Best Bars Near the STAPLES Center

There are Tom’s locations from L.A. to Connecticut, so you can count on the one at L.A. Live to provide your basic beers, bites and TVs, with a few craft brews thrown onto the menu for good measure. The bar’s happy hour takes half off “anything that pours” after 10 p.m. (served alongside snacks like loaded tots, wings and sliders) so consider Tom’s Urban a solid post-game hangout. Plus, with three bars ready to serve a crowd, you don’t have to worry about competing for a bartender’s attention.

Tom’s Urban

1011 S Figueroa St b101, Los Angeles, CA 90015

This speakeasy, inspired by the Caribbean in the ‘30s, exudes old-school sophistication, so skip the jersey and shorts if you want to make it past the door. Sip from the massive 400-bottle rum selection either neat or in tropical cocktails, or take your beverage out to the enclosed patio where you can pick a smoke from an equally extensive cigar menu. If a daiquiri and a Lakers game sounds like your ideal evening, Caña may just be heaven.

Caña Rum Bar

714 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015

Normally hectic, buzzy rooftop bars are anathema to relaxing, but the relatively chill atmosphere at the Ace’s rooftop venue makes it a worthy contender for game night drinks. The pool scene isn’t overbearing for casual drinkers, there’s room to spread out even when the bar fills up, and the crowd usually doesn’t get too loose. Head up to the 13th floor, catch the sunset over central L.A. and reignite your love for the city.

Upstairs at the Ace Hotel

929 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90015

Another national chain, Yard House offers a great alternative to Tom’s Urban, catering to the pre-game, post-game STAPLES Center crowd with a wide array of taps and bar grub. The bar offers a huge selection of beers, including sours, hazy IPAs, and seasonal offerings, so everyone in your crew should be able to find something to fit their tastes.

Yard House

800 W Olympic Blvd A-115, Los Angeles, CA 90015

Even if you remain squarely on the bar side of the equation at Bar Kitchen, you can expect a ritzed up version of your usual gastropub at this spot inside the O Hotel. The marble bar, fireplace and carefully crafted cocktails all lend a sense of refinement to a pre-game happy hour—but that happy hour is nothing to sneeze at: $5 drafts, $6 wine and mixed drinks, and $9 cocktails, plus an array of bites for under $10.

Bar Kitchen

819 S Flower St, Los Angeles, CA 90017