5 bars for More than drinks in Los Angeles

There are two reasons this 1954 cocktail lounge continues to inspire: the vintage decor allows patrons to live out their inner Mad Men fantasies, and the veteran lounger singers, Marty and Elayne, who crooned out standards here for almost four decades. Sadly, Marty recently passed away, so toast his beautiful memory.

This 1970s-themed bar by Mark and Jonnie Houston (who made many of LA’s most creative bars) is a fun homage to their late father. The entrance is a tableau of a garage sale where an old refrigerator transports you inside. Along with the abundant shag carpeting, there’s a patio with an Airstream trailer that serves spiked snow cones.

Dating back to the 1920s, this is the city’s oldest bowling alley, which has been restored to its former glory. The vintage décor is full of repurposed items found during the restoration, including old pin machines turned into chandeliers. Other treasures include inventive cocktails (one references The Big Lebowski) and Neapolitan-style pizza.

This is a pole-dancing club with pedigree – first, it’s been family-owned and -operated since opening in 1970, and it’s also female-operated. Plus, it’s got a serious rock ’n’ roll vibe (dancers are often pierced or tattooed, pick their own music, and don’t court the crowd), which is why Courtney Love once worked here.

Located in the historic Roosevelt Hotel, this art deco-style ‘gaming parlor’ is full of vintage games, including two beautiful bowling lanes. The cocktail menu is in keeping with the Prohibition-era look, with communal punch bowls and signature drinks like the ‘Lucky Smoke’.