What Are the Best Cocktail and Whisky Bars in Los Angeles for the World Cup 2026?

The best cocktail and whisky bars in Los Angeles for the World Cup 2026 are concentrated in the Arts District in Downtown LA, where world-class cocktail venues and craft distilleries sit within walking distance of each other, and at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, which holds one of the world's largest aged Scotch whisky collections spanning seven decades and every Scottish region. Los Angeles is the only American city where every major spirits category — mezcal, Japanese whisky, California brandy, bourbon, and craft gin — commands a serious dedicated audience.

Key Takeaways

• Los Angeles hosts 8 World Cup 2026 matches at SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, including the USA vs Paraguay opening group match on June 12.
• The Arts District in Downtown LA is the city's spirits heartland: a craft distillery, two world-class cocktail bars, and a neighbourhood bar with a legendary patio sit within walking distance of one another.
• The Beverly Wilshire hotel in Beverly Hills holds one of the world's largest aged Scotch whisky collections, spanning seven decades and every Scottish region.
• Los Angeles has been producing craft spirits since 2004. Greenbar Distillery, the city's first post-Prohibition operation, now runs the world's largest organic spirits portfolio.
• Unlike any other US city, LA's premium scene covers every major category equally: mezcal, Japanese whisky, California brandy, craft gin, and bourbon all find serious audiences here.

Tip: The Arts District bars operate on a first-come basis and fill quickly on match evenings. Arrive before 7pm to secure a seat without a wait — the neighbourhood is easy to reach by Metro from SoFi Stadium on the A Line.

Los Angeles at the World Cup

Los Angeles is one of the tournament's highest-profile venues. SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, home to the Rams and Chargers, will host eight matches across the group stage and knockout rounds. The tournament opens in LA on June 12, when the United States take on Paraguay in their first group match. For international visitors, few cities offer the same combination of sporting spectacle and genuine cultural depth. The stadium sits about 12 miles from Downtown, easily reachable from most of the city's hotel corridors.

For spirits fans, the timing is fortunate. Los Angeles has spent the past two decades building one of the most interesting drinking cultures in the United States. It is not defined by a single category the way New York leans toward Scotch or Texas toward bourbon. LA's diversity of population means every serious category has a home here, and the bar and distillery scene reflects that. A visitor can tour an organic craft distillery in the morning, drink cocktails at a bar that trained half the city's bartenders in the afternoon, and finish the evening with a glass of 30-year Scotch in a Beverly Hills hotel. This guide covers all three.

The Best Cocktail Bars in LA

Los Angeles has a large number of bars that do technically correct cocktails. A smaller group does something more than that. These four are worth a deliberate visit.

Death and Co

The original Death and Co opened in New York's East Village in 2006 and became, over the following decade, one of the most influential cocktail bars in the world. The Los Angeles outpost sits at 1 ROW DTLA in the Arts District. The menu is seasonal and serious, built around rare spirits and bartenders who understand them. Prices reflect the quality of what is in the glass. If you have one cocktail bar night in LA, this is the most defensible choice.

The Obscure

The Obscure has an unusual distinction: it is California's first cocktail bar operated by a working distillery. The bar and production facility share the same space in the Arts District, which means the bartenders making your drink also make the spirits going into it. Three house-distilled expressions anchor the cocktail programme. On most evenings, a live artist works somewhere in the room, capturing the night as it unfolds. The result is a bar that feels genuinely local in a way that transplanted concepts sometimes do not.

Everson Royce Bar (ERB)

ERB opened in 2015 and has become one of the Arts District's anchor institutions. The exterior is raw concrete; inside, a neon sign reading BAR is the dominant decor. The patio is large and well-used year-round, which in Los Angeles is most of the year. ERB leans neighbourhood bar rather than destination cocktail bar, but the drinks list is thoughtful and the atmosphere is genuinely relaxed. It is the right choice after a long match day when you want something excellent without effort.

The Wolves

Downtown LA, a short distance from the Arts District corridor. The Wolves is darker and more theatrical than the other options here. Bartenders use fire, smoke, and spray bottle techniques on some preparations. The leather-and-wood interior suits evening hours. Not for every mood, but for a group looking for something more dramatic, it delivers consistently.

A Hotel Bar With One of the World's Great Scotch Collections

THE Blvd Bar at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills is a different kind of destination. The hotel, managed by Four Seasons, holds what is described as one of the world's largest collections of aged Scotch whisky: bottles spanning seven decades of production and every major Scottish region. The collection belongs to the Gordon family archive. The bar itself is built around an 18-foot illuminated onyx counter, which is a piece of furniture worth seeing regardless of what you order.

Adjacent to THE Blvd Bar is The CUT Lounge, which serves signature craft cocktails and functions as the more informal of the two spaces. The Beverly High Rye Port Cask Finished expression is exclusive to the hotel and is the natural place to start if you are visiting the Scotch collection for the first time.

