(Philip Guerette)
22 of the best holiday pop-up bars in Los Angeles
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It may not snow in Los Angeles, but that doesn’t stop us from getting in the holiday spirit. This December, some of the city’s most notable bars and restaurants are launching limited menus showcasing the warm, comforting flavors associated with the season, complete with immersive decor and characters ranging from a spooky Krampus to the Queen of Christmas herself.
Here are 22 holiday pop-up bars to visit in L.A. this month, from a cocktail oasis in Little Tokyo to a Long Beach speakeasy and a North Hollywood tiki bar.
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Accomplice Bar
Mar Vista Bar $$
(Jenn Harris / Los Angeles Times)
It should come as no surprise that Accomplice Bar, home to one of the most inventive martinis in L.A., is going all out with its holiday menu. Warm drinks include a hot chocolate garnished with a chartreuse marshmallow, while cooler concoctions span a spiced honey tea with tequila, amaro and kumquat, and Starbies, with cognac, coffee liqueur, chicory, pumpkin spice syrup and clarified milk. Two dessert cocktails are also available, including Puerto Rican coquito with hazelnut liqueur and house eggnog with rum and bourbon.
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Après L.A.: A Fairmont Century Plaza Chalet Experience
Century City Cocktails $$
(Fairmont Century Plaza)
You may not be able to hit the slopes in L.A., but you can mimic the après ski experience at Fairmont Century Plaza by renting one of five private chalet-style dining spaces featuring fire pits, candlelight and snow-dusted greenery, with a seasonal menu built to stave off the cold, including cheese fondue, charcuterie, whiskey flights and festive cocktails like a spiced pear hot toddy and an Espress-ski martini. Chalets can be reserved online.
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Bar Avoja
Hollywood Italian Cocktails $$$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Evan Funke’s jewel-toned aperitivo lounge is offering a trio of festive cocktails through the end of the year, including the Commevente with rye whiskey, pear liqueur and amaro; Amore Invernale with vodka, pomegranate, lemon, cranberry, bitters and prosecco; and Dolce Bacio with vodka, espresso, coffee liqueur, creme de cacao, mascarpone and chocolate bitters. Pair your selections with small plates inspired by Roman street food, such as garlic-knot focaccia, ricotta-stuffed squash blossoms and grilled octopus skewers. The holiday cocktails are also available at Funke’s neighboring Mother Wolf restaurant — if you can score a reservation in the buzzy dining room.
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Casa Vega
Sherman Oaks Mexican Cuisine
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
It always feels like a special occasion at this classic Mexican American haunt in Sherman Oaks with dim lighting, burgundy booths and tinsel and twinkling lights strung from the ceilings, but the restaurant has outdone itself for the holidays this year, with seemingly every surface covered in decor. The regular menu with enchiladas, tacos and combination plates overflowing with Spanish rice and refried beans, plus a scroll of margaritas, is available. Carolers will visit the restaurant on Christmas Eve.
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Daisy Merry-Rita Bar
Sherman Oaks Mexican $$
(Robert Campbell)
The Sherman Oaks saloon from the beverage team behind award-winning Mírate puts a focus on the margarita, with classic versions as well as creative takes like a clarified creamsicle and a mangoneada crowned with mango boba. Through Jan. 4, the cantina will take on a festive atmosphere as Daisy Merry-Rita Bar, with decor that’s guaranteed to get you in the holiday spirit and cocktails to match, including a Christmas tree margarita jíbol with pine needles, a Partridge and Pear margarita with poached pear and duck fat and a gingerbread house margarita milk punch.
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Death & Co.
Downtown L.A. Cocktails $$
(Shelby Moore)
The craft cocktail destination in the Arts District is taking on a merry atmosphere for the month of December with garlands, wreaths and holiday lights strung throughout the interior, plus a fresh lineup of seasonal bevvies and nostalgic bites, including the bar’s cult-classic eggnog, a gingerbread toddy and peppermint puppy chow. Reservations are encouraged and can be booked online.
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Frosty's Christmas Bar
Hollywood Cocktails $$
(Frosty’s Christmas Bar )
If you want to be truly immersed in the holiday spirit, complete with twinkling lights, festive photo ops and a live DJ, look no further than Frosty’s Christmas Bar in Hollywood. Cocktails include a mistletoe strawberry margarita and a nonalcoholic punch, with a handful of holiday shots featuring seasonal flavors and the option to order a shotski experience for groups of four. The pop-up bar is free to enter, but guests must sign up in advance for a 30-minute slot.
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Holly Jolly Bar and Melrose Alpine Club
West Hollywood American $$
(E.P. & L.P.)
