Welcome to your downtown Los Angeles Aesthetic Travel Guide to the must-see bars, restaurants, and hotels in the City of Angels.
Los Angeles is a lot, in the best, weirdest way. It’s sprawl and smog and sunshine and somehow still magic, if you know where to look. If you’re here for the Walk of Fame and the TMZ tour bus, this guide’s probably not for you. But if you want the LA that lingers, welcome. I made this for you.
Here’s the thing about LA: most people show up chasing hype and leave wondering what all the fuss was about. They get stuck in traffic, eat an overpriced kale wrap, and call it a day. But LA done right? It’s a mood. A feeling.
LA isn’t just a city, it’s a scene. And like any good scene, it’s all about knowing your angles. Lucky for you, that’s kind of my thing.
I’m Sarah. I design hotels for a living, but when I travel, I’m mostly interested in one thing: where’s the good stuff? Where should we eat, drink, stay, wander, and what’s actually worth the hype? And while I can’t tell you how to get a record deal or a million followers, I can tell you where to go that you’ll be very glad you went.
This isn’t a guide to the most popular spots. It’s a guide to the ones that stay with you. The LA you tell your friends about in that “you just had to be there” kind of way. Lucky for you, I was, and I took notes.
This post may include affiliate links. If you choose to book through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Hotel | Address: 1100 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Downtown Los Angeles Proper Hotel
The Proper DTLA doesn’t tiptoe. It struts. Built inside a 1920s landmark and reimagined by Kelly Wearstler, this hotel knows it’s hot. You don’t stay at the Proper DTLA because you want subtle. You stay because you want to be somewhere. Somewhere with stained glass shadows on the floor. Somewhere with a cactus sentry installation and a menagerie mural swirling above your head.
If you want to take my full virtual tour of this hotel, check it out here.
Kelly Wearstler doesn’t do chill, and love her for that. The Proper reads like a graphic novel of design moves: vintage curves, brutalist plinths, scalloped leather, clay-toned mosaics, all playing together like it’s perfectly normal to pair Aztec with Art Deco. And it works. It more than works — it enchants.
Upstairs, the guest rooms are like wearable art: layered neutrals, plinth tables, asymmetric headboards that feel almost flirtatious. It’s warm minimalism, but with edge. Rooms are more restrained but still rich in texture. An angled, cornered headboard (which I’ve never seen before), a deluxe bathroom (not sure if that’s every room, but mine was massive), a perfect peachy clay on the walls. And furniture that is distinctly Wearstler with her mix of quirk and sass. If you’re into layering, contrast, and interiors that feel more like a set than a stay — this is your spot.
Up top, the pool deck serves checkerboard tile, sun-faded glam, and a skyline backdrop that doesn’t need a filter. Downtown LA doing its best skyline impression. And loungers that feel like furniture from a film set — bold, sculptural, a little smug. It’s not trying to be chill. It’s trying to be iconic. And it lands.
If you want something beige and forgettable, keep scrolling. But if you want to stay somewhere with story, substance, and a rooftop that hits golden hour just right? Proper’s where it’s at.
Click here to check current room rates and availability.
Restaurant | Address: 1100 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Cabrillo is your Best Brunch Bet in DTLA
This is the kind of place that makes you fall in love with breakfast again. Honestly, this spot hits my top 5 for best brunches. There’s something about Cabrillo that just lands right. The kind of space where you instantly exhale, glance around, and think, “Oh, this is going to be good.” And it is.
From the potted greenery to the hand-glazed tile and earthy pottery that looks one-of-a-kind (because it probably is), the whole place feels like it was designed to catch the morning light and make you linger in it. There’s a kind of quiet confidence in the space. Like it knows it’s beautiful but isn’t trying to prove anything.
I had one of the best breakfasts of my life here, and I don’t say that lightly. I actually still think about the Perdido — a glorious, golden, brioche-adjacent marvel that’s technically breakfast but reads more like flirting with dessert. Custardy and crisp, just sweet enough, and made to soak up every bit of that moody morning light. I’m not saying it changed my life, but it definitely slowed it down in the best way. (Update: they removed it from the menu. Which is a mistake. BRING IT BACK!!!)
This is the kind of spot where you don’t check the time. You linger. You might order a second coffee just to stay a little longer. And if you’re the kind of person who picks your brunch spot based on the ceramics alone… you’ve found your happy place.
To check current room rates and availability at the DTLA Proper Hotel, click here.
Cocktail Lounge | Address: 1100 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Dahlia Lounge
Tucked just off the lobby, Dahlia is a color crush in cocktail form. The walls and bar are dipped in that perfect in-between hue. They’re not quite blush, not quite peach, like someone bottled golden hour and gave it just a hint of mischief.
