coming and underground talent. That’s what we’ll try to do at Project LA.”

Chris Kasteler, director of operations at Boulevard Nightlife Group, which owns Project LA and other clubs, says bring it on. The club has a Funktion-One system as well as the ability to rock until 4 a.m.

“We’re excited to have some truly amazing and talented artists come through Project LA,” Kasteler says. “We haven’t had that yet.”

He says the club is willing to let Monday Social experiment with a deeper roster of house DJs, even if they won’t always pack the place.

“It’s a longstanding and very successful brand with great people behind it,” he said. “They have our full support. We’re in it for the long haul.”

Monday Social launches at Project LA Monday, Jan. 18 with &ME and Anton Tumas at 6356 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. 21+. Sign up for guestlist (free before 10:30, $5 off after), buy tickets, or book tables (starting at $500) on the Discotech App.

Craze at Sunbar Brings Dayclubbing to LA

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Los Angeles has the right weather for it, but proper day clubs here are few and far between.

Sure, the rooftop of the Standard Hotel downtown is a mainstay, the Roosevelt Hotel’s pool gets its share of parties, and SBE’s XIV Yacht Club just set sail with it’s maiden voyage last Sunday.

Stephan Seguin, the former top honcho at SBE’s Create superclub in Hollywood, has teamed up with Peter Famulari of Skybar fame and events guru Michael Utsinger to bring proper daytime clubbing to L.A.

They’re calling the venue Sunbar, and it debuts this Saturday (yes, on the Fourth of July) with a weekly day party called Craze. The venue is the reimagined courtyard garden of the historic Hollywood Athletic Club on Sunset Boulevard.

“It’s beautiful garden, and we redid all the cabanas and added some elevated seating,” Seguin said. “We made it a lot more pleasing to the eye.”

For now, the daytime festivities are limited to Craze Saturdays from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. It will run until winter really starts to bite, whenever that might be, Seguin said.

The day club will include an indoor game room, a pool table, beer pong, Xbox games, checkers, popcorn machines, carts with frozen fruit, a cotton-candy machine and a 30-foot “stripper pole” used by aerialist performers.

“Most important,” says Seguin, “the bar will be all mixology —  high-end craft cocktails.”

He also promises “many pretty faces.”

But what about the most important part, the music? It seems that, for now, Sunbar will eschew the growing cheese of day club EDM in favor of “deep, sexy house” and “vocal, sing-along hip-hop,” Seguin says.

The day will open with a proper, two-and-a-half hour house set before the hip-hop reaches for the night.

Admission for ladies will be at the door’s discretion. For gentlemen, cabana reservations with bottle service is the only way to go.