The West Hollywood restaurant and rooftop bar is offering multiple holiday experiences across its three levels. Find the Holly Jolly Bar on the second floor, with practically every inch covered in tinsel and sparkling lights and a roving Grinch character encouraging guests to capture the fun and partake in Apple Joy shots and comforting plates like turkey pot pie or a winter salad. The experience is $25 per person and includes a welcome drink.
On the rooftop, the Melrose Alpine Club is turning the outdoor cinema into an ice skating rink for the first time ever, with decorated Christmas trees lining the perimeter and a disco ball spinning in the center. The rink opens for the season on Dec. 5, and is limited to ages 21 and up on Saturdays and Sundays after 6 p.m., with all-ages skating every day from 12 to 3 p.m. Each $25 ticket includes entry, skates and a sweet treat. Après ski cocktails will be available for purchase.
On the rooftop, the Melrose Alpine Club is turning the outdoor cinema into an ice skating rink for the first time ever, with decorated Christmas trees lining the perimeter and a disco ball spinning in the center. The rink opens for the season on Dec. 5, and is limited to ages 21 and up on Saturdays and Sundays after 6 p.m., with all-ages skating every day from 12 to 3 p.m. Each $25 ticket includes entry, skates and a sweet treat. Après ski cocktails will be available for purchase.
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In Good Spirits at Dahlia
Downtown L.A. Cocktails
(Andrea D’Agosto / For The Times)
The hidden lounge on the lobby floor of Downtown L.A. Proper Hotel is getting a holiday makeover with mezcal-forward cocktails and seasonal bites, including a mulled wine spritz and sugar plum old fashioned, as well as toasted corn nuts and churros con chocolate. A selection of beer, wine and nonalcoholic beverages are also available, such as a cranberry-cinnamon “no-groni.” The In Good Spirits pop-up runs from Dec. 5 through Dec. 20 on Thursday through Saturday from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m.
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Jingle Bells at Joyce
Downtown L.A. Southern Seafood $$
(Joyce)
In Downtown L.A., diners can pair soulful seafood plates with holiday cocktails at Jingle Bells at Joyce’s seasonal pop-up. There’s a wreath on the door and plenty of holiday decor to get you in the spirit, plus all of the best flavors of the season in a new drink lineup, including Frag-Ee-Lay, a spiked eggnog served in a leg lamp glass, and Polar Express-O with coffee-infused mezcal, chicory cold brew and a torched marshmallow as garnish. Nondrinkers can partake in the fun, too, with concoctions such as Olivia Spritz with nonalcoholic sparkling wine and lychee green tea syrup, and Blackness in Bloom, an iced latte with hibiscus, cardamom, rose and honey.
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The Lonely Oyster
Echo Park Seafood $$
(Brooke Olsen)
The maritime-themed den in Silver Lake is rolling out a handful of festive drinks to pair with its sustainable seafood menu, including the Polar Nightcap, a frozen dessert cocktail inspired by the classic Brandy Alexander, a pecan pie old fashioned and an RC Cola negroni with gin, Campari and house-made cranberry RC Cola vermouth.
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Marelle
Santa Monica Californian $$
(Summerside Creative Inc.)
Make it a beachy holiday at chef Raphael Lunetta’s Marelle restaurant that overlooks the Santa Monica shore on Ocean Avenue. The regular Cal-Italian menu is still available to order, plus seasonal favorites including Cinderella pumpkin soup and lemon mushroom rigatoni, and cocktails such as a pineapple cinnamon hot toddy, house spiced mulled wine and a pomegranate rosemary paloma that’s topped with bubbles.
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Mariah Carey's Holiday Bar
Hollywood Hills West American $$
(Bucket Listers)
If there’s an official introduction to the holiday season, it might just be the opening chords of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” hit, and this year, fans of the pop superstar can get cozy at a West Hollywood hotel bar where her Christmas album plays on repeat, inflatable candy canes and ornaments bob in the pool and selfie stations with cardboard cutouts of the unofficial Queen of Christmas are set up in nearly every corner. The pop-up runs through Dec. 28, and a range of experiences can be purchased online through Bucket Listers. Limited merchandise will be available for purchase alongside the full food and drink menus, plus holiday specials including Carey’s favorite Black Irish cocktail.
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Miracle at Üca Terraza
Downtown L.A. Latin American Cocktails $$
Miracle, a Christmas pop-up experience with locations as far as Australia, will touch down at the Üca Terraza at the Delphi hotel in downtown L.A. through the end of the year. A festive lineup of cocktails is available, including a Christmapolitan with spiced cranberry sauce and rosemary, and Run Run Reindeer with mulled wine reduction, prosecco, lemon and aromatic bitters. A selection of themed holiday mugs are available for purchase, including a Santa’s head mug and another option shaped like a Tyrannosaurus rex wearing a Santa hat.
