One of the most popular ways that bars create an immersive environment is by adopting a unique theme. whether it mimics a specific TV show or pays homage to an era, such as a Star Wars-themed pub, a throwback 1980s nightclub, and a steampunk speakeasy. Peruse this fun list of the Best Immersive Themed Bars in Los Angeles, that take these themes beyond gimmicky drinks and quirky decor, to offer a more unique drinking experience.
BeetleHouse LA
Location: 1714 N. Las Palmas Ave. Hollywood
Theme: Every Tim Burton film ever made
Named after an undead bio-exorcist, the bar is a tribute to all things Tim Burton. Artwork, decor and photo-friendly tableaus reference Edward Scissorhands, A Nightmare Before Christmasand Batman Returns. Danny Elfman scores and dark wave tracks from the ’80s set a playful, spooky vibe that reflects Burton’s aesthetic. Drinks at BeetleHouse LA are themed and mostly sweet, like the tropical Big Fish Bowl, meant for two. If you want to eat there, make a reservation for the adjacent dining room. Dinner is prix fixe and includes an appetizer (like the Corprese Bride salad), a main course (maybe the Linguini Todd or Edward Burger Hands) and a dessert.
Black Rabbit Rose & Madame Siam
Location: 1719 N. Hudson Ave., Hollywood
Theme: A little magic, a little sideshow
One of the Houston Brothers’ many nightclubs, Black Rabbit Rose is a magic-themed lounge and theater, decked out with apothecary bottles, portraits of famous magicians and an operational fortune telling machine. The theater offers a variety of ticketed magic and vaudeville shows as well as the occasional jazz night. Guests can order cocktails made with spectacle or Thai-Chinese cuisine from takeout window Crying Tiger. Connected to Black Rabbit Rose is Madame Siam, a carnival-themed cocktail bar complete with a midway where you can shoot cans and play ring toss.
Scum & Villainy
Location: 6377 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
Theme: A Star Wars-inspired bar for geeks
Obi-Wan Kenobi promised a young Luke Skywalker that he would “never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy” than the Mos Eisley Spaceport. This Hollywood Boulevard bar does its best to top the cantina where Han shot first, complete with war room-style maps and customers milling about in their best First Order cosplay. It wouldn’t be accurate to say Scum & Villainy is only a Star Wars bar. All fandoms are welcome at weekly game nights, karaoke, trivia contests and occasional cosplay evenings. Leading up to the final season of Game of Thrones, it transformed into Fire & Ice Tavern, with a sad-faced Weirwood tree, an Iron Throne and Stark and Targaryen sigils. As for the menu, expect beer, themed cocktails and bar bites such as quesadillas, tots and chicken fingers, which were one of Greedo’s favorite snacks, as any real Star Wars fan knows.
No Vacancy
Location: 1727 N. Hudson Ave., Hollywood
Theme: It’s Prohibition but that ain’t stopping anyone
Just down the street from Black Rabbit Rose you’ll find No Vacancy, another Houston Brothers property. The Prohibition-era speakeasy is set in an old Victorian home and has a clever secret entrance. Once you’ve made it in (sometimes a challenge on a busy night), you can explore the many spaces including the lovely back patio or the candlelit parlor. Live entertainment might be music, burlesque or vaudeville. They do serve food although most people come for the ambiance and the ever-changing cocktail menu.
The Green Room
Location: 1250 E. Harvard Road, Burbank
Theme: Elaborate movie-themed cocktails with a view
At first blush, the Green Room doesn’t seem like much of a themed bar but stay with us. It’s tucked inside Burbank’s Castaway, a hilltop restaurant that opened in 1962 with a Polynesian theme. The 2018 renovation ditched the island vibes for a clean, modern design but if you look closely, you’ll spot nods to the movie industry. The menus look like screenplays and a Wilson volleyball with a bloody handprint on it rests on an otherwise chic shelf. Make your way into The Green Room and you’ll find a film-themed cocktail menu designed with Instagram in mind. One of the most extravagant drinks is The Short Round, named for Indiana Jones’s buddy in The Temple of Doom. It’s made with Macallan 12, Dolin Blanc and Suze, and it comes in a chest that billows with fog when opened, courtesy of a dry ice skull.
The Edison
Location: 108 W. 2nd St., downtown L.A.
Theme: A steampunk speakeasy
The Edison shares an owner, and a penchant for meticulous design, with Clifton’s. Housed in a former power plant, it’s a cavernous space with an aesthetic that feels like the Paris World’s Fair of 1900 in an alternate universe’s industrial revolution. Regular events include live jazz and burlesque, although you’d be wise to check the calendar to ensure the venue isn’t closed for a private event or a shoot. They serve fancy snacks and craft cocktails and the bouncers enforce a strict dress code, so make sure everyone in your party is dressed to impress.
