best bars in highland park
Highland Park has quietly become one of the best neighborhoods in LA to grab a drink. Not in a trendy, blink-and-you'll-miss-it way, in a real, lived-in, actually-worth-the-drive way. The bars here have personality. Regulars. Good music. The kind of places you end up staying two hours longer than you planned.
Here's where to go.
Gold Line · 5607 N Figueroa St
This is the neighborhood bar. Named after the Metro line that runs right through HP, Gold Line pulls in everyone, longtime locals, new transplants, people who just got off a shift. The patio out front is perfect on a warm night, and the cocktail list is solid without being precious. Go on a weeknight if you want to actually hear yourself talk. On weekends it fills up fast, and that's fun too. Street parking on Figueroa can be hit or miss, try the side streets east of the main drag.
The Hermosillo · 5125 York Blvd
A York Blvd institution. The Hermosillo has been holding it down for years, and the 4.6-star rating barely captures how much the neighborhood loves this place. The draft beer selection is genuinely good, and the well whiskey drinks are priced like it's still 2015 in the best possible way. Low-key vibe, unpretentious crowd, a jukebox that never embarrasses itself. If you're new to Highland Park bar-hopping, start here.
Checker Hall · 104 N Avenue 56
Checker Hall shares an address with Lodge Room, and that's not a coincidence, it's the bar that anchors the whole venue complex on Avenue 56. Come early on a show night and you'll catch the pre-concert energy: people getting a round in before doors open, bands doing walk-throughs, that particular electricity that only exists around live music. There's a patio, a solid cocktail menu, and space for groups. It's also just a good bar on nights when there's nothing on the bill next door.
Highland Park Wine · 5918 1/2 N Figueroa St
Tucked right near Hippo on the north end of Figueroa, Highland Park Wine is the spot for a glass of something natural and interesting. The list rotates and the staff actually knows what they're talking about, not in an intimidating way, in a genuinely helpful way. It's small and intimate, which means it fills up. Get there before 8pm on weekends or you'll be hovering. Worth it.
A note on Lodge Room · 104 N Avenue 56
Technically a music venue, not a bar, but you're buying drinks here and the experience is inseparable from the room. Lodge Room books national touring indie and rock acts in an intimate standing-room format that reminds you why live music matters. The sound is exceptional for a room this size. Check their calendar before any Highland Park night out. If there's a show, build your evening around it.
A few tips before you go
Most of these spots cluster around two main corridors: Figueroa Street (Gold Line, Highland Park Wine) and York Boulevard (The Hermosillo). They're close enough to walk between, which is exactly what you should do. Parking is easier on York than on Figueroa, find a spot there and let the night take you from block to block. The neighborhood rewards wandering.