A Guide to Underground Speakeasy Bars In Los Angeles

When it comes to Los Angeles, it’s all about knowing where to go. This sprawling city offers millions of activities to do each day, but what if you want to find something a little more underground? Well, there’s nothing more underground than a good old-fashioned speakeasy. Escape from everyday life in the tech age to simpler times.

Enter the speakeasy, illicit bars which sold alcohol during the Prohibition Era back in the 1920s and early 1930s. Designed to look like you’re going back in time, having an old fashion cocktail in one of these secret spots can be a magical experience. Of course, Los Angeles offers some of the most elaborate speakeasy bars out there. Dress to impress and attend in small groups because most are tiny and only offer seating to those on a first serve or reservation basis.

Read on to find our favorite speakeasies. There’s something for everyone!

Blind Barber – It may look like a barber shop from the outside, but step through the back door and you’ll be transported into a 1920s speakeasy bar. Enjoy specialty drinks and food. Reservations are for 8 or more.

Dirty Laundry – Not your typical dive bar, Dirty Laundry feels like you’re going to another era long long ago. Plus this speakeasy dive bar does require a dress code with no sandals, shorts, and caps. A real speakeasy from the 1920s, apparently this was one of Rudolph Valentino’s favorite spots.

Good Times at Davey Wayne’s – A secret 70s style speakeasy will bring you back to the grooviest decade with this Brady Bunch inspired setting. Find the entrance through a kitchen appliance that everyone has…yup, a refrigerator door.

Adults Only – For those that yearn for older yet recent eras, Adults Only is for you. Enter through a video store located in a strip mall to find a high-end dive bar hidden in the back adorned with old movie posters and cult movies playing in the background.

Bar Jackalope – Be transported back to the 1920s complete with whiskey flights and an outdoor cigar patio. This tiny bar only sits 12 and they only accept groups of 4 or less. Seating is on a first come first serve basis!

No Vacancy – A larger speakeasy than the rest, this elegant spot is located in a 3 story Victorian house featuring a red carpet staircase and outdoor courtyard for entertainment Great Gatsby style.

Black Rabbit Rose – A speakeasy lounge, restaurant, and theater. Enjoy dinner while being entertained by magicians, illusionists, and burlesque dancers. Quench your thirst with their full old-fashioned cocktail menu, plus a bottle and punchbowl menu.

La Descarga – Escape out of L.A. to Havana with this highly detailed Cuban styled speakeasy. Dress code is strict, so keep it classy. If you’re let in, you’ll enter this 2 story bar through an armoire. Enjoy rum drinks and cigars in this magical speakeasy.