For collectors wanting to explore a similar depth of rare single malt at home, the Ben Nevis 27-Year-Old 1998 World Cup Edition on Spiritory is a fitting acquisition during tournament season: a Highland single malt distilled in the same year as France 98, aged 27 years, and bottled specifically for this tournament.

Los Angeles's premium Scotch culture has grown significantly in the past decade. The Beverly Wilshire collection is the most visible expression of that, but it reflects a broader shift in the city's relationship with aged single malt.

Craft Distilleries Worth Visiting

Los Angeles has produced craft spirits continuously since 2004. Three distilleries are worth a visit during a tournament stay.

Greenbar Distillery

Greenbar, at 2459 E 8th Street in the Arts District, was LA's first distillery since Prohibition when it opened in 2004. It now runs what is recognised as the world's largest organic spirits portfolio, covering vodka (TRU), gin (CITY), whiskey (SLOW HAND), rum (CRUSOE), amaros (GRAND), and tequila (IXA). Tours run 45 minutes and include six one-ounce tastings. Parking is straightforward. For visitors whose spirits interest spans categories, Greenbar is the most efficient single stop in the city.

Hollywood Distillery

On Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood, the Hollywood Distillery occupies a historic 1920s mortuary building and holds the distinction of being the first legal distillery to operate in Hollywood since Prohibition. The production floor is built around a 1,000-gallon copper still. The spirits programme includes Oasis Vodka, made with California Medjool dates, alongside rye whiskey, bourbon, and gin. Tours run Thursday through Sunday, 11am to 7pm, last approximately one hour, and accommodate up to 20 people at $30 per person. The building and still are both worth seeing even for visitors primarily interested in the whiskey.

American whiskey fans looking to add a serious bottle to a tournament trip can find Woodford Reserve on Spiritory. It is one of Kentucky's benchmark bourbons and travels well.

Los Angeles Distillery

Downtown LA is home to one of the larger craft operations in North America. Los Angeles Distillery produces whiskey, rum, and gin at scale that few independent urban distilleries can match. It lacks the boutique character of Greenbar or Hollywood Distillery, but for visitors interested in seeing craft production at a meaningful volume, it is worth including.

The Arts District: LA's Spirits Heartland

If you have a single day in Los Angeles dedicated to spirits, the Arts District is where to spend it. The neighbourhood sits on the eastern edge of Downtown, a 10-to-15-minute drive from SoFi Stadium. Within a walkable area, you can tour Greenbar Distillery, drink at The Obscure (the distillery bar), have cocktails at Death and Co, and end the evening at Everson Royce Bar's patio.

The Arts District became a spirits destination partly by accident. Greenbar chose the neighbourhood in 2004 because warehouse space was affordable. As the area developed, bars followed the distillery. The neighbourhood's creative character attracted the kind of operators who build interesting programmes rather than safe ones. The result is a cluster that functions, for visitors, like a curated spirits tour that happens to occupy several city blocks.

HATCH izakaya is also in the Arts District and is worth noting for evenings when the group is split between food and drinks. The Japanese spirits list is serious, and the food is good enough to hold the table for a full evening.

LA has also become the US centre for the organic and farm-to-glass movement in spirits production. Greenbar is the clearest example, but the ethos extends through much of the city's craft scene. For visitors from Europe, where provenance and production transparency are increasingly important to buyers, LA's approach will feel familiar even if the categories differ.

Tequila and mezcal culture in LA runs deeper than in most US cities. The city's Mexican-American population has driven demand for quality agave spirits for decades. For visitors exploring that category, Clase Azul Reposado on Spiritory is one of the most recognised names in premium tequila: a Jalisco reposado aged two months in American oak, presented in the distinctive hand-painted ceramic decanter.

Tip: Greenbar Distillery in the Arts District is open for public tours and is the oldest post-Prohibition craft distillery in California. The tasting menu covers the full range from gin to whisky to rum — worth an afternoon visit before an evening of bar time in the neighbourhood.

FAQ

How many World Cup matches are in Los Angeles?

Los Angeles hosts 8 matches at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. These include the USA vs Paraguay opening group match on June 12 and additional group stage and knockout round fixtures. SoFi Stadium is located approximately 12 miles from Downtown LA.

Where is the best whisky bar in LA?

THE Blvd Bar at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills holds one of the world's largest aged Scotch collections, spanning seven decades of production and every Scottish region. It is the most serious Scotch destination in the city. For cocktail bars that feature rare spirits across categories, Death and Co in the Arts District is the leading option.

Can I visit a distillery in Los Angeles?

Yes. Greenbar Distillery in the Arts District offers 45-minute tours with tastings daily. Hollywood Distillery on Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood runs tours Thursday through Sunday, 11am to 7pm, for $30 per person. Both accept bookings in advance, which is recommended during the tournament period.

What is the Beverly Wilshire Scotch collection?

The Gordon family archive held at THE Blvd Bar in the Beverly Wilshire is described as one of the world's largest collections of aged Scotch whisky. It covers bottles from seven decades of production and all major Scottish regions. The Beverly High Rye Port Cask Finished expression is exclusive to the hotel bar.