It’s intimate, dark, and sexy, and somehow soft all at once. Velvet seating, curved corners, mood lighting dialed way down. It doesn’t scream for your attention. It seduces it. The kind of place where you order something stirred and brown, lean in close, and forget what time it is.
Wearstler takes the idea of a gallery art wall here to the next level. It’s a stunning study in scale, proportion, and color. If you’re like me, you’ll sip and stare, mesmerized. How did she do it, and how does it all work? Props.
Restaurant | Address: 416 W 8th St, Los Angeles, CA 90014
The Exchange Restaurant
So, true story: I used to dread solo dining on biz trips. I feared the side-eye from the hostess, “Oh, are you just going to be dining by yourself tonight?” But after one too many soggy room service nights, I decided to plop myself alone at the bar. And actually, I’ve never looked back. Now, solo dining is one of my favorite secret luxuries. No one eats off your plate. No forced conversation with a colleague. And every now and then, you find a place like this.
The Exchange was one of my first forays into solo dining. I wandered in starving at 4:30 PM (thank you, jet lag), and the staff couldn’t have been more gracious. When they found out I was a hotel designer and had a major crush on Roman and Williams, the design firm behind the space, they gave me a full private tour. Two floors. Every corner. I was in heaven.
The vibe is warm, modern, and quietly stunning. Think: golden wood tones, layers of texture, succulents, and a bit of that lived-in Cali funk. When I visited, each table had a colorful doily (yes, a doily) and I was equal parts confused and charmed.
But the real showstopper? Look down on the ground. And you’ll see a wise old owl staring back at you in mosaic form. This building dates back to 1924 and once housed the headquarters of the Owl Drug Company. During renovation, after stripping back decades of flooring, they uncovered the original tile owl and brought him back to life. Now he watches over (or, under?) the dining room, low-key judging your hummus technique.
The menu leans Israeli-Californian, which basically means everything’s bright, herby, and beautifully plated. Order the sabich and let the eggplant convince you you’ve been doing breakfast wrong. The cocktails hit. The light’s good. And the whole place feels like the kind of low-key stunner you only find if you know.
File this under: best table for one I’ve ever had.
Hotel | 416 W 8th St, Los Angeles, CA 90014
Freehand Hotel, Los Angeles
Calling Freehand Los Angeles a hotel isn’t wrong. It’s just not the whole story.
The hotel lives inside the historic Commercial Exchange building, with interiors by Roman & Williams, which explains why it feels collected rather than decorated. There’s warmth, pattern, vintage character, local art, and just enough imperfection to keep the whole thing from feeling overly groomed. This is not a hotel desperately trying to convince you it’s cool. It has better things to do.
Freehand is part boutique hotel, part very grown-up hostel, but you don’t have to be in 20’s and hauling a backpack and taking trains (aka Euro rules) to enjoy it. You can book a king room, a big loft suite overlooking Downtown, or a bunk in a shared room.
What I especially love is that Freehand understands something a lot of hotels forget: the lobby should have a pulse. There’s coffee, a proper lobby bar, places to work and linger, and enough coming and going that you feel like you’ve landed somewhere; not just checked into somewhere.
Click here to check current room rates and availability.
The rooms have a fun boho vibe with platform beds, woven wall hangings, and vintage-map wallpaper set the tone, while leather wardrobe pulls and geometric pendant lights keep it from tipping into thrift-store territory. Art books are stacked on the built-in nightstands like someone actually expects you to read them. The bathrooms are doing their own thing entirely, green floral tile on the floor, subway tile on the walls, rain showers, and Argan toiletries that make the whole setup feel more spa than hostel.
Broken Shaker Rooftop at the Freehand Hotel in Los Angeles
And then there’s the rooftop.
Broken Shaker feels like somebody threw a very good backyard party several stories above Downtown LA and simply never ended it. Palm trees, patterned tile, colorful mismatched furniture, greenery spilling everywhere and a pool that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The skyline is right there, of course, but somehow it isn’t the whole point. The point is being up there, drink in hand, with nowhere particularly urgent to be.
That’s what Freehand gets right. It isn’t polished within an inch of its life. It’s layered, social, a little scruffy around the edges and full of things worth looking at.
Click here to check current room rates and availability.
Bar | 515 W 7th St 2nd floor, Los Angeles, CA 90014
Seven Grand Bar
Seven Grand feels like someone took an old-school hunting lodge, dropped it into Downtown LA, dimmed the lights and stocked the bar with an alarming amount of whiskey.