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Krampus Cove at Night on Earth
Hollywood Hills Cocktails $$
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The neon retro bar from the Thunderbolt team will shift to a darker theme this December with Krampus Cove, an immersive and interactive 90-minute experience inspired by the ghoulish legend of Krampus, beginning with a spooky welcome drink, plus a themed list of creepy holiday cocktails available for purchase. In addition to the $28.52 entrance fee, a $25 food and drink minimum per guest is required. The ticketed experience will run from Dec. 2 to Dec. 28 on Tuesday through Saturday, with open seating and the full bar menu available all night on Monday and 30 minutes after the show ends.
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Redbird
Downtown L.A. American $$$
(Peridot Consulting)
This season, sip cocktails created by James Beard-nominated beverage director Tobin Shea in a stunning former Catholic cathedral setting in downtown L.A. The limited menu puts spins on classic holiday drinks, including a take on the classic French verte chaud cocktail that gets topped with chartreuse whipped cream, and Mobay punch with rum, pomegranate wine and sorrel tea scented with cinnamon and allspice that’s inspired by Jamaican sorrel punch. The Woods, with gin and Douglas fir eau de vie, is a refreshing option for the start of your meal, while the limited Cuzco fizz, with pisco topped with house cold brew, could serve as liquid dessert.
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The Roger Room
Beverly Grove Cocktails $$
(Philip Guerette)
The clandestine saloon in West Hollywood is preparing for the holidays with garlands, poinsettias and mistletoe strung up across its interior, with a handful of seasonal cocktails to match, including a cardamom sour and Mrs. Claus clarified malted eggnog. Vintage funk and soul records playing overhead are sure to keep spirits bright.
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Sippin' Santa at the CanTiki
North Hollywood Cocktails Tiki Bar $
The tropical holiday pop-up from tiki connoisseur Jeff “Beachbum” Berry is coming to 60 bars across the country this month, including CanTiki in North Hollywood. Seasonal cocktails include a sugar plum mai tai and Wreck the Halls with overproof Caribbean rum, lime, tawny port, maple and vanilla syrup and fig bitters. A selection of holiday-themed tiki mugs are available for purchase, including a sunglasses-sporting Santa Claus and a pelican wearing a Santa hat.
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The Siren Who Stole Xmas at the Mermaid
Downtown L.A. Bar/Nightclub $
(The Mermaid)
The Little Tokyo oasis where fishing nets drape from the ceiling and pops of neon light mimic the depths of the murky ocean floor is embracing a holiday theme with The Siren Who Stole Xmas from Dec. 8 through the end of the year, with seasonally appropriate decor and themed cocktails served in snowman- and Christmas tree-shaped tiki mugs. Karaoke night is every Thursday, with Disney and musical songs off limits — in case you were thinking of becoming part of the spooky siren’s world for good.
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Tinsel Club
Long Beach Tiki Bar $$
(Jessica Phillips)
This December through Jan. 4, the Long Beach tiki bar known as the Bamboo Club is getting a holiday makeover as Tinsel Club, with kitschy holiday decor and themed food and drink specials such as hot buttered rum. The regular cocktail and food menus will also be available for purchase, including a handful of daiquiri options, a classic piña colada and a Thai tea-brined fried chicken sandwich. Reservations are strongly recommended.
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Tokyo Noir
Long Beach Cocktails $$
(Tokyo Noir)
The Long Beach speakeasy from owner Jesse Duron and head bartender Kevin Lee that’s leading a new cocktail revolution inspired by Japanese cocktail culture is launching two new drinks fit for the holiday season, including a clarified peppermint mudslide and Kyoto coffee with slow-drip Kyoto brew, Japanese whiskey and nori bitters. The hidden bar can be found down an alley behind El Barrio Cantina restaurant, with a glowing red lantern hung above a green door to help lead the way.
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Weary Livers
Santa Monica Speakeasy Bar $
(Weary Livers)
The Santa Monica dive bar features moody lighting, chandeliers and cobwebs that make it the perfect destination if your holiday vibe is more “The Nightmare Before Christmas” than “Miracle on 34th Street.” Soju cocktails and beer is on tap, with seasonal options such as a spiked horchata and sangria. The bar hosts a chess club on Monday, an open mic on Tuesday and various speed dating and singles’ events, including a holiday mixer on Dec. 20 from 7 to 11 p.m.
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