Welcome to the Boo Apple. In the midst of spooky season, Halloween-themed bars are scaring up monster business timed to Halloween, with lines out the door for the chance to sip on an array of chilling cocktails while taking in some over-the-top frights. From a tiki bar serving up tropical delights to a gothic spectacle … Read more
Money can’t buy happiness, but it could save you from loneliness — depending on where you live. An eye-opening study by Manhattan Mental Health Counseling crunched data across 48 U.S. states to pinpoint where maintaining a social life burns the biggest hole in your pocket — and to no one’s surprise, New York reigned supreme … Read more
A new ranking reveals the world’s 50 best bars for 2026 — and four Big Apple watering holes made the cut. Unveiled in Milan earlier this week, the 18th edition of the annual list saw roughly 800 expert judges cast votes from around the globe. Topping the list once again is Bar Leone, an acclaimed … Read more
Santa Monica’s party is over at one of its best known watering holes. The Victorian — the sprawling, three-story Main Street mansion where generations of Angelenos have danced, downed cocktails and stumbled through last call — is closing after 20 years of serving espresso martinis and basement DJ sets. “After 20 incredible years, The Victorian … Read more
Los Angeles’ restaurant bloodbath showed no signs of letting up in September. The bad news just kept coming for Southern California’s beleaguered hospitality industry last month, as beloved neighborhood institutions, celebrity haunts and longtime watering holes announced they were calling it quits — some after decades in business. From the Sunset Strip to a Van … Read more
Luke Combs is whipping up a “Hurricane” on the Las Vegas Strip, and coming straight into Blake Shelton’s territory. The country superstar‘s massive Category 10 honky-tonk will officially open Oct. 15 at the Flamingo Las Vegas, transforming the former Margaritaville into a three-story boozy country playground with seven bars, two stages and enough room for … Read more
Mo Money Mo Problems? Not for Diddy. Disgraced music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is reportedly living high and large inside the Fort Dix federal prison in New Jersey — with access to a cell phone, booze and people catering to his every need, NBC News reported. While he’s serving a 50-month sentence for prostitution-related offenses, … Read more
A tropical classic is making a comeback high above Beverly Hills. Gemma, the rooftop restaurant and bar at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, is leaning into the building’s tiki history with a large-format scorpion bowl meant to be shared straight from the same oversized vessel. The connection is more than decorative. Sign up for the … Read more
Heavy-metal icons are hijacking a legendary Los Angeles bar this weekend for the ultimate pre-show bash — and metalheads can get in for free. Iron Maiden is bringing its traveling Eddie’s Dive Bar pop-up to the Rainbow Bar & Grill in West Hollywood ahead of the band’s two massive Los Angeles concerts Friday and Sunday. … Read more
Apparently, Mark Cuban and Andrew Friedman weren’t content conquering professional sports. Now they’re coming for your neighborhood sports bar. Tucked inside a sprawling 8,500-square-foot former pawn shop that dates back to the 1930s, L.A.’s newest reinvention on sports, luxury, and fine dining is born. Located on the corner of Melrose and Cahuenga sits Pawn Shop, … Read more
Can you keep a secret? New York’s stylish speakeasies have stealth appeal and artful drinks. Here’s a look at five new hotspots, from an exclusive East Village gin joint to a clandestine cocktail house in Williamsburg. Prior to the pandemic, the 35th floor of the Mandarin Oriental was already home to two of the city’s … Read more
At barely 5 p.m. on a Thursday in Sherman Oaks, the party has already started at Pineapple Hill Saloon & Grill. Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me” blasts from the sound system, and a crowd of regulars settles in along a well-worn bar. Flat-screen TVs glow — cued up and ready for the Los Angeles … Read more
Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear patches, and one Manhattan bar will never forget that. Nearly every inch of the walls and ceilings of O’Hara’s Restaurant and Pub, located a block south of the World Trade Center site, is covered with patches — more than 7,000 of them — from police officers, firefighters, EMTs and … Read more
Another West Hollywood institution is calling it quits. The formerly nightlife-loving Los Angeles area city has recently endured a brutal wave of beloved spots closing — and now it’s been revealed that last call has officially been set for one of WeHo’s most high profile addresses, Employees Only LA. The moody cocktail bar and restaurant, which … Read more
The rise of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs could be changing more than what Americans put on their plates, as restaurants increasingly look to wellness drinks and other alternatives to traditional alcoholic beverages. The National Restaurant Association’s new 2026 Restaurant Beverage Trends report found growing interest in a wider range of drink choices, particularly among younger consumers, as restaurants … Read more
Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream has issued a voluntary recall of several flavors of its Outshine Fruit Bars on Saturday after discovering they could contain glass. According to a press release, five varieties of the 6ct 2.5-ounce paddle bars were affected: Outshine Strawberry, Watermelon, Grape, Tangerine and Black Cherry. Outshine Fruit Bars’ strawberry flavor was one of … Read more
It’s the bar tale that’s got Angeleno bookworms buzzing. “The Regulars,” a novel written by well-known voice-over artist Johnny Cosmo, is Los Angeles’ hottest read, telling the story of Jimmy Ruggiero, an East Coaster who finds himself in Hollywood after breaking up with his girlfriend in Boston. Every night, he escapes to a mysterious dive … Read more
JuneShine’s hometown happy hour is officially last call. The San Diego-born hard kombucha brand is closing its final company-owned tasting rooms just months after pulling the plug on local brewing, capping a fizzy retreat that leaves the once high-flying beverage darling without a single company-run taproom in the US. The company announced this week that … Read more
At Free Spirited, the trendy Alhambra alcohol-free bar, the appeal is clear. “It’s just like a bar, but without all the drunken fighting,” regular Vanessa Marquez said. Non alcoholic beverages at Free Spirited, a specialized 100% alcohol-free sober craft cocktail lounge and gluten-free kitchen founded by husband-and-wife team Amber Pennington and Arleo De Guzman in … Read more
Double Chicken Please is bringing its bizarrely brilliant food-inspired cocktails, hot honey chicken and buzzed-about bartending magic to West Hollywood this month. New York’s cocktail crown jewel is packing its shakers and heading west — giving Angelenos a taste of its wildly inventive booze-fueled madness. The wildly inventive Lower East Side bar ranked among the … Read more