Whiskey is very much the point: hundreds of bottles line the back bar, with everything from familiar bourbons to bottles that require a conversation with the bartender and possibly a small financial decision. But you don’t need to know your Speyside from your Islay to have a good time here. Order an Old Fashioned, grab a pool cue and settle in.
This place is a whole vibe. Maybe it was just the night I was there, but this was all the finance bro’s. And the rudest bartender I’ve ever dealt with. So it doesn’t get a huge shout-out, but it was so distinctly not LA (minus the bartender attitude), that it’s kind of a fun one. It gives man-cave vibes. And serious cocktails. So if you want a dark, moody spot to get some sass with your overpriced sips, add this one to your list.
Basically, if Ralph Lauren had a mildly disreputable younger brother who lived downtown and drank whiskey, this would be his place.
Hotel | 1060 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90015
Hoxton Hotel, Downtown Los Angeles
Housed in a 1920s Broadway building, the Hoxton serves up golden-hour glamour with downtown grit. The lobby is a soft-spoken stunner with all velvet seating, warm wood, and just enough terrazzo to flirt with your design sensibilities. It’s a bit of a throw-back to old-world glam but still feels very of-the-moment.
The lobby isn’t just pretty, it’s alive: people working, sipping, lounging like it’s their living room and their runway. Café Basque shifts the mood into something earthier and social. Designed as a modern Basque bistro with nods to French country warmth, the space welcomes lingering lunches, post‑walk cocktails, or late‑afternoon pintxos with rich flavors and a slightly nostalgic feel. Deep leather seating, dark wood details, and softly dimmed lighting make it feel like the sort of place you could easily linger until the evening sets in.
Click here to check current room rates and availability.
There’s no overthinking it — the rooms at The Hoxton are just… really pretty. Soft pink walls, velvet scalloped headboards, warm light that makes everything feel golden. It’s not flashy or fussy. It’s the kind of posh that makes you smile when you walk in. Like, yes. This is where I want to sip my coffee and lay out my skincare.
Even better? The open wardrobe setup turns unpacking into a pleasure. Rattan panels, soft lighting, space for your outfits to breathe. It feels more like your favorite luxe boutique shop rather than a hotel closet. And somehow, you feel more put together just hanging your clothes there. It’s cozy, but it’s lovely. And that’s kind of the whole point.
Cafe & Pâtisserie | 700 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90017
Bottega Louie: A Fever Dream in Frosting
Design-wise, Bottega Louie is deceptively bare at first glance. It’s minimal to the point of austere. But step inside, and you’ll see what’s really happening: expanses of blank white wall act like a cinematic pause, forcing your eyes upward to the ornate plasterwork ceilings and the theatrical bar display. It’s a masterclass in positive and negative space — clean, smart, and entirely intentional. Every detail has breathing room. Every plate arrives like it’s about to walk a runway. It’s maximalism wrapped in restraint.
It reads like a Paris patisserie that got lost on a layover and never rebooked the flight home.
But that’s the trick. With lots of negative space and minimal color, the food becomes the decoration. The pastry counter is full of macarons, cakes and jewel-box little confections, and even the plates seem brighter against all that white. It’s a clever backdrop for a place with this much going on.
I originally filed this one under “snack stop,” but let’s be honest: Bottega Louie is a full-on feast. Think rainbow-stacked macarons, chocolate bars in art-gallery packaging, and a patisserie case that dares you to pick just one. (You won’t.) Yes, it’s a sugar bomb. Yes, it’s a little over the top. But if you’re going to spiral, this is where you do it, surrounded by marble. I came for a coffee. I left with a Nutella-stuffed beignet, avocado toast, and no regrets. Breakfast, but make it decadent. And my waiter? Fully on board with my poor choices. A true co-conspirator.
You don’t need an occasion to go. Just a craving. Preferably for sugar, carbs, and a little architectural drama.
Hotel | 550 Flower St, Los Angeles, CA 90071
Delphi Hotel, Downtown Los Angeles
The Delphi is that quiet downtown hotel that’s not trying to go viral, but it might earn your respect anyway.
It’s a downtown sleeper hit — the kind of hotel you walk into with zero expectations and leave lowkey obsessed. It lives in a former oil company HQ (how LA is that?), but the rebrand is less Mad Men, more mood board. This place has a vibe, and it’s not subtle.
The lobby hits first. Tall ceilings, soft lighting, sculptural seating, and plants absolutely cascading from the sky in a full biophilia drop. The furniture’s curved, the tones are low and moody, and the layout says “stay awhile” without staging a scene. It’s giving Brutalist backbone softened by leafy ambition — and honestly, it works.
