Best Hotel Bars in Los Angeles

Off the Roosevelt's ornate original lobby, the Library Lounge is the playground of barkeep Matthew Biancaniello, whose elaborate market-driven cocktails are some of the most inventive in Los Angeles. Never afraid to use foams, homemade tinctures, or even bacon-infused bourbon, Matthew and the other cocktail gurus are perhaps most proud of the 17-step bloody Mary -- and they're not afraid to serve it well past midnight.

With its butterfly-covered ceiling, stuffed peacock in the corner, and plush banquettes, this 1930s Vietnam-inspired bar is one of the best places in Hollywood to share a drink with a starlet in hiding. Beyond the celebrity factor, the Chateau's comfortable bar is a wonderful place to enjoy the fantastic food. The "damn good burger," we can assure you, lives up to the name.

Nightlife impresario Rande Gerber opened the expansive Stone Rose Lounge in 2006, and it still rates as one of the top drinking dens in West Hollywood. The producers of HBO's True Blood found the dimly lit space and crushed velvet-upholstered furniture ideal for a location shoot; its outdoor spaces are posh, too.

Cameo is heavy on the tuxedo couches, whimsical accents, and the color green -- all a product of it-designer Kelly Wearstler. On busy nights, the action spills out onto the pool deck, where gas heaters keep the ocean breeze from cooling down the party.

If the Mondrian is meant to be a fantastical beach-inspired escape in the heart of paved-over Hollywood, the Skybar is its low-key surf-side drink shack. Set above the pool, it has a commanding view of almost all of Los Angeles' sprawl. Guests of the hotel are automatically on the guest list, a true asset when the door is tight.

While Skybar has the faux-beach scene locked up, Suite 700, on the rooftop of the Shangri La, offers the real thing. The hotel's nautical theme extends here, with art deco furniture that recalls ocean liners of yore and sweeping views of the Pacific and Santa Monica's beach and pier.