Good Times at Davey Wayne’s
Location: 1611 N. El Centro Ave., Hollywood
Theme: A ’70s bachelor pad
Good Times at Davey Wayne’s is a ’70s-themed bar mostly frequented by people conceived in the ’80s and ’90s. Guests enter through a fridge door off El Centro and emerge in a lounge that looks like your uncle’s basement pad. There’s not a bar to slide up to, per se, but you can relax on one of the comfy couches or try to snag a seat on the patio swing out back. Order cocktails and beer from the main bar inside or boozy snow cones and beers from the camper trailer on the patio. A limited bar food menu is available outside and regular entertainment includes DJs spinning vinyl, dancers on roller skates and bands. (Please note your best ’70s attire may be subject to the bar’s dress code: no athletic wear, shorts or sandals are allowed after dark.)
La Descarga
Location: 1159 N. Western Ave., Hollywood
Theme: A steamy Havana night circa 1930s
Yet another Houston Brothers spot, La Descarga is a Cuban-themed nightclub and cigar lounge best suited for upscale parties or intimate dates. You’ll enter, once again, through a clandestine door where a spiral staircase takes you from a mezzanine to a dimly lit rum bar. (They do have cocktails with other spirits, if that’s your poison.) Explore further and you’ll find a spacious, covered lounge with a brightly tiled floor where you’re free to toke on cigars. La Descarga is not a neighborhood bar you can just stumble into for a casual drink. The upbeat music is a touch too loud for contemplation, reservations are required and the dress code demands upscale attire. But if you want to make a night of it, you can enjoy live bands, dancers and a sultry vibe. Considering the limited seating, you might feel inclined to dance.
Sassafras Saloon
Location: 1233 N. Vine St., Hollywood
Theme: Midnight in the garden of good and tipsy
The 1933 Group — the folks behind Idle Hour, Bigfoot Lodge and the revamped Formosa Cafe— turned a former townhouse into the Sassafras, an antebellum Southern-themed joint with cocktails, burlesque and New Orleans-style food. The most interesting thing about the bar may be the fact that the house wasn’t originally built in Hollywood. It was built in Georgia, taken apart, moved to L.A. and put back together so we could drink sazeracs and eat po’boys with Zacc chips. The street scene facades and plethora of antique knick-knacks should give you plenty to look at while you practice your best Southern charms.
Bigfoot Lodge
Location(s): 3172 Los Feliz Blvd., Atwater Village and 10939 Venice Blvd., Palms
Theme: A pleasant cabin in the woods
There are two Bigfoot Lodges, one in Atwater Village and another in Palms. Both will make you feel like you’re a sasquatch-obsessed cryptozoologist or maybe just a ranger in a National Park. Expect antler lamps, signs about preventing forest fires and the vague sensation that you’re a character in Twin Peaks. The Atwater location has a Lynchian, woodland-themed animatronic display at the entrance in which a bear and a squirrel are perpetually in motion. Both have a daily happy hour from 5 to 9 p.m. with cocktails for as cheap as $5.
Clifton’s
Location: 648 S Broadway, Los Angeles 90014
Theme: An L.A. institution of many themes
Clifton’s contains multitudes. It was once part of a chain of themed restaurants and this outpost is the last survivor. The space is filled with charming installations and detailed touches that demand thorough exploration. The woodsy bottom floors are dominated by a towering, fake Redwood tree and taxidermy galore. Seek out a secret cave for contemplation located near the bar on the second floor. Then meander up to the gorgeous Gothic Bar, which looks like a broody cathedral located deep in the forest. Clifton’s does have a tiki bar on a higher floor, but as we said, that’s for a different list.
Shadowbox @ Clifton’s
Shadowbox is the fifth concept scheduled to open in the five-story Clifton’s Republic. Like its above-ground sibling bars, which include the California-themed Monarch and the upscale Gothic Bar, Shadowbox will be an immersive fantasy experience in its decor and presentation. Hailed as an “otherworldly environment inspired by scientific curiosities”. Such curiosities include fossilized dinosaur eggs beneath a plexiglass screen in the floor. Cocktails inspired by science and alchemy are meant to delight customers’ senses as much as the stage performances.
The Reserve
Location: 650 S. Spring Street, Los Angeles 90014
Looking for amazing lounges in downtown L.A., The Reserve is a massive nightclub and lounge located in the underground vault of the old Hellman’s Commercial Bank. The Reserve often features themed events and special DJ nights in different rooms, so make sure to check the calendar. This is a true club experience: fantasy lighting, exuberant dancing, long lines, beautiful people, cover charges; all behind a bank vault door, surrounded by decor that incorporates elements like gold bars and intact safe deposit boxes. This is a destination for those looking for some kitsch with their bottle service.
Lost Spirits Distillery
Location: Arts District, Downtown LA
Lost Spirits does not serve food, but we put it on this list simply because it’s one of our favorites experiences in the city. Lost Spirits isn’t just a place to drink rum. It’s an art installation/jungle cruise/science experiment. Each tour last around 90 minutes, and you should book tickets well in advance on their website. Tours run Friday through Sunday.
Source: List compiled from LAist & DiscoverLA
