Best Bars for a Date in Hollywood in Los Angeles

Bar Etoile is a stylish wine bar in the bistro mold on Western Avenue in East Hollywood, designed to help guests settle in. The bar curves into a horseshoe and claims most of the dining room. Its banquettes are ideal for a cozy date, so bring someone you want to sit close to for the evening.

Library Bar is a candlelit lounge behind the lobby of the Hollywood Roosevelt, where the bartender picks your drink based on what you like. Settle into a leather chair in the dim light, describe your tastes, and see where the night goes. The bar is open Thursday through Sunday from 6pm to midnight.

Musso & Frank Grill has served food in Hollywood since 1919. Red booths and waiters serving classic American fare set the scene, and the martinis are the specialty. Start with a martini together. Bartender Manny Aguirre held that they should be stirred rather than shaken. Ruben Rueda has tended the bar since February 4, 1967.

Sunset & Vinyl is a moody, 1970s-style cocktail bar in Hollywood, reached by walking through 800 Degrees pizza. A vinyl collection, big cushy chairs and well-made drinks make it a strong pick for a first date. Records spinning atop the bar supply most of the soundtrack. We recommend starting with the Old Fashioned.

Desert 5 Spot is a Pioneertown-inspired rooftop bar in Hollywood. Its decor takes cues from Palm Springs and old Americana in a retro desert style, and the roof has a 360-degree view of the Hollywood Hills. Cocktails carry country-music names such as Walk The Line. The menu is drinks only, with no food, and a live band sometimes plays.

The Spare Room, a cocktail bar upstairs at the Hollywood Roosevelt, is known for its bowling. The lounge is a throwback with two full lanes, and scores are written by hand. The house cocktails use unexpected ingredients. Lanes can mean a wait, so add your name to the list early.

Enter Good Times at Davey Wayne's through a fridge door in a garage-sale setup, and you land in a 1970s-themed bar. The patio out back has barbecue and a pop-up bar built like a trailer. The backyard also has a snow-cone machine, and a live band plays in the living room. Old Fashioneds are poured straight from the tap.

Harvard & Stone is an industrial-style bar where live music is the main draw. Vintage lights glow in the low-lit space, which feels like a retro ski-lodge den. The cocktail list keeps changing.