Hilly, hot and creative hub Silver Lake buzzes with the hip crowd from day to night, and one of our go-to sippers is the Gallic-inspired Bar Stella, right next door to stalwart French bistro sis Café Stella.
For years Café Stella has been a chic and reliable steak frites et moules spot delivering that extra little je ne sais quoi, but owner Gareth Kaner made visiting even more worthwhile with the addition of this contemporary cocktail bar – a Moroccan-French hybrid of distressed plaster and raw brickwork, featuring bartenders dressed in white jackets serving a small, but beautifully-crafted drinks list.
While the tipples may be classic, the ingredients are certainly premium, viz our dearly beloved Carpana Antica vermouth for perfect negronis, small batch Templeton Rye from Iowa for supreme Manhattans, and the US bartender’s amour du jour, Encanto single-vineyard pisco, used to great effect in the Pisco Sour-like Le Perou cocktail – a sharp and icy froth of lime juice and pineapple. Sit at the marble-topped counter, chill on the couches and poufs in the colour-bombed Marrakech-esque lounge, or snag an alfresco perch on the candle and lantern-lit chequered patio, and remember, if hunger strikes, those excellent steak frites are but moments away…
Bar Stella, 3932 W Sunset Blvd, Silver Lake, Los Angeles, +1 323 666 0265, cafestella.com