The rooms stay in line with the edit: bold artwork, graphic headboards, modern lighting, and a sense of visual rhythm that feels intentional (rare). And then you hit the bathroom — and okay. No one’s pretending it’s spa-like.
It’s a minimalist’s graphic fantasy. All white. Sleek. Almost sterile. But the design restraint is admirable: there’s a crisp black stripe that runs across the full wall of drapery and then picks back up on the pendant light across the room. Like… who lined that up? We see you. Alignment nerds, rejoice. Precision points awarded.
And then the bathroom hits: white-on-white-on-white. But not basic — minimalist-modern (MinMod for the win). A clean, high-contrast space where even the quiet details feel styled. It’s more statement than sanctuary, and yes, the mirror lighting is very “get ready for something.”
Click here to check current room rates and availability.
Restaurant | 550 Flower St, Los Angeles, CA 90071
Denae’s Diner: A Retro Reboot
Attached to the hotel, Denae’s Diner brings the color and kick. It’s a retro remix of checkerboard floors, yellow vinyl booths, and a hip-hop brunch that turns the volume (and the vibe) way up on weekends. Add a DJ spinning hip-hop at brunch and you’ve got yourself a scene. Best part is the breakfast runs all day — a public service for anyone jet-lagged from the East Coast or just recovering from the night before.
Pro tip: the vibe changes depending on the time of day. Breakfast at 9am? Chill and sunny. Brunch at noon? Full-blown music video. Come ready.
Is The Delphi the fanciest hotel downtown? No.
Is it trying to be? Also no.
It’s cool in the way someone becomes cool after they stop trying to impress anyone. And honestly? I respect that.
Click here to check current room rates and availability at the Delphi Hotel.
Hotel | 649 S Olive St, Los Angeles, CA 90014
Per La Hotel, Downtown Los Angeles
I stayed at Per La because I needed a little drama, but not the kind that exhausts you. The kind with Doric columns, coffered ceilings, and a lobby that looks like it could host an opera but instead plays low-volume indie and serves espresso. Think teal velvet sofas, tasseled lamps, fringe-trimmed club chairs, and chartreuse-painted millwork set against a backdrop of classical grandeur. It feels theatrical in the best way. The building’s a former 1920s bank, and you can still feel it in the scale of things. But the energy is warmer now, softened with velvet chairs, vintage rugs, and oversized plants doing their best to make the marble feel chill.
If you want to take my full virtual tour, check out this post.
Upstairs, the maximalism softens but never disappears. The color-drenched entry hallway hits you first, wrapped in warm tones and anchored by a curated minibar built into lacquered cabinetry with mood lighting. Then you turn the corner and see it: the bed. A dark leather-studded headboard, crisp white Bellino linens, and a generous Persian-style rug that gives the room its grounded richness. There’s a chic lounging sofa, a marble-top writing desk, and spa-like bathrooms. Everything feels styled but touchable, luxurious but not stiff. It’s the kind of room that makes you want to unpack, make yourself a cocktail at the mini-bar (that totally nailed color-drenching trend), and sink into that chic bed.
And then there’s the rooftop.
After all the marble and architectural grandeur downstairs, suddenly you’re by a pool under striped umbrellas with terra-cotta tile, greenery and the Downtown skyline peeking in around you. It’s not enormous, which is part of the charm. It feels tucked away rather than perched on display.
Click here to check current room rates and availability.
One More, Before You Go …
If all this Downtown grit has you craving a little ocean air, I have one more bar worth the detour.
Head west to Santa Monica and The Georgian Hotel, the gloriously turquoise Art Deco grande dame sitting right across from the Pacific. Its bar is a completely different flavor of Los Angeles—old Hollywood, ocean views, excellent cocktails and just enough glamour to make you consider canceling whatever you were supposed to do next.
I loved it enough to give it its own story.
→ Read my post on the most beautiful Art Deco Bar at the Georgian Hotel.
Click here to check current room rates and availability at the Georgian Hotel.
Keep on Roaming…
Los Angeles is only the beginning. Heading west? I rounded up the best hotels, restaurants, bars, and very good reasons to linger in my Santa Monica Aesthetic Travel Guide.
For more California color, architecture and design, head to Palm Springs. I have a full Aesthetic Travel Guide, plus a closer look at the city’s color palettes and iconic design eras.
And if you’re ready to roam farther, I’ve got more Aesthetic City Guides waiting for you. Choose your next city. I’ve already done the snooping: Nashville, New York City and Mexico City.
More cities. More beautiful things worth noticing. More reasons